Day 13

February 1, 2025

10 documented events

  1. Serious Rights Violation Federal Dismantlement

    Texas measles outbreak begins

    A measles outbreak begins in West Texas, concentrated in communities with low vaccination rates. It will eventually become the epicenter of the worst US measles year in over three decades.

    From: HHS Dismantlement Under RFK Jr. Fuels Worst Measles Outbreak in 30 Years

  2. Serious Rights Violation Federal Dismantlement

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

    DOGE-driven layoffs eliminated over 3,500 FDA employees in 2025, gutting food safety oversight. Foreign facility inspections fell by nearly half, outbreak investigation resolution rates plummeted, and the agency suspended its quality control program for food testing labs — leaving the American food supply with the weakest federal oversight in modern history.

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

  3. Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern Deportation & Immigration

    Surge in Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention

    Over 10,500 people were placed in solitary confinement in immigration detention centers in a 14-month span (April 2024 to May 2025), with the rate of use doubling under the second Trump administration. Nearly three-quarters of placements exceeded 15 days -- the threshold the UN considers torture. Vulnerable populations including those with mental illness were confined for an average of 38 days, while DHS oversight offices were gutted from 150 staff to 22.

    From: Surge in Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention

  4. Serious Rights Violation Deportation & Immigration

    Asylum seekers returned to Mexican border cities

    Asylum seekers began being returned to Mexican border cities including Matamoros, Reynosa, and Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas state, designated Level 4 'Do Not Travel' by the State Department.

    From: Reimposition of 'Remain in Mexico' Migrant Protection Protocols

  5. Major Abuse of Power Civil Rights

    Additional courts issue injunctions

    Federal judges in Maryland and Massachusetts also issued preliminary injunctions blocking the order.

    From: Executive Order Attempting to Restrict Fourteenth Amendment Birthright Citizenship

  6. Major Abuse of Power Civil Rights

    DEI employees placed on administrative leave en masse

    Across federal agencies, employees in DEI-related roles — and many who had previously held such roles but moved to other positions — are placed on administrative leave pending termination. The Department of Education places at least 100 employees on leave, only two of whom actually worked in DEI.

    From: DOGE-Directed Elimination of Federal DEI Programs and Mass Firings of DEI Workers

  7. Serious Rights Violation Rule of Law

    Weaponization Working Group established

    Trump appointee Ed Martin, a former Missouri party chair who promoted election fraud claims, is appointed to lead a DOJ 'Weaponization Working Group' tasked with scrutinizing officials who investigated Trump.

    From: Weaponization of the Department of Justice: Retaliatory Investigations and Prosecutions

  8. Major Abuse of Power Military Overreach

    Pentagon directed to develop Panama Canal military options

    Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare military plans to 'take back' the Panama Canal, with US Southern Command drawing up options ranging from closer cooperation to outright invasion.

    From: Military and Economic Threats Against Greenland and Panama Canal Sovereignty

  9. Major Abuse of Power Civil Rights

    DoD abortion travel funding prohibited

    The DoD is directed to cease funding travel for service members seeking abortion care, affecting personnel stationed in states with abortion bans.

    From: Restrictions on Reproductive Rights and Comstock Act Revival

  10. Serious Rights Violation Federal Dismantlement

    Office of Special Counsel and OGE heads removed

    The heads of the Office of Special Counsel (which protects whistleblowers) and the Office of Government Ethics (which oversees ethics compliance) are fired, dismantling the core whistleblower protection infrastructure.

    From: Dismantlement of Whistleblower Protections and Government Oversight Infrastructure