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Another former Facebook employee on Friday submitted a complaint to the U.S. government, bolstering whistleblower Frances Haugen's recent criticism of the company in testimony to Congress and other formal complaints, and sparking fresh calls for accountability.
"It's time for immediate action to hold the company accountable for the many harms it's inflicted on our democracy."
The new whistleblower affidavit submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was obtained by The Washington Post, which reports that the unidentified ex-employee accuses Facebook--which may get a new name in a rebranding as early as next week--of prioritizing growth and profits over limiting the spread of problematic content.
"Facebook cannot govern itself," said Eric Null, U.S. policy manager at the group Access Now, in response to the Post's reporting. "The company repeatedly fails to live up to its promises, and, thanks to the whistleblowers and other prominent research, we have the receipts."
Null and other critics of the company were quick to reiterate demands for action by U.S. lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
"Given what we now know about Facebook's singular focus on growth over addressing its destructive behavior, and that it has been perpetuating and causing civil rights-related harms, Congress and the FTC need to crack down on Facebook and all big tech companies," Null said. "Legislation, or FTC rules, should include strict data protection provisions that put an end to the pernicious hyper-targeting and data-obsessed advertising business model. Without it, Facebook, and Big Tech in general, will continue to wreak havoc at home and around the world."
\u201cHate is baked into @Facebook\u2019s business model. Break it up. https://t.co/9lWaD9YcrU\u201d— American Economic Liberties Project (@American Economic Liberties Project) 1634934503
Free Press Action co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez similarly said in a statement that "the latest whistleblower revelations confirm what many of us have been sounding the alarm about for years. Facebook is not fit to govern itself."
"The social-media giant is already trying to minimize the value and impact of these whistleblower exposes, including Frances Haugen's," she said, accusing the company of "conducting a serial cover-up of practices that put communities of color and other minorities at great risk for hate, harassment, violence, and disinformation campaigns."
Taking aim at the company's CEO, Gonzalez added that "not only are Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives failing to protect our elections and keep our communities safe, they are failing to fulfill their responsibilities to the company's shareholders."
"Zuckerberg has made multiple appearances before Congress and nothing has changed," she said. "It's time for Congress and the Biden administration to investigate a Facebook business model that profits from spreading the most extreme hate and disinformation. It's time for immediate action to hold the company accountable for the many harms it's inflicted on our democracy."
\u201cHe can say he didn't say this, but for any of us who have advocated for FB to clean up its act over the past decade, this sounds awfully familiar.\u201d— Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez (@Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez) 1634933160
The Post reports that the SEC affidavit alleges Facebook officials "routinely undermined efforts to fight misinformation, hate speech, and other problematic content out of fear of angering then-President Donald Trump and his political allies, or out of concern about potentially dampening the user growth key to Facebook's multibillion-dollar profits."
As the newspaper explains:
Friday's filing is the latest in a series since 2017 spearheaded by former journalist Gretchen Peters and a group she leads, the Alliance to Counter Crime Online. Taken together, the filings argue that Facebook has failed to adequately address dangerous and criminal behavior on its platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The alleged failings include permitting terrorist content, drug sales, hate speech, and misinformation to flourish, while also failing to adequately warn investors about the potential risks when such problems surface, as some have in news reports over the years.
"Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives repeatedly claimed high rates of success in restricting illicit and toxic content--to lawmakers, regulators, and investors--when in fact they knew the firm could not remove this content and remain profitable," Peters said in a statement.
The "most anguished line in the affidavit" relates to military officials in Myanmar using Facebook to spread hate speech during mass killings of Rohingya people, according to the Post. The whistleblower wrote that "I, working for Facebook, had been a party to genocide."
\u201cwe built a massive interconnected ad-based ecosystem where companies are routinely and repeatedly financially incentivized to make wrong and unethical choices for engagement's sake, then became surprised when they did exactly that\u201d— Karl Bode (@Karl Bode) 1634931842
In a statement to the newspaper, Facebook spokesperson said that its "approach in Myanmar today is fundamentally different from what it was in 2017, and allegations that we have not invested in safety and security in the country are wrong." Asked about toxic content more broadly, she said that "we have every commercial and moral incentive--to try to give the maximum number of people as much of a positive experience as possible on Facebook."
Just hours after reporting on and reactions to the new affidavit, The New York Timesrevealed Friday evening that internal Facebook documents show "employees sounded an alarm about misinformation and inflammatory content on the platform and urged action" both before and after last year's U.S. election, "but the company failed or struggled to address the issues."
\u201cA Facebook tester set up an account for an imaginary woman named Carol Smith & then followed pages for @FoxNews & @WeAreSinclair.\n\nWithin days, Facebook had recommended pages & groups related to QAnon. \n\nhttps://t.co/MXA1Nbg2tn\u201d— Tim Karr (@TimKarr@mastodon.social) (@Tim Karr (@TimKarr@mastodon.social)) 1634944419
One internal report highlighted by the Times--and previously published in full by BuzzFeed News--was about Facebook Groups, which, according to the new whistleblower, the company fails to adequately police. The report was specifically about users exploiting the Groups feature to "rapidly form election delegitimization communities on the site" leading up to January 6, when a right-wing mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
"Hindsight being 20/20 makes it all the more important to look back," the internal report said, "to learn what we can about the growth of the election delegitimizing movements that grew, spread conspiracy, and helped incite the Capitol insurrection."
Political revenge. Mass deportations. Project 2025. Unfathomable corruption. Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Pardons for insurrectionists. An all-out assault on democracy. Republicans in Congress are scrambling to give Trump broad new powers to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like by declaring it a “terrorist-supporting organization.” Trump has already begun filing lawsuits against news outlets that criticize him. At Common Dreams, we won’t back down, but we must get ready for whatever Trump and his thugs throw at us. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. By donating today, please help us fight the dangers of a second Trump presidency. |
Another former Facebook employee on Friday submitted a complaint to the U.S. government, bolstering whistleblower Frances Haugen's recent criticism of the company in testimony to Congress and other formal complaints, and sparking fresh calls for accountability.
"It's time for immediate action to hold the company accountable for the many harms it's inflicted on our democracy."
The new whistleblower affidavit submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was obtained by The Washington Post, which reports that the unidentified ex-employee accuses Facebook--which may get a new name in a rebranding as early as next week--of prioritizing growth and profits over limiting the spread of problematic content.
"Facebook cannot govern itself," said Eric Null, U.S. policy manager at the group Access Now, in response to the Post's reporting. "The company repeatedly fails to live up to its promises, and, thanks to the whistleblowers and other prominent research, we have the receipts."
Null and other critics of the company were quick to reiterate demands for action by U.S. lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
"Given what we now know about Facebook's singular focus on growth over addressing its destructive behavior, and that it has been perpetuating and causing civil rights-related harms, Congress and the FTC need to crack down on Facebook and all big tech companies," Null said. "Legislation, or FTC rules, should include strict data protection provisions that put an end to the pernicious hyper-targeting and data-obsessed advertising business model. Without it, Facebook, and Big Tech in general, will continue to wreak havoc at home and around the world."
\u201cHate is baked into @Facebook\u2019s business model. Break it up. https://t.co/9lWaD9YcrU\u201d— American Economic Liberties Project (@American Economic Liberties Project) 1634934503
Free Press Action co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez similarly said in a statement that "the latest whistleblower revelations confirm what many of us have been sounding the alarm about for years. Facebook is not fit to govern itself."
"The social-media giant is already trying to minimize the value and impact of these whistleblower exposes, including Frances Haugen's," she said, accusing the company of "conducting a serial cover-up of practices that put communities of color and other minorities at great risk for hate, harassment, violence, and disinformation campaigns."
Taking aim at the company's CEO, Gonzalez added that "not only are Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives failing to protect our elections and keep our communities safe, they are failing to fulfill their responsibilities to the company's shareholders."
"Zuckerberg has made multiple appearances before Congress and nothing has changed," she said. "It's time for Congress and the Biden administration to investigate a Facebook business model that profits from spreading the most extreme hate and disinformation. It's time for immediate action to hold the company accountable for the many harms it's inflicted on our democracy."
\u201cHe can say he didn't say this, but for any of us who have advocated for FB to clean up its act over the past decade, this sounds awfully familiar.\u201d— Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez (@Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez) 1634933160
The Post reports that the SEC affidavit alleges Facebook officials "routinely undermined efforts to fight misinformation, hate speech, and other problematic content out of fear of angering then-President Donald Trump and his political allies, or out of concern about potentially dampening the user growth key to Facebook's multibillion-dollar profits."
As the newspaper explains:
Friday's filing is the latest in a series since 2017 spearheaded by former journalist Gretchen Peters and a group she leads, the Alliance to Counter Crime Online. Taken together, the filings argue that Facebook has failed to adequately address dangerous and criminal behavior on its platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The alleged failings include permitting terrorist content, drug sales, hate speech, and misinformation to flourish, while also failing to adequately warn investors about the potential risks when such problems surface, as some have in news reports over the years.
"Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives repeatedly claimed high rates of success in restricting illicit and toxic content--to lawmakers, regulators, and investors--when in fact they knew the firm could not remove this content and remain profitable," Peters said in a statement.
The "most anguished line in the affidavit" relates to military officials in Myanmar using Facebook to spread hate speech during mass killings of Rohingya people, according to the Post. The whistleblower wrote that "I, working for Facebook, had been a party to genocide."
\u201cwe built a massive interconnected ad-based ecosystem where companies are routinely and repeatedly financially incentivized to make wrong and unethical choices for engagement's sake, then became surprised when they did exactly that\u201d— Karl Bode (@Karl Bode) 1634931842
In a statement to the newspaper, Facebook spokesperson said that its "approach in Myanmar today is fundamentally different from what it was in 2017, and allegations that we have not invested in safety and security in the country are wrong." Asked about toxic content more broadly, she said that "we have every commercial and moral incentive--to try to give the maximum number of people as much of a positive experience as possible on Facebook."
Just hours after reporting on and reactions to the new affidavit, The New York Timesrevealed Friday evening that internal Facebook documents show "employees sounded an alarm about misinformation and inflammatory content on the platform and urged action" both before and after last year's U.S. election, "but the company failed or struggled to address the issues."
\u201cA Facebook tester set up an account for an imaginary woman named Carol Smith & then followed pages for @FoxNews & @WeAreSinclair.\n\nWithin days, Facebook had recommended pages & groups related to QAnon. \n\nhttps://t.co/MXA1Nbg2tn\u201d— Tim Karr (@TimKarr@mastodon.social) (@Tim Karr (@TimKarr@mastodon.social)) 1634944419
One internal report highlighted by the Times--and previously published in full by BuzzFeed News--was about Facebook Groups, which, according to the new whistleblower, the company fails to adequately police. The report was specifically about users exploiting the Groups feature to "rapidly form election delegitimization communities on the site" leading up to January 6, when a right-wing mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
"Hindsight being 20/20 makes it all the more important to look back," the internal report said, "to learn what we can about the growth of the election delegitimizing movements that grew, spread conspiracy, and helped incite the Capitol insurrection."
Another former Facebook employee on Friday submitted a complaint to the U.S. government, bolstering whistleblower Frances Haugen's recent criticism of the company in testimony to Congress and other formal complaints, and sparking fresh calls for accountability.
"It's time for immediate action to hold the company accountable for the many harms it's inflicted on our democracy."
The new whistleblower affidavit submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was obtained by The Washington Post, which reports that the unidentified ex-employee accuses Facebook--which may get a new name in a rebranding as early as next week--of prioritizing growth and profits over limiting the spread of problematic content.
"Facebook cannot govern itself," said Eric Null, U.S. policy manager at the group Access Now, in response to the Post's reporting. "The company repeatedly fails to live up to its promises, and, thanks to the whistleblowers and other prominent research, we have the receipts."
Null and other critics of the company were quick to reiterate demands for action by U.S. lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
"Given what we now know about Facebook's singular focus on growth over addressing its destructive behavior, and that it has been perpetuating and causing civil rights-related harms, Congress and the FTC need to crack down on Facebook and all big tech companies," Null said. "Legislation, or FTC rules, should include strict data protection provisions that put an end to the pernicious hyper-targeting and data-obsessed advertising business model. Without it, Facebook, and Big Tech in general, will continue to wreak havoc at home and around the world."
\u201cHate is baked into @Facebook\u2019s business model. Break it up. https://t.co/9lWaD9YcrU\u201d— American Economic Liberties Project (@American Economic Liberties Project) 1634934503
Free Press Action co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez similarly said in a statement that "the latest whistleblower revelations confirm what many of us have been sounding the alarm about for years. Facebook is not fit to govern itself."
"The social-media giant is already trying to minimize the value and impact of these whistleblower exposes, including Frances Haugen's," she said, accusing the company of "conducting a serial cover-up of practices that put communities of color and other minorities at great risk for hate, harassment, violence, and disinformation campaigns."
Taking aim at the company's CEO, Gonzalez added that "not only are Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives failing to protect our elections and keep our communities safe, they are failing to fulfill their responsibilities to the company's shareholders."
"Zuckerberg has made multiple appearances before Congress and nothing has changed," she said. "It's time for Congress and the Biden administration to investigate a Facebook business model that profits from spreading the most extreme hate and disinformation. It's time for immediate action to hold the company accountable for the many harms it's inflicted on our democracy."
\u201cHe can say he didn't say this, but for any of us who have advocated for FB to clean up its act over the past decade, this sounds awfully familiar.\u201d— Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez (@Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez) 1634933160
The Post reports that the SEC affidavit alleges Facebook officials "routinely undermined efforts to fight misinformation, hate speech, and other problematic content out of fear of angering then-President Donald Trump and his political allies, or out of concern about potentially dampening the user growth key to Facebook's multibillion-dollar profits."
As the newspaper explains:
Friday's filing is the latest in a series since 2017 spearheaded by former journalist Gretchen Peters and a group she leads, the Alliance to Counter Crime Online. Taken together, the filings argue that Facebook has failed to adequately address dangerous and criminal behavior on its platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The alleged failings include permitting terrorist content, drug sales, hate speech, and misinformation to flourish, while also failing to adequately warn investors about the potential risks when such problems surface, as some have in news reports over the years.
"Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives repeatedly claimed high rates of success in restricting illicit and toxic content--to lawmakers, regulators, and investors--when in fact they knew the firm could not remove this content and remain profitable," Peters said in a statement.
The "most anguished line in the affidavit" relates to military officials in Myanmar using Facebook to spread hate speech during mass killings of Rohingya people, according to the Post. The whistleblower wrote that "I, working for Facebook, had been a party to genocide."
\u201cwe built a massive interconnected ad-based ecosystem where companies are routinely and repeatedly financially incentivized to make wrong and unethical choices for engagement's sake, then became surprised when they did exactly that\u201d— Karl Bode (@Karl Bode) 1634931842
In a statement to the newspaper, Facebook spokesperson said that its "approach in Myanmar today is fundamentally different from what it was in 2017, and allegations that we have not invested in safety and security in the country are wrong." Asked about toxic content more broadly, she said that "we have every commercial and moral incentive--to try to give the maximum number of people as much of a positive experience as possible on Facebook."
Just hours after reporting on and reactions to the new affidavit, The New York Timesrevealed Friday evening that internal Facebook documents show "employees sounded an alarm about misinformation and inflammatory content on the platform and urged action" both before and after last year's U.S. election, "but the company failed or struggled to address the issues."
\u201cA Facebook tester set up an account for an imaginary woman named Carol Smith & then followed pages for @FoxNews & @WeAreSinclair.\n\nWithin days, Facebook had recommended pages & groups related to QAnon. \n\nhttps://t.co/MXA1Nbg2tn\u201d— Tim Karr (@TimKarr@mastodon.social) (@Tim Karr (@TimKarr@mastodon.social)) 1634944419
One internal report highlighted by the Times--and previously published in full by BuzzFeed News--was about Facebook Groups, which, according to the new whistleblower, the company fails to adequately police. The report was specifically about users exploiting the Groups feature to "rapidly form election delegitimization communities on the site" leading up to January 6, when a right-wing mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
"Hindsight being 20/20 makes it all the more important to look back," the internal report said, "to learn what we can about the growth of the election delegitimizing movements that grew, spread conspiracy, and helped incite the Capitol insurrection."
"This move not only erases accountability for one of the darkest days in our nation's history but also emboldens far-right extremists and grants them free license to continue their ideological reign of terror," said one critic.
Democracy defenders on Monday night swiftly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pardon roughly 1,500 insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and commute the sentences of some others.
The widely anticipated move, which Trump made with television cameras in the Oval Office, came just hours after he returned to power on Monday afternoon—despite being convicted of 34 felonies in New York last year and facing various other legal cases, including for his attempts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democratic former President Joe Biden that culminated in inciting the 2021 Capitol attack.
"Just hours after promising to bring 'law and order back to our cities,' Trump pardoned more than a thousand January 6th rioters and put violent offenders right back in our neighborhoods—people who assaulted police officers, destroyed property, and tried to overturn our freedom to vote," said Sean Eldridge, president and founder of the progressive advocacy group Stand Up America, in a statement.
"By giving January 6th rioters a free pass, Trump is rewarding political violence and making all of us less safe," he continued. "No one should be above the law in the United States of America, and our first responders and the American people deserve better than this."
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the grassroots progressive political organizing group Our Revolution, said that "Trump's pardons of January 6 rioters, including those convicted of violence against law enforcement, mark a grave and unprecedented attack on the rule of law and American democracy. This move not only erases accountability for one of the darkest days in our nation's history but also emboldens far-right extremists and grants them free license to continue their ideological reign of terror."
"These are not patriots, these are traitors who will now be free to recruit others into what Trump views as his own personal militia," he asserted. "By granting clemency to these individuals, who sought to overturn the peaceful transfer of power, Trump is signaling that political violence and the rejection of democratic norms are acceptable tactics in service to his authoritarian agenda. This is a direct threat to the foundations of our democracy and the safety of our communities."
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of watchdog Public Citizen, said that "it is perhaps on-brand that Donald Trump has kicked off his second term with an assault on our democracy, just as he ended his first term."
"This isn't just about degrading the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law in theory, his disgraceful actions here send a message that political violence is acceptable, so long as it is in support of him and his pursuit of unchecked power," she continued. "We intend to fight against these types of abuses over the next four years to maintain the integrity of the rule of law."
Accusing the Republican of "condoning insurrection," Common Cause president and CEO Virginia Kase SolomĂłn similarly warned that "this will not be the last time President Trump attacks democracy" and vowed that her organization stands "ready to defend it."
During the insurrection, Kase SolomĂłn said, "people died and more than 140 law enforcement officers were injured protecting members of Congress from the attack that followed. These deaths and injuries should not be in vain. To pardon those involved is a blatant and dangerous abuse of power."
"Trump was charged with multiple crimes for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election which ended in the insurrection at the Capitol," she noted. "Only his reelection, coupled with an extremely misguided ruling from the Supreme Court on presidential immunity, allowed him to escape trial. In pardoning those who attempted to violently overturn the election and invalidate 80 million votes, Trump is showing his contempt for our justice system and our democracy."
Noah Bookbinder, a former federal prosecutor who is now president of the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, warned that "giving a pass to those who participated, all of whom were convicted after trial with ample evidence and process or pleaded guilty to crimes, sends a message that the right of the people to choose our own leaders no longer matters because the results can merely be overturned by force."
"And," he said, "it raises a terrifying question: What happens if Trump doesn't want to leave the White House at the end of his term?"
Trump commuted the sentences of Jeremy Bertino, Joseph Biggs, Thomas Caldwell, Joseph Hackett, Kenneth Harrelson, Kelly Meggs, Roberto Minuta, David Moerschel, Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola, Zachary Rehl, Stewart Rhodes, Edward Vallejo, and Jessica Watkins. The others—whom Trump called "hostages"—received "a full, complete, and unconditional pardon."
"I further direct the attorney general to pursue dismissal with prejudice to the government of all pending indictments against individuals for their conduct related to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021," Trump's order said. "The Bureau of Prisons shall immediately implement all instructions from the Department of Justice regarding this directive."
Shortly before leaving office on Monday, Biden issued a final wave of pardons, including for members of the U.S. House of Representatives select committee that investigated the insurrection. The Democrat said that he could not "in good conscience do nothing" to protect them and the pardons "should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense."
This post has been updated with comment from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
The bill, noted one opponent, "has some egregious provisions that will have dramatic consequences beyond its stated goal of locking up undocumented individuals like the man who murdered Laken Riley."
A dozen U.S. Senate Democrats on Monday helped the GOP pass the Laken Riley Act—an immigration bill decried as a far-right power grab—just hours after Republican President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term.
Those 12 Democrats are Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), Mark Warner (Va.), and Raphael Warnock (Ga.). Fetterman and Gallego co-sponsored the bill.
A version of the legislation—named for a 22-year-old woman murdered by a Venezuelan migrant in Georgia last year—was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month in a 264-159 vote, with support from 48 Democrats. However, it must be approved by the chamber again before it will head to Trump's desk.
"I just voted against the Laken Riley Act," said Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). "This bill won't accomplish its goals. I'm disappointed in its passage as it stands, and I'm deeply concerned about how it will be implemented."
Writing to members of Congress ahead of the Senate's 64-35 vote, over 70 national groups said that "the senselessness of the murder of Laken Riley does not justify making unprecedented changes to immigration detention laws that—like all mandatory incarceration provisions—will only result in more discrimination while doing little to increase public safety."
Urging lawmakers to oppose the bill the coalition explained:
S. 5 would require the mandatory detention—without any possibility of bond—of undocumented persons who are merely arrested for or charged with certain offenses, including misdemeanor shoplifting. It does not require conviction. There is no statute of limitations, and the bill does not specify any process by which a person might contest either their immigration detention or the underlying criminal charges (if charges are even pursued). Mandatory immigration detention on the basis of a mere arrest is unprecedented, and it would invite abuses that almost certainly would disproportionately impact people of color.
We are also concerned with language in the bill that would give states standing to sue the federal government over any allegation that the federal government is improperly implementing immigration laws, such as detention and removal provisions, visa provisions, or its discretionary parole authority. This language would open the floodgates to litigation, and it would enable individual states to shape federal immigration policies.
"Laken Riley should be with us today. Her murder is a tragedy, and the perpetrator should be held fully accountable," said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) after the vote. "The Laken Riley Act, however, has some egregious provisions that will have dramatic consequences beyond its stated goal of locking up undocumented individuals like the man who murdered Laken Riley. Specifically, it requires mandatory imprisonment for undocumented children who have never been charged with or convicted of a crime. This is twisted."
"We've seen time and again the damage the federal government can cause our children with dangerous immigration policies like this," he added. "I will continue to champion proposals that keep all of us safe, fix America's broken immigration system, and strengthen our border security. Our families and communities demand nothing less."
The Senate vote came as Trump began imposing his anti-immigrant agenda with a slew of executive orders. The Republican, who campaigned on mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship, is expected to sign the Laken Riley Act once it reaches him.
"Trump's first actions as president show us exactly who he is and what he believes about America," said Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). "While he talked about unity, he used his first moment in the office to stoke fear and fuel division. While he talked about a 'golden age,' he signed unconstitutional and un-American executive orders that gut equality initiatives, criminalize immigrants, end asylum, roll back climate protections, and endanger our national security. There is nothing great about an America that denies peoples' civil rights, refuses refuge to the persecuted, or denies future generations clean air and water."
"I believe America is greatest when we pursue justice, equality, and peace and honor our shared humanity," she added. "This daughter of immigrants, citizen by birthright, and congresista from a district that celebrates our diversity, stands ready to fight for the soul of our nation. Regardless of who is president, I will continue to fight for the policies working people demand: affordable housing and healthcare, good-paying jobs, clean air and water, public safety, and comprehensive immigration reform."One former Swedish prime minister called the Republican president's pledge to grow U.S. territory "a recipe for global instability."
While the global far-right cheered President Donald Trump's return to the White House on Monday, world leaders, elected officials, activists, and others from across the rest of the political spectrum reacted with trepidation as the Republican vowed to expand the nation's territory for the first time in nearly 80 years and threatened the sovereignty of a U.S. trade and security partner.
In his second inaugural address, Trump promised a foreign policy that "expands our territory," as well as the renewed pursuit of "Manifest Destiny"—the 19th-century belief that God intended the United States to control the continent from coast to coast—beyond Earth by "launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars."
"That's a dangerous statement in itself, but then others around the world might also be inspired to do the same."
In the United States, Monday's inauguration coincided with the federal holiday honoring the assassinated civil rights champion Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whom Trump mentioned in his speech. Some observers noted the incongruity of Trump's message with King's anti-war ethos.
"How dare Donald Trump invoke Dr. King," pan-African studies professor and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah fumed on social media. "Trump IS the embodiment of the three evils that MLK warned of: racism, materialism, and militarism."
Indigenous voices reminded listeners that belief in Manifest Destiny fueled genocidal violence against Native Americans.
"Trump is really going after Native Americans with references to Manifest Destiny, the frontier, Wild West, and erasing Denali's name," attorney Brett Chapman, a direct descendant of the Ponca Cshief White Eagle, said on social media. "This anti-Indigenous inaugural address sounds like one from the 1800s when presidents deployed the U.S. military on Native Americans seeking rights."
In his speech, Trump falsely accused China of "running the Panama Canal," said that Panama—which was last invaded by American forces in 1989—is overcharging U.S. ships to use the crucial waterway, and warned that "we're taking it back."
As angry demonstrators rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Panama City, right-wing Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino issued a statement refuting Trump's threats and accusations and declaring that "the canal is and will continue to be Panamanian."
Trump's threat follows his refusal earlier this month to rule out the use of military force in order to conquer the Panama Canal or Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
South American progressives were left stunned by parts of Trump's address.
"In his inauguration speech, Donald Trump made it clear that reality surpasses fiction," Carol Dartora, a leftist lawmaker in the lower chamber of Brazil's National Congress, said in a video posted online. "Then the U.S. president exuded machismo, imperialism, and xenophobia, especially against immigrants."
Across the Atlantic, former center-right Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said: "Now we know that President Trump wants to 'expand our territory.' That's a dangerous statement in itself, but then others around the world might also be inspired to do the same. It's a recipe for global instability."
German author, filmmaker, and journalist Annette Dittert
responded to Trump's expansionist pledge with a popular three-letter internet acronym: "'We will become a nation that expands our territory?' WTF?"