Judge Julia Kobick Who Blocked Trump’s Latest Move Against Gender Ideology Has Deep Connections To Democrats
Applicants can now still select 'X' on a passport application form
Judge accused of helping illegal alien evade ICE says she didn't think 'avoid ICE' meant anything illegal
Massachusetts District Judge Shelley Joseph denied wanting to help an illegal alien evade federal detention by helping him exit a courtroom through a back door.
In 2018, Joseph was presiding over a drug possession hearing for Jose Medina-Perez, a man from the Dominican Republic who had already been deported from the U.S. in 2003 and 2007.
During the hearing, the judge asked for the official recording of the proceeding to be turned off while she had a discussion with the defense attorney, allegedly to talk about how to help the illegal immigrant evade ICE agents. This week, the defense attorney testified as to what was said during the unrecorded period.
'It sends a dangerous message that political activism is more important than the rule of law.'
Attorney David Jellinek testified on Monday that during a 52-second off-the-record sidebar conversation, he told Judge Joseph he wanted to get his client, the illegal alien, out of the courthouse without interacting with ICE, the Boston Herald reported.
The attorney said he was aware of a back door used by court officers for criminal defendants and told the judge he would use it with her permission. Jellinek said, according to the Boston Herald, that he knew he was "on the edge" of ethical and legal standards, but said he did not break the law.
In a report from CBS Boston, the transcript of the hearing revealed that Jellinek had another reason for wanting to help his client evade ICE.
Jellinek reportedly stated that he thought ICE was looking for the wrong man and wanted time to investigate and prove that fact.
When Judge Joseph was asked if she thought her discussion with Jellinek meant he wanted to "go out the back door," Joseph replied, "Oh, God no."
Joseph was also asked in the CBS Boston report whether she knew the words "avoid ICE" meant to avoid federal authorities in "any improper way," to which she replied no.
Joseph also said she would "absolutely not" have been a party to anything illegal like that, either.
According to the Boston Herald, Joseph could face devastating punishments.
Special counsel Judith Fabricant from the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended Judge Joseph be indefinitely suspended and stripped of her $207,855 salary for an alleged failure to uphold the standards of a judge.
The commission cannot remove a judge, but Fabricant suggested that a referral to lawmakers for Joseph's removal should be made.
RELATED: NYC comptroller locks arms with man to prevent ICE arrest: 'Show me your warrant!'
Paul Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance told Blaze News that Judge Joseph's actions represent a troubling breakdown of public trust in the judicial system.
"When a sitting judge allegedly aids a twice-deported criminal in evading federal law enforcement, then attempts to cover it up by disabling a courtroom recorder, it sends a dangerous message that political activism is more important than the rule of law," Craney said.
Craney added that accountability on the bench "must be restored" and that the hearing was "long overdue."
The case will likely not be settled until at least early August, however, as a hearing officer said the parties involved have until July 3 to file briefs and then until July 10 to respond to them.
A written report and recommendation for the CJC comes 30 days after that, which would be around August 10.
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Dems Find Second Judge To Block More Of Trump’s Order Enforcing Election Law
Democrats move from one jurisdiction to the next until a leftist district court judge in one venue hands Dems a victory that is a loss for Americans everywhere.'Dangerous and corrupt': Whistleblower demands DOJ probe Massachusetts migrant shelters
Massachusetts' sanctuary policies, combined with the former Biden administration's immigration crisis, have resulted in a disastrous situation for the state's overwhelmed shelter system, which has become a hotbed of criminal activity and has led to the mismanagement of taxpayer funds.
Jon Fetherston, a former director for one of those emergency shelters, a Marlborough Holiday Inn that housed hundreds of individuals, gained firsthand experience with some of the shelter program's most egregious and disturbing issues.
'The system is bloated with bureaucracy and lacks meaningful financial accountability.'
Fetherston, who worked as the shelter's director in 2023 and 2024, announced that his experiences prompted him to demand the federal government investigate Democratic Governor Maura Healey's migrant shelters.
Fetherston called Healey's program "dangerous and corrupt," urging Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday to "immediately launch a full investigation" into "a disturbing pattern of criminal activity, sexual assaults, financial abuse, and the widespread use of no-bid contracts."
He described the program as a "disaster for public safety, government transparency, and fiscal accountability" that has failed Massachusetts residents and the migrants it is supposed to help.
Safety concerns
Among the most concerning failures Fetherston observed were rampant criminal activities within the shelters, which posed direct threats to vulnerable residents and the nearby community.
Fetherston pointed to disturbing cases of sexual assault, including an instance where a father residing at the state-run shelter was accused of repeatedly raping his minor daughter, resulting in her pregnancy.
Fetherston wrote to Bondi that the incident was not isolated and that he was "aware of other women and girls who were assaulted in shelters that had no adequate safeguards, supervision, or response protocols."
Fetherston told Blaze News, "To this day, no one has been held accountable."
He noted that the state's refusal to cooperate and share information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while "often obscured by political rhetoric," has resulted in "a real and urgent threat to community safety."
Despite Healey's claims that individuals undergo background checks before entering the state-run shelters, criminals and migrants with active deportation orders were "knowingly placed in family shelters alongside children and vulnerable residents," Fetherston said.
"The governor claimed that all migrants were run through the Massachusetts [Criminal Offender Record Information] system," he continued. "That was a blatant falsehood. She later said she directed her staff to do so but produced no documentation to prove it, and no one on her staff was held accountable. Moreover, running migrants through the CORI system only reveals crimes committed in Massachusetts, rendering it nearly useless for individuals arriving from other countries. This was simply more gaslighting from the governor."
Financial abuses
In addition to endangering the community, the shelter system wastes taxpayer funds through rampant financial abuses, requiring urgent scrutiny, Fetherston revealed.
Fetherston outlined widespread fraud within the state's shelter system, which he called "staggering and frankly insulting to taxpayers."
He stated that he witnessed vendors bill for services never rendered and government contracts awarded without proper oversight.
Fetherston also pointed out that shelter staff would clock in for work and then leave. They used the hotel's rooms for personal purposes, booked personal rideshare services through the shelter's account, brought their laundry for the shelter's vendors to handle, and even advised migrants on how to manipulate the immigration system.
"The system is bloated with bureaucracy and lacks meaningful financial accountability," he stated.
Fetherston's claims of financial mismanagement were backed by a state audit, which revealed issues in the shelter program's contracting and oversight processes.
‘Until these reforms occur, public funds are wasted, and the families who rely on the system suffer the most.’
Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio's Office released a report in May, which revealed that the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities "failed to adequately assess and act upon the increased demand for shelter services, resulting in improper and unlawful no-bid emergency procurements for food and transportation services."
The audit noted a "lack of fairness," "transparency," and "accountability" in the state's contracting process that resulted in "unnecessarily high costs and inefficiencies."
The audit also revealed that the state "mismanaged" its contracts with shelters and hotels, pointing to "a lack of administrative oversight at EOHLC" and "creating an avoidable risk."
Fetherston's attempts to address these failures revealed deeper issues, including ignored warnings and personal consequences for speaking out.
Fetherston told Blaze News that his efforts to expose the shelter system abuses came at a personal cost, including "direct retaliation." He noted that state officials consistently ignored his concerns.
When Fetherston attempted to save taxpayer-funded resources, he faced intimidation from one resident who allegedly crashed a vehicle into his office after he announced that residents with EBT and WIC benefits would no longer receive taxpayer-funded diapers, wipes, and formula through the shelter.
"Taxpayers have every right to demand transparency and results," Fetherston told Blaze News. "That begins with full independent audits, strong whistleblower protections, thorough investigations, and a comprehensive overhaul of procurement and oversight processes. Until these reforms occur, public funds are wasted, and the families who rely on the system suffer the most."
Fetherston asked the DOJ to open an investigation into "criminal activity and sexual violence within Massachusetts-run migrant shelters," "widespread fraud and misuse of federal and state funds," "the deliberate refusal to coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies," and "the pattern of retaliation against those reporting abuse, danger, or misconduct."
The DOJ could not confirm receipt of Fetherston's letter.
Healey's office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
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White House warns radicals now massing in Boston, elsewhere in wake of LA riots: 'Think twice'
The Trump administration's enforcement of the law in Los Angeles not only enraged California Democrats but their fellow travelers further abroad as well — some of whom are now hitting the streets in cities across the country.
The White House has made clear that its zero-tolerance policy for violent radicalism in Los Angeles applies nationally.
When asked about radicals' planned gatherings, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Blaze News, "Any individual who wants to mimic the violence, lawlessness, and rioting in California should think twice."
"President Trump will always do what is needed to keep American citizens safe, especially when weak Democrat leaders fail to do so," added Jackson.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed a number of lawful operations last week in California, including one that local Service Employees International Union President David Huerta allegedly tried to impede, resulting in his arrest on Friday.
Thugs in Los Angeles reacted to the ICE raids by attacking police and federal agents, blockading major thoroughfares, setting fires across the city, and looting downtown businesses.
President Donald Trump responded to the riots on Saturday by calling up the National Guard to protect federal personnel and property and emphasized the following day that the efforts by "violent, insurrectionist mobs" to prevent ICE agents from doing their jobs would "only strengthen our resolve."
Amid the riots, Democratic leaders and politicians — including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey — directed their ire at the lawful rather than at the lawless. California Gov. Gavin Newsom not only condemned the president but sided once again with foreign nationals.
RELATED: White House has clear message for Newsom after Democratic governor dares Homan to arrest him
Democratic PACs and leftist groups have since attempted to pressure federal lawmakers to demand an end to workplace ICE raids. Meanwhile, SEIU and other labor groups summoned their members to join demonstrations Monday against the enforcement of federal immigration law and for the release of federal arrestees.
The Massachusetts chapter of the 50501 Movement, a leftist anti-Trump protest group, was among the outfits that heeded the call of the SEIU, both directing fellow travelers to take to the streets and claiming that the detentions of illegal aliens and the federally championed clampdown on rioters in L.A. was their "Reichstag Fire moment."
'The response by the Trump administration is tantamount to a declaration of war.'
Mass 50501 claimed in its Sunday call to action that its rally at Boston City Hall is:
not simply to protest the National Guard being called to L.A. This rally is to put pressure on our government in Massachusetts to take steps immediately to protect us from a similar fate, while we still have time to brace for the impact. This rally is to demand that Governor Healey use her executive order powers to stop the National Guard and other military forces from entering Massachusetts or being activated by the federal government here, as well as to call on the National Guard on Massachusetts’ behalf, to prevent Trump trying to call on it himself to suppress dissent in our state.
The protesters, apparently joined by representatives from the Massachusetts chapter of the ACLU, appear to be preaching to the choir granted Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has criticized the efforts of immigration enforcement officials and compared ICE agents last week to neo-Nazis.
RELATED: Lies, flags, and firebombs: Just another ‘mostly peaceful’ riot in LA
In addition to amassing demonstrators in Boston on Monday, the 50501 Movement is promoting a nationwide uprising on June 14 called "No Kings."
The blurb for the event states, "They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far."
Kylie Bemis, an organizer with 50501, framed the protests as a response to an "act of war."
"This is an attack on American liberty," Bemis said in a statement obtained by Boston.com. "The right to freedom of speech and due process of the law must be protected above all else, and the response by the Trump administration is tantamount to a declaration of war against the American people."
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WI Judge Charged With Helping Illegal Alien Evade ICE Has A Case Of Judicial Privilege
Judge Hannah Dugan claims judicial immunity in seeking dismissal of the charges, an argument one legal expert calls 'nutty.'ICE nabs staggering 1,500 illegal aliens — alleged traffickers, murderers, fugitives — from sanctuary Massachusetts
Immigration and Customs Enforcement led a monumental sweep, capturing nearly 1,500 illegal aliens in Massachusetts to clamp down on the sanctuary state's illegal immigration crisis.
A month-long "enhanced" enforcement operation, dubbed "Operation Patriot," involved numerous law enforcement agencies, including ICE Boston, the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, the ATF, the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
'We're doing the job that ICE should have been doing all along, and then we enforce all immigration laws.'
The joint effort resulted in the apprehension of 1,461 illegal aliens, more than half of whom had "significant criminal convictions or charges."
Federal law enforcement officials targeted individuals tied to transnational crime, gangs, and other illegal activities.
"Seven-hundred and ninety of the alien offenders were charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States or abroad," an ICE press release read.
Michael Krol, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations New England, stated, "Among those arrested include truly alarming criminals: murderers wanted in their home countries, child predators, and drug traffickers."
"Numerous targets" had foreign arrest warrants, ICE reported.
Federal immigration attorneys nabbed a 55-year-old Salvadoran national with an Interpol Red Notice for aggravated homicide, robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and theft in his home country.
ICE arrested a 32-year-old Guatemalan national and registered sex offender with pending charges in Boston, including five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over and trafficking a person for sexual servitude. The agency noted that the man was also arrested in Massachusetts for aggravated rape of a child with a 10-year age gap and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over.
A 37-year-old Honduran national was also among those arrested. He was previously detained for several violent charges, including rape, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, witness intimidation, kidnapping of a minor by a relative, lewd and lascivious conduct, and sexual conduct.
RELATED: Huge ICE sweep busts 100+ illegal aliens at Florida worksites
During a Monday press conference announcing the results of the operation, media outlets pushed back on ICE's arrest of Marcelo Gomes, an 18-year-old high school student unlawfully in the country.
The agency explained that Gomes was not the target of the arrest.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told reporters, "We were looking for his father. So obviously, he's the father of the year because he brought his son up here illegally as well."
He explained that Gomes was driving his father's vehicle when he was pulled over and taken into custody.
"Like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant, or, like I said, is here illegally, we will take action on that," Lyons continued. "We're doing the job that ICE should have been doing all along, and then we enforce all immigration laws."
A reporter asked Lyons, "What is dangerous about a high school junior?"
Lyons responded, "I didn't say he was dangerous. I said he's in this country illegally, and we're not going to walk away from anybody."
The massive operation follows border czar Tom Homan's pledge that ICE would target sanctuary jurisdictions shielding illegal aliens from federal immigration enforcement.
On Saturday, Homan told reporters, "We're doing immigration actions all throughout the country."
"You're going to see more teams on the streets," he continued. "You got sanctuary cities, I said, we're going to flood the zone if we can't arrest a bad guy in the jail."
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Alito, Thomas Left Stunned After SCOTUS Refuses To Protect Middle Schooler’s Speech Rights
'By limiting the application of our viewpoint-discrimination cases, the decision below robs a great many students of that core First Amendment protection.'Dad making delivery sees carjacker entering his vehicle — and his child also is inside car, cops say. Things soon get primal.
Police in Springfield, Massachusetts, said a father told them he was outside of his vehicle making a delivery around 10 p.m. May 19 when he noticed an unknown individual enter his car.
Worse still? The father told police his child also was in the vehicle at the time.
Officers arrested 40-year-old Angel Tapia-Otero and charged him with carjacking and kidnapping, police said.
Police said the dad got back into his car from the passenger side and tried to remove the intruder from the driver's seat and fought with him.
With that, police said the intruder began accelerating the vehicle — and soon hit another car head-on.
In the aftermath, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision could see two people fighting in the other car with a child inside it, police said.
After arriving at 10:50 p.m. at the intersection of Belmont Avenue and Keith Street — the scene of the head-on crash with injuries — officers arrested 40-year-old Angel Tapia-Otero and charged him with carjacking and kidnapping, police said.
Police said it wasn't clear if Tapia-Otero knew a child was inside the car when he entered it. Police said the suspect also was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
Blaze News reached out to Springfield police and asked if the victim or his child or both were injured, and if so, what were the extent of their injuries. Police told Blaze News they don't provide information about crime victims — but they did say Tapia-Otero was injured in the fight with the victim and taken to a hospital.
The Hampden County Correctional Center on Tuesday morning confirmed to Blaze News that Tapia-Otero was still in the facility after being booked into jail May 20. Officials said he is not bailable and that they couldn't provide his next court date.
WWLP-TV reported that Tapia-Otero is from Springfield. The city is located in Western Massachusetts, on the shores of the Connecticut river just north of the border.
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