Daily images of hooded, heavily armed ICE agents snatching people on US soil are traumatizing. As reported in the Spy in July, this hit home in Easton, Maryland, when ICE agents arrested Pastor Daniel Fuentes Espinal, who has served as the Minister of Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama church for ten years. After picking up construction materials at Lowe’s, he went to McDonald’s for breakfast and was arrested on Route 322. He had no criminal record.

Pastor Espinal was detained at the Winn Correctional Center deep in the Kisatchie National Forest in rural Louisiana while awaiting a bond hearing. We learned on Saturday that he was finally granted a bond earlier in the week and is now home with his family in Easton. A GoFundMe campaign has raised $50,954 for his legal expenses.

The White House spin used to be that ICE activities were focused on deporting undocumented immigrants who were criminals. During the election, President Trump lumped immigrants into a false and ugly anti-immigrant narrative. He called them all rapists, gang members, and drug dealers, who were flooding across our border. His racist narrative was designed to rile his base during the election. However, we have come to realize that the Administration’s goal is more sinister and focused on reducing the US immigrant population and not just about removing dangerous criminals. 

The Administration’s 3,000 daily deportation quota, designed by Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and resident troll, is intended to throw a much wider deportation net to include immigrants here legally. Miller’s long-term goal is to eliminate birthright citizenship, gut various pathways to lawful permanent residency (green card), limit and rescind non-immigrant visas for temporary stays, and halt humanitarian and refugee status. 

A young Maryland man was snatched and arrested at his home despite telling ICE agents he was in the US legally and married to a US citizen. Luckily, his family contacted Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen’s office and got lawyers involved before he was disappeared. In Los Angeles, a day laborer was recently hit by a car and killed on the 210 Freeway while fleeing an ICE raid at a Home Depot. Here in Easton, an ICE van menacingly parked for several hours outside the George Murphy Community pool while children swam on a hot day.  A young man in Talbot County waiting to get day work was picked up by masked ICE agents and whisked away. This is not who we are.

Why is ICE not scooping up business owners with the same enthusiasm as they go after undocumented immigrants? Businesses in need of cheap labor play dumb regarding their workers’ immigration status. Lawyers call that “willful blindness”. The fact that ICE tactics do not include going after the demand side for these workers is a tell that ICE’s strategy is not a serious effort, and more about politics, race, and a show of macho power.

ICE wants to do its snatching at warp speed, so the target’s support network has no time to react and intervene, resulting in no due process. Even if you can determine where a loved one is being held, it is hard to post a bond for release while the situation is being resolved.

According to the Texas Tribune, Jaime Galvin Sanchez “has lived in the US for more than 20 years. He was deported in less than 24 hours without due process.” In many cases, ICE uses “Expedited Removal Authority” to snatch people. The concept was established as part of the 1996 Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act. It allows certain noncitizens to be removed from the US without a hearing before an immigration judge. In the past, Expedited Removal was mainly applied to people who arrived at a port of entry without proper documentation, or who had entered the country illegally and been in the US for less than two years. Trump expanded the use of expedited removal authority to remove obstacles to speedy deportation. It limits access to an attorney, bypasses a court hearing before an immigration judge, and provides no appeal options. Fortunately, Mr. Sanchez’s daughter showed up with utility bills, property tax documents, and his kids’ birth certificates to prove he has been living in the US for decades. He was eventually returned to his family, which is rare. 

The Administration’s ultimate goal is to traumatize legal and undocumented immigrants by making living here brutal, foment fear, and motivate immigrants to self-deport, described as “Attrition through Enforcement”. Trump’s attack dog, Border Czar Tom Homan, does not care if innocent people get snatched. Whenever confronted by reporters with examples of ICE agents overstepping their legal authority or mistakenly arresting or deporting US citizens and people in the US legally, he growls and responds with a “shit happens” attitude. 

Then there is the story of Amir, a young Afghan who saved American soldiers’ lives during the Afghan War. He was 18 years old and served as an interpreter. Several times, he saved the life of Dewy Yopp, a retired Special Forces officer. After the 2021 US withdrawal, Amir received a special immigrant visa for Afghan allies for his help during the Afghan War. A promise fulfilled by our government to Afghans who risked their lives and their families’ lives during the war. Trump now wants to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghan refugees and return them to Afghanistan, claiming it is safe to return despite a State Department Do Not Travel Advisory and the very real threat of persecution and death for those who aided the US. 

Polling shows that images of armed ICE agents snatching people, brazenly marching around Los Angeles and other cities with AK-47s, are turning public opinion against aggressive ICE tactics and the President, which will have an impact on the 2026 mid-term elections.

Voters have also noticed that if you are a black or brown immigrant, you get profiled and picked up by ICE, but if you are white or wealthy, there are shortcuts to acquiring US citizenship. The Administration recently welcomed 60 white South Africans as refugees, saying with a straight face that they faced discrimination and violence at home, which the country’s government strongly denies. Refugee advocates wondered why these white South Africans were admitted when the administration had suspended efforts to resettle people fleeing war and persecution who had gone through years of vetting. 

Like a storyline from South Park, Trump also plans to offer a grotesque shortcut to citizenship for wealthy immigrants, not in keeping with our immigrant heritage. Trump plans to offer a Trump Gold Card for $5 million in exchange for US citizenship. A far cry from poet Emma Lazarus’ 1883 sonnet that gave a voice to the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free….” 

Most Americans know that the majority of illegal immigrants are not rapists, gang members, or drug dealers, but people seeking a better life for their families. While many oppose blanket amnesty, they also realize that the mass deportation of 11 million people is unrealistic.

They are here doing jobs that Americans do not want to do, and that businesses and our economy need. 

It is time for Congress to deal with our broken immigration system. Demonizing immigrants may work in an election year to get votes; however, it does not work if you are serious about fixing a complex immigration system, and leaves us with hooded men in dark SUVs waiting outside car washes, Lowe’s parking lots, public pools, and Latino churches to grab people – maybe your Pastor, neighbor, or good friend.

Andrew Mills, Chief of Police for the City of Palm Springs, CA, said on social media regarding ICE activities, “You joined a Federal Agency to arrest and bag cartels. Instead, you are doing jump outs, arresting dishwashers and gardeners for working hard. You watch the 4th amendment and the 14th mendment being violated regularly behind a cloak of secrecy, wearing masks and heavy armor. There are other options.”

The best option would be comprehensive immigration reform. In 2006-2007, President George W. Bush made comprehensive immigration reform his key policy initiative. His plan proposed a “rational middle ground” where undocumented immigrants with deep roots in the US could apply for citizenship after paying fines, taxes, learning English, and working for several years, while waiting behind those who applied through existing legal channels. It also included:

Border Security: Bush called for increased funding, technology, and personnel for border enforcement, expanding the Border Patrol, and the use of the National Guard for assistance.

A Temporary Worker Program: A legal channel for foreign workers to fill jobs that American workers weren’t taking, with temporary worker status, background checks, and a return to their home countries upon expiration of their authorized stay.

Employer Accountability: Deter businesses from hiring undocumented workers by mandating the use of the E-Verify, the electronic employment verification system, and penalizing non-compliant employers.

Assimilation: The plan emphasized the importance of immigrants learning English and adopting American values to integrate into society successfully.

Bush’s effort failed. GOP Immigration hawks resisted any legalization path, and unions were not happy with the temporary work visa, among other obstacles. Conservatives claimed that amnesty violates the rule of law and rewards bad behavior. An argument that rings hollow today after the President pardoned January 6th rioters, who violently took over the Capitol, a pardon that was a direct assault on the rule of law. 

Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder and former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and Media and other stuff for the Spy.

The announcement that President Trump has ended all tariff negotiations between the US and Canada has increased hostility between the two nations. The administration has recently turned its attention to ending the unlawful entry of Canada geese into the US, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Kristi Noem, the Secretary of DHS said, “It has come to our attention that these migrating geese from Canada bring Fentanyl into US, rape and harrass our non-migrating goose population and have affiliations with the notorious MS-13 gang.” Noem (aka Ice Barbie) is no friend to God’s creatures. In her memoir, she described killing her dog Cricket for having an aggressive personality. 

Officials on both sides of the border were left scratching their heads regarding this shift in US strategy, sparking a heated debate over border security and bird migration policy. Over 3.2 million Canadian Geese migrate to the US each year. According to Noem, “we became suspicious of the migrating birds based on the precision of their V-shaped flying pattern, an indication of military training.” 

Supporters of the administration’s effort to stop this unchecked Canadian goose migration point out that these large birds purposely come to the US pregnant, hoping to claim birthright citizenship as soon as the young Goslings emerge from their eggs. They also claim this species is very aggressive, disrupts our air traffic control systems, harasses golfers, takes over water nesting platforms constructed for our US-based Osprey population and shits on everything.

Border Buffers, Bird Barricades, and An Avian Iron Dome

Sources confirm that an unprecedented number of geese are now making their way to the US in anticipation of the US Air Force establishing a “No Fly Zone”. Some Geese have been seen flying with banners that say “FLY OR DIE”. DHS reportedly has big plans to utilize satellite AI technology to create an Avian Iron Dome (AID) to protect our northern border.” In the meantime, DHS is deploying drone surveillance and strategic waterfowl aerial barriers along our 5,500 mile northern border. “We’re taking every measure to ensure national waterfowl security,” an unnamed DHS spokesperson stated. “This is not just about protecting American turf; it’s about maintaining sovereignty.” 

Legal Status and Immigration Policies

Masked ICE agents have been massing on our northern border, and there is talk of mobilizing the National Guard and even the Marines. Legal experts warn that the situation could challenge existing laws governing wildlife and immigration. “Are these geese refugees or illegal aliens? Does the Migratory Bird Treaty Act provide due process protections or impose restrictions?” mused one concerned attorney. Some advocacy groups are calling for “Amnesty for the Gaggle,” and pushing for sanctuary bird policies that allow these winged migrants safe entry to parks and lakes, citing their right to pursue happiness. 

Public Reactions and Political Spin

Public opinion is fiercely divided. Politicians have stirred controversy, claiming the goose migration poses a significant national security threat, claiming “even birds must respect borders”. Others hail the geese as a welcome symbol of multicultural integration and point out that these birds make the ultimate sacrifice each year to our hunters, and that stopping their migration would harm our vibrant hunting economy and hurt small businesses.

Historians note that Canadian Geese played a crucial role in feeding the first settlers on the Eastern Shore, as described by James Michener in his book, Chesapeake. 

Many experts believe the sudden US aggression towards the Canada Geese migration into the US is President Trump’s retaliation for Canada’s refusal to become America’s 51st state and his inability to implement higher tariffs against our former ally. In an unhinged rant on Truth Social, Trump said, “I hate everything Canadian, especially their very untalented celebrities that have migrated to the US like Justin Bieber, Ryan Reynolds, and the unfunny, scum, Mike Meyers from Saturday Night Live. We should expel them all.” As for the Canadian Geese, he added, “All that squawking is about to come to an end.” Disney, bowing to pressure from the administration, has announced it will no longer include Canada geese in any of its upcoming animated children’s content and will remove images of the species from all of its copyrighted materials. 

As this migration debate intensifies, it’s clear that we may never view these seasonal feathered visitors in the same way again. 

Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder and former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and media, as well as satire, for The Spy.

Balancing the state budget in extraordinary times is hard. It is an ugly game of Whack-a-Mole. A large percentage of the expenses are baked into the budget based on prior legislative initiatives. Then, you take a whack at projecting revenue during a weak economy, manage the General Fund, which consists of revenue not dedicated to a specific purpose, and the Special Fund, which is dedicated to particular purposes. After a few more whacks at capital costs, you wrestle with budget cuts, and adding more revenue through tax modifications and increasing fees.

Then you factor in what the crazy guy in the White House is doing to the economy and the federal government, and how that will impact Maryland. Good luck with that. 

This is why being Governor is not easy. You struggle with challenging issues that require balancing various human and financial priorities while protecting the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, at the federal level, the GOP wants to cut such programs to fund a tax cut extension for the wealthy, adding trillions to the national debt. It is always rich when billionaires getting a tax cut ask everyone else to do more with less.

Another grim reality has also set in. Marylanders, including myself, have taken for granted the economic benefits afforded to Maryland due to its proximity to the federal government. Unfortunately, we are now experiencing the painful flip side of that coin as we watch the White House drop several nuclear financial bombs with a blast radius and shock wave that hits Maryland first and hardest.

The thoughtless gutting of the federal government has significantly added to Maryland’s financial problems. There are 160,000 federal workers in the state, many of whom own or rent homes in Maryland, pay taxes, and spend money, which helps fuel the state economy. Think of all the businesses and people you know, lawyers, lobbyists, contractors, scientists, and real estate professionals who provide services directly or indirectly to the federal government. Now, imagine a 30,000 reduction in federal workers who live in Maryland and its impact on our state. 

Critics of the state budget are angry at Moore and the General Assembly for tax increases that were part of a difficult effort to balance the $67 billion 2025 budget. The budget included $1.6 billion in tax and fee increases and $2 billion in spending reductions to address the $3.3 billion budget deficit. Some even called for a DOGEing of Maryland’s government institutions and “scared cows”. We have seen how badly that has worked out at the federal level.   

I supported Governor Moore and voted for Hogan twice. Nobody likes tax increases, including the Governor, but balancing any budget with a $3.3 billion deficit is challenging. Criticizing how he did it is fair game, but it’s easy when you’re not in the room doing the math. For example, I would have liked to have seen a reduction in the corporate tax, but realize when you are turning  over rocks looking for revenue, its hard to give up a chunk.

Some Republicans fantasize about Hogan running again for Governor in 2026 against Moore. Hogan fanboys and GOP strategists would love to brand Moore as a tax-and-spend Democrat, which is unfair. Serious problems are impacting Maryland, and issues like slow business growth have existed for a decade, during Hogan’s two terms and Moore’s short tenure in office. Members of both parties have acknowledged this, so let’s focus on the six key budget challenges ahead.

1- Maryland’s economy is stagnant and must improve. Last year, Comptroller Brooke Lierman issued a State of the Economy Report. Maryland’s economy began slowing in 2017 and rebounded sluggishly from COVID-19. At the time, she reported low unemployment of 1.8%, which today is 3% and will be further impacted by federal workforce reductions. Our state relies too heavily on the federal government (the top employer) to drive our economy, and we need more private sector jobs and business income. Maryland’s average household income was a healthy $108,200, ranking high nationally. Unfortunately, Maryland’s overall economy underperforms. GDP growth (personal income, real wages, and population growth) from 2016-2023 was only 1.6%, which lags behind our neighbors (PA & VA) and the US. The state’s population in 2024 was about 6.3 million, a 0.74% increase compared to 2023. And while many people move here from states with a higher cost of living, we lose people, including higher earners, who leave Maryland for less expensive states. 

2- Trump’s budget, tariffs, and other actions severely harm the State. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson recently said that Trump’s budget could result in an additional $430 million in federal cuts to the state. Trump’s tariff war will also result in thousands of small businesses in Maryland going bankrupt unless he finds an off-ramp. Since Trump took office, the stock market has lost trillions of dollars, damaging 401(k)s. It is also unclear if the federal government will support future funding for the Key Bridge rebuild and other Maryland capital projects available under the Biden administration. Do you remember when the worst thing Trump did to Maryland was kill the plan to build a new FBI building in Greenbelt, MD?

3- The debate about the so-called $5 billion “Surplus” handed over to Moore by Hogan is a waste of time. Lots of Federal COVID-19 money flowed into the state, which camouflaged weaknesses in the state’s economy. I assume Hogan did not know this was a fading Covid hangover surplus. I also realize Hogan had nothing to gain by reframing the reality of the surplus while running for the Senate. Also, our business-oriented Governor Moore, the General Assembly, and an accountant should have recognized the bogus nature of the surplus sooner. 

4- Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The expensive 10-year education reform plan is a financial problem. Democrats own this plan. It was recently funded for two years ($70 million next year and $100 million the year after). Beyond that, it will be funded through the state’s General Fund, which, according to a recent Maryland Matters article, has a projected deficit of up to $3 billion by fiscal year 2030. How Moore handles this issue will be another big test. You can’t do everything. In its current form, the plan is tough on rural communities with limited resources that have been further strained as the state has pushed down other costs to the counties.

5- Medicaid Costs. As reported in the Baltimore Sun, Maryland’s share of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIPS) covers roughly 1.6 million people, including long-term care coverage for low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, costing about $4 billion annually. The big unknown is how federal cuts to entitlement programs will impact Maryland and other states, especially if the GOP forces states to bear more of the expense.   

6- Bond Rating Fiscal Status. A fellow Spy columnist, David Reel, recently focused attention on Maryland’s fragile bond rating, highlighting Moody’s downgrade of Maryland’s fiscal outlook from stable to negative. The Moody downgrade said, “Maryland ranks near the top for risk from changing federal priorities and policies.” Maryland Matters said, “The report highlights three factors: Federal unemployment, existing budget deficits, and concentrated federal grant funding.” It might be a while before Maryland’s AA bond rating bumps to AAA. Standard and Poors issued a negative outlook for outstanding revenue bonds issued by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDAT), which finances new transportation projects like bridges, tunnels, and the rebuilding ($1.8 billion estimate) of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. What will happen if Trump pulls federal funding for the Key Bridge?   

Things will likely worsen before they improve, especially if Trump drives us into a recession. The current budget cycle sidestepped more painful future cuts to the Blueprint Reform plan. Democrats must take a scalpel to the plan during the next budget cycle. With so many unknowns, Governor Moore will have to be tighter on controlling costs and veto bills from the General Assembly, controlled by his party, that the state cannot afford.

One of the best things Marylanders can do to help themselves is help Democrats win the House in the midterm elections and stop Trump’s reckless actions that will hurt Maryland. 

 Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder and former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and Media and other stuff for the Spy.

On Sunday evening, TikTok, the popular social media platform, was executed in the US. Since 2016, swiping through endless short-form videos on your smartphone customized to your tastes has been a guilty pleasure for 170 million active users in the US.

Screenshot

TikTok’s death may be short-lived. Trump announced on Sunday that he intends to bring the service back to life by executive order once he takes office to allow more time to find a 50 percent US investor.

TikTok uses a sophisticated recommendation engine algorithm that determines what content you like and lulls you into an addictive, viral, mindless stupor. Before you know it, minutes turned into hours.

After using the app for a long time in the bathroom, some users need help exiting due to trouble walking, and others experienced Carpal TikTok syndrome caused by excessive swiping (okay, I made that up). Others constantly bombarded family and friends with their favorite videos, whether they wanted to see them or not.

However, on Sunday, users were greeted with a message: “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.” Adding, “we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.” It is reported that the service is preparing to reinstate service after assurances there will be no repercussions.

TikTok burst onto the scene eight years ago, catching social media behemoths Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Google by surprise. It became one of the hottest social media companies and created a new group of loyal, young, social media content creators and influencers.

My TikTok scrolling featured short movie clips (“You can’t handle the TRUTH”), videos of dogs, babies, and babies playing with dogs, professional comedy bits, and funny videos created by users. TikTok has a dark side. It contributed to our political chaos by spreading untruths like all the other major social media platforms. However, for the US government, the scariest thing about the platform is that it is owned by a Chinese company ByteDance.

Unfortunately for TikTok, its enormous popularity (2 billion+ active users worldwide), and murky Chinese ownership put a large target on its back. Mark Zuckerberg began stealing elements of TikTok and incorporated them into his Instagram platform to compete. The call to ban TikTok was one of the only issues Democrats and Republicans could agree on. In a bipartisan effort, in 2024, Congress passed legislation to ban TikTok unless a new owner could be found. The vote was 353-65 in the House and 79-18 in the Senate. And the other two branches of the government, the executive and judiciary branches, have supported and reaffirmed the legislation.

Sunday, January 19th was established as TikTok’s execution date, not by lethal injection but for an app just as bad —pulling the plug and shutting down the app. The bill was challenged in court. Even the Supreme Court got involved, quickly dismissing the argument that the legislation and ban infringed on TikTok user’s free speech.

It is acceptable for US citizens to give away all their data for free to greedy tech companies, but a line has now been drawn regarding having a relationship with Chinese spies. Years of being trained to let tech companies know everything about them has led many to shrug off the risk of a foreign tech platform having access to their data. The shutdown is especially painful to thousands of users who created businesses and make a living on the platform. Many also feel that targeting TikTok, regardless of the real risk of Chinese data mining and foreign propaganda influencing tens of millions of US citizens, is actually part of a US tech bro plan to eliminate a social media competitor and create a fire sale for the company.

TikTok fans with a sense of humor, anticipating the January 19 breakup deadline, flooded the site with romantic goodbyes from or to their Chinese Spies, with Whitney Houston singing “I will always love you” in the background and other variations on the breakup theme.

TikTok’s competitors spent millions convincing politicians on both sides of the aisle to ban TikTok. Tech billionaires like Musk and Zuckerberg also made personal appeals to their newest BFF, Trump. Ironically, it was only a few years ago that US tech companies were angrily grilled by Congress for pushing untruths about the 2016 election, among other issues, and threatened with regulations that never happened. TikTok offered the perfect Chinese villain to deflect attention away from them. It also helps that the tech billionaire class is throwing millions at Trump, kissing the ring with front-row seats at the January 20 inauguration. How times have changed?

Trump has dramatically changed his position on TikTok. In 2020, he aggressively called for its ban due to National Security concerns. Now, he wants to facilitate its resurrection. More recently, he suggested the Supreme Court hold off banning TikTok to let him find a US buyer. His attitude change coincided with his effective use of social media and its biggest stars like Joe Rogan (Trump has 14 million TikTok followers) to win the White House. So why kill such a valuable political weapon that the Democrats are so pathetic at using? The Democrats, seeing Trump’s recent maneuvering to be TikTok’s savior, now also support a shutdown postponement. It’s stuff like this that makes you hate politicians.

Lastly, Trump’s billionaire buddies have voiced interest in buying TikTok, and Jeff Yass, a GOP mega-donor, owns a significant share of TikTok’s parent, ByteDance. Another billionaire, Frank McCourt, and Project America, think TikTok is worth $20 billion and want to buy it despite the fact you are not buying the algorithm that is the heart of the service, just the US operations. The Chinese appear unwilling to part with that intellectual property and are not racing to sell. The Chinese may like the idea of the US banning a media platform after years of being criticized for their heavy-handed censorship and control of all media touching their citizens.

Products have been banned in the US for decades for public health reasons but not a social media app for national security concerns. All I wanted was a few videos of dogs being sweet to babies. I guess I will have to get my fix somewhere else.

Hugh Panero, a tech and media entrepreneur, was the founder and former CEO of XM Satellite Radio. He has worked with leading tech venture capital firms and was an adjunct media professor at George Washington University. He writes about Tech and Media and other stuff for the Spy.