Baraka Arrested. ICE Defied. More Regime Court Losses - Resistance Brief for 12 May 2025

Information, insight, and inspiration for resisting tyranny in America

Welcome!

Welcome to The Resistance Sentinel, a publication dedicated to documenting and amplifying the movement to defend democracy against authoritarian rule. Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest during an ICE protest electrified a growing movement of local officials defying Trump’s deportation regime. In Worcester, a city councilor attempted to physically block an ICE raid, while Quakers marched 300 miles for migrant rights. Inside FEMA, a whistleblower exposed a pattern of threats and coercion. Courts are blocking Trump’s overreach with the regime losing most of its cases. Even MAGA voices are sounding alarms over Trump’s latest foreign luxury gift. Join us in turning awareness into action as we work together toward a more just and democratic future. But first…

Daily Inspiration

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's arrest at an immigration detention center this week represents a courageous act of direct civil resistance against the Trump regime’s lawlessness. Baraka's actions stand as a heroic and inspirational example of principled leadership. By confronting federal authorities and standing with detainees, Baraka modeled what it means to withdraw consent from unjust systems of power. This is important because visible defiance by elite or public officials can dramatically shift the political climate by legitimizing mass noncooperation.

Key Developments

• Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at an immigration detention facility in New Jersey after joining a protest demanding the release of unjustly detained immigrants. (Reuters)

• Protesters chanted “not another day” and demanded the Department of Homeland Security end contracts with local jails that profit from immigration detention. (Reuters)

• Baraka emphasized that “our role as leaders is to fight for those who are being wrongfully detained” and criticized the unjust enforcement of immigration law. (Reuters)

Resistance Today

Civil Society & Publics

A confrontation in Worcester, Massachusetts, marks a significant flashpoint in the nationwide resistance to Trump’s authoritarian immigration regime, with local elected officials, residents, and activists physically intervening to halt a deportation in broad daylight. Councilor Etel Haxhiaj’s public defiance, mass protest turnout, and public denunciations of ICE raids reflect a community mobilizing across class and institutional lines to resist normalization of state violence against immigrants. This type of resistance aligns with research findings that local officials who join grassroots action can undermine regime legitimacy and catalyze broader mobilization. However, the violent police response and smear campaign against Haxhiaj signal the regime’s strategy of criminalizing dissent, deterring solidarity, and shifting narrative control—classic authoritarian tactics designed to suppress civic resistance.

Key Developments

• Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj joined a human barrier to prevent ICE agents from detaining a mother, drawing regimel accusations of obstruction and incitement. (Fox News)

• ICE agents forcibly detained a woman in front of her daughters, triggering a public standoff with neighbors chanting "don’t take the mother" and confronting agents. (Boston Globe)

• Police tackled and arrested the woman’s 16-year-old daughter, placing a knee on her neck; she now faces multiple charges despite widespread outrage over excessive use of force. (Boston Globe)

• Hundreds rallied in downtown Worcester, waving signs like “Celebrate Mothers, Don’t Deport Them,” and calling for citywide non-cooperation with ICE raids. (Boston.com)

• Activist group Mass 50501 organized the protest, framing the ICE action as unconstitutional and calling for local officials to take a stand against Trump’s deportation regime. (Boston Globe)

A Quaker-led march from New York to Washington, D.C., represents a powerful act of faith-based resistance to Trump’s authoritarianism and a continuation of the Quaker tradition of nonviolent dissent. By walking 300 miles and invoking the 17th-century Flushing Remonstrance, organizers situate today’s immigration abuses within a longer moral arc of American repression and resistance. Their actions, rooted in moral clarity and communal discipline, exemplify the strategic value of symbolic protest that scholars identify as crucial for galvanizing solidarity . The march’s visibility and historical grounding offer a counter-frame to Trump’s framing of migrants as threats and instead foreground religious freedom, human dignity, and constitutional defiance.

Key Developments

• Dozens of Quakers launched a 300-mile march from New York to D.C. to protest Trump’s anti-immigrant policies and deliver the Flushing Remonstrance as a symbol of religious liberty. (Associated Press)

• Marchers emphasized their opposition to Trump’s executive overreach and the persecution of migrants, which they say violates both the Constitution and foundational American values. (Associated Press)

• The protest highlights a broader interfaith legal challenge by Quaker, Baptist, and Sikh groups against ICE arrests at houses of worship. (Associated Press)

• Protesters waved upside-down American flags—an international distress signal—and invoked Quaker history opposing war, slavery, and authoritarianism. (Associated Press)

• March organizer Jess Hobbs Pifer declared the march a step “towards something more true to what Quakers before us saw for this country,” connecting spiritual commitment to civic resistance. (Associated Press)

Bureaucratic & Executive

A whistleblower within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has leaked explosive audio to independent journalist Marisa Kabas, exposing newly installed acting FEMA head David Richardson threatening staff during an all-hands meeting. This revelation is a chilling indicator of the Trump regime’s consolidation of executive control through intimidation and loyalty enforcement within civil service institutions. Regimes seeking authoritarian dominance often rely on coercion to suppress dissent within state infrastructure. This incident reflects that trajectory within FEMA—an agency central to public safety and disaster response. The leak also exemplifies the importance of insider resistance, as civil servants risk retaliation to bring abusive conduct into public view. Such whistleblowing is an act of democratic defense, aligning with historical patterns in which internal disruption weakens authoritarian control from within.

Key Developments

• Acting FEMA director David Richardson threatened career staff in an internal meeting, saying “Don’t get in my way…I will run right over you.” (Marisa Kabas)

• The statement was captured in a leaked audio clip obtained by independent journalist Marisa Kabas, who first broke the story. (Marisa Kabas)

• The Associated Press confirmed the authenticity of the meeting and Richardson’s remarks, noting internal shock and fear among FEMA employees. (AP News)

Listen to the audio:

Legal & Judicial

Court rulings across the United States continue to deliver setbacks to the Trump regime. In recent days, federal judges have reaffirmed limits on presidential authority, preserving constitutional safeguards against coercion and arbitrary detention, while underscoring the regime’s repeated attempts to circumvent the rule of law. These legal victories for cities, civil society, and targeted individuals demonstrate how institutional resistance—especially through the judiciary—can constrain authoritarian overreach and provide breathing room for broader civil resistance. Yet the Trump regime’s continued pursuit of mass deportations, defiance of court orders, and attempts to criminalize dissent reflect a persistent strategy of authoritarian consolidation that will require coordinated resistance across legal, political, and grassroots domains.

Key Developments

• A federal judge warned Trump cannot use a new executive order to bypass a previous injunction that barred defunding sanctuary cities, stating such coercion violates the Constitution. (Reuters)

• Trump’s administration petitioned the Supreme Court to revoke humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of migrants, despite court rulings requiring individualized review rather than blanket termination. (Reuters)

• Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller announced the administration is “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus to enable expedited deportations based on claims of “invasion.” (AP News)

• A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s planned mass layoffs and agency restructuring, ruling that Congress had not authorized the overhaul and that it would inflict irreparable harm on essential public services. (Reuters)

• A federal appeals court ordered the Trump administration to transfer detained Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk from Louisiana to Vermont, rejecting ICE’s argument that relocation would burden operations and affirming her due process claims. (VTDigger)

• An Bloomberg analysis found the Trump regime has lost more lawsuits than it has won, revealing a pattern of judicial resistance to executive overreach. (Bloomberg)

Congress & Lawmakers

The Trump regime’s growing threats against elected officials—including open suggestions that members of Congress may be arrested for conducting oversight—represent a severe escalation in its authoritarian consolidation, yet leading Democrats continue to underestimate the scale and urgency of the threat. While investigations and public condemnations are underway, they remain inadequate responses to regime tactics designed to criminalize dissent, chill legislative oversight, and erode separation of powers. As research on authoritarianism and civil resistance makes clear, symbolic protest and institutional process alone are insufficient in the face of coordinated repression. Robust, collective noncooperation is needed from both lawmakers and the public to defend democratic norms and resist normalization of political intimidation.

Key Developments

• DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said arrests of House Democrats for “assaulting ICE officers” are “on the table” following their visit to a New Jersey ICE facility, despite denials and no evidence presented; Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested at the same protest, called the allegations “ridiculous.” (NBC News)

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar dismissed Trump’s threat to suspend habeas corpus as a “distraction,” suggesting it was not a real threat and criticizing media focus on it rather than economic issues, despite the regime’s escalating use of legal frameworks to legitimize repression. (The Hill)

• House Judiciary Committee Democrats launched a probe into the Trump DOJ’s abrupt defunding of hundreds of victim support programs, questioning ties to Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency and warning of serious public safety impacts. (CBS News)

• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded a federal investigation into the FAA after mass delays at Newark Airport, citing DOGE budget cuts and staffing shortages as symptoms of the regime’s broader hollowing out of federal infrastructure. (CBS News)

State & Local Governments

California continues to exemplify both the pitfalls of appeasement and the power of local resistance in the face of authoritarianism. Governor Newsom continues to appeal for partnership with the Trump regime, only to be publicly humiliated and attacked, showing the futility of appeasement. In contrast, local governments in the Bay Area and statewide legal coalitions are mounting critical institutional pushback, using the courts to block regime directives and defend democratic governance—an approach consistent with research showing that decentralized, multi-level resistance increases regime costs and disrupts consolidation.

Key Developments

• Trump rejected Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a federal film tax credit and mocked California's infrastructure efforts, ridiculing Newsom despite his cooperative overtures. (CBS News)

• Bay Area counties like San Francisco and Santa Clara are successfully using litigation to block Trump’s executive orders targeting sanctuary cities, public services, and immigrant rights. (San Francisco Chronicle)

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 14 other states in a lawsuit to stop Trump’s fast-track energy executive order, defending environmental safeguards and state authority. (Newsweek)

New Jersey is emerging as a key battleground for local resistance, with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s civil disobedience positioning him as a direct and courageous challenger to Trump’s authoritarianism. His arrest during an ICE protest has galvanized the state’s Democratic field, with several candidates and unions rallying to his side, demonstrating the power of symbolic protest and moral clarity. Resistance research shows that high-profile acts of defiance can reshape political narratives and attract broader public support, even when repression follows.

Key Developments

• Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested by ICE agents while delivering code violations to a detention facility, an act that may have catapulted him to front-runner status in New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. (NJ.com)

• Baraka’s arrest drew swift condemnation of the regime from all Democratic candidates and prompted further protest visits from gubernatorial rivals and members of Congress. (NJ.com)

• Baraka’s refusal to be intimidated has been embraced by progressive institutions and voters, with commentators noting it makes him “the ultimate Trump-fighter” in a political landscape hungry for bold resistance. (NJ.com)

Illinois demonstrates how governors can play an essential role in direct policy resistance to authoritarian governance by shielding vulnerable communities from surveillance and targeting. Governor Pritzker’s executive order to block RFK Jr.’s autism registry aligns with best practices in civil resistance—disrupting regime infrastructure and denying legitimacy to coercive state practices. His move also reflects an understanding of strategic noncooperation in governance itself.

Key Developments

• Governor JB Pritzker announced an executive order blocking state agencies from disclosing data that could be used in RFK Jr.’s proposed autism registry, labeling it surveillance and a violation of civil rights. (New Republic)

• Pritzker framed the order as a defense of individual dignity and a direct rejection of authoritarian intrusions into health privacy. (New Republic)

• Advocacy groups praised the action as a national model for proactive protection of marginalized communities under threat. (New Republic)

Maine’s legal challenge to federal policy on transgender rights shows a forward-leaning stance in defending civil liberties, contributing to a growing legal front of state-led democratic resistance. The Maine governor’s public framing of the conflict—“See you in court”—signals a readiness to contest regime overreach in high-profile civil rights arenas.

Key Developments

• A court date has been set for Maine’s legal challenge over Trump-era changes to Title IX impacting transgender rights. (Baltimore Sun)

• State officials are positioning the case as a fight for inclusive education and equal protection under federal law. (Baltimore Sun)

• The lawsuit is one of several where Democratic-led states are seeking to block discriminatory federal actions via coordinated legal resistance. (Baltimore Sun)

Coalitions of states continue to mount critical structural resistance by using coordinated legal action to block Trump’s most sweeping executive orders. These efforts not only slow implementation of authoritarian policies but also show how nonviolent institutional disruption at scale can hinder regime momentum. Research on civil resistance underscores the value of cross-jurisdictional alliances in expanding tactical reach and legitimacy.

Key Developments

• A coalition of 15 Democratic-led states sued the Trump administration over its “National Energy Emergency” executive order, which bypasses environmental review processes. (Newsweek)

• Attorneys general from California, Michigan, Maine, New Jersey, and others argue the order violates the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. (Newsweek)

• Plaintiffs seek an injunction to block implementation of fast-track energy permits, warning of irreparable environmental and legal harm. (Newsweek)

International Resistance

International resistance to the Trump regime’s authoritarian policies continues, with European leaders, North American allies, and multinational institutions directly challenging U.S. overreach and nationalist aggression. Mexico has taken legal action against Google's compliance with Trump’s unilateral renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. In Europe, pressure is mounting on Trump to support an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine, while EU leaders resist Trump’s tariff regime, demanding concrete trade negotiations before any diplomatic engagement. These actions reflect strategic, multi-level noncooperation and demonstrate the international application of resistance principles, particularly the power of collective legal, economic, and symbolic defiance.

Key Developments

• Mexico sued Google for labeling the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” at Trump’s request, arguing that U.S. naming policy should not override Mexican territorial identity. (DW)

• European leaders won Trump’s verbal agreement to back an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine after a coordinated summit in Kyiv, though concerns remain about his reliability. (Politico)

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told Trump to eliminate tariffs entirely, warning against further escalation of the trade war and advocating for a “zero-for-zero” industrial goods deal. (Politico)

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will not meet Trump until a “concrete” trade package is on the table, resisting his public praise and demanding substantive negotiations. (Politico)

Resistance Tomorrow

Vulnerabilities & Exposures

Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million Boeing 747 luxury jet from Qatar has provoked a wave of condemnation from both MAGA loyalists and critics, exposing dangerous cracks in regime legitimacy and raising new concerns about foreign influence. Far-right influencers such as Laura Loomer and Mark Levin denounced Qatar as a "terror state" with ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, warning that the gift compromises U.S. security and contradicts Trump’s own unmet promise to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Democrats, meanwhile, condemned the deal as blatant corruption, a violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause, and further evidence of Trump’s transformation of the presidency into a vehicle for personal enrichment. This growing bipartisan unease highlights a key vulnerability of the regime: transactional relationships with authoritarian states are now creating backlash even within its own base, fracturing the illusion of unity and opening new fronts for resistance.

Key Developments

• ABC News reported that Qatar’s royal family is gifting Trump a $400 million Boeing 747 jet, to be used as Air Force One and later transferred to his presidential library foundation. (Politico)

• Laura Loomer and other MAGA figures blasted Qatar’s ties to terror groups and warned the gift could derail regime credibility; Loomer called it “a stain on the administration.” (Economic Times)

• Rep. Ritchie Torres, Sen. Chris Murphy, and other lawmakers condemned the jet as an unconstitutional foreign bribe, demanding federal investigations into what they called a “flying grift.” (The Daily Beast)

Actions This Week

📢 June 14: National Day of Action to Reject Trump's Coronation
Start making a plan now to participate in Indivisible’s No Kings campaign, which is organizing a mass mobilization on June 14, Trump’s birthday, to reject the idea of a king-like presidency and resist his authoritarian agenda. Actions are planned across the country to send a clear message: we will not accept a tyrant-in-chief—and we’re building local people power to stop him.

Find out more & join the June 14 action:

• NoKings.org

📚 Read & Reflect: Stay Informed, Stay Resilient
Understanding the broader context of resistance is essential—these commentaries offer insight into the stakes, the strategy, and the struggles shaping our moment. From Black women’s strategic withdrawal to legal fights over torture and surveillance, these pieces help cut through the chaos and widen your resistance lens.

Start reading here:

• 🧠 Don’t let the news overwhelm you — use this tool to stay engaged explores how to process relentless news cycles without disengaging from the fight. (Waging Nonviolence)

• ✊🏾 There’s a Good Reason Why Black Women Are Sitting Out the Protests This Time Around highlights why some longtime organizers are choosing different resistance strategies. (Slate)

• ⚖️ In Congress, a Welcome, But Flawed, Step to Stop Trump’s Transfers to Torture examines new legislation and its limitations in preventing abuse. (Just Security)

• 🏛 A Pyrrhic Victory: Initial Supreme Court Gain for Trump on Alien Enemies Act May End in Administration’s Loss unpacks a legal ruling that could backfire on Trump’s regime. (Just Security)