May 27

Trump Media announces $2.5 billion raise to buy bitcoin

On May 27, 2025, Trump Media said it would raise about $2.5 billion through stock and convertible notes to fund a bitcoin treasury strategy. CNBC reported the plan included $1.5 billion in equity and $1 billion in debt financing.

ICE issues Directive 11072.4 for courthouse enforcement

On May 27, 2025, ICE acting director Todd Lyons issued Directive 11072.4 on civil immigration enforcement in or near courthouses. The directive gave ICE agents a framework for courthouse arrests after DHS revoked protected-area limits, but later litigation exposed a crucial boundary: the directive did not apply to Executive Office for Immigration Review immigration courts. That gap mattered because DOJ lawyers had cited the directive to defend immigration-court arrests until the government admitted the error in March 2026 (ICE directive; AILA; NPR; American Prospect; NYCLU).

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Rubio freezes student visa interviews and orders social media vetting of applicants

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive freezing new student visa interviews and requiring consular officers to conduct mandatory social media vetting of all student visa applicants. The move affected hundreds of thousands of international students from countries worldwide, disrupting university enrollments and raising free speech concerns about political screening.

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Trump pardons Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins for selling law enforcement badges

Trump pardoned Culpeper County, Virginia Sheriff Scott Jenkins on May 27, 2025, who received 120 months for bribery and honest services fraud after selling law enforcement badges and special deputy credentials to donors — including some with criminal histories — in exchange for cash. Trump also pardoned James Callahan of Washington DC for labor union false reporting. The Jenkins pardon erased accountability for an elected official who sold law enforcement authority as a commercial commodity.