Day 55

Operation Rough Rider begins

The US launches Operation Rough Rider, a large-scale air campaign against Houthi forces in Yemen, targeting radar systems, air defenses, and ballistic and drone launch sites. It is the first major US military operation in the Middle East under Trump's second term.

From: US Airstrike Kills 61 to 68 African Migrants in Yemen Detention Center

Operation Rough Rider begins

The United States launches a sustained bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, marking the beginning of Operation Rough Rider.

From: US Strikes on Ras Issa Fuel Port Kill 84+ Civilians in Yemen

Signal group chat created for Yemen strike planning

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz creates a Signal group titled 'Houthi PC small group' for coordinating policy discussion of upcoming strikes on Houthi targets. The group includes VP Vance, Defense Secretary Hegseth, CIA Director Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Rubio, and other senior officials.

From: Signalgate: Top Officials Share Classified Strike Plans in Unsecured Group Chat

Waltz accidentally adds Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg

Through what appears to be a contact confusion, Waltz adds Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to the group. None of the officials notice. Goldberg observes the conversation for days.

From: Signalgate: Top Officials Share Classified Strike Plans in Unsecured Group Chat

Hegseth shares attack plan in the chat

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shares specific operational information about the imminent Yemen strikes in the Signal chat, including targeting sequences, launch times, and weapon packages. This information was shared on a commercial, unclassified messaging application.

From: Signalgate: Top Officials Share Classified Strike Plans in Unsecured Group Chat

VP Vance raises objections; is overruled

VP JD Vance writes in the chat that he wants to 'voice his reservations' about the strikes, citing concerns about timing and political strategy. His objections are dismissed by other participants and the strikes proceed as planned.

From: Signalgate: Top Officials Share Classified Strike Plans in Unsecured Group Chat

Yemen strikes occur as planned

US military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen proceed as discussed in the Signal chat. Civilian harm in the wider campaign is documented separately (yemen-operation-rough-rider).

From: Signalgate: Top Officials Share Classified Strike Plans in Unsecured Group Chat

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported to El Salvador Despite Withholding Order

A Maryland man was removed to El Salvador despite a prior immigration order barring his deportation there. The Supreme Court later required the government to facilitate his return, making the case a flashpoint for due-process and non-refoulement concerns.

Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to Accelerate Venezuelan Deportations

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to speed removals of Venezuelan nationals accused of ties to Tren de Aragua. Courts quickly intervened, and the policy became a major test of wartime powers, due process, and third-country detention transfers.

Systematic Attacks on Judicial Independence and Defiance of Court Orders

The Trump administration has engaged in a sustained pattern of defying court orders, threatening judges, calling for impeachment of judges who rule against it, and hollowing out the Department of Justice, representing the most direct challenge to judicial authority by a president in modern American history.

Secret Deportation of 252 Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

The Trump administration secretly deported 252 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison between March and April 2025. Human Rights Watch documented systematic torture including sexual violence in its November 2025 report 'You Have Arrived in Hell.' Deportees were held incommunicado without notice to families or attorneys.

Forced Disappearances of Salvadoran Deportees in El Salvador's Prison System

Human Rights Watch documented that El Salvador is forcibly disappearing Salvadorans deported from the United States — detaining them immediately upon arrival, holding them incommunicado without access to lawyers or families, refusing to disclose their location, and denying their existence in the system. At least 11 documented cases of deportees held without contact for up to a year, with authorities claiming they have 'no record' of them.

HSI Agent Kills US Citizen Ruben Ray Martinez on South Padre Island; Federal Role Undisclosed for 11 Months

On March 15, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations Supervisory Special Agent Jack Stevens shot and killed Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old US citizen from San Antonio, at a traffic-control point on South Padre Island, Texas, firing three rounds through the driver's window. ICE records said the driver 'intentionally ran over' an agent. The death was reported locally without identifying federal involvement until ICE records obtained by American Oversight surfaced in February 2026. Body-camera video released in March 2026 shows the car 'barely moving'. A grand jury declined to charge Stevens.

Pattern of Wrongful Deportations: US Citizens and Protected Individuals Removed Despite Court Orders

A documented pattern of wrongful deportations in which US citizens and individuals with court-ordered protections have been removed from the country, often in direct violation of federal court orders. Courts have ordered the return of at least four wrongfully deported individuals, but the administration has resisted compliance.

Operation Rough Rider: US Killed More Civilians in 52 Days Than in Previous 23 Years in Yemen

From March 15 to May 6, 2025, the US conducted Operation Rough Rider — a 53-day bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled Yemen involving 339+ strikes on 800+ targets. Airwars documented at least 224 civilian deaths across 33 civilian harm incidents, including strikes on a migrant detention center (61 to 68 killed) and the Ras Issa fuel port (84 killed). Houthi-run media reported a cancer hospital under construction in Saada was struck; this is unverified. In 52 days, the US killed nearly as many civilians in Yemen as in the previous 23 years of operations (258, per Airwars).

'Bloody Saturday' — 1,300 journalists placed on leave

Approximately 1,300 journalists, producers, and support staff across USAGM outlets are placed on paid administrative leave. The letter is signed by Kari Lake, listed as 'senior advisor to the acting CEO with authorities delegated by Acting CEO.' RFE/RL's federal grant agreement is simultaneously terminated, with 30 days to appeal.

From: USAGM and Voice of America Broadcasting Dismantlement

Transfer to LaSalle Detention Center

Khalil was transferred from New York to the LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana, far from his attorneys and support network.

From: Deportation Proceedings Against Mahmoud Khalil for Pro-Palestine Protest Activity

DOGE engineer writes SSA about 'critical' need for DHS voter data

A DOGE engineer writes to SSA officials describing a 'critical' need to access DHS voter data through SSA systems, seeking to establish a pipeline between immigration enforcement data and Social Security records for the purpose of identifying alleged non-citizen voters.

From: DOGE Employees Matched Social Security Data with Voter Rolls to Pursue Voter Fraud Claims

Operation Rough Rider begins

The US launches a sustained bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled Yemen, compounding the humanitarian impact of the FTO designation with direct military strikes on infrastructure.

From: Houthi FTO Redesignation Chills Humanitarian Operations for 19.5 Million Yemenis

War on the Rocks warns of consequences

Military policy experts at War on the Rocks published a warning that dismantling CHMR would be 'a big mistake' with consequences for both civilian protection and US military credibility.

From: Dismantlement of Pentagon Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Program

Foreign food inspections drop by nearly half

Foreign food facility inspections fall by nearly half in March 2025 compared to previous years, hitting what ProPublica describes as a historic low. The cuts to support staff effectively incapacitate the foreign inspection program.

From: FDA Food Safety Collapse: 3,500+ Staff Cut and Outbreak Investigation Capacity Gutted

District court issues injunction

A federal district court issued an injunction ordering the resumption of refugee processing and admissions, under which over 100 refugees were admitted.

From: Indefinite Suspension of US Refugee Admissions Program and Record-Low Resettlement Cap

First transfers to CECOT; Abrego Garcia deported despite court order

The first deportees are transferred to CECOT on March 15–16 under a March 14 agreement with El Salvador, many under the Alien Enemies Act. Kilmar Abrego Garcia — who has a 2019 U.S. court order withholding his removal — is among them. UN experts later say the transfers appear to involve enforced disappearance. A federal judge later (April 4) orders the administration to facilitate his return.

From: Second-Term Mass Deportations: Largest Enforcement Operation in U.S. History