Author: adler

WATCH: Indicted Democrat Judge Seeks Reelection as Texas Vote-Harvesting Case Expands
In Frio County, Texas, a suspended county judge facing multiple felony election-fraud charges has decided to seek reelection—not after exoneration, not after trial, but while under indictment and barred from office without pay. 
The decision is legally permissible, but the implications are far more troubling.
On Dec. 5, Rochelle Lozano Camacho filed paperwork to run again for Frio County judge. 
The filing came just days before the state’s Dec. 8 primary deadline and months before her next court appearance, scheduled for March 12, 2026—nine days after Texas primary voters cast their ballots.
Camacho is currently suspended from office by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct following her May 2025 arrest in one of the most expansive vote-harvesting prosecutions in recent Texas history. 
According to indictments returned by a Frio County grand jury, Camacho faces three felony counts of vote harvesting, stemming from a two-year investigation led by the office of Ken Paxton.
The suspension order is unambiguous. 
Camacho is barred from exercising judicial authority and is receiving no compensation until her criminal case is resolved, dismissed, or reconsidered by the commission. 
Yet under Texas election law, suspension does not prohibit a candidate from seeking reelection. Camacho has chosen to exploit that gap.
The case surrounding her candidacy is the centerpiece of a coordinated ballot-harvesting investigation that has so far produced 15 criminal indictments, many involving elected officials or political operatives in South Texas.
Camacho was arrested on May 9, 2025, and booked into the Frio County Jail. 
Within days, the judicial conduct commission suspended her. Prosecutors allege she participated in an organized scheme that targeted elderly and mail-in voters, collecting ballots in violation of Texas law. 
Under reforms enacted in 2021, compensated ballot harvesting carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The investigation did not stop with Camacho. Indicted alongside her were city council members, school board officials, county commissioners, and a former elections administrator accused of tampering with evidence. 
In June 2025, a second grand jury expanded the case, adding nine more defendants—including former Bexar County Democrat Party chair Juan Manuel Medina and current Texas House candidate Cecilia Castellano.
Court filings describe a systematic operation: political actors approaching vulnerable voters under the disguise of assistance, taking possession of ballots, and, in some cases, exchanging payments via electronic apps to secure votes or voter information.
These are not paperwork errors. They are felony chain-of-custody violations.
Against that backdrop, Camacho’s decision to file for reelection is not merely bold. It is revealing.
The timing matters. Texas primaries are scheduled for March 3, 2026. Camacho’s next court appearance is March 12. Voters will be asked to pass judgment before hearing sworn testimony, before evidence is fully litigated, and before the legal system reaches a conclusion.
That sequencing is not accidental. It is strategic.
Equally notable is the silence. Despite the scope of the investigation and the number of Democrat officials implicated, prominent Democrats at the state and national level have offered little public comment. 
For years, Democrat leaders have insisted that voter fraud in Texas is virtually nonexistent. 
Yet in a single rural county, a two-year probe has resulted in indictments against a sitting county judge, multiple municipal officials, and election administrators.
Texas law treats ballot custody and election integrity as serious matters for a reason. Mail-in voting depends entirely on trust — trust that ballots are not intercepted, altered, or monetized by political intermediaries. 
When officials entrusted with administering elections are accused of subverting them, the damage extends beyond a single race.
Camacho’s candidacy sharpens that concern. It signals to voters that criminal indictment and judicial suspension are obstacles to be managed, not accountability thresholds to be respected. 
It also highlights a structural weakness in election law: the absence of safeguards to prevent indicted officials from using the ballot box as a shield against consequences.
This case is not about partisan advantage. Instead, it is about whether election law carries real consequences when violated by those in power.
A suspended judge accused of vote harvesting should not be campaigning as if nothing had happened. Voters deserve clarity, transparency, and accountability — not a procedural race against the court calendar.
Frio County now stands at the center of a test far larger than one election. The outcome will signal whether Texas treats election integrity as a principle or merely a slogan.
The post Indicted Democrat Judge Seeks Reelection as Texas Vote-Harvesting Case Expands appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Donald Trump has kept his commitment to the American people and secured the border upon resuming office in January.
Although illegal crossings are significantly down to minuscule levels, four years of open borders under Joe Biden have taken a toll on the United States. Law enforcement agencies like the Texas DPS are constantly pursuing illegal aliens and making arrests. They work with federal agencies like the Border Patrol to make the country safer.
Texas DPS pursued a human smuggler carrying 10 illegal aliens in his vehicle in Webb County, in Laredo, earlier this month.
After taking troopers on a high-speed chase, the driver, Jorge Alonso Diaz Jr, crashed the vehicle he was driving, a Lincoln Navigator, into a commercial vehicle.
Diaz was arrested and charged with human smuggling with the likelihood of significant bodily injury and evading arrest with a vehicle.
Troopers handed over the 10 illegal aliens in the vehicle, along with a child, to the Border Patrol.
Watch:

NEW | Texas DPS Arrests Human Smuggler After High-Speed Chase in Laredo
12/17/25 — @TxDPS Troopers arrested a human smuggler after a high-speed chase in Laredo.
The smuggler fled in a Lincoln Navigator, leading Troopers on a pursuit that ended when the vehicle crashed into a… pic.twitter.com/8WPhsKlATx
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) December 23, 2025

These kinds of pursuits are somewhat common for the DPS, considering the number of illegal aliens in Texas and throughout the country.
TGP reported earlier this month that DPS troopers were on a high-speed chase with a smuggler carrying illegals who were locked in a van.
Watch:

NEW: Texas DPS Arrests Human Smuggler in Webb County@TxDPS Troopers arrested a human smuggler from Laredo after he led them on a high-speed pursuit in Webb County. The driver, Juan Antonio Aleman, was smuggling 10 illegal immigrants who were locked inside a van. Aleman admitted… pic.twitter.com/cTsfA5NSgT
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) December 11, 2025

Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution gives the federal government the authority and responsibility to secure the border from invasion.
“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.” Article IV, Section 4 of the US Constitution.
The rule of law has been restored under President Trump.
The post Texas DPS Goes on High-Speed Chase with Smuggler Carrying Ten Illegal Aliens, Crashes into Commercial Vehicle (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A self-proclaimed prophet in Ghana has quietly moved the goalposts after his dramatic prediction that the world would end in a catastrophic flood on Christmas Day failed to materialize.
According to reporting by News18, Ebo Enoch, who also goes by “Ebo Noah,” previously warned followers that nonstop rain would begin on December 25 and continue for three years, wiping out everything in its path.
The only salvation, he claimed, would be a series of Noah-style wooden arks he said God instructed him to build.

As December 25 came and went with no flood, no rain, and no apocalypse, Ebo quickly pivoted. The end of the world, he now says, has not been canceled, just “postponed.”
According to the self-proclaimed prophet, God was so impressed with his prayers, fasting, and “donations” that He granted humanity extra time. The revised divine instruction? Build even more arks and expand the project so additional people can be “saved.”

Ebo Noah:
God reveals to redeem. I have prayed, I have fasted, I have donated, and I have built. Through my prayers, I received another vision. In that vision, when you look at the number of people coming from all over the country and all over the world into the Ark, the expansion of the Ark could not contain them.
So I shared my vision with some great men of God who also interceded with me. After the intercession, God has given us some time to build more Arks, in addition to the tent that will contain all of us.
Therefore, tomorrow, nobody should rush to any location. I am not selling tickets. I am not taking money from anyone either. Please stay home, enjoy yourself, and have fun.
I also wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
WATCH:

View this post on Instagram

 
A post shared by EBO NOAH (@ebo_noah)

Thousands reportedly traveled to Elmina, Ghana, hoping to be saved from the coming flood.
One man from Liberia is now stuck there, confused and distressed after the promised disaster never arrived, according to News18.

Breaking News : Man who traveled from Liberia to Ghana to board Ebo Noah’s ark left stranded in Elmina, Central Region.
He has been crying since. https://t.co/WWfR1fwOaN pic.twitter.com/2ybGxwD3n6
— WithAlvin (@withAlvin__) December 25, 2025

African why This is heartbreaking. This man is reportedly stranded in Ghana after traveling all the way from Liberia because he believed he would find salvation by joining Ebo Noah’s ark to escape the supposed flood. He allegedly sold everything he owned, his livelihood, his… pic.twitter.com/uJFMhmQoWY
— Maqcoy Reports (@maqcoyreports) December 26, 2025

After his false prediction, Ebo Noah attended a concert and told the crowd to keep partying.

Ghanaian Prophet, Ebo Noah who claimed the world will end on Christmas, attended Sarkodie’s concert and told the audience to keep partying.
3 Music.pic.twitter.com/EZD9pf3Y1X
— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) December 27, 2025

The story took a darker—and more revealing—turn after reports surfaced that Ebo allegedly used donations from followers to purchase a luxury Mercedes-Benz reportedly worth around $89,000.

Just In : Ebo Noah acquires brand new Mercedes Benz 2025 worth $89,000
But won’t the flood come again or he will park the Benz in the ark? https://t.co/imH4pvIzaS pic.twitter.com/GPvl8fbqPe
— WithAlvin (@withAlvin__) December 24, 2025

The post Self-Proclaimed Prophet from Ghana Told Followers the ‘End of the World on Dec. 25’ Was Postponed — Says His Prayers Were Answered and the Flood Is Delayed Until Further Notice — Bought a Mercedes-Benz Instead appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

There is a search underway in Texas for 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos after she went missing on Christmas Eve during a morning walk.
The last time Olmos was seen was when she left her home in San Antonio just before 7 am on Wednesday in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department.
Her mother explained that it was Camila’s routine to go for a walk, but she started to worry when an unusually long time had passed without her returning home.
Fox News Reported:
A search is underway Saturday in Texas after a 19-year-old woman who “normally goes for a morning walk” disappeared outside of her home on Christmas Eve, police said.
Camila Mendoza Olmos was last seen leaving her residence in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring in San Antonio around 6:58 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
“Camila’s mother stated that Camila normally goes for a morning walk; however, she became concerned when Camila did not return within a reasonable period of time,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
“Video footage from that time shows an unknown individual, believed to be Camila, searching inside her vehicle for an unidentified item. Moments later, the footage ends. It is believed that she left the residence on foot, as her vehicle remained at the location,” deputies added. “The only items known to be on her person are her car key and possibly her driver’s license.” Fox News reported.
A local news outlet, KENS5, a CBS affiliate, said Camila’s mother was identified as Rosario Olmos. She explained to the news outlet that she tried calling her daughter’s cell phone, but she did not have it with her. She said Camila left the phone on her bed at home. In addition, the phone was powered off.
She went out to look for Camila, thinking she was still out for her walk, but did not find her.
According to a local news affiliate, KSAT, Olmos’ family, and over 100 people have been searching for her in the area where she may have been.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, Camila is about 5 feet 4 inches tall. Her estimated weight is 110 pounds.
The last clothing items she was seen wearing were white shoes, baby-blue pajama bottoms, and a baby-blue-and-black hoodie, according to the Sheriff.
This is a developing story. Check back for potential updates.
The post 19-Year-Old Camila Mendoza Olmos of Texas Disappears on Christmas Eve Outside of Residence, Search Is Ongoing appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

This is a Gateway Hispanic article.
The post Bill Clinton Urged the Department of Justice to Immediately Disclose Epstein’s Complete Files Where He Appears After the Trump Government Released Several Photographs Featuring the Democrat appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Donald J. Trump continues to shatter expectations with impressive approval ratings, even among pollsters with clear biases against him.
The latest Gallup Poll has the President with a 90% approval among Republicans, a strong result that demonstrates the President’s resilience among his own party.
But the 90% figure does not tell the whole story: it belies even deeper indicators of support for the President, and not just from within his political coalition.
The President’s ongoing approvals are made more favorable by the fact that Gallup is not exactly known to be a pro-Republican (and certainly not pro-Trump) polling agency, historically selectively targeting people who disproportionately do not vote Republican.
What is more, the inherent biases which drive most major so-called “reputable” pollsters, including Gallup, are readily on display in the dataset and factors they use to account for presidential popularity.
For instance, a comprehensive breakdown of how Gallup routinely conducts its polling strategy reveals that no significant changes have been made since 2020 in their methodology, despite seismic changes to the electorate during this time.
Since 2020, the Republican Party has gained at least 2.4 million new registered voters across the 30 states that track party affiliation, reflecting ongoing strong enthusiasm for the Republican Party and in particular, President Trump’s political agenda.
At the same time, the Democrats, who, since Franklin Roosevelt, have reigned as the dominant party through much of the twentieth and twenty first centuries, have lost significant footing in the broader body politic – losing, by one estimate, roughly 2.1 million registered voters since 2020 alone.
This switch in voter registration represents a 4.5 million net swing for Republicans overall, a staggering pendulum swing.  And because these trends occurred in the Trump era, they are indicative of the resilience and growing momentum for the President and the MAGA movement.
Oddly enough, despite these dramatic changes in voter registration, Gallup has made no significant changes to its dataset or methodology during this time span, instead baking in the longstanding and increasingly outmoded assumptions about the Democratic Party being the preponderant force in American politics.
Beyond just that, Gallup has also not factored into its overall analysis of voter engagement.
Specifically, Gallup still routinely fails to account for the fact that Trump voters will more frequently turn out to the polls than their Democratic counterparts (though are far less trusting in pollsters), to say nothing of the dwindling share of Republicans who belong in the Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger cohort of registered Republicans who nevertheless oppose the President.
Gallup’s adherence to an outdated methodology has for years artificially dragged President Trump’s approvals much lower than where they really stand.
It is for this reason that the pollsters have by and large gotten recent election forecasts wrong, grossly overstating the Democratic share of the electorate who wind up repeatedly not showing up for election day (because they do not exist).
The incorrect polling is not simply a question of incompetent methodology, though it is that, but one can further argue suggests grave disingenuity on the part of the pollster.
By not updating methodology to the times, the pollsters fallback on their reputations to paint a false perception of where things stand politically.
This false perception helps feed into a broader, false narrative about the popularity (or lack thereof) of the President’s agenda overall.
This in turn creates doomsaying scenarios, which the hostile legacy media pick up and blithely pounce on as gospel facts, creating, in turn, false narratives about the world at large.
Polling companies like Gallup and other firms deemed “reputable” are often overridden by Democrats.
It is for this reason that President Trump, on the campaign trail, had to commission his own pollsters, who ran bias-free methodologies that turned out to be significantly more accurate, come election day, than the “reputable” firms.
The purported reputation of these pollsters is a misnomer, a claim supported by mainstream media outlets, who take it as dogma that no President who espouses policies like tariffs and closed borders could be anything but unpopular.
According to this view, such policies run counter to the still prevailing neoliberal and globalist worldview among establishment institutions that see them as heretical, bigoted, racist, and all the rest.
If Gallup’s employment composition matched the electorate whose views it routinely claims to speak for (and often asserts it knows better than the electorate itself), Trump supporting Republicans would populate at least half the share of the business.
It is an undeniable fact that pollsters, however “objective” they think their analysis is, will read inherent, even imperceptible, biases into their methodologies.
That is because humans conduct polls, and humans thus are forced to make decisions about certain phenomena in the world, decisions that are invariably based on their own personal outlooks and interpretation of the facts.
Hence, a pollster, even unwittingly, will in the process of his decision-making create a skewed portrait of reality, which in the final analysis says more about his subjective view of the world than how things really are.
As it so happens, the world, in truth, is in remarkably better shape than it was just a year ago.  Lest we forget, President Trump won the 2024 race in the biggest political comeback in history – building upon his vote tallies from both 2016 and 2020 by millions by adding to a mounting coalition which has completely transformed the Republican Party and made a generational impact on American politics writ large.
The fruits of that movement have come to bear: the economy, which suffered from malaise due to consistently high inflation and high unemployment across the Biden interregnum, has been a force to be reckoned with.
Through the policies of the second Trump administration, the United States has once again rebounded as the uncontested economic heavyweight in the global arena.
The third quarter of 2025, even in spite of a record-breaking government shutdown, experienced significantly higher GDP growth as the benefits of April’s “Liberation Day” tariffs have now manifested themselves.
This, coupled with the One Big Beautiful Bill – legislation that not only cemented the President’s historic tax cuts from the first term, but moreover, was loaded with other pro-growth incentives like enhanced deductions and billions of dollars to critical infrastructure that have created hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process – has ignited an economic renaissance that pundits repeatedly and properly refer to as a new Golden Age.
More millionaires and billionaires have been minted in 2025 alone than at any other point in American history, and it is not even close.
That is representative of a deeper groundswell in national prosperity, only in its nascent stages, that is predicted to take off in the next calendar year.
An economy focused on American interests by recalibrating existing trade deals to focus on domestic products, manufacturing, and investments will go a long way towards renewing America’s long dormant culture of optimism, which was responsible for fueling the prosperity of the previous two centuries that created the United States in its current form.
Alas, decades of malaise and stagnation, reinforced by a neoliberal orthopraxy with such practitioners as Obama, Biden, and Clinton, who insisted in both their words and deeds that America’s best days were far behind it, prevented the United States, for decades, from reaching its true potential.
The institutions, such as the legacy media and academic establishment replete with “expert” technocrats who know little about how the world truly works, have now entered an existential identity crisis of their own as they slowly realize that every last Woke bromide they imbibed and globalist talking point they peddled these last twenty odd years turned out to be false, and resoundingly so.
Though we should hope these failings might awaken a sense of introspection and reexamination of beliefs, our more pragmatic angels ought to tell us not to give us false hope.
In any event, even if these institutions and experts, the evangelists for the delinquent ideology fueling these seriously problematic assumptions about the world, have a moment of awakening, their collective folly, in peddling such untruths for so long, should impeach their credibility from opining on any matters of serious political or social consequence for the rest of their days.
That, in a nutshell, captures what is so wrong with polling agencies like Gallup, who to this very day still regularly understate, and in the process, undermine, the President’s credibility as public servant par excellence, a man who through not only trial and tribulation, but now an implacable record of success, has proven himself not only worthy of the mantle of leadership, but supported as well with the legitimacy that no current pollster has yet managed to capture with their anachronistic methodologies and equally anachronistic assumptions about the world.
The post Trump Enters New Year With Impressive Poll Numbers appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Katia Reguero Lindor, wife of New York Mets superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, has been named to the inaugural committee of incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Lindor, a vocal social justice advocate who has publicly railed against the wealthy elite, is married to an athlete pulling in a staggering $34.1 million annual salary.
Elite hypocrisy like this is often seen in far-left circles, where champagne socialists preach equality while enjoying the fruits of capitalism.
Katia Lindor, a classically trained violinist and host of “The Unaparent Podcast,” describes herself as a “breastfeeding + home birth + social justice advocate.” She has used her platform to push progressive causes, including sharp criticisms of the rich.
In a November Instagram post during the mayoral election, she declared, “Your enemies aren’t the immigrants — they’re the one-percenters hoarding the wealth while leaving you without basic needs.”

View this post on Instagram

 
A post shared by The Unaparent | Parenting Podcast & Community (@theunaparent)

She further emphasized that supporting politicians like Mamdani, who fight for immigrants, artists, workers, and “everyone who deserves a dignified life,” isn’t against her interests, “even if I’m in a different economic position.”
This rhetoric echoes the “Eat the Rich” mantra popular among anti-capitalist activists, including The Squad, yet it comes from someone whose household wealth is firmly in the top 1%.

Katia Lindor’s on Mamdani’s committee? Perfect. Her husband’s raking in $32M while she lectures New Yorkers that “the 1% are the real threat.” Classic DSA hypocrisy: tax the rich—unless they’re your donors.
Mamdani’s inauguration isn’t a fresh start—it’s a parade of performative…
— CityDeskNYC (@CityDeskNYC) December 27, 2025

Francisco Lindor, the Mets’ star shortstop, signed a massive 10-year, $341 million contract extension in 2021, making him one of MLB’s highest-paid players.
The couple, who met via Instagram DMs and married in 2021, share three children and a life of luxury that starkly contrasts with Katia’s public stances.
Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist and the first Muslim mayor of New York City, won the election on a platform of progressive reforms, including rent freezes and expanded public housing.
Notable committee members alongside Katia Lindor include actress Cynthia Nixon, actor John Turturro, comedian Julio Torres, novelist Colson Whitehead, children’s star Ms. Rachel, and Beth Miller from Jewish Voice for Peace.
Mamdani praised the lineup, saying, “Our city’s artists, thinkers, organizers, and activists have shaped what New York looks, sounds, and feels like. This is a celebration of the movement that made this victory possible, and the beginning of a new dawn for our city.”
Outkick reports:
It’s been a rough offseason for Mets fans. Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil all left, and not much talent has replaced them.
But the good news?
The wife of the team’s best player is helping welcome in the guy who’s about to make living in New York City even more of a nightmare than it already is.
What a time to be a Mets fan.
The post ‘Eat the Rich’ Activist Married to $34M Mets Star Joins NYC Socialist Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s Inaugural Committee appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Photo courtesy of Congressman Richard E. Neal (D-Massachusetts, 1st District).
The widespread myth that ICE is deporting U.S. citizens is supported by a handful of unusual cases involving derivative citizenship.
Derivative citizenship means a child automatically becomes a U.S. citizen when a foreign parent naturalizes, provided the child meets specific legal conditions, generally being under 18, holding lawful permanent resident status, residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the citizen parent, and the parent having become a U.S. citizen before the child turned 18.
Derivative citizenship is distinct from acquisition of citizenship, which applies when a child is born abroad to U.S. citizen parents and becomes a citizen at birth. Individuals who derive citizenship may later apply for a Certificate of Citizenship, Form N-600, to document that status.
In most high-profile cases where derivative citizenship is claimed, the individuals had prior criminal records that led to removal proceedings. Citizenship claims were often raised or reexamined only after those proceedings began. In these cases, individuals were arrested for non-immigration crimes and, in some instances, had already been incarcerated for other offenses. A further common factor is the failure to produce documentation proving U.S. citizenship at the time of arrest or detention.
Derivative citizenship, like chain migration, is an area President Trump should look into and consider halting. It complicates immigration enforcement and fuels anti-enforcement narratives built on rare, exceptional cases rather than the reality of how immigration law functions.
Chanthila Souvannarath was born in a Thai refugee camp in 1981 and came to the United States as an infant with lawful permanent residence. He claims derivative citizenship based on his father’s naturalization when Souvannarath was 13 and living in his custody following his parents’ divorce. His case arose after a serious criminal history, including 2004 convictions for unlawful firearm possession and second-degree domestic assault, along with a prior misdemeanor assault. He lost his green card and received a removal order in 2006. In October 2025, he was deported to Laos despite a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order finding a “substantial claim” to U.S. citizenship. ICE maintains the order was served after the deportation had already been executed.
Mario René López was born in El Salvador and entered the United States at age 12 as a lawful permanent resident. He claims derivative citizenship through his mother, who naturalized in 1998 while he was still a minor. His claim turns on whether he was born out of wedlock without legitimation, which would allow citizenship to derive through his mother alone. The government argues that El Salvador’s 1983 constitutional reform eliminated distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate children, thereby legitimizing him and requiring proof that his father also naturalized. López had no relationship with his father, who never became a citizen. He has been detained for more than two years following a prior criminal conviction, with his case pending before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The 2009 decision in Flores-Torres v. Holder supports his claim.
The Brian Bukle case is another derivative citizenship matter and one of the few instances cited as evidence that ICE was forced to pay damages, though public portrayals differ sharply from the underlying facts. Advocacy accounts often begin with Bukle’s transfer into ICE custody while omitting how he entered the prison system. Bukle was convicted of assault and firearm possession and served a state prison sentence from July 2018 to June 2020. After completing that sentence, he was transferred from the California prison system into ICE custody in June 2020 and held at the Mesa Verde facility in Bakersfield for 36 days.
Bukle repeatedly told officials he was a U.S. citizen, but neither California prison officials nor ICE verified his status at that time. A verbal claim is not proof of citizenship, and assertions that officials failed to verify his status are misleading. Bukle had no documentation establishing citizenship, and his claim was legally contested. He was born in the British Virgin Islands in 1959 and entered the United States in 1961 as a lawful permanent resident. In 1968, when Bukle was nine, his parents naturalized as U.S. citizens. Under the law in effect at the time, minor children who were lawful permanent residents automatically derived citizenship when their parents naturalized.
Evidence supporting that conclusion includes the fact that Bukle’s twin brother received a certificate of citizenship in the 1980s and his sister received one in 2006, both citing their parents’ 1968 naturalization. An INS officer also concluded in the 1990s that Bukle was a U.S. citizen during an investigation. There is no indication, however, that Bukle himself ever applied for or received a certificate of citizenship. Derivative citizenship is automatic, but proof is not. Without documentation, there is no record in immigration databases confirming citizenship. When ICE reviewed Bukle’s file, it reflected a foreign-born individual with a criminal conviction and no citizenship documentation on record.
Bukle’s derivative citizenship was ultimately established when immigration attorneys obtained and presented his parents’ naturalization records and demonstrated statutory timing requirements. That process took 36 days. Bukle filed a federal civil lawsuit on November 22, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging false arrest and false imprisonment. In 2022, he reached a $150,000 settlement with the federal government. Plaintiffs described the settlement as compensation for ICE’s illegal arrest and detention, but a settlement is not a judicial finding after trial and typically includes no admission of liability.
Another case is even more complicated. Davino Watson was born in Jamaica and came to the United States at age 14 in 1998. His father naturalized in 2002, which automatically made Watson a U.S. citizen under the Child Citizenship Act of 2000. Watson was 23 when ICE arrested him in 2008.
In 2007, Watson pleaded guilty to selling cocaine. When his sentence ended in May 2008, ICE took him into custody. Watson told ICE he was a U.S. citizen and provided his father’s and stepmother’s names and phone number, which appeared in his pre-sentence report. ICE did not contact them. Contacting parents is not considered legal proof of citizenship. Instead, agents searched their database for “Hopeton Ulando Watson” but located records for “Hopeton Livingston Watson,” a different person who was not a U.S. citizen, lived in Connecticut rather than New York, did not have a son named Davino, and entered the United States at a different time. ICE failed to notice these discrepancies and concluded Watson was deportable.
Watson was detained for 1,273 days, roughly three and a half years. He contested the case for 811 days before obtaining a lawyer. He was released in November 2011 and received a certificate of citizenship on November 26, 2013. In district court, Judge Weinstein found ICE liable for false imprisonment for the first 27 days and awarded $82,500 in damages. On appeal, the Second Circuit reversed on statute-of-limitations grounds, holding that the two-year limitations period expired.
The post Derivative Citizenship One More Immigration Loophole Trump Needs to Look Into appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.