
Ice officers to be allowed to continue wearing masks despite controversy
Date: 2025-07-21T10:24:25.000Z
Title: Ice chief says he will continue to allow agents to wear masks
Content: Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I'm Tom Ambrose and I'll be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next couple of hours.
We start with news that the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) said on Sunday that he will continue allowing the controversial practice of his officers wearing masks over their faces during their arrest raids.
As Donald Trump has ramped up his unprecedented effort to deport immigrants around the country, Ice officers have become notorious for wearing masks to approach and detain people, often with force. Legal advocates and attorneys general have argued that it poses accountability issues and contributes to a climate of fear.
On Sunday, Todd Lyons, the agency's acting director, was asked on CBS Face the Nation about imposters exploiting the practice by posing as immigration officers. 'That's one of our biggest concerns. And I've said it publicly before, I'm not a proponent of the masks,' Lyons said.
Read the full story here:
Meanwhile, we have a report on how migrants at a Miami immigration jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates 'like dogs', according to a report published on Monday into conditions at three overcrowded south Florida facilities.
The incident at the downtown federal detention center is one of a succession of alleged abuses at Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice) operated jails in the state since January, chronicled by advocacy groups Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Sanctuary of the South from interviews with detainees.
Dozens of men had been packed into a holding cell for hours, the report said, and denied lunch until about 7pm. They remained shackled with the food on chairs in front of them.
The full story can be found here:
In other developments:
An 82-year-old man in Pennsylvania was secretly deported to Guatemala after visiting an immigration office last month to replace his lost green card, according to his family, who have not heard from him since and were initially told he was dead. According to Morning Call, which first reported the story, longtime Allentown resident Luis Leon – who was granted political asylum in the US in 1987 after being tortured under the regime of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet – lost his wallet containing the physical card that confirmed his legal residency.
Donald Trump has said that he would move to block the Commanders' plans to build a new stadium at the old RFK Stadium site in Washington DC unless they changed their name. It is unclear if Trump would be able to do so. The RFK Stadium site was once on federal land but Joe Biden signed a bill earlier this year – one of his final acts in office – transferring control to the DC city government for a 99-year term. Trump also posted that the call to change names applied to Cleveland's baseball team, which he called 'one of the six original baseball teams'.
Scores of scientists conducting vital research across a range of fields from infectious diseases, robotics and education to computer science and the climate crisis have responded to a Guardian online callout to share their experiences about the impact of the Trump administration's cuts to science funding. Many said they had already had funding slashed or programs terminated, while others feared that cuts were inevitable and were beginning to search for alternative work, either overseas or outside science.
Ever since Donald Trump began his second presidency, he has used an 'invented' national energy emergency to help justify expanding oil, gas and coal while slashing green energy – despite years of scientific evidence that burning fossil fuels has contributed significantly to climate change, say scholars and watchdogs. It's an agenda that in only its first six months has put back environmental progress by decades, they say.
Trump said he would help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when the US pulled out and the Taliban took power.
Polls released on Sunday showed falling support among Americans for Trump's hardline measures against illegal immigration, as the Republican president celebrated six months back in power. Polls from CNN and CBS show Trump has lost majority support for his deportation approach.
A growing group of African Americans are ditching corporate big-box retail stores that rolled back their DEI programs and instead are shopping at small, minority- and women-owned businesses they believe value their dollars more.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Landlord jailed for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
A landlord jailed for decades after he attacked a Palestinian American boy and his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing the Will County Sheriff's Office. The law enforcement agency did not return a call seeking comment on the death. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened. Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy's mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.


The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
DOGE plans to use AI to identify 50% of 200,000 federal regulations that can be eliminated by Trump
Federal government agencies are reportedly using an artificial intelligence tool from Elon Musk 's DOGE initiative to identify regulations to cut, with a goal of cutting about half from a list of 200,000 federal rules. The tool, the ' DOGE AI Deregulation Tool,' is already in use at the Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, The Washington Post reports. The U.S. Doge Service described using the tool to analyze about 200,000 regulations to find ones that officials believe are neither necessary nor legally required, with a goal of cutting half by next January and saving the government trillions of dollars in spending by the anniversary of Trump 's inauguration, according to a PowerPoint presentation obtained by The Post. The DOGE tool has already been used to review more than 1,000 'regulatory sections' at the housing department, as well as to drive '100% of deregulations' at the consumer protection bureau, according to the presentation. The White House and the housing agency described the efforts as preliminary. 'The DOGE experts creating these plans are the best and brightest in the business and are embarking on a never-before-attempted transformation of government systems and operations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness,' an administration spokesperson told the newspaper. The Independent requested comment from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the architects of the DOGE program, once mused about mass-deleting federal spending by culling large numbers of government workers. 'If your Social Security number ends in an odd number, you're out. If it ends in an even number, you're in,' he said in an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman in September. 'There's a 50 percent cut right there. Of those who remain, if your Social Security number starts in an even number, you're in, and if it starts with an odd number, you're out. Boom. That's a 75 percent reduction done.' Musk left the Trump administration in May, and in that time, DOGE failed to achieve the trillion-dollar cuts to federal spending the billionaire suggested might be possible. The effort — housed in a government tech agency renamed as the U.S. DOGE Service via executive order signed by the president,— was met with sharp criticism from Democratic officials, as well as scores of lawsuits from agency employees and advocacy groups arguing the initiative flouted key parts of transparency rules, federal rule-making guidelines, and budget laws. In its first six months, the Trump administration implemented actions reducing regulatory costs by $86 billion and 52.2 million hours in paperwork, according to the American Action Forum.


Daily Record
23 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Four arrested after Trump protests across Scotland and UKIP rally
Police Scotland have confirmed that officers took action at various events across the country on Saturday and a number of people were arrested. At least four people have been arrested following a day of mass protests across Scotland. Scots turned out in force to demonstrate against Donald Trump 's visit to the country in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh, while in Glasgow a march organised by UK Independence Party (UKIP),calling for 'mass deportations' was met by hundreds of counter protesters. Police Scotland have confirmed that officers took action at various events across the country on Saturday, July 26. In Aberdeen, an 18-year-old man was arrested in connection with a number of outstanding warrants and will appear at court at a later date. While 56-year-old man will be subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal following an alleged assault in Aberdeen city centre. In Glasgow, a 49-year-old woman was arrested in connection with an alleged obstruction of the police following an incident in George Square. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. A 50-year-old woman was issued with a Recorded Police Warning in connection with alleged threatening behaviour in Regent Terrace, Edinburgh. Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday and took to his Turnberry golf course on the first full day of his visit. Hundreds gathered in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen – near the site of the US President's other Scottish golf resort – to make their opposition to the president known. A major security operation surrounded him, with police officers and military personnel seen scouring the grounds ahead of Mr Trump teeing off. Sniffer dogs were seen patrolling the golf course in Ayrshire, with the Navy carrying out sweeps in the water beside the seaside course, while Army vehicles were spotted on the nearby A77 road. Police Scotland has asked for support from other forces across the UK to bolster officer numbers for the high profile visit – with Mr Swinney appealing to people to protest 'peacefully and within the law'. In Glasgow, protestors came together on Buchanan Street to oppose a rally organised by UKIP. In a post announcing the march, UKIP said the demonstration would 'send a message to Holyrood that we are taking our country back,' adding: 'the people of Glasgow demand mass-deportations.' UKIP estimated 200 would attend the march through the city centre. The counter protest, attended by trade unionists, faith organisations, and other anti-racist and anti-fascists, was organised by Stand Up to Racism Scotland. Sharing a video of the demo to social media, they said: 'Hundreds of anti-fascists and anti-racists from the trade unions, community and faith organisations have answered the call to say that fascists "shall not pass" in Glasgow.'