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Mala Kumar

@authormala.bsky.social

Author of the novels, What It Meant to Survive and The Paths of Marriage. Global expert in tech for social good. Ex-GitHub and ex-UN. NYC is home.

42 Posts35 Follower8 Folgt
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW: A federal judge in Massachusetts has granted a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from deporting any person to a country they are not a national of (so-called 'third country removals') without written notice and an opportunity to apply for protection from that country.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS _______________________________________ ) D.V.D., et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) Civil Action No. v. ) 25-10676-BEM ) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND ) SECURITY, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) _______________________________________) TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER MURPHY, J. This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff D.V.D., M.M., E.F.D., and O.C.G.’s Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunctive Relief. Having considered the motion and related filings, the Court ORDERS as follows: 1) Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order is GRANTED in part. 2) Defendants, and all of their officers, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, successors, assigns, and persons acting in concert or participation with them are hereby ENJOINED and RESTRAINED from: a) Removing Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M., and E.F.D. from the United States to a third country, i.e., a country other than the country designated for removal in the prior immigration proceedings, UNLESS and UNTIL Defendants provide Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M. and E.F.D., and their respective counsel, with written notice of the third country to where they may be removed, and UNTIL Defendants provide a meaningful opportunity for Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M. and E.F.D. to submit anapplication for protection, including withholding of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3) and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) to the immigration court, and if any such application is filed, UNTIL Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M., and E.F.D. receive a final agency decision on any such application; b) Removing any individual subject to a final order of removal from the United States to a third country, i.e., a country other than the country designated for removal in immigration proceedings, UNLESS and UNTIL Defendants provide that individual, and their respective immigration counsel, if any, with written notice of the third country to where they may be removed, and UNTIL Defendants provide a meaningful opportunity for that individual to submit an application for CAT protection to the immigration court, and if any such application is filed, UNTIL that individual receives a final agency decision on any such application. 3) No security bond is required under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c). 4) This Order shall remain in effect until the Court rules on Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. 5) The Court’s previous order, Dkt. 12, remains in effect. So Ordered. /s/ Brian E. Murphy Brian E. Murphy Dated: March 28, 2025 Judge, United States District Court
Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · last yr.

What people in every part of higher education need to understand is that Republicans now want to do to universities what they’ve tried to do to labor unions: erase them from the institutional landscape. The question is how much you want to collaborate in your own destruction.

Mala Kumar@authormala.bsky.social · last yr.

The publication, Global South, did a nice Q&A write up about my career in tech for social good / international development. Read here: globalsouth.org/2025/03/tech...

Technology for Social Good with Mala Kumar - GLOBAL SOUTHS HUB Technology for Social Good with Mala Kumar

Mala Kumar is a globally recognised leader in technology for social good, with expertise in UX research design, open-source software, and the evolving field of artificial intelligence and machine lear...

globalsouth.org

Jenny Cohn@jennycohn.bsky.social · last yr.

“One young man sobbed when a guard pushed him to the floor. He said, ‘I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a barber.’ I believed him. *** He “began to whimper,” as his head was roughly shaved, “folding his hands in prayer as his hair fell.” He “asked for his mother & cried as he was slapped again.”

What the Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador Experienced

Exclusive photos of the arrival of Venezuelan detainees deported from the U.S.

time.com

Erin Reed@erininthemorning.com · last yr.

We reported on this a few days ago, but I want to point out this headline because this is where we are at. A bill in Arkansas would ban gender affirming HAIRCUTS for transgender youth. HAIRCUTS. This is a straight up North Korea state sanctioned hairstyle proposed law for youth.

GOP bill could ban hairdressers from giving gender-nonconforming haircuts to minors - LGBTQ Nation

The bill would allow anyone to sue someone who affirms a young person's transition, and it specifically mentions hairstyles.

lgbtqnation.com

Mala Kumar@authormala.bsky.social · last yr.

Mahmoud Khalil graduated from SIPA, which has graduated heads of state and other high level politicians, diplomats, and civil society leaders. Whatever the Trump Administration thinks it’s doing, they have created a new political star.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · last yr.

Holy crap. The DOJ is arguing that the President can unilaterally deport anyone he wants without ANY statutory authority, just on his inherent authority as President over national security. That is a terrifying claim to make and not one that has ever been recognized before in US history.

Beyond the statute, the President’s inherent Article II authority is plainly violated by the district court’s order. As a function of his inherent Article II authority to protect the nation, the President may determine that TdA represents a significant risk to the United States, that it is intertwined and advancing the interests of a foreign government in a manner antithetical to the interests of the United States, and that its members should be summarily removed from this country as part of that threat.
Chris Geidner@chrisgeidner.bsky.social · last yr.

NEWS: DOJ asks the D.C. Circuit to "halt" the district court in response to this morning's TRO blocking the Trump administration from immediately deporting 5 men without any process. DOJ asks for an "immediate administrative stay" allowing the deportations. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INTRODUCTION On March 15, 2025, without hearing from the United States and relying on speculation about future Presidential action, a District Court lacking jurisdiction purported to halt the potential removal of individuals associated with a designated foreign terrorist organization ("FTO") and is setting the stage to potentially inject itself into all such removals nationwide at a hearing scheduled for 5:00 p.m. today. A stay pending appeal is manifestly warranted, as is an immediate administrative stay. The district court immediately enjoined removal of five anonymous plaintiffs who believe they will be wrongly identified as members of the FTO Tren de Argua ("TdA") and imminently removed. This Court should halt this massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive's authority to remove dangerous aliens who pose threats to the American people. That order is immediately appealable because it commands the Executive Branch not to immediately remove plaintiffs, no matter whether the Executive Branch has identified compelling core national security and foreign policy objectives requiring removal.
Steven T. Dennis@steventdennis.bsky.social · last yr.

Waiting until after Democrats caved on the CR, Trump issues a late night order to eliminate 7 agencies “to the maximum extent” allowed by law, including the organization running the Voice of America, the agency that helps fund museums and libraries in all 50 states, and so on. Order in alt text:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. This order continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary. Sec. 2. Reducing the Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law: (i) the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (ii) the United States Agency for Global Media; (iii) the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution; (iv) the Institute of Museum and Library Services; (v) the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness; (vi) the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and (vii) the Minority Business Development Agency. (b) Within 7 days of the date of this order, the head of each governmental entity listed in subsection (a) of this section shall submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming full compliance with this order and explaining which components or functions of the governmental entity, if any, are statutorily required and to what extent. (c) In reviewing budget requests submitted by the governmental entities listed in subsection (a) of this section, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget or the head of any executive department or agency charged with reviewing grant requests by such entities shall, to the extent consistent with applicable law and except insofar as necessary to effectuate an expected termination, reject funding requests for such governmental entities to the extent they are inconsistent with this order.
Adam Serwer@adamserwer.bsky.social · last yr.

American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.

Mala Kumar@authormala.bsky.social · last yr.

I’m so over constantly blaming the state of American politics on messaging, as though this is all a marketing campaign. Democrat Senators, oppose the budget bill. Then have the National Committee build real community programs instead of only asking for money. The messaging will follow.

Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · last yr.

So: — DHS (who conducted this detention) did not answer questions & said we should ask the White House — Columbia didn’t answer whether they knew in advance about campus DHS or ICE activity, or if they shared info about the detained individual or other students with authorities

Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · last yr.

NEWS: Last night, the Department of Homeland Security detained a Palestinian who helped lead the Columbia encampment. Agents told him his visa was revoked. He said he had a green card. They were confused—then said that was revoked too. His attorney demanded a warrant. Agents hung up instead.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · last yr.

This is flatly illegal. The plain text of the law says that any person who works for any 501(c)(3) nonprofit is eligible. There is ZERO authority for limiting eligibility based on the work such nonprofit does. They WILL lose the lawsuit. Even so, this is making so many people’s lives harder.

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · last yr.

In a move that could upend a popular federal program, President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday directing his education secretary to revise eligibility requirements for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.