This Week in Democracy – Week 12: Torture, Tariffs, and Trump Tyranny
Zeteo's project to document the ongoing, week-by-week growth of authoritarianism in the Trump second term.
The turmoil caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs this week dominated the headlines, and rightly so: the president tanked the stock market and raised fears of a global recession.
But Trump and his allies did a host of other things that threaten and weaken democracy, and deserve your attention, too.
From failing to comply with yet another court order to escalating its anti-immigrant crackdown on international students, here are just some of the many actions the Trump administration took this week that undermine American values, harm academic freedom, and hurt free societies worldwide:
Saturday, April 5
The Justice Department (DOJ) put one of its immigration lawyers on indefinite leave after he conceded in court that the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia should not have happened. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a statement, said that DOJ attorneys are “required to zealously advocate” for the government, or they will “face consequences.” The administration had already admitted it deported Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father with protected legal status, to El Salvador due to an “administrative error.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and restrict new visas from being issued.
An international student at a southern California college sued the Trump administration to reverse the termination of their immigration status, saying visa revocations are designed to “coerce” students to abandon their studies and self-deport despite not violating their status.
Sunday, April 6
A federal judge said the Trump administration offered “no evidence” that Abrego Garcia was a gang member and added that the government has the power to bring him back from El Salvador to the US. She wrote in her decision, “This is not about Defendants’ inability to return Abrego Garcia, but their lack of desire.”
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would “be honored” if El Salvador took American citizens into their country’s prisons.
A ‘60 Minutes’ investigation found that 75% of 238 men the Trump administration sent to El Salvador last month had no criminal record and that the vast majority of those who did were for non-violent crimes like shoplifting and trespassing.
On Fox, Bondi claimed that the lawsuits filed against the Trump administration and injunctions issued against them are the real “constitutional crisis.”
A lawyer representing a pro-Palestinian demonstrator who was arrested last year at the University of Michigan was detained by federal agents at Detroit Metro Airport. The US citizen was questioned about his clients and asked to turn over his cell phone, which he refused to do.
Monday, April 7
The Guardian reported that student journalists are unpublishing stories, retracting their bylines from published articles, and resigning from campus newsrooms amid fears of repercussions from the Trump administration.
Trump announced he will propose a record-breaking $1 trillion Pentagon budget as his administration continues to gut key federal agencies and programs.
The National Park Service restored a photo and quote from Harriet Tubman to a web page about the Underground Railroad, one day after the Washington Post reported the agency rewrote the history of the movement on its website as part of an anti-DEI push by Trump.
Former Food and Drug Administration vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks told AP that shortly before he was forced to resign, he refused to give RFK Jr.’s team permission to edit data in a vaccine safety database out of fear that it might be manipulated or deleted.
Chief Justice John Roberts lifted a midnight deadline for the government to return Abrego Garcia to the US. The temporary order was meant to give the Supreme Court time to review the case.
The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to deport Venezuelan migrants using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. The 5-4 decision, however, stated that the migrants must be told they are being deported under the act and receive "reasonable time" to challenge their removal in the state where they are detained.
ABC News reported that a former law clerk of the federal judge who dismissed the classified documents case against Trump is now working in a senior DOJ position.
On Truth Social, Trump threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on China, beginning Wednesday, after the country added 34% to tariffs on US imports.
For the second time this year, Trump hosted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, as Israel country continues its genocidal campaign against Palestinians.
Speaking alongside Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Trump called Gaza “an incredible piece of important real estate,” spoke about expelling Palestinians from the land, and repeated his idea of the US “controlling and owning the Gaza Strip.”
He also threatened Iran, saying if the country doesn’t agree to a deal with the US, it will be in “great danger.”
The White House warned that Trump would veto a bill that would require approval from Congress to impose new tariffs.
In a win for the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal appeals court blocked a lower court decision that prevented the agency from accessing people’s private data at three federal agencies.
The IRS reached an agreement with DHS to turn over sensitive taxpayer data about undocumented immigrants already facing deportation orders or who are under federal criminal investigation. The acting head of the IRS and other top officials subsequently resigned in response to the deal.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent a memo to DOJ staff informing them that the agency is disbanding its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. The DOJ is also ordering prosecutors to narrow their crypto investigations to focus on drug cartels and terrorist groups.
DHS revoked the legal status of migrants who entered the country through the Biden administration’s appointment app CBP One and told them to leave the US “immediately.” It’s unclear how many immigrants will be impacted by the move, but more than 900,000 people used the app to enter the country since January 2023, according to AP.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, the US military representative to the NATO Military Committee, as part of Trump’s national security purge.
A foreign national on an F-1 student visa, who recently had their immigration status terminated, filed a class action lawsuit against DHS and Secretary Kristi Noem. The individual was previously charged with disorderly conduct and public drunkenness but the charges were dropped. The plaintiff is challenging the agency’s termination of their status based on “student interactions with law enforcement.”
Tuesday, April 8
Zeteo’s Prem Thakker reported that the Trump administration has expanded its crackdown on international students by now targeting those who show up in “criminal records check.” But targeted students and lawyers told Prem some of those affected have never been charged or convicted of a crime.
Lawyers for Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri, who was arrested by ICE last month, said Suri was held in a cell without a bed and with a TV blaring 21 hours a day for nearly two weeks. He was also denied food or water to break his Ramadan fast.
NBC News reported that the FBI is creating a multiagent bodyguard team for Deputy Director Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and pro-Trump podcaster. Historically, the deputy director did not have security details.
The Supreme Court paused a ruling from a federal judge that ordered the Trump administration to rehire approximately 16,000 fired federal probationary workers, though another lower court’s ruling remains in place.
The American Library Association and a union representing more than 42,000 cultural workers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to block cuts to the Institute for Museum and Library Services, which supports libraries across the country.
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the White House from restricting access to the Associated Press because of its decision to use “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America.”
Lawyers for two Venezuelan detainees filed a lawsuit in New York to challenge Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, despite the Supreme Court’s efforts to relocate litigation over the act to Texas, where the detainees are being held.
The US Agency for International Development restored several contracts for humanitarian aid in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Ecuador, and Somalia. The reversal comes one day after the UN World Food Program, which is responsible for the aid, said the cuts could “amount to a death sentence for millions.”
In a court filing, the DOJ argued that Jan. 6 defendants who were pardoned by Trump are entitled to the reimbursement of the restitution payments they made to cover damage to the Capitol.
On Fox, Bondi announced that the Trump administration cut $1.5 million in funding for the Maine Department of Corrections because a trans woman was being held in a women’s prison. The funds went toward grant programs for substance use disorder treatment and recovery, and another that helped address the needs of incarcerated parents and their children.
Trump said that some law firms that agreed to provide pro bono services to the administration will be working with coal companies on “leasing and other things.” He also bragged about the agreements with the firms, saying “they give me a lot of money considering they’ve done nothing wrong.” Trump has targeted or threatened law firms that partnered with or represented his political enemies, claiming they have "weaponized" the legal system.
Trump renewed his baseless claims that the 2020 election was rigged, saying that paper ballots, same-day voting, and proof of citizenship are needed to ensure it doesn’t happen again. He added that “states are just an agent of the federal government,” suggesting congressional Republicans should introduce a bill to implement these measures nationwide.
An immigration judge told DHS to turn over “sufficient evidence” to justify deporting Mahmoud Khalil by Wednesday, or she would terminate the case and order his release.
Wednesday, April 9
Trump signed a series of executive orders (EOs), including one directing the DOJ to investigate two former officials – Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs – who served in his first administration and later criticized him publicly. Taylor was the author of a New York Times op-ed and book under the pseudonym “Anonymous.” Krebs pushed back on Trump’s claims the 2020 election was rigged and later testified as a key witness for the Jan. 6 select committee.
Another EO targets a law firm that represented Dominion Voting Systems Inc. in a lawsuit against Fox Corp. that resulted in the media company agreeing to pay a $787.5 million settlement. The firm is also involved in a defamation case against Trump supporter and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Trump also issued a presidential memo instructing federal agencies to use the “good cause” exception of the Administration Procedure Act to overturn any existing regulations that Trump administration officials deem “unlawful” without giving advanced notice or seeking public input.
After tanking the stock market, Trump reversed course on his "Liberation Day" tariffs. He announced a 90-day pause on a steep hike in tariffs on most countries, except for China, which he said would now face duties of 125%.
Federal judges in Texas and New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelans incarcerated in the two states under the Alien Enemies Act.
DHS announced that US Citizenship and Immigration Services would begin surveilling the social media activity of visa holders and green card applicants for “antisemitism.”
A federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can resume firing federal probationary employees.
The House passed a bill known as the “No Rogue Rulings Act,” which would limit the power of lower court judges to issue orders that affect national policy.
In a statement to the Washington Post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that she won’t respond to reporters who include their pronouns in email signatures, saying that any reporter who does so “clearly does not care about biological reality or truth and therefore cannot be trusted to write an honest story.”
Noem said that the Trump administration is “confident” the immigrants they have deported to El Salvador should be there, and that “they should stay there for the rest of their lives.”
In a court filing, Rubio offered no evidence that Khalil engaged in criminal activity. Instead, the government is seeking to deport him over his “beliefs” alone.
Thursday, April 10
A federal judge rejected a motion from Trump to dismiss a defamation suit against him by the Exonerated Five (formerly known as the Central Park Five), in relation to statements Trump made about them during the presidential debate last fall.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the US from El Salvador.
The House passed a bill known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. The bill would also require states to create a program to purge undocumented immigrants from voter rolls (voting by noncitizens is incredibly rare) and allow US citizens to sue election officials who don’t follow the requirements. Democrats have raised concerns that the bill could disenfranchise millions of voters, including married women who took their spouse’s last name and don’t have an updated passport or birth certificate.
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is pressuring immigrants given temporary legal status under Biden to “self-deport” by effectively canceling their lawfully obtained Social Security numbers. The move would prevent those immigrants from working, opening bank accounts, or applying for credit cards, and prohibit them from accessing government benefits by adding them to the agency’s “death master file,” which is typically used to track dead people who should no longer receive benefits.
On Truth Social, Trump said he’s “working on papers” to withhold federal funding for sanctuary cities and their states, calling them “death traps.”
In response to Rubio’s memo, Khalil’s lawyers said they would seek a deposition from him.
A federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce a requirement that immigrants age 14 and older without legal status must register with the federal government, carry documentation, and provide their fingerprints and addresses.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration is planning to seek a consent decree against Columbia University, which would give a federal judge oversight of the school, ensuring it complies with the administration’s policies or face contempt charges or penalties.
In a since-deleted post on Twitter, a promotional graphic for ICE stated that they stop illegal “ideas” from crossing the US border. After removing the post, ICE told Politico that it was published by mistake, and it’s drafting a new post to include “intellectual property” but not ideas.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from terminating an immigration program set to end later this month, which allowed more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to temporarily live in the US.
The head of a US Space Force base in Greenland was fired after she defended the base’s relationship with the territory and Denmark following Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell subsequently tweeted that “actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.”
On Fox, Alina Habba, the interim US attorney for New Jersey and former counselor to Trump, announced she’s opening an investigation into Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and state Attorney General Matt Platkin over an immigration enforcement policy that limits the cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration officials.
Friday, April 11
An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Mahmoud Khalil could be deported after finding the Trump administration had established “clear and convincing evidence that he is removable.” Khalil’s lawyers said they will seek a waiver for his deportation, and a ruling from a federal judge in New Jersey temporarily barring his removal remains in place.
A federal judge rejected a request from 27 religious groups to block immigration agents from conducting raids at places of worship, saying there is “no credible threat of imminent enforcement.”
The Trump administration failed to comply with a federal judge’s order to provide an update on efforts to return Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father deported to El Salvador, to the US. The judge later ordered the administration to provide daily updates to the court to ensure they are complying with the order.
Sixteen attorneys general and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sued the Trump administration over the Department of Education’s decision to cut more than $1.1 billion in funds for low-income students and to address the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Six Democratic senators sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission requesting an investigation into “potential violations of federal securities laws” by Trump, his administration officials, donors, and other insiders who may have engaged in insider trading or market manipulation in the lead-up to Trump’s 90-day pause on tariffs.
On Truth Social, Trump announced he reached agreements with five law firms to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in pro bono services to his administration and agenda. They’re the latest deals prominent law firms have made with the Trump administration to avoid punishing executive orders.
More than 150 colleges and universities have identified over 800 international students and recent graduates who have had their student visas revoked, according to a tracker from Inside Higher Ed.
Politico reported that defense contractors, including former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince, are pitching the Trump administration on an unprecedented plan that would vastly expand deportations to El Salvador’s mega-prison. The plan would also designate part of the mega-prison as US territory.
During a press briefing, Leavitt warned Iran that “there will be all hell to pay” if the country fails to agree to Trump’s demands.
The DOJ fired Peter Carr, a long-time senior spokesperson for the department. Carr previously served as the spokesperson for Robert Mueller and Jack Smith during their special counsel investigations into Trump.
North Carolina’s Supreme Court issued a new ruling in the still-contested 2024 race for a seat on the court, ordering that tens of thousands of cast ballots challenged by the Republican candidate, who is trailing the Democrat, remain in the election count. However, “thousands of overseas and military voters must fix issues with their ballots within 30 days or risk having them tossed out,” per the Times. Just over 700 votes separate the two candidates.
After Maine’s attorney general’s office said it would not sign an agreement with the Trump administration to ban trans athletes from girls’ sports, the Department of Education announced it would be referring the case to the DOJ and begin cutting the state’s K-12 federal funding.
Separately, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from freezing funds from the Department of Agriculture to pay for school lunches and food in daycares in Maine.
Wired reported that the Social Security Administration is shifting its public communications exclusively to Elon Musk’s Twitter, with the agency’s regional commissioner saying they will no longer issue press releases or “dear colleague” letters to the public or media.
Trump issued a memo authorizing the military to take over public lands along the southern border.
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Seems like a year already. I guess that is part of the madness. Thanks to you all for keeping our eyes on the most important stories in the world! Notwithstanding, the ongoing genocide in Palestine!
The news continue to deteriorate daily. Thanks, Mehdi & team, for your hard work to keep the reading public informed. It’s scary, but necessary.