After a year of reporting with
@strickdc
@DidiMartinez5
and our colleagues at
@Telemundo
and NBC digital documentaries, we bring you our special report inside US slaughterhouses where migrant children are working in dangerous conditions
I remember Valentine’s spent alone, wanting more love in my life. Now I have a husband, a mortgage, two dogs, a job and a baby. And all I asked for today was for 20 minutes of my husband watching the baby so I could sit in the tub, alone.
Breaking: A 2.5 year investigation into the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy by the DOJ Inspector General has just been released and found DOJ officials pressured DHS into separating families in order to increase border prosecutions.
AG Garland: Prosecutors allege three officers charged in Breonna Taylor case met in a garage after her death "where they agreed to tell investigators a false story."
Breaking: US agrees to rescind order blocking foreign students taking classes online from living in the US. Just announced in federal district court in Massachusetts
As mentioned on
@Morning_Joe
today, here’s the time Baby Girl Ainsley made herself known to the world by causing a little morning sickness on national television. Coming January 2020!
False claims by Nielsen: 1. parents allowed to call children 2. parents can claim custody of their kids when they are released (undocumented parents can be deported for coming forward) 3. illegal entry is a crime (previously could claim asylum when crossing between POEs)
Some personal news, as they say. As our beloved Pete Williams prepares for his retirement, I am taking on the role of
@NBCNews
Homeland Security Correspondent.
My editor doing the work of the FBI: Mark Judge worked as a bag boy (presumably the Safeway) the summer before his senior year, per p. 98 of his book. He graduated in '83. So Ford's recollection of the summer of '82 adds up.
Just got off a commercial flight where I happened to sit on a row with 4 unaccompanied migrant children. They are not “migrants flying in by night.” They are teenagers, nervous about taking their first flight and eager to reunite with family in states all over the US.
Breaking:
@KenDilanianNBC
reports that the FBI is prepared to brief the Gang of 8 on the findings of Mueller's counterintelligence investigation into Trump (i.e. whether the president is under the influence of a foreign power)
Govt lawyer tells judge she has dogsitting responsibilities so will have to leave town and cannot meet tomorrow for status update on 100 children under 5. I love my dog but...but this is a new one!
Big news that might go unnoticed today. Trump admin is defying 1997 court agreement and plans to hold children in ICE detention indefinitely starting in 2 months.
My big question is whether Judge Sullivan will agree to DOJ's motion. This is the same judge who in 2018 hinted he may sentence Flynn with jail time, more than the prosecution was calling for at the time. Sentencing was delayed to give Flynn time to consider further cooperation.
New: A DOJ official says it was the Office of Legal Counsel that advised DNI not to disclose the whistleblower complaint to Congress. No word yet whether Barr was directly involved.
Truth: No immigrants have been arrested at the border in recent years on terrorism related charges. Thanks to
@NicholasRasmu15
and
@nedprice
for helping me sort this out.
Thank you
@KatyTurNBC
for welcoming Mary Wells to the NBC family! She is named after her paternal great-great grandmother, one of the first women to win a Pulitzer Prize for Biography. We see big things ahead for for this little lady!
WATCH: Meet Mary Wells Knight Ainsley, the daughter of NBC News Correspondent
@JuliaEAinsley
and her husband Newman!
Congratulations from all of us at the
#MTPDaily
team.
Meet Abner, the 17-year-old migrant I met this weekend, fresh out of detention at the Yuma border station where he says he and others gave their food to the hungry younger children and stayed awake for days so the little ones had space to lie down.
Turns out the migrants in Martha's Vineyard didn't come directly from Florida, they were first picked up at Lackland Air Force Base in TX, which raises two points: 1) Probably coordination with Abbott 2) How was the White House caught by surprise??
I don’t usually show what goes on behind the scenes when reporting in Washington. But given the whistleblower complaint alleging DHS tried to inflate the number of terrorists crossing the border, I felt this story was in the public interest.
Read the letter Pat Cipollone’s law school classmates just sent him, telling him it’s against what they learned about the constitution to block impeachment materials:
Two DHS sources say deportations were cancelled for two reasons: The plans were leaked to the media and there was not enough space to detain the arrested migrants before deportation.
People are asking about reading the Barr letter while this guy carried on in the background. Yes it was aggravating, but the same rights that protect his behavior also protect my right to deliver the news. As long as they stay peaceful, I have no problem with protesters.
A year ago today I came back to work after parental leave, worried the closeness I felt with my baby would start to fade. Happy to report that has not been the case—I even got a special visitor while working this weekend. The hugs and kisses phase may be my favorite yet.
Five stars to the editor who just read me an article over the phone while my hands were busy feeding my baby her first taste of carrots. I work with some good people.
Today marks 1 year for me at
@NBCNews
I never thought I'd be a TV reporter, but I'm now so grateful to the platform and, most importantly, my team of colleagues, for bringing stories from the Russia investigation to immigration to life.
A senior admin official tells me lawyers from Pentagon, DHS and White House are "working out the details" over how the president could declare a national emergency to use DOD to build his wall, bypassing Congress.
Poor treatment of migrant kids isn’t contained to Texas.
@jacobsoboroff
and I reviewed nearly 30 accounts by children held in Yuma, AZ. They allege agents took away sleeping mats as retaliation, called them derogatory names and in one case, sexual assault.
EXCLUSIVE: President Trump has for months urged his administration to reinstate large-scale separation of migrant families crossing the border, three U.S. officials told NBC News.
@JuliaEAinsley
@GeoffRBennett
Exclusive w/
@ckubeNBC
Pentagon IG plans to review wall contract awarded to company touted by Trump after questions raised about their ability to do the job and influence over the bidding process:
A great tweet to wake up to the morning before taking a two week break from Twitter for a much needed vacation. To
@jacobsoboroff
@NBCNews
@NBCInvestigates
and
@MSNBC
, I could not be prouder to be a part of your team everyday, especially on this important story.
.
@jacobsoboroff
and
@JuliaEAinsley
win the 2019 Hillman Prize for Broadcast Journalism for "Torn Apart," for exposing the Trump admin's child separation policy.
James Comey says he is confused by Mueller's decision on obstruction. “The entire rationale for a special counsel is to make sure the politicals aren't making the key charging decisions," Comey told an audience in Charlotte.
A letter home from my nephew’s kindergarten teacher. We’re trying to figure out who taught him this, but he’s certainly a little sponge soaking up the adult conversations on family vacations.
Feds have discussed making a legal request for Giuliani's electronic communications, say two sources. One source described the investigation as “very active.” w/
@Tom_Winter
and Lisa Ferri
Current status: Putting my daughter on the other side of the room, racing back to type as much as I can until she crawls over, catches me and we start all over.
Breaking: Joint FBI/ DHS intel bulletin warns some domestic violent extremists have "discussed plans to take control of the U.S. Capitol and remove democratic lawmakers on or about 4 March."
(Takes bow) Wish I could repeat this or take credit for the flowers! I’m visiting my parents and propping my phone up on the baby’s high chair. Had to ask Dad to turn off the sprinklers.
Breaking: Medical deferred action has been reinstated by the Trump administration, meaning immigrants receiving life saving treatment here may have a chance to stay rather than face deportation.
Something I learned today: Since October, 4800 people claiming to be part of a family have been proven to be fraudulent (including kids over 18 who claim to be younger). That’s about 1.5% of the total families arriving. Not the 15 % used to justify a crackdown on “fake families”
According to the unsealed opinion from DC District Court, federal investigators are reviewing *over 50 digital media devices* seized as part of the probe into the "secret lobbying scheme" to seek a pardon from White House officials.
ACLU lawyer raises good point: How did ICE lose track of parents if they're supposed to be tracking illegal immigrants? After DOJ lawyer says there is no master list of parents separated or addresses of those released.
Fact checking Trump’s immigration speech: Over 400 miles of border wall by the end of next year. In fact: 350 + of those miles already existed before Trump
Exclusively on
@KasieDC
more Americans have been stopped for questioning at the border based on their work with asylum seekers. They have been threatened with arrest and asked about their political beliefs. If you missed their stories tonight, we'll have them online tomorrow am
I'd encourage everyone to look through the draft documents we posted in this story. It's 16-point plan with comments by high level admin officials as they were crafting family separation, asylum crackdowns and more
Draft documents show how far officials were willing to go to deter migrant families, even denying children asylum hearings. Tune into
@allinwithchris
for more
Adding to this news. DHS officials: These children have been moved to a tent detention camp in the El Paso sector and will remain in the custody of border patrol.
Missing from Trump's speech last night: Terrorism. A sign that after all the fact checks, the administration knew this was a losing argument for the wall.
Breaking: BORTAC agents waited with tactical gear for approximately 30 minutes, following the instructions of local law enforcement in Uvalde police, before finally forming a “stack” and moving in to take out the shooter, per 2 law enforcement officials
Sally Yates says she still can’t talk about the purpose of the counterintelligence investigation that brought Flynn-Kislyak conversation to light. But she is definitive that Obama’s DOJ was not surveilling Flynn
I want to pretend like I’m above caring about this but I’m not. It is so hard to find a corner that doesn’t include a window or glass that reflects! The drapes are hand-me-downs from my mom and the lamp I got for free after some good negotiating at an antique store.
Pranks being plotted in the DOJ press room today: When one reporter leaves the room, start typing furiously when he/she returns and shouting things to each other like "page 20!" (We later decided this would be too mean)
We now know that the report will be sent to Congress on CDs between 11 and noon and that it will be posted to the Special Counsel web site after that. So that begs the question, what is Barr talking about at 9:30? My guess is oranges.
House Homeland Dems have asked CBP for a copy of the list of 59 journalists, lawyers and advocates who were to be stopped for questioning in San Diego. Their deadline: March 14
Happing now:
@MayorBowser
says she has asked the Dept of Interior to deny permits for crowds seeking to congregate on the National Mall from today through Jan. 24.
A senior U.S. official and two other sources tell
@KenDilanianNBC
and me--FBI’s work on the Kavanaugh matter remains significantly limited in scope as a result of the White House's constraints.
I’ve spent nearly 2 months on my little corner outside DOJ, reporting on the Mueller report, and I’ve watched the seasons change. At first the cold wind cut through my down coat, and today, bees! 🐝If you see me flinch on camera, you’ll know they’re getting close!
AG Barr left his home around 9:30 this morning, presumably heading to DOJ to finish his summary of the Mueller report. All expect an afternoon release to both Congress and media.
Breaking: *Barr and Rosenstein were told 3 weeks ago that Mueller would not be reaching a conclusion on obstruction, per person familiar with meeting who underlined the decision was Mueller’s alone. (Fixes typo, I need to stop tweeting from camera
Mayorkas has been the front runner for DHS mainly because, sources say, the incoming administration wants someone with immigration experience (rather than legal, cyber, intel, management, etc) due to the large amount of work to be done in untangling Trump’s immigration legacy.
Lawyers representing families separated by the Trump administration and hold a federal judge today that they have found seven more families just since Wednesday, bringing the total of those recently found two 112 and those still left to be reached at 499
Thank you
@mitchellreports
for your sweet welcoming of Caroline into the NBC family. These flowers arrived from you the moment you announced her birth on air. We are all happy, healthy and can’t wait to introduce her to the neighborhood.
I spoke to Cameroonians in ICE detention this week as they await deportation to the country where they were imprisoned and tortured by their government. I was left with the question: If these people don’t qualify for asylum, who does?
It's not true that parent child separation is a by-product of law enforcement. This was part of the Trump admin plan since day 14 and designed to deter families seeking asylum
Former prosecutors are asking why DOJ did not look beyond campaign violations and stuck only to the whistleblower complaint. Turns out there was a criminal referral from CIA before that complaint made its way over.
I asked Secret Service about its agents’ COVID exposure. Answer: “For privacy and operational security reasons, the Secret Service is not releasing how many of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19, nor how many of its employees were, or currently are, quarantined”
DHS IG shows CBP officials knew they would have problems reunifying families, but they went ahead with a plan they estimated would separate 26K kids in 2018 w/
@jacobsoboroff
In the 302 filed tonight by Mueller's office on the eve of Flynn's sentencing, FBI agents report Flynn said he met with Kislyak in a closed door meeting after the election. What follows is redacted.
Garland tells Durbin that the Zero Tolerance policy was “shameful, i cant imagine anything worse than tearing parents from their children” and promises to cooperate in oversight hearings they plan to hold. No Qs about whether DOJ would investigate those involved in the policy.
My report from Nogales: soldiers are preparing for an invasion that isn't coming. They spent their first nights in a cold food storage unit with the freon turned off. Now they're preparing to spend Thanksgiving here while the caravan heads to California.
New: A judge in DC put a 24 hour hold on the deportation of a Honduran boy who was scheduled to be flown out under the COVID-19 order on immigration. This is the first step in a case that could end deportation for hundreds of unaccompanied children. Will learn more today.
Key takeaways from today's report: Mueller is reaching out to Turkish nationals about Kushner via legal attache office in Ankara; Qataris have considered cooperating with Mueller bc they believe he retaliated against them by endorsing blockade.