Unexpected, sorta-good news..
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ALT_Immigration (@ALT_USCIS) is a Twitter site that comments on the US Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS). They’re fun to read.
After Trump’s inauguration, his administration famously shut down the official National Park Service twitter feed for continuing to say things that were… well, true. That left a void.
To fill it, lots of people set up a bunch of ALT accounts that began ragging on various federal agencies. Purportedly written by federal employees, the accounts tend to be critical of what they see as dull agency actions, and on government mistakes in general.
ALT_Immigration (@ALT_USCIS) is a good example. I don’t know much about Immigration, but it’s still a fun read. Very critical and sarcastic.
The various federal agencies being skewered didn’t seem to hold that same appreciation. (What is it about Trump that seems to crush any latent sense of humor in everyone around him?) Not only did they take it personally, Customs and Border Patrol (CPB), along with the Homeland Security Department (HSD, the agency that runs CPB), issued Twitter a legal summons requiring them to turn over the name, address, phone number, and IP address of @ALT_USCIS, citing their authority under 19 U.S. Code 1509.
While “19 U.S. Code 1509” really is a federal law, it covers CBP handling of imported merchandise. Slick move.
Twitter, thankfully, decided ‘Hell no!’ They publicized the fiasco, called their lawyers, and countersued. The Supreme Court has ruled that Americans have a clearly established right to speak anonymously, provided they’re not committing a crime. And no, hurt feelings don’t quite reach that level.
USCIS and HSD folded instantly, since their summons was both horribly unconstitutional and almost comically inept. The official CPB and HSD spokespeople had no comment about the potentially illegal actions of their organizations. CBP withdrew the summons, and Twitter dismissed their suit.
The ALT_Immigration feed posted this:
We are taking a break! The past few days have been extremely difficult and full of anxiety. Thank you again America! — ALT Immigration (@ALT_uscis) April 7, 2017
Not a surprise. I’d be getting some new grey hairs after all that, too.
It’s good that CBP and HSD were stopped, but it still annoyed the bejezus out of me. Talk about a chilling effect! How can I be happy when Trump’s administration gets away with using the power of the federal government to subvert Constitutional protections? That’s a criminal act, and with the approval of USCIS, CPB, and ultimately, HSD, it begins to look like a criminal enterprise.
And it worked. They didn’t even say “Oops.” We them slink back under their rock for the next try.
Except there’s more. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), who was similarly offended, requested that the HSD Inspector General’s Office (OIG) review the disaster. Today, the New York Times reports that HSD Inspector General John Roth agreed to investigate the case as a possible abuse of authority.
Amusingly, the Customs bureau spokesman claimed the bureau had requested the review. I’m still giving Senator Wyden the credit here, since I seriously doubt that CBP was going to request the review without his prompting. Heck, I’m surprised the OIG hasn’t been dismissed en masse, like Trump did for 46 US Attorneys.
[Interesting timing. In late February, US Attorney Preet Bharara of New York announced an ongoing criminal investigation into the Fox News Channel, saying that Fox hid their sexual harassment payouts from investors, which was illegal. Remember that? On Thursday night, March 9th, Fox News’s Sean Hannity urged on-air that Trump to fire all the US Attorneys, including (big surprise) Bharara, all for showing insufficient Trump loyalty. On Friday, Trump did just that. No connections there, nope!] [And the status of that US investigation into Fox News Channel is… ah, uhdunno. I’m guessing it’s dead and forgotten.]Anyway, there’s still time for new dismissals. I mean, it’s not like they don’t know how. Here’s a tweet I found in @ALT_USCIS:
A top State Dept. official was just removed from her position after Breitbart questioned her loyalty to Trump. https://t.co/xjg0fQn3QM
— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) April 22, 2017
I told you @ALT_USCIS was a fun read. Certainly shows what Trump was reading. Sahar Nowrouzzadeh is a career staffer at State who helped with the Iranian nuclear deal, according to Politico. On a yearlong assignment to State Department policy and planning, she was unexpectedly dropped back to her old position. Clearly she didn’t show sufficient Trump loyalty.
Did you know that career employees in the State Department are legally protected against political retaliation?
Neither does Trump.
