Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Editorial Note: The DHS Daily Briefing is a collection of news articles related to Department’s mission. The inclusion of particular stories is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse the political viewpoints or affiliations included in news coverage.

The AP [4/24/2025 6:28 PM, Rebecca Santana, 24727K] reports three advocacy groups are suing the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem, seeking to restore staff jobs at three gutted offices that oversee civil rights protections across the department’s broad mission. The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization, the Southern Border Communities Coalition, and the Urban Justice Center. On March 21, Homeland Security said it was implementing a reduction in force at the three offices: the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman. When asked about the lawsuit Thursday, department officials said they’re "committed to civil rights protections" but called the three offices a roadblock. "These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission," the department said. Democrats have suggested that the cuts were about removing transparency at the department, which is key to the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. The groups suing on Thursday said that because Congress set up the offices, only Congress can shutter them. They’re asking the court to force Homeland Security to immediately rehire the staff and let them do their oversight jobs without interference. The three offices are key to immigration oversight, but the jobs go beyond that. Homeland Security is the country’s third-largest Cabinet agency, with responsibilities for airport security, protecting the president and other top leaders, and responding to disasters. The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman is an independent office within Homeland Security — not connected to either Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection. Its job is to make sure immigration detention facilities are safe and humane. Staff regularly visited detention facilities to do things such as making sure detainees have proper medical care. According to the lawsuit, staff visited over 100 detention facilities each month. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman is responsible for helping people or businesses resolve issues with the agency that oversees immigration benefits. According to the lawsuit, it handled nearly 24,000 requests for assistance during fiscal year 2023 through its online portal. Those requests can range from helping a business figure out why an H-1B visa renewal is taking so long to helping someone who applies for a green card or work permit figure out why it was rejected. The New York Times [4/24/2025 6:02 PM, Zach Montague and Hamed Aleaziz, 153395K] reports that the Trump administration has said that layoffs at the Homeland Security Department and elsewhere are part of an overarching effort to reduce bureaucratic redundancies. A spokeswoman for the department, Tricia McLaughlin, said at the time that the layoffs were made in the name of efficiency. “These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining D.H.S.’s mission,” she said. “Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.”

The AP [4/24/2025 6:19 PM, Ali Swenson, 24727K] reports a judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form. President Donald Trump had called for that and other sweeping changes to U.S. elections in an executive order signed in March, arguing the U.S. "fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections" that exist in other countries. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with voting rights groups and Democrats to grant a preliminary injunction to stop the citizenship requirement from moving forward while the lawsuit plays out. She also blocked part of the Republican president’s executive order requiring public assistance enrollees to have their citizenship assessed before getting access to the federal voter registration form. But she denied other requests from a group of Democratic plaintiffs, including refusing to block Trump’s order to tighten mail ballot deadlines. Also denied in the order was the Democrats’ request to stop Trump from directing the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Government Efficiency to review state voter lists alongside immigration databases. The judge’s order halts the Trump administration’s efforts to push through a proof-of-citizenship mandate that Republicans have said is needed to restore public confidence in elections. Voting in federal elections by noncitizens is already illegal and can result in felony charges and deportation. The Washington Times [4/24/2025 7:02 PM, Staff, 1814K] reports Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that such decisions fall under the authority of Congress or the Election Assistance Commission, not the president, stating that the Constitution entrusts election regulation to Congress and the states. The March 25 executive order, titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections," addressed the president’s longstanding concerns about noncitizen voting and states counting mail and absentee ballots received after Election Day. Mr. Trump’s order directed the Election Assistance Commission to require citizenship proof before accepting voter registrations and instructed federal agencies to assess citizenship before providing registration forms. While blocking these provisions, Judge Kollar-Kotelly determined it was "premature" to challenge other aspects of the order, including measures to punish states for counting ballots received after Election Day. The lawsuit was brought by numerous civil liberties and political organizations, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters, and the Democratic National Committee. These groups characterized the executive order as a severe attack on voting rights that targeted essentially nonexistent noncitizen voting issues while potentially disenfranchising legitimate voters. ABC News [4/24/2025 2:56 PM, Peter Charalambous, 34586K] reports “Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States—not the President—with the authority to regulate federal elections,” she wrote. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.” After Trump issued an executive order last month “preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections,” three separate lawsuits were filed in the D.C. federal court to challenge the policy, including lawsuits filed by the Democratic National Committee (with New York Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries), the League of United Latin American Citizens and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “These consolidated cases are about the separation of powers,” Judge Kollar-Kotelly wrote. For now, the judge allowed the Trump administration to carry out two parts of the executive order related to enforcement of pre-existing laws. One of the sections ordered the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to make voting databases accessible to the Department of Government Efficiency to identify non-citizens who are registered to vote.

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ABC News [4/24/2025 6:10 PM, Laura Romero, 34586K] reports the Trump administration is giving individuals who are given a notice of removal under the Alien Enemies Act "no less than 12 hours" to indicate their intent to file a habeas petition to contest their deportation, and "no less than 24 hours" to file it, according to a newly unsealed document. The sworn declaration by Carlos Cisneros, the assistant field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was unsealed by a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas who temporarily blocked the government from deporting Venezuelans held in the El Valle Detention Center in Texas earlier this month. "The alien is given a reasonable amount of time, and no less than 12 hours, including the ability to make a telephone call, to indicate or express an intent to file a habeas petition," Cisneros said in the declaration. "If the alien does not express any such intention, then ICE may proceed with the removal.” "If the alien does express an intent to file a habeas petition, the alien is given a reasonable amount of time, and no less than 24 hours, to actually file that petition," Cisneros said. The Trump administration last month touched off a legal battle when it invoked the Alien Enemies Act -- an 18th century wartime authority used to remove noncitizens with little-to-no due process -- to deport two planeloads of alleged migrant gang members to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a "hybrid criminal state" that is invading the United States. An official with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acknowledged that "many" of the men deported on March 15 lack criminal records in the United States -- but said that "the lack of specific information about each individual actually highlights the risk they pose" and "demonstrates that they are terrorists with regard to whom we lack a complete profile.”

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NBC News [4/24/2025 2:26 PM, Gary Grumbach and Dareh Gregorian, 44742K] reports a federal judge in California issued an injunction Thursday blocking President Donald Trump’s efforts to halt federal funds from going to several cities and counties considered sanctuary jurisdictions. "The challenged sections in the 2025 Executive Orders and the Bondi Directive that order executive agencies to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funding apportioned to localities by Congress, violate the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the Spending Clause," U.S. District Judge William Orrick said in his ruling. "They also violate the Fifth Amendment to the extent they are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process," while Trump’s orders "violate the Tenth Amendment because they impose coercive condition intended to commandeer local officials into enforcing federal immigration practices and law.” The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. San Francisco and 15 other cities and counties across the country had challenged the Trump executive orders and a related directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi. Orrick blocked a similar effort by Trump during his first term in office, finding that his executive order was "unconstitutional" and that the plaintiffs "faced irreparable harm absent an injunction.” "Here we are again," he wrote. The Justice Department appealed Orrick’s earlier decision in 2017; the appeals court upheld his ruling. A different federal appeals court, however, ruled in a separate suit in 2020 that the Trump administration could, indeed, withhold "grants" to sanctuary cities. "Sanctuary" cities or states are not official terms — the labels refer to states, cities, counties or municipalities that have enacted laws that either explicitly or effectively prevent or limit local officials from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. In the current case, Orrick noted the Justice Department had argued the plaintiffs’ claims are premature "because the 2025 Executive Orders and the Bondi Directive merely provide guidance for executive agencies reviewing federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions, and because the Cities and Counties have not yet suffered a loss of funds.” The Blaze [4/24/2025 4:50 PM, Staff, 1668K] reports that sixteen cities and counties filed the lawsuit after President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to end federal funding to sanctuary cities. U.S. District Judge William Orrick sided with the cities and counties on Thursday and blocked the administration from enforcing the order on the litigant municipalities. The lawsuit argued that the order violated the constitutional separation of powers by infringing on the power of the purse granted to Congress. It also claimed that the order violated the 10th Amendment by commanding local officials to enforce federal immigration law and was vague in relation to the Fifth Amendment. Orrick agreed with the lawsuit and made a joke because he issued a similar ruling during Trump’s first term. "Here we are again," he said. The Trump administration appealed that 2017 decision, but it was upheld by an appeals court. The Justice Dept. argued that the municipalities had no standing because the administration had not yet pulled their federal funding, but Orrick said that was "essentially the same argument" made in the earlier lawsuit. "The threat to withhold funding causes them irreparable injury in the form of budgetary uncertainty, deprivation of constitutional rights, and undermining trust between the Cities and Counties and the communities they serve," he wrote. The New York Times [4/24/2025 3:47 PM, Zach Montague, 145325K] reports that, as he did eight years ago, Judge Orrick prohibited the government from “taking any action to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds” based on the president’s order or a related memo Attorney General Pam Bondi sent on Feb. 5 to outline ways agencies could suspend federal payments. Mr. Trump’s directive inspired a legal challenge from 16 city and county governments. They argued that the order violated the Constitution’s spending clause, which vests in Congress the power to finance programs and sway state behavior through federal funding. After Judge Orrick issued his ruling in 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit quickly upheld it, creating a straightforward precedent for him this time around. As in many similar cases involving the freezing of federal funds, the Trump administration’s rapid-fire approach has left it on shaky footing in court. Decisions to abruptly terminate federal programs Mr. Trump has described as wasteful, or to withhold them as leverage to force local governments to fall in line with his political agenda, have repeatedly left the government vulnerable to lawsuits claiming that the sudden changes had been made without due process or otherwise infringed on Congress’s authority. Judge Orrick wrote that the move threatened to disrupt local governance, harming residents in the process. “The threat to withhold funding causes them irreparable injury in the form of budgetary uncertainty, deprivation of constitutional rights, and undermining trust between the cities and counties and the communities they serve,” he wrote. Bloomberg [4/24/2025 4:20 PM, Malathi Nayak, 16228K] reports “President Trump received a resounding mandate to put Americans and America First, and the administration will continue to prioritize the well being of our citizens above all else,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

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ABC News [4/24/2025 5:58 PM, Armando Garcia, 34586K] reports government lawyers say officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) did not have a warrant for Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest when they took him into custody last month, according to a filing submitted in the case. Khalil’s lawyers say the admission contradicts what officers told Khalil and his lawyers at the time of his arrest and in a subsequent arrest report. In the filing, lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security said Khalil, a green card holder and permanent legal resident, was served with a warrant once he was brought into an ICE office in New York after his arrest. The officers "had exigent circumstances to conduct the warrantless arrest, it is the pattern and practice of DHS to fully process a respondent once in custody with an I-200 (warrant) as part of that intake processing," government lawyers wrote. DHS claimed its officers were not required to obtain a warrant for Khalil’s arrest, in part, because they had reasons to believe it was likely "he would escape before they could obtain a warrant.” In the filing, DHS attorneys said agents approached Khalil inside the foyer of his Columbia-owned apartment building and claimed that, while his wife went to retrieve his identification, Khalil told them he was going to leave the scene. "The HSI supervisory agent believed there was a flight risk and arrest was necessary," the filing stated. Khalil’s lawyers have pushed back on the claim that he was uncooperative with authorities. In a sworn declaration submitted in court last month, attorney Amy Greer, who was on the phone with Khalil’s wife at the time of his arrest, said an agent at the scene told her they had an administrative warrant. "I asked the basis of the warrant, and he said the U.S. Department of State revoked Mahmoud’s student visa," Greer said. "When I told Agent Hernandez that Mahmoud does not have a student visa because he is a green card holder and permanent resident in the U.S., he said DHS revoked the green card, too," she wrote in the declaration. Khalil’s lawyers say the warrantless arrest is one of the reasons he should be released. The AP [4/24/2025 6:13 PM, Staff, 24727K] reports that in a document filed in Newark federal court, a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security wrote on Monday that agents conducting surveillance of Khalil on March 8 were notified that he could be removed from the country because his presence or activities would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States. As Khalil walked on a sidewalk with his wife, a Homeland Security Investigations agent approached and identified himself, according to the court filing. After his wife went to retrieve documents showing Khalil had lawful residence status, the agent asked him to cooperate while they tried to verify his identity, but Khalil "stated that he would not cooperate and that he was going to leave the scene," the lawyer wrote. In a release Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union contested the account, saying the claim he was about to flee was false and belied by video taken of the arrest by Khalil’s wife, along with previous accounts of the arrest. Marc Van Der Hout, a lawyer for Khalil, said in the release that agents told Khalil when he was taken into custody that they had an arrest warrant, and his lawyers only learned this week with the new government filing that there was none. "The government’s admission is astounding, and it is completely outrageous that they tried to assert to the immigration judge — and the world — in their initial filing of the arrest report that there was an arrest warrant when there was none. This is egregious conduct by DHS that should require, under the law, termination of these proceedings, and we hope that the immigration court will so rule," he said. CBS New York [4/24/2025 6:46 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51661K] reports Khalil was not able to witness the birth of his son earlier this week, after ICE denied a request for him to be temporarily released. One of several foreign-born students arrested by ICE in recent months, Khalil has become one of the most high-profile faces of the Trump administration’s efforts to go after those on college campuses who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests. The Trump administration has argued its efforts are designed to curb anti-semitism and pro-Hamas views at universities, but civil rights groups have accused the government of punishing students purely for their political beliefs, in violation of the First Amendment. While it has not accused Khalil of any criminal wrongdoing, the Trump administration has cited two legal grounds to argue the Columbia University activist should nonetheless be deported from the U.S. CNN [4/24/2025 9:54 PM, Gloria Pazmino and Taylor Romine, 22131K] reports that the DOJ submitted documents to a New Jersey court Thursday, with both sides sparring over whether a warrant was needed to arrest Khalil, a legal permanent resident. "The Trump administration’s latest motion shows that they are steadfast in smearing Mahmoud Khalil to justify his horrific and unconstitutional abduction. We have the receipts: Mr. Khalil was taken from his family with no warrant and in clear retaliation for his protected speech," Veronica Salama, staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union said in a statement. "We will continue to fight for Mr. Khalil’s freedom and defend the right to speak freely about Palestinian rights without fear of detention and deportation.” CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

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Reuters [4/25/2025 3:20 AM, Daniel Wiessner, 41523K] reports a federal judge has ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to facilitate the return of a second man sent to a prison in El Salvador back to the United States, saying his deportation violated a court settlement. Late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher in Baltimore said the settlement agreement that she approved in November on behalf of thousands of migrants required immigration authorities to process the asylum application by the 20-year-old Venezuelan man, identified only as Cristian, before deporting him. The ruling could set up another showdown between the Trump administration and federal courts over immigration enforcement. The administration has also been ordered to facilitate the return of a Salvadoran man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who it acknowledged was deported in error, but a judge has said that the government is doing little to comply. The administration claims that Abrego Garcia, Cristian and more than 250 other people who were sent to a Salvadoran prison beginning last month are gang members and that it has the power to remove them under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law adopted in 1798. CBS Baltimore [4/24/2025 5:30 PM, Christian Olaniran, 51661K] reports U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ordered the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and several agency officials to "facilitate" the return of the asylum seeker, identified only as "Cristian" in court documents. Cristian was deported to El Salvador after being designated as a member of a Venezuelan gang under the Alien Enemies Act. According to court documents, Cristian, along with several other young asylum seekers, arrived in the U.S. in Dec. 2022 as an unaccompanied minor and seeking asylum. His asylum status was pending until his deportation last month. Gallagher said Cristian’s deportation was a "breach of contract", because it violated a settlement agreement that required the asylum applications of Christian, and the other asylum seekers to be decided on by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before any removal from the country. Maryland Congressman Glen Ivey posted about the ruling on social media. "A Trump-appointed federal judge has ruled that the Trump Administration has yet again wrongfully deported another Maryland resident living lawfully in the United States and must get him back," Ivey said. "These mistakes are unacceptable and would be prevented if this Administration stopped denying due process. He and Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be returned to the U.S. immediately.” The government argued that Cristian was no longer covered by the settlement agreement after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act on March 14, targeting Venezuelan members of the Tren de Aragua gang. CNN [4/24/2025 8:30 AM, Hanna Park and Shania Shelton, 22131K] reports that the person deported was part of a class action case filed in 2019 on behalf of individuals who arrived in the US as unaccompanied minors and later sought asylum. A settlement in that case determined they could not be removed from the United States until their claims were fully adjudicated. US District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, who was nominated to the post by President Donald Trump, issued the order directing the government to work with Salvadoran authorities to return the man to the United States. The man is referred to only as "Cristian" in court filings. Gallagher also barred the removal of other individuals covered by the settlement agreement, which was finalized in November 2024. The judge’s ruling marks a second order directed to the Trump administration to secure the return of a man from El Salvador to the US and illustrates an increasing showdown between the administration and the federal judiciary over how much power courts have in resolving disputes concerning immigration. Citing the precedent of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the government admitted was wrongly deported, Gallagher wrote in her opinion: "Like Judge (Paula) Xinis in the Abrego Garcia matter, this Court will order Defendants to facilitate (Cristian’s) return to the United States so that he can receive the process he was entitled to under the parties’ binding Settlement Agreement.” Gallagher directed the government to make "a good faith request to the government of El Salvador to release Cristian to US custody for transport back to the United States to await the adjudication of his asylum application on the merits by USCIS." She characterized the deportation as a "breach of contract.” The Trump administration, according to the order, has argued Cristian’s deportation did not violate the settlement, asserting "his designation as an alien enemy pursuant to the AEA results in him ceasing to be a member" of the class action. The government invoked the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century wartime authority, on March 15 to deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan Trump accuses of "perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States.” A sworn declaration from Robert Cerna, the ICE acting Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations, said Cristian had been arrested in Texas in January. "On January 6, 2025, (‘Cristian’) was convicted in the 482nd District Court at Harris County, Texas, for the offense of possession of cocaine," Cerna stated in the filing. Cerna added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement determined Cristian was subject to removal following the invocation of the AEA. The Daily Wire [4/24/2025 1:24 PM, Spencer Lindquist, 4672K] reports that the Trump administration argues that Cristian’s deportation did not violate federal law, as it had invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies act, thereby making the Venezuelan national ineligible to receive asylum and remain in the United States. The administration is also locked in a battle with United States District Court Judge James Boasberg, who recently threatened to hold the Trump administration in contempt of court over its use of the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of more than 250 suspected gang members to the El Salvadoran prison. The new ruling from Gallagher comes after a different judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of El Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the White House says is a member of MS-13.

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New York Times [4/25/2025 1:08 AM, Alan Feuer, 330K] reports that, over the past two weeks, immigration lawyers, scrambling from courthouse to courthouse, have secured provisional orders in five states stopping the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century wartime law, to deport Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a terrorism prison in El Salvador. Judges have been harsh in appraising how the White House has used the powerful statute. “Cows have better treatment now under the law,” a federal judge in Manhattan said on Tuesday. But at least so far, the one thing the lawyers have not managed to do is protect another — and harder to reach — group of Venezuelan migrants: about 140 men who are already in El Salvador, having been deported there under the act more than a month ago. Early Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union took another shot at seeking due process for those men. Lawyers for the group filed an updated version of a lawsuit they brought against President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act on March 15, the first that challenged his invocation of the law. This time, the A.C.L.U. is asking a federal judge in Washington not to stop the men from being sent to El Salvador, but rather to help them return to U.S. soil. When the A.C.L.U. filed its initial version of the suit, in Federal District Court in Washington, Judge James E. Boasberg issued an immediate order telling the administration to hold off sending any planes of Venezuelans to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act and to turn around any flights that were already in the air. But that never happened. The administration’s inaction ultimately resulted in a threat by Judge Boasberg to begin a contempt investigation into whether Trump officials violated his original instructions — and now the updated lawsuit. Altogether, the A.C.L.U. has filed at least seven lawsuits in seven federal courts across the country, challenging Mr. Trump’s proclamation on March 14 invoking the Alien Enemies Act as one of the central tools of his aggressive deportation agenda.

NewsMax [4/24/2025 11:57 AM, Sam Barron, 5000K] reports Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a terrorist who was a member of the MS-13 gang, Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs told Newsmax on Thursday. McLaughlin criticized Democrats for continuing to paint Abrego Garcia as a family man who is completely innocent. "It is shocking to me that the Democrats and legacy media continue to burn to the ground any last shred of credibility that they have left," McLaughlin told "Wake Up America." "When this individual was first arrested in 2019, he was arrested among other members of MS-13 as well. He had drugs and rolls of money on him. He was decked out in MS-13 symbols." McLaughlin said any Democrat who travels to El Salvador to advocate Abrego Garcia is doing so at their own political peril. "This is an issue we want to keep talking about," McLaughlin said. "Americans should know … there are terrorists in this country that were unleashed under [former President] Joe Biden in the previous administration, and we are working every day to get them out and off of U.S. soil. And if we have activist judges and Democrats who want them back, that tells you exactly who they are."

AP [4/25/2025 12:02 AM, Terry Tang, 4998K] reports the Trump administration’s plan to strictly require anyone illegally in the U.S. to register with the government and carry documentation is stirring up fears of heightened racial profiling even among legal residents, immigrants’ rights advocates say. For some, it’s a return to a climate from the recent past in which police departments and other law enforcement agencies’ insistence on documentation drove immigrants underground and increased public safety concerns. “It happens already to an extent. ... I think this would make it even worse because how would you know somebody is undocumented?” said Jose Patiño, vice president of education and external affairs for Aliento, an Arizona-based advocacy organization that supports immigrants without documents. “It creates ambiguity of how you’re going to enforce and identify people who are not in the country (legally).” A federal judge sided with President Donald Trump earlier this month in a lawsuit brought by immigrants’ rights groups over the policy and the mandate took effect April 11. Trump officials say they are simply enforcing a requirement that has been law for decades. “The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws — we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce,” U.S. Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem said in the statement after the ruling. “We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”

Washington Post [4/24/2025 4:00 PM, Aaron Blake, 31735K] reports the Trump administration has picked the topic of deportations for its first major constitutional showdown with the courts. Despite three courts — including the U.S. Supreme Court — saying it must facilitate the return of a wrongly deported man, Kilmar Abrego García, from El Salvador, the administration has decided to put its foot down. It has effectively flouted those orders, arguing that its hands are tied because the man is in foreign custody and arguing that the courts can’t dictate what it casts as a foreign policy action. The stakes for this battle have huge implications that go far beyond Abrego García’s fate — because it speaks to how much the courts can truly check President Donald Trump’s brazen actions. The administration’s task just got a lot harder. The big news Wednesday was that a second judge has now ruled that the administration wrongly deported another man to that El Salvador prison — and that the administration must also facilitate his return. The Venezuelan man, a 2o-year-old undocumented immigrant referred to as “Cristian” in the judge’s order, was exempt from deportation under a legally binding, court-approved settlement signed just months ago. Under that agreement, the government agreed not to deport migrants who arrived as unaccompanied minors before their asylum claims could be fully heard.

AP [4/24/2025 7:32 PM, Staff, 5046K] reports the Trump administration was handed a rapid-fire series of court losses Wednesday night and Thursday in lawsuits filed over its policies on immigration, elections and its crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools. But the legal disputes playing out across the country are far from over, and administration attorneys pushed back, asking the federal appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn some of the unfavorable decisions. Judges blocked the administration from enforcing its diversity, equity and inclusion crackdown in education in at least two lawsuits Thursday. The decisions came ahead of a Friday deadline that the Education Department set for states to sign a form certifying they would not use "illegal DEI practices.” A federal judge in New Hampshire blocked a series of directives from the Education Department, including a memo ordering an end to any practice that differentiates people based on their race, and another asking for assurances that schools don’t use DEI practices deemed discriminatory. Judges in Maryland and Washington, D.C., also halted portions of the department’s anti-DEI efforts. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form. Still, the judge allowed other parts of Trump’s sweeping executive order on U.S. elections — including a directive to tighten mail ballot deadlines — to go forward for now. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with voting rights groups and Democrats, saying that the Constitution gives the power to regulate federal elections to states and Congress — not the president. She noted federal lawmakers are currently working on their own legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote.

Blaze [4/24/2025 5:05 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1668K] reports in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday with Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck, President Donald Trump addressed the repeated attempts from federal judges to block his actions, particularly regarding the administration’s efforts to shut down the border and implement mass deportations. Trump discussed the success of the administration in drastically reducing border crossings. According to recent Customs and Border Protection data, encounters were down 88% in March compared to the previous year. The president stated that the process for removing illegal aliens is "so much more difficult than it should be" because of the rogue judges. Yet, he emphasized that it has not prevented the administration from moving forward with its deportation and border shutdown plans. Trump slammed Democrats for protecting criminal illegal aliens. The president doubled down on his sentiment that it would not be feasible to hold "millions of court cases" for every illegal alien who has stolen into the U.S.

Washington Examiner [4/24/2025 5:32 PM, Ashley Oliver, 2296K] reports the Department of Homeland Security argued to a federal judge in Massachusetts that it did not violate his order, which modified the process of deporting certain migrants, because a different federal department carried out the removals. The DHS told Judge Brian Murphy that because his order applied only to the named defendants in the case he presided over, the government remained compliant with the court. The defendants include the DHS, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. When the immigration attorneys identified several foreign nationals who they said were deported without that level of notice, government attorneys responded that the Department of Defense had deported them rather than the DHS.

FOX News [4/24/2025 8:46 AM, Michael Dorgan Fox, 46189K] reports a federal judge on Wednesday gave the Justice Department another week to provide information on its efforts to return deported illegal migrant and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis granted the Justice Department a seven-day stay until April 30 to provide testimony and documents related to a case which has drawn a sharp wedge between Democrats and Republicans. Drew Ensign, a deputy assistant attorney general, filed a sealed motion requesting the stay, with lawyers for Abrego Garcia filing a response in opposition to the government’s motion to halt the order. It was under seal in the Maryland federal court. Xinis didn’t explain her legal reasoning but wrote that it was made "with the agreement of the parties.” The administration was also seeking relief from having to file daily updates, but Xinis’ stay did not make any changes to that requirement. The Wednesday evening order came just one day after Xinis blasted the administration’s lawyers in a written filing for ignoring her orders in refusing to provide the daily status updates on the case, saying that they had been acting in "bad faith" by obstructing the legal process. "That ends now," said Xinis, who was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama. "For weeks, defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this Court’s orders," Xinis wrote in an eight-page order. "Defendants have known, at least since last week, that this court requires specific legal and factual showings to support any claim of privilege. Yet they have continued to rely on boilerplate assertions.” She gave the administration until 6 p.m. Wednesday to provide daily status updates. The U.S. has claimed that much of the information is protected because it involves state secrets, government deliberations and attorney client privilege. But Xinis has rejected the argument and demanded that the Trump administration provide specific justifications for each claim of privileged information. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [4/24/2025 8:00 AM, Olivia Rondeau, 2923K] reports Department of Transportation (DOT) Sec. Sean Duffy has threatened to withhold funding from states that refuse to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, warning them that utilizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and resisting compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could result in "enforcement actions being taken by DOT.” Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman who was selected by Trump in November to run the department, addressed a letter to all DOT grant recipients on Wednesday to remind them that they must comply with federal law to receive taxpayer dollars for transportation projects, Breitbart News learned. The secretary’s office told Breitbart News that failure to fall in line with the administration, including the president’s executive orders, "could result in enforcement actions being taken by DOT.” "That means recipients that have policies that actively fail to protect Americans’ right to free speech, continue to use discriminatory DEI policies, and disrupt federal agencies (like ICE) as they work to enforce federal immigration laws could face enforcement action," a representative for Duffy revealed. An executive order Trump signed on January 20 reinforces the First Amendment of the United States Constitution after "the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve.” Another executive order signed on Inauguration Day aims to end "illegal and immoral discrimination programs" that disguise themselves under the DEI label, which infected "virtually all aspects of the Federal Government" under the Biden administration. A third day-one Trump executive order "ensures that the Federal Government protects the American people by faithfully executing the immigration laws of the United States," ordering federal and state agencies to fully enforce laws to prevent illegal immigration and remove noncitizen aliens. Excerpts of Duffy’s letter to DOT grant recipients obtained by Breitbart News revealed the secretary’s stern reminder to follow such orders signed by Trump: As recipients of such DOT funds, you have entered into legally enforceable agreements with the United States Government and are obligated to comply fully with all applicable Federal laws and regulations. These laws and regulations include the United States Constitution, Federal statutes, applicable rules, and public policy requirements, including, among others, those protecting free speech and religious liberty and those prohibiting discrimination and enforcing controls on illegal immigration. As Secretary of Transportation, I am responsible for ensuring recipients of DOT financial assistance are aware of and comply with all applicable legal obligations.

Univision [4/24/2025 5:57 AM, Staff, 5325K] reports the Florida ballot controversy shocked the United States during the 2000 presidential election and later prompted Congress to create an independent commission to help states update their voting systems. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission has since operated in a relatively low profile, but now turns out to be pivotal amid President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to reform elections. One of the commission’s boards will meet this Thursday in North Carolina, marking the first commission-related meeting since the directives were announced. Among other things, Trump ordered the agency to update the national voter registration form to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement. However, it will likely be a court that ends up deciding whether or not the president can order an independent agency to act and whether or not the commission has the authority to do what Trump wants. Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002 to make it easier for states to replace outdated voting systems and improve the voting experience. It passed with resounding bipartisan support and was signed into law by then-President George W. Bush, a Republican who won the controversial 2000 presidential election against Democrat Al Gore, decided in the Supreme Court. At fault was Florida’s voting method that relied on so-called punch-out ballots, which required voters to mark their preferences with a stylus. However, thousands of voters did not punch out their ballots completely, leaving local election workers - some equipped with magnifying glasses - to interpret and guess what their intent was, leading to chaos in the recount in this key state. The Supreme Court ultimately stopped the recount, leaving Bush with a 537-vote margin of victory that gave him the electoral votes he needed to win the presidency. The 2002 law was designed to modernize the electoral process. The Election Assistance Commission was given a series of mandates such as distributing $2.8 billion in federal funds for new voting equipment, overseeing the national voter registration form and collecting federal election data. The four commissioners who head the agency are nominated by the president based on the recommendations of the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate, and ultimately confirmed by the Senate. No political party may be represented by more than two commissioners. At various times, the agency has faced budget cuts, staff shortages and gridlock caused by vacancies in commissioner positions. However, a consistent budget and quorum among commissioners since 2019 have generated greater stability, and election officials have praised its efforts in recent years. Trump has long been skeptical of how elections are conducted, making false claims that the 2020 election was "rigged" against him. Multiple reviews of that election confirmed his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. Since his victory last November, he has continued to criticize voting processes until enacting his March 25 executive order, which calls for major changes such as a proof-of-citizenship requirement when registering to vote in federal elections.

NPR [4/24/2025 3:07 PM, A Martínez, Nia Dumas, 29983K] Audio: HERE reports fear is spreading among some foreign-born academics and scientists working in the U.S. after Russian-born scientist Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, was detained earlier this year when returning from France and had her visa canceled. Leon Peshkin, a research scientist at Harvard who worked closely with Petrova, told Morning Edition that some scientists he knows now fear their immigration status could be at risk as they travel for work. Petrova, 30, was detained in February by Customs and Border Protection agents at Boston’s Logan Airport. Agents found undeclared frog embryos in her suitcase, GBH reports. Earlier this week a Louisiana immigration judge found the federal government’s case to be legally insufficient, during a preliminary hearing. The judge ruled that the Notice to Appear, the document that initiates deportation proceedings, did not meet legal standards, NBC News reports. The judge gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement one week to submit stronger evidence. Peshkin told Morning Edition that Petrova is scared to go back to Russia, as she has publicly opposed her country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Washington Examiner [4/24/2025 1:28 PM, Asher Notheis, 2296K] reports country musician John Rich partnered with the Department of Homeland Security for a livestream on internet safety for parents, specifically how they can protect their children amid the "wild west" of the internet. The livestream, which aired on Rich’s X account, featured DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who discussed how the internet has "opened new doors" for online predators targeting children. This prompted DHS to launch the "Know2Protect" campaign to inform parents about precautions they can take to protect their children. Following Wednesday night’s livestream, Rich noted the 36 million reports of children being targeted online in one year, adding that internet predators have become "really slick" with their actions. "They are grooming these kids through very innocent-looking ways until it’s not, and then they lower the boom," Rich stated on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. "It’s extortion, there’s a word called ‘sextortion’ that I’ve learned a lot about, so I wanted to get with DHS and do a livestream.” The livestream was created to be appropriate for children in sixth grade so they can learn with their parents about the dangers of internet predators. He thanked Noem for helping him and endorsing the event, which currently has 1.7 million views on X as of Thursday afternoon.

SDPB [4/24/2025 4:55 PM, Lee Strubinger] reports two South Dakota cabinet officials are exiting the state to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem. Tribal Affairs Secretary David Flute and Bureau of Information and Telecommunications commissioner Madhu Gottumukkala are assuming roles in the federal government. Both began serving in their positions when Noem was governor. “South Dakota is home to so many exceptional individuals. It has been my honor to serve alongside Secretary Flute and Commissioner Gottumukkala. They have played a key role in keeping South Dakota strong, safe, and free, and they will certainly be missed,” Gov. Larry Rhoden said in a statement released Thursday. “Secretary Noem is making important strides to protect our nation, and I am confident that these two gentlemen will add tremendous value to her efforts.” According to governor’s office, Flute will serve as the Senior Tribal Advisor on Indian Affairs for DHS. Gottumukkala, who was appointed commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Technology in September of 2024, will serve as the deputy director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. He remains commissioner until May 16.

The Hill [4/24/2025 2:44 PM, Elizabeth Crisp, 12829K] reports Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned states Thursday that they will lose federal funding for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects if they continue to foster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs; impede President Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts; or defy other directives from the administration. "Federal grants come with a clear obligation to adhere to federal laws," Duffy said in a statement released alongside a letter that he sent to all recipients of Department of Transportation (DOT) funding. "It shouldn’t be controversial — enforce our immigration rules, end anti-American DEI policies and protect free speech.” "These values reflect the priorities of the American people, and I will take action to ensure compliance," he added. Duffy stressed in the letter that federal funding recipients, including states and local governing bodies, "entered into legally enforceable agreements with the United States Government and are obligated to comply fully with all applicable Federal laws and regulations.” The Transportation chief specifically highlighted anti-discrimination laws and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling against affirmative action as the basis for pulling funds from states with DEI programs, and he wrote that providing driver’s licenses to migrants without legal status or hampering Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations also will be considered grounds for withholding funds. DOT will "award and continue to provide Federal financial assistance only to those recipients who comply with their legal obligations," Duffy wrote. The letter comes as the Trump administration has moved to curtail state endeavors that go against the president’s agenda. Maine has faced threats of losing federal dollars unless the state bars transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports. The Trump administration similarly has attempted to claw back money from schools and colleges with DEI programs, though a judge intervened Thursday to block that effort.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [4/24/2025 10:53 AM, David Shepardson, 41523K]

ABC News [4/24/2025 10:40 AM, Laura Romero, 34586K] reports federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to keep Mohsen Mahdawi, the Columbia student who was arrested during his citizenship interview last week, in Vermont while his case proceeds. In the written order filed on Thursday morning, U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford said the order was necessary to "prevent disputes" about jurisdiction "or any other issues that may arise in the case of involuntary movement of a petitioner between states." On Wednesday, Judge Crawford said he was going to issue the temporary restraining order and ordered a hearing for next week to decide whether Mahdawi should be released while the case continues. Mahdawi, who co-founded a university organization called the Palestinian Student Union with detained Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, is a permanent resident of the U.S. and was taking his last step in the process for him to become a U.S. citizen before his arrest, his attorneys said. During the hearing Wednesday, attorneys for Mahdawi argued that the federal judge in Vermont should preserve the court’s jurisdiction in the case and said that an immigration court "does not have the authority to address the egregious violation of his First Amendment." "It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America," Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, told ABC News in a statement. "When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NBC News [4/24/2025 5:19 PM, Kimmy Yam and Chloe Atkins, 44742K] reports a judge on Thursday denied the government’s request to pause the transfer of Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, who is fighting deportation after writing an essay about Israel and the war in Gaza, back to Vermont. U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions ruled that the federal government is now obligated to ensure that Ozturk, who is being held in Louisiana, be moved to Vermont by May 1. The decision comes after the Justice Department appealed Sessions’ previous order to transfer Ozturk to Vermont, where her habeas corpus petition challenging her detainment was filed. Federal officials had also asked the judge to pause the order from taking effect while on appeal.

New York Times [4/25/2025 3:36 AM, Troy Closson, 330K] reports hundreds of demonstrators in New Haven, Conn., gathered late on Wednesday to denounce a visit by Israel’s far-right national security minister, who had been invited to speak at an event near Yale University’s campus. Some demonstrators hurled water bottles at the official, Itamar Ben-Gvir, as he left the event at Shabtai, a private Jewish intellectual discussion society based at Yale that is not affiliated with the university. More than 300 protesters had assembled outside the Shabtai house over several hours, waving Israeli and Palestinian flags, according to the student newspaper, the Yale Daily News. Earlier, a large group of students briefly erected a small tent encampment on the Yale campus plaza in protest of Mr. Ben-Gvir’s appearance. Mr. Ben-Gvir has long stood on the fringes of Israeli politics and has been widely criticized for his extreme views. He was barred as a teenager from serving in the Israeli army because he was seen as too extremist. For some time, he had a portrait in his home of a man who shot dead 29 Palestinians in a West Bank mosque in 1994. The confrontation Wednesday came as Columbia, Harvard and other elite universities have been targeted by the Trump administration, which has cut billions of dollars in federal funding to the schools, including over assertions that some have become bastions of antisemitism. (Yale is not included on a list of 10 schools that a federal antisemitism task force has identified for particular attention.) On Thursday, the antisemitism task force said in a statement that “videos have surfaced of an antisemitic encampment and outrageous examples of harassment and bigotry” in New Haven. But the statement added that Yale appeared to have responded swiftly and enforced its campus rules. “We are cautiously encouraged by Yale’s actions and will be keeping an eye on the situation and aftermath,” the statement said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/24/2025 3:33 PM, Peter Pinedo, 46189K] reports the Trump Department of Homeland Security slammed the New York Times for publishing "sob stories" about deported criminal illegal immigrants while ignoring their victims. The department criticized the outlet for publishing such an account about Nascimento Blair, a 44-year-old Jamaican national who was removed from the country by ICE on Feb. 27 after being convicted of kidnapping. On Thursday, The New York Times published an extensive story about Blair in which the outlet claimed that he was a "changed man" who "had been rebuilding his life and seeking redemption." The Times reported that, in addition to kidnapping, Blair had been selling marijuana and had been accused of kidnapping, "pistol-whipping" and demanding money from a teenager who had stolen some of his supply. After being convicted of kidnapping, The Times said that Blair used his time in prison to get bachelor’s and master’s degrees and that after his release, he got involved with his community and volunteered. The outlet wrote that "to Mr. Blair and his supporters, his life story was one of rehabilitation, nuanced and filled with qualities that they believe Mr. Trump’s deportation machine disregards as it flies out immigrants en masse." Slamming The Times’ coverage, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin asked, "Why does the New York Times continue to peddle sob stories about criminal illegal aliens and ignore their victims?" According to a statement by ICE, Blair entered the U.S. in 2004 and then violated the terms of his admission. A year after his arrival, Blair was arrested by the Mount Vernon Police Department for first-degree kidnapping. He was convicted of the crime and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The agency said that an immigration judge ordered Blair removed from the U.S. on Aug. 4, 2008. However, Blair was allowed to stay in the country after the New York State Department of Corrections released him on parole on April 9, 2020. McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that it was "because of the previous administration’s open border policies, this criminal illegal alien was released onto the streets of New York." She said, "Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, this kidnapper was arrested and is now out of our country." "President Trump and Secretary Noem have made it clear that we are prioritizing arresting and deporting the worst of the worst," said McLaughlin.

New York Post [4/24/2025 3:49 PM, Jennie Taer, 54903K] reports the Trump administration has lashed out at a "sob story" published in the lefty New York Times defending a deported illegal migrant who was an admitted drug dealer convicted of kidnapping. Nascimento Blair, a Jamaican migrant who was living in the US illegally after he overstayed a temporary visa, was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in New York in February and sent back to his native country. Blair, 44, had been living freely in the Empire State since his release from prison in 2020, despite an immigration judge ordering his removal in 2008. He had served 15 years behind bars after he was convicted in 2006 of kidnapping a neighbor whom he claimed had stolen marijuana from him. In a fawning feature about Blair’s deportation — titled "21 Years Later, Deported Back to a ‘Home’ He Barely Knew" — the New York Times asserted that the illegal migrant "had been rebuilding his life and seeking redemption" before being deported on a "dizzying journey." Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the profile conveniently "glossed over" Blair’s criminal past.

Free Beacon [4/24/2025 7:00 PM, Jessica Costescu and Jessica Schwalb, 475K] reports Columbia University student radicals abandoned their plans to launch an anti-Israel encampment Thursday afternoon after the Ivy League school warned that participants could face disciplinary actions, including arrest. Instead, agitators pushed protesters to join unrest elsewhere in New York. During one of those protests, at City College of New York, police pepper sprayed keffiyeh-clad students clashing with law enforcement. Radicals there, about a mile from Columbia’s main campus, had established a "liberated zone," while dozens of additional agitators gathered outside the campus gates and taunted police. In an Instagram post promoting the event, NYC Students for Justice in Palestine wrote that "escalated resistance is a responsibility, a duty, and a necessity." They added, "We follow in the lead of Palestine and the resistance, who show us what true bravery and courage means.” Several anti-Israel student groups at Columbia, including its Palestine Solidarity Coalition, Jewish Voice for Peace chapter, and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs Palestine Working Group encouraged their members to "show up" for the protesters. A City College of New York spokesman said the school was restricting campus access. "We are aware of protests in and around City College. Extra public safety officers are on campus and access to the campus is restricted to CCNY employees and students with ID," the spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon. Meanwhile, almost six miles away from Columbia, the Ivy League school’s most notorious anti-Semitic campus group, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, cosponsored a protest in Washington Square Park. It was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., the same time the Columbia encampments were supposed to begin. From the park, several dozen keffiyeh-clad protesters marched nearby to New York University. On Tuesday night, Columbia students planned two encampments at a secret meeting in a Brooklyn community center—one beginning Thursday at 1 p.m. and a second that would launch Friday. The first failed to materialize after the university threatened disciplinary actions—and possibly arrest—if they moved forward with their plan to launch the encampments. "We have been made aware of possible plans to establish encampments on Columbia’s campuses. We want to clearly communicate that camping and encampments on Columbia’s campuses are prohibited by University Policy," Columbia’s public safety department announced in a university-wide email Wednesday evening. "Participants will be instructed to disperse," the email continued. "Individuals who refuse to disperse will be identified and sanctions, including potential removal from campus and possible arrest, may be applied.”

The New York Times [4/24/2025 7:06 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, 145325K] reports the person who stole the home secretary Kristi Noem’s purse over the weekend was wearing a medical mask and took it from under her chair, authorities said. The bag contained $3000 in cash. "She could feel that person as she took her purse, but she thought it was her grandchildren playing until she realized, a minute later, that her bag had disappeared," said Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. His bag was under his feet and the perpetrator of the robbery hooked the bag with his foot, dragged him on the floor, put a coat on him and took it. The robbery occurred Sunday night at the Capital Burger, a luxury pub-style restaurant in downtown Washington, where Noem was having dinner with his family. The bag also contained his driver’s license, medications, keys to his apartment and blank checks. The theft is the latest episode raising doubts about the Secret Service’s performance, under intense scrutiny since President Donald Trump was the subject of two assassination attempts last year. It is not clear how the thief was able to get so close to Noem and get out with his purse before the eyes of the officers at the scene. Asked why Noem was carrying so much cash, McLaughlin said: "Did his whole family be in town, including his children and grandchildren? He had withdrawn that money to pay for his family’s Easter dinner, activities and gifts. ABC News [4/24/2025 5:28 PM, Luke Barr, 34586K] reports that authorities said a man wearing a mask took Noem’s bag, which contained $3,000, her DHS access card, passport, makeup bag, apartment key and other items. Noem said she wasn’t sure if she was targeted because she was the DHS secretary. The Secret Service is investigating, according to the DHS official. The Hill [4/24/2025 1:26 PM, Tara Suter, 12829K] reports DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Noem had been eating dinner when a thief stole her purse that also had her passport, driver’s license, blank checks and keys. McLaughlin also told NewsNation that Noem had been celebrating Easter at the time of the incident. “She had the cash because her whole family was in town (including children and grandchildren) and was treating them to activities, dinner and Easter gifts,” McLaughlin said. Noem also said on the podcast that the stolen purse had not been returned.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [4/24/2025 5:01 PM, Ryan King, 54903K]
NewsMax [4/24/2025 11:53 AM, Eric Mack, 4998K]

NewsNation [4/24/2025 5:19 PM, Sierra Campbell, 6866K] reports the wife of the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador has had to move to a safe house with her children after the Department of Homeland Security posted her home address, according to reports. MSNBC reported the DHS posted a court document on social media that had Jennifer Vasquez Sura’s address on it. The Trump administration has released documents that show the case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, according to NBC News. DHS then posted a copy of a protective order that was granted to Abrego Garcia’s wife in 2021.

CBS Austin [4/24/2025 12:57 PM, Staff, 602K] reports a suspected member of the MS-13 gang who had been evading authorities since last year has been arrested. Leonel Vargas Jr. was wanted on felony domestic aggravated assault and other charges, Metro Nashville Police Department reports. The MNPD SWAT team was credited with the arrest. Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) agents had been investigating Vargas’s association with the MS-13 gang. MNPD confirmed coordination with the ATF in the operation. Vargas is currently being held without bond on outstanding warrants, including a felony charge.

Reuters [4/24/2025 8:28 AM, Luc Cohen, 41523K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration moved a Venezuelan man who had worked in construction in Philadelphia to Texas for possible deportation after a federal judge had issued an order blocking his removal from Pennsylvania or the United States, according to court records. A plane transporting the man took off on April 15 from an airport in the state capital Harrisburg about a half hour after U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines issued an order temporarily blocking the administration from moving him out of her western Pennsylvania judicial district or the country, Justice Department lawyer Laura Irwin told an April 17 hearing, conducted as a conference call. The Venezuelan, referred to in court papers as "A.S.R.," was then brought to the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, according to the government and American Civil Liberties Union, which represents him. The administration has not been accused of violating the order by Haines, appointed by Trump during his first presidential term, by sending the man to Texas. But his transfer demonstrates the administration’s aggressive tactics to try to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants it accuses of being members of the criminal gang Tren de Aragua even as various courts including the Supreme Court impose restrictions. Representatives of the Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Details about the transfer of A.S.R. were revealed in three court filings by his lawyers and a transcript of the April 17 hearing, all previously unreported. He was believed to be among dozens of Venezuelans at the Bluebonnet facility who the Trump administration had tried to deport last week under a 1798 law called the Alien Enemies Act that historically has been used only in wartime, the ACLU said. That deportation effort was blocked by an emergency ruling by the Supreme Court last Saturday.

FOX News [4/25/2025 12:46 AM, Jasmine Baehr, 46189K] reports former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were taken into custody Thursday after federal agents raided their Las Cruces home. The two face charges of evidence tampering amid allegations they harbored Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, an alleged illegal alien who is also believed to be a member of Venezuela’s notorious Tren de Aragua gang. "Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang," said Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. "If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up. That’s a promise." The arrest follows a February incident where Ortega-Lopez was apprehended at the Cano residence. Court documents reveal that he was initially hired by Nancy Cano for home repairs and later offered accommodation in the couple’s guesthouse. Investigators uncovered evidence linking Ortega-Lopez to the Tren de Aragua gang, including gang-related clothing, tattoos, voicemails and text messages. According to court documents, he unlawfully entered the U.S. on Dec. 15, 2023, by crossing the border near Eagle Pass, Texas, without inspection or authorization. He was released on Dec. 18, 2023, pending removal proceedings due to overcrowding at the Border Patrol facility. He was issued a Notice to Appear, initiating formal removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Further investigation led to the seizure of four firearms from the residence of April Cano, the couple’s daughter. Ortega-Lopez was found in social media posts posing with weapons, some of which he claimed were owned by April. He is currently facing federal charges for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5). If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. "Doña Ana County has been a hotbed of illegal immigration and drug trafficking, human smuggling for many, many years," former ICE Field Office Director John Fabbricatore said to WPMI. "To see that a judge would allow this to happen. It’s very concerning. It’s concerning. What else has the judge been doing?" [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
New York Post [4/24/2025 9:26 PM, Staff, 54903K]
Breitbart [4/24/2025 11:24 PM, Bob Price, 2923K]

CBS Austin [4/24/2025 3:59 PM, Jackson Walker, 602K] reports United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bilal Essayli on Wednesday announced his office had filed a felony immigration charge against an illegal migrant who was originally set for early release. Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, after killing two Americans in a 2021 California car crash, according to the Department of Homeland Security. California state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones, R- District 40, issued a statement condemning Gov. Gavin Newsom after learning that individual would be released after serving only three-and-a-half years of his ten-year prison sentence. "Now the Newsom Administration is compounding that tragedy by releasing their killer — a twice-deported illegal immigrant with a violent record — after serving just 3.5 years of a 10-year sentence," he lamented. "What message does that send? That in California, justice is optional and innocent lives are expendable.” "Even worse, because of our sanctuary laws, there is no guarantee this violent offender will be handed over to ICE," he added. "He could end up right back in our communities, as he has before, putting more lives at risk. UNACCEPTABLE!".

FOX News [4/24/2025 4:16 PM, Cameron Arcand and Bill Melugin, 46189K] reports Orange County, California, District Attorney Todd Spitzer said there was not a "plea deal" made in the case of an illegal immigrant convicted of manslaughter in the death of two teens after new scrutiny over the man’s early release from a California prison. "A convicted felon who was twice previously deported is being released after serving just a fraction of his sentence for killing two 19-year-olds because California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Legislature refuse to hold criminals accountable," the Republican said in a news release Wednesday. "This was not a plea deal. This was a defendant who pled to the court and was sentenced by a judge under California law, over the objection of Orange County prosecutors, who unsuccessfully argued for the maximum sentence.” "California’s creative concoction of good time, education and other credits has resulted in criminals being released quicker than ever before, fulfilling Gov. Newsom’s plot to empty California’s prisons and put dangerous and violent felons back on the street," Spitzer added. Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was driving drunk and high and speeding at nearly 100 mph on the 405 freeway in Orange County in November 2021, when he crashed into a car carrying 19-year-old Anya Varfolomeev and Nicholay Osokin. Both were killed and burned alive. In the spring of 2022, he was convicted of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The victims’ families were notified on Easter Sunday that Ortega-Anguiano would be released early on July 19, more than six years before his 10-year sentence is up. However, after Fox News’ reporting, Democratic Gov. Newsom’s office said it would comply with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and transfer him into federal custody. The Department of Justice announced it was filing federal charges against him, and border czar Tom Homan said his agency would do everything possible to keep him in custody.

East Bay Times [4/24/2025 8:42 PM, Scott Schwebke, Tony Saavedra, and Sean Emery, 409K] reports the pending release of a twice-deported illegal immigrant who has served only about a third of his prison sentence for the DUI deaths of two teens in Orange County has ignited a national uproar reaching both the governor’s office and the Trump administration. Anatoly Varfolomeev, the father of one of the teens, said the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation notified him that 43-year-old Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano will be released in July to an undisclosed location in Garden Grove. He has served just 3 1/2 years of a 10-year sentence for the deaths of Anya Varfolomeev, and her boyfriend, Nicholay Osokin, who were both 19. Ortega-Anguiano is slated for early release due to state sentencing laws that classify vehicular manslaughter as a nonviolent criminal offense. Ortega-Anguiano pleaded guilty to Judge Kazuharu Makino to the two felony vehicular manslaughter charges and a misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid license. The remaining charges, as well as the sentencing enhancements, were dismissed. Facing a maximum of 12 years and six months in prison, Ortega-Anguiano was sentenced by Makino to concurrent 10-year sentences on the manslaughter charges and 10 days for driving without a license. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said his office argued for a stronger sentence and did not offer a deal. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a post on the social media platform X that Spitzer is to blame for Ortega-Anguiano’s early release. Spitzer fired back Wednesday, accusing Newsom and state lawmakers of facilitating the release. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said the deaths of Anya and Nicholay were preventable because Ortega-Anguiano should not have been in the United States. “Now, sanctuary state California is letting him out after serving just three years of a 10-year prison sentence,” McLaughlin said. “ICE has placed a detainer with the California Department of Corrections. We hope California law enforcement will work with us to ensure this criminal alien is not released into American communities.” Ortega-Anguiano has a lengthy deportation history, according to federal officials.

Breitbart [4/24/2025 7:13 AM, Randy Clark, 2923K] reports that, as part of President Trump’s Operation Take Back America, a team of Border Patrol agents arrested ten illegal aliens in Pomona, California, on Tuesday. Nine of the illegal aliens arrested were found outside a Home Depot store. The arrests that sparked a protest by an immigrants rights group included one illegal alien convicted of a weapons charge and child abuse with serious bodily injury. A small group of protesters appeared within hours at the Pomona Home Depot site, carrying signs that read, "ICE Out of Pomona." The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) posted a video on social media showing a small group of protestors chanting anti-ICE slogans. Most media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times reported the incident as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation, despite the presence of marked Border Patrol vehicles and uniformed Border Patrol agents. The NDLON post described the earlier immigration enforcement action, saying, "Today, at approximately 9 am, several vehicles pulled into both entrances of the Home Depot in the city of Pomona, located on 2707 S Towne Ave. There were 6 vehicles unmarked who pulled into the Home Depot from the Town Ave entrance and an additional two Customs and Border Patrol trucks pulled up on the second entrance located on Market and Garey. After detaining a group of day laborers, two additional Vans pulled up and they took 15–20 day laborers who were only looking for work. The workers informed the Pomona Economic Opportunity Center and was first on the scene to confirm this operation.” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis shared a statement expressing her support for the suspected illegal aliens arrested in the immigration enforcement operation, saying, "This morning, my office was alerted by community members of a federal Homeland Security presence in the City of Pomona, where approximately 15–20 day laborers were reportedly detained. In response, I immediately directed the Los Angeles County Office of Immigrant Affairs to connect with the Pomona Day Labor Center to ensure those impacted receive the support and resources they need.” Solis went on to say, "While this remains a developing situation, I want to reaffirm my unwavering commitment to ensuring that all residents, regardless of their immigration status, are aware of and can exercise their constitutional rights.” A spokesperson with the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector spoke to Breitbart Texas about the circumstances of the operation that targeted one specific illegal alien who was the subject of a felony federal criminal warrant for re-entry after deportation under 8 USC 1326. The spokesperson says the illegal alien that was the target of the operation was apprehended as planned and that the additional nine arrests were made after Border Patrol agents noticed several men running from them in the home improvement parking lot in Pomona on Tuesday morning.

Bloomberg [4/24/2025 6:15 PM, Alex Vasquez, 16228K] reports Mexico’s government is seeking to boost its control over TV, radio and social media with a bill that would allow it to block controversial anti-immigration adverts by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. President Claudia Sheinbaum sent legislation to the senate on Wednesday that would give more power to the agency that oversees broadcasting and telecommunications. The move comes months after the ruling party eliminated late last year the independent body that previously regulated these sectors. The proposals would give the agency, controlled by the executive branch, the power to grant and revoke public and private concessions, according to a copy seen by Bloomberg News. It would also allow the government to bar foreign governments from publishing content such as recent TV advertisements featuring Noem, which blame migrants for violent crime and drug trafficking in the US. The messages caused a storm in Mexico, with Sheinbaum calling them “discriminatory” and asking television stations to take them off the air. Opponents of the legislation say that the bill would give Sheinbaum’s Morena party too much control over the media, allowing it to further strengthen its grip on national life. “They want to control the public narrative, as all authoritarian regimes in the world do,” said Ricardo Anaya Cortes, leader of the main opposition party in the senate. “They want to control what is said on the radio, what is on television, but now they have no limits, and they also want to control social networks, and digital platforms.” The proposal was approved on Thursday in senate committees and will be discussed on the floor next week. The Washington Post [4/24/2025 1:32 PM, Mary Beth Sheridan, 31735K] reports that the ads are part of an unusual, multimillion-dollar initiative paid for with U.S. taxpayer dollars. Shortly after taking office, Kristi L. Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, announced the campaign, aimed at encouraging undocumented immigrants in the United States to self-deport, and warning foreigners against attempting to slip over the border. But the campaign has raised questions in the United States about its overtly political messaging and its price tag — up to $200 million over two years. The ads are appearing at a time when Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, is slashing federal jobs. In Mexico, it’s been blasted by politicians across the ideological spectrum, including President Claudia Sheinbaum. In the past three months, the leftist leader has sought to satisfy many of President Donald Trump’s demands on curbing migration and the flow of illegal fentanyl. Trump in turn has called her “a wonderful woman” and made concessions on tariffs. So far, the commercials have been broadcast in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, in addition to the United States. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, said plans call for the ads to air in Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, Hindi and Portuguese, on broadcast and digital channels, including Spanish-language Telemundo and Univision. McLaughlin said the ad campaign was working. “The data shows the world is hearing our message. Border crossings have reached the lowest ever recorded,” she said in a statement to The Washington Post. “Migrants are turning back before they even reach our borders.”

Univision [4/24/2025 2:19 PM, Marcos Martínez Chacón, 5325K] reports Mexico’s presidency presented a bill to punish the dissemination of foreign “political propaganda” in the country’s media that includes potentially million-dollar penalties. The measure was formalized by President Claudia Sheinbaum following the controversy unleashed by the dissemination in Mexican media of Donald Trump’s government’s advertisements against migrants. The ads were labeled by the Mexican government as having “very high discriminatory content,” as they contained images that openly link immigrants to crime. The messages featured Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issuing harsh warnings against immigrants. The controversy escalated after the ads appeared on Mexican television during the broadcast of soccer matches over the weekend. Since late February, the videos began to be shared from the network accounts of U.S. consulates in Mexico. Sheinbaum initially said that to prevent that practice she would propose restoring an article that prohibited the broadcasting of foreign “political propaganda” in Mexican media.

Daily Wire [4/24/2025 3:23 AM, Hank Berrien, 4672K] reports that, according to the FBI, some Venezuelan government officials, in order to erode public safety in the United States, "likely facilitate" the migration of Tren de Aragua gang members to the United States. Tren de Aragua has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. The Venezuelan move to destabilize other countries also includes Chile, Ecuador, and Peru, Fox News Digital reported, adding, "The FBI assesses that in the next six to 18 months, Venezuelan government officials likely will attempt to leverage Tren de Aragua members in the United States as proxy actors to threaten, abduct and kill members of the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States who are vocal critics of [Venezuala President Nicolá] Maduro and his regime." "These findings should shock Americans but not the law enforcement community," an unnamed Trump administration official told Fox Digital. "They reflect the sentiments of numerous other intelligence assessments across multiple agencies. Nicholas Maduro is a Marxist dictator who hijacked a once-prosperous Venezuela and brought in nothing but total economic collapse and gang takeover. He crumbled Caracas, now overrun with drugs and violence, and wants to do the same across the United States by sending his most violent and dangerous criminals into our communities." "The Trump administration will continue to use every authority in our power to make sure these TdA terrorists, who are some of the worst in the world, are kept out of our country," the official continued. "The American people voted overwhelmingly to make America safe again, and that is exactly what we will do." On April 18, the Associated Press reported, "A new U.S. intelligence assessment found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government, contradicting statements that Trump administration officials have made to justify their invocation of the Alien Enemies Act and deporting Venezuelan migrants, according to U.S. officials. The classified assessment from the National Intelligence Council, released this month, is more comprehensive and authoritative than an earlier intelligence product released Feb. 26 and reported last month by New York Times." Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard reacted harshly, writing on X: An official from the office of DNI said the information Fox News Digital was reporting was "based on intelligence that the illegal leakers and propaganda media conveniently did not include because it gets in the way of their biased narrative and attempt to deceive the American people."

New York Times [4/24/2025 7:16 PM, Michelle Goldberg, 145325K] reports I understand why Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become the face of Donald Trump’s monstrous policy of sending migrants to a gulag in El Salvador. In a court filing, the administration’s own lawyers initially admitted that his deportation was an “administrative error,” and the White House has been disregarding a Supreme Court ruling to “facilitate” his return. Abrego Garcia’s case was both a human tragedy and an incipient constitutional crisis. His Kafkaesque predicament is a stark illustration of what it means to be stripped of the law’s protection, and thus a warning for us all. But Abrego Garcia is not alone. America has sent hundreds of people to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT, a mega-prison where inmates never have visitors or step outside and the lights are on 24 hours a day. Of all the men we’ve rendered to this hell, the one I can’t get out of my mind is Andry Hernández Romero, a gay makeup artist from Venezuela, sent to rot in El Salvador because the Trump administration claimed his tattoos link him to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. In photos he is slight, holding makeup brushes or posing with flowers or rainbow balloons. The photojournalist Philip Holsinger captured his arrival in El Salvador, where he sobbed and called out for his mother as guards shaved his head, introducing him to a life of total dehumanization. This week, four Democratic members of Congress went to El Salvador to try to see Abrego Garcia, and while they were there, they sought proof of life for Hernández Romero. They didn’t get it. “No one has actually heard about Andry at all since the abduction, including his lawyers and family,” said Robert Garcia, a congressman from California. The Democrats obtained a promise from the American Embassy in El Salvador to check on Hernández Romero, but as of this writing, there’s been no update. Hernández Romero’s case exemplifies the carelessness that has marked the Trump administration’s arrangement with El Salvador from the beginning. And it highlights the rapid transformation of America from a place of refuge for at least some victims of oppression to a place where noncitizens often seem to have no human rights at all.

The Hill [4/24/2025 2:00 PM, Frank Russo and Nelson Bunn, 12829K] reports President Trump is rightly prioritizing two of the most urgent threats to our nation’s security: fentanyl poisoning and human trafficking. But border security is a multidimensional issue. To dismantle the criminal networks flooding our communities with deadly drugs and exploiting our vulnerable citizens, we must also secure our financialborders. Drug cartels and trafficking organizations don’t just rely on smuggling routes; they depend on financial systems that allow them to launder massive amounts of illicit profits with little oversight. The Trump administration recently took a bold step by designating certain drug trafficking organizations as foreign terrorist organizations. This significant move signals a clear recognition: stopping traffickers means following the money.

Wall Street Journal [4/24/2025 11:49 AM, Ruth R. Wisse, 646K] reports I taught at Harvard from 1993 through 2014, and I don’t think the federal government’s threats will be effective at changing the university’s culture. Harvard’s leaders don’t yet understand the danger that culture poses to the country or why it required intervention. On Sept. 11, 2001, the Islamists of al Qaeda attacked the U.S. in a suicide mission that used American planes as their instruments of destruction. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas Islamists exploited Israel’s openness by invading the country, massacring civilians and kidnapping others. Jihadists use these new forms of warfare against those they can’t conquer by force. What concerns us here is their capture of elite American schools as outposts. Harvard became directly implicated on Oct. 8, 2023, when the Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee issued a statement endorsed by more than 30 student groups that asserted “the Israeli regime” was “entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” Students for Justice in Palestine declared Oct. 12 a “day of resistance” and had a “toolkit” ready for the encampments and demonstrations that spread beyond campus. SJP praised the “unity intifada” and “resistance” and declared that Palestinian students were “PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement.” In 2001 there were no such support groups for Islamists at Harvard. Harvard was a soft target for foreign penetration, having developed an adversarial relationship to the American government and increasingly to the country itself. Veterans of the antiwar movement banished the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps from Harvard in the 1970s and kept it off campus for 40 years. When memories of Vietnam faded, the military’s exclusion of open homosexuals became the high-minded excuse for shutting out recruiters—but not government funding. This selective antigovernment policy was reflected in the curriculum, which took an increasingly critical approach to America and Western civilization.

FOX News [4/24/2025 8:14 PM, Louis Casiano, 46189K] reports U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., urged people to call and threaten congressional lawmakers over the Trump administration’s immigration policies following a visit to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Wilson visited ICE Krome Detention Center in Miami before holding a news conference on Instagram Live. "So I’ve been giving out the phone numbers to the House of Representatives and to the Senate," she said. "It’s one number that number you call and you threaten it, and you say, this is wrong. This is not America. This is not what we stand for. We need a change. You have to do that. It’s going to take the people. We’ve done it." "We need the people. We needed an uprising where people are taking to the streets and the phones and writing letters. That’s what we need," she added. "I wanted to see where were these dangerous people that they had picked up off the street and put them in a detention center," the representative said. "I didn’t see that. I saw hard working men. Some more literate than others. I even saw some who are mentally disturbed and have mental issues." Wilson, who has feuded with President Donald Trump in the past, also blamed the Laken Riley Act for the increase in migrant detentions.

Yahoo News [4/24/2025 9:19 PM, Susannah Sudborough, 11K] reports Federal immigration officers are planning a return to Massachusetts to make more arrests after a January sweep, The Boston Herald reported Thursday. Todd Lyons, the acting director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and former head of ICE’s Boston office, told the newspaper the agency’s previous effort was only the beginning, and that there’s much more ICE wants to accomplish in Massachusetts. “The last operation showed ICE needs to be in the commonwealth. The numbers are staggering,” he said.

Univision [4/24/2025 3:24 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports a federal judge in New York has extended an order blocking deportations without due process of immigrants detained in the Southern District of New York, criticizing the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued this decision during a hearing on Tuesday, upholding his initial order of April 9. An ICE official confirmed that several of those deported on March 15 had no criminal record in the United States. Authorities have used tattoos as a criterion to identify suspected gang members. Judge Hellerstein questioned this practice and noted that expulsion for criminal association is not legal. Hellerstein’s order applies to approximately a dozen immigrants detained in several New York counties. The judge expressed concerns about the legality of Trump’s proclamation and its compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act and humanitarian protections.

Breitbart [4/24/2025 8:22 AM, Bob Price, 2923K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers arrested a Guatemalan illegal alien after he allegedly murdered his Guatemalan girlfriend in Maryland. Officers also arrested the man’s uncle as an alleged accessory to murder after the fact. Police officials in Charles County, Maryland, allege that Keycy Robinson Alexis Barrera-Rosa, 23, murdered his girlfriend, Guatemalan migrant Lesbia Mileth Ramirez Guerra, and buried her body in the Cedarville State Forest on April 17, the New York Post reported. Barrera-Rosa’s uncle, Rolvin Eduardo Barrera-Barrera, 37, also an illegal alien from Guatemala, allegedly helped bury the girl’s body. ERO officers eventually arrested Barrera-Rosa and are holding him at the ICE Farmville Detention Center in Farmville, Virginia, according to ICE officials. ICE officials say Barrera-Barrera and Barrera-Rosa entered the U.S. illegally near El Paso, Texas, on April 10, 2019. The two Guatemalan men were released with a Notice to Appear before a DOJ immigration judge. Barrera-Rosa reported Ramirez missing to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office in March, officials stated. "The arrest of these two individuals marks a significant step towards justice," ICE Baltimore acting Field Office Director Vernon Liggins said in a written statement. "This heinous crime not only devastated a community but also reinforced the urgent need to prioritize public safety by identifying, arresting, and removing egregious illegal aliens who threaten our neighborhoods.” "ICE will continue to work tirelessly, side by side with our law enforcement partners, to safeguard our communities and uphold the rule of law," the director stated. Barrera-Barrera is being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center. Barrera-Rosa is being held in Virginia, pending extradition to Maryland.

Reported similarly:
DailySignal [4/24/2025 6:19 PM, Jacob Adams, 495K]

NewsMax [4/24/2025 2:07 PM, Solange Reyner, 4998K] reports tederal officials launched a large-scale operation with Florida police this week to find and deport some 800 undocumented immigrants, according to a copy of the plans reviewed by the Miami Herald. The sting, nicknamed Operation Tidal Wave and led by the Department of Homeland Security with the help of other federal agencies, is being conducted in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and the cities of Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Stuart, Tallahassee, and Fort Myers. The records say authorities were trying to detain "criminal individuals or immigration violators" that have final deportation orders.

AP [4/25/2025 12:07 AM, Joshua Goodman and Gisela Salomon, 48304K] reports as hundreds of migrants crowded into the Krome Detention Center in Miami on the edge of the Florida Everglades, a palpable fear of an uprising set in among its staff. As President Donald J. Trump sought to make good on his campaign pledge of mass arrests and removals of migrants, Krome, the United States’ oldest immigration detention facility and one with a long history of abuse, saw its prisoner population recently swell to nearly three times its capacity of 600. That tension — fearing reprisal for trying to ensure more humane conditions — comes amid a battle in federal courts and the halls of Congress over whether the president’s immigration crackdown has gone too far, too fast at the expense of fundamental rights. At Krome, reports have poured in about a lack of water and food, unsanitary confinement and medical neglect. With the surge of complaints, the Trump administration shut down three Department of Homeland Security oversight offices charged with investigating such claims. Krome is just one of five facilities that ICE directly runs — the others are in Buffalo, Arizona and two in Texas — and can house detainees for more than 16 hours. After Trump took office, ICE had orders to round up migrants with few options on where to send them. The vast majority of bed space is leased from local prisons, jails or privately run facilities that have strict limits on how many detainees they are contractually obligated to accept. As its concrete cellblocks began filling up, federal workers started documenting the worsening conditions in weekly reports for the Department of Homeland Security’s leadership. They worked their way up the chain through DHS’ Office of Immigration & Detention Ombudsman, an independent watchdog established by Congress during the first Trump administration to blunt the fallout from a string of scandals about treatment at detention facilities. The office went through four ombudsmen in two months as Trump officials surged arrests with no apparent plan on where to send them. The situation worsened in mid-March, when the office’s 100 staffers — including a case manager at Krome — were placed on administrative leave in what officials described as an effort to remove roadblocks to enforcement. “Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said.

AP [4/25/2025 12:06 AM, Staff, 48304K] reports that, as President Donald Trump sought to make good on his campaign pledge of mass arrests and removals of migrants, Krome Detention Center, the U.S.′ oldest immigration detention facility and one with a long history of abuse, saw its prisoner population recently swell to nearly three times its capacity of 600. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [4/24/2025 2:53 PM, Michael Smith, Rachel Adams-Heard, and Jason Kao, 16228K] reports the Trump administration’s fast-paced mass deportation campaign has created extreme overcrowding at a detention center in Miami, where throngs of people have been forced to sleep on floors and kept for days in short-term holding areas. The Krome North Service Processing Center is one of more than 140 facilities around the US where immigrants are being detained — and it is being stretched far beyond its capacity, interviews with people who were held at the facility and analysis of publicly available data suggests. In the last two weeks of March, an average of nearly 1,500 people were packed inside Krome’s overnight detention areas each day, two and a half times the daily average in the year before Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office. The crowding was evident as early as a week into Trump’s second term. On Jan. 27, 155 people were booked into the Krome Hold Room, a temporary processing area, compared with four on the day before Trump was sworn in. Detainees should be confined in the hold room for no more than 12 hours, ICE guidelines say. But after Trump took office, immigrants remained there for an average of nearly five days, according to an analysis of ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. In the month before Inauguration Day, the average time in the hold room was 5.5 hours. Maksym Chernyak, a Ukrainian war refugee, was one of the people held far longer than the 12-hour limit. Chernyak, who later died, was confined to a holding area at Krome for about four days in February before he was finally moved to a detention pod, his partner, Oksana Tarasiuk, said in an interview. “He asked for help and he wasn’t helped,” Tarasiuk said.

Telemundo [4/24/2025 7:29 PM, Jessenia Hatti-Barrett, 171K] reports after weeks of complaints from relatives of detainees, Florida Congresswoman for District 24 Frederica Wilson paid a visit Thursday to the Krome Detention Center, located in southwest Miami-Dade. The tour, which lasted for approximately two hours, took place without the presence of cameras. Wilson said that what he witnessed was a pre-preparated version of the center and does not reflect the real conditions that many detainees and their families have denounced. I know what they do. "I’ll have to come back without warning to see what really happens in there," Wilson said after the visit. The congresswoman said she hoped to find the individuals described by the authorities as "criminals with tattoos and gold teeth," but instead, she found herself, according to her words, with working men." In February, a Ukrainian citizen died after falling ill inside the centre. In March, a Mexican immigrant, identified only as a "Siri" by a social services organization, recorded videos showing the alleged treatment inside the facilities. Wilson also reported that Krome agents informed him about the opening of a new structure, built in just 14 days, with capacity for more than 400 people, to alleviate the current overcrowding. He assured that the authorities mentioned him being prepared to erect even more facilities if necessary.

Washington Post [4/24/2025 8:41 PM, Douglas MacMillan, 31735K] reports an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Miami plans to move up to 400 immigrant detainees into a large tent that was erected in recent weeks to accommodate a surging population of migrants, said Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Florida), who toured the facility Thursday. The soft-sided structure at Miami’s Krome North Service Processing Center contained cots, televisions, ventilation pipes and tile flooring, Wilson and her communications director said in interviews with Washington Post. An ICE representative told her the facility could house 200 people on an upstairs level and 200 people on a downstairs level, and that the agency planned to begin moving people into the structure on Friday, she said.A spokesman for ICE did not immediately respond to questions from The Post, including how long people may be held in the tent and whether the facility has increased its staff to meet their needs. There is little precedent for ICE housing detainees in temporary structures in the United States, said Eunice Cho, an attorney who advocates for immigrant detainees at the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office for Refugee Resettlement have used soft-sided facilities, but those have typically been used for very short-term detention, she said. The tent at Krome is the latest evidence of the government’s struggle to accommodate the nearly 50,000 immigrants currently detained by ICE. A nationwide uptick in arrests amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration has led to many detention facilities reaching or exceeding capacity, with reports of people sleeping on floors and going days without proper medical attention, The Post’s reporting has shown. To meet border czar Tom Homan’s goal of 100,000 detention beds, ICE is contracting with county jails and paying millions of dollars to reopen shuttered private prisons. This month, it requested permission to bypass contracting rules to fast-track new agreements for private facilities in California, Michigan and other states, citing the southern border "emergency" and the urgent need to detain "aliens at-large that pose threats to national security and public safety.”

FOX News [4/24/2025 11:32 PM, Louis Casiano, 46189K] reports a previously deported Mexican man illegally living in the United States has been arrested after he "sexually battered" a teenage boy while playing hide-and-seek in Florida, authorities said Thursday. Samuel Cobos-Carmona, 20, is accused of violently sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy in the woods behind a family member’s home, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a video message. The incident happened on April 13 when Cobos-Carmona befriended the victim and an 8-year-old child. "While in the woods with these two, he sexually battered the teen, both orally and anally," Prummell said. Cobos-Carmona was later arrested by deputies on Monday and admitted to the crime, Prummell said. He is charged with lewd lascivious battery on a victim of 12 to 16 years of age, according to jail records. He first entered the U.S. illegally in 2021, but was caught and deported to Mexico. He illegally returned in 2022 and arrived in Florida after fleeing Texas authorities, the sheriff said. He was later found in Sarasota in July 2024, but was released under the Biden administration’s catch and release policies, the sheriff said. "People often question why myself and my fellow sheriffs in the state of Florida are working with our federal partners to round individuals like this up to get them the hell out of here," Prummell said. "This is why.” Prummell also criticized cities and states with sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. "They ought to be ashamed of themselves," he said, accusing those jurisdictions of putting the safety of criminal illegal immigrants over American citizens and children. The sheriff’s office said it will work with local and federal prosecutors to make sure Cobos-Carmona is imprisoned and, if ever released, deported.

New York Times [4/25/2025 1:46 AM, Mattathias Schwartz, 145325K] reports that, on April 7, the Supreme Court ruled that the government must give Venezuelan migrants notice “within a reasonable time” and the chance to legally challenge their removal before being deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Exactly how much notice the Trump administration considered appropriate in response to the Supreme Court’s edict was revealed in a document unsealed during a hearing on Thursday in Federal District Court in Brownsville, Texas. Before Saturday, when the Supreme Court issued a second order, which blocked the deportation of a group of Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, detainees slated for deportation were given a one-page form that stated “if you desire to make a phone call, you will be permitted to do so,” according to the unsealed document, a four-page declaration by an official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They then had “no less than 12 hours” to “express an intent” to challenge their detention, and another 24 hours to file a habeas corpus petition asking for a hearing before a judge, the declaration said. The form itself is written in English, but “it is read and explained to each alien in a language that alien understands.” The hearing was part of a case whose plaintiffs are three Venezuelan men being held at El Valle Detention Facility, roughly 50 miles from Brownsville. Lawyers for detainees held elsewhere, who have sued in the Northern District of Texas, have disputed the government’s claims about being given notice. They also have said that the form was not explained to detainees and that they were simply told to sign the document, which the ICE declaration identified as Form AEA-21B. The details about notice came during a two-hour hearing before Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who unsealed the ICE declaration after rejecting the government’s stance that it should remain sealed because it contained sensitive law-enforcement details. Judge Rodriguez also some expressed skepticism about President Trump’s assertion in an executive order that the men could be deported under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law, because of claims by the government that they are members of a gang. The government tried to defend Mr. Trump’s wording that activity by Tren de Aragua amounted to “an invasion” and “predatory incursion,” but it was unable to provide what the judge requested: documentation from the time the act was passed that supported that argument. “You’re giving me your view of what the words mean,” he said. “What I’m looking for is what the words meant at the time.”

Dallas Morning News [4/24/2025 12:01 PM, Staff, 2800K] reports the boy was getting ready for school at 8 a.m. Thursday, April 17, when federal agents knocked on his door in Irving. "I came to the door and first they said my mom’s name. Then they said my name," Guillermo, 16, said in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. "They told me to open the door just a bit because they wanted to ask me some questions.” The door was unlocked and Guillermo immediately put the locks on. His mother, Dalila, 35, who arrived in the U.S. two years prior, was with him. They peeked through the door’s glass and saw several agents, one wearing a vest that said FBI and another that said Police HSI — Homeland Security Investigations. The agents told Guillermo they wanted to verify his health and that he was not a victim of human trafficking, he recalled. When the agents saw the family didn’t open the door, they left. Guillermo and his mother were left in a panic. This visit is one of several federal agents have made in North Texas to unaccompanied minors who have arrived alone in the U.S., even though they do not have deportation orders, two immigration attorneys confirmed to The News. Guillermo and Dalila asked to be identified only by their first names to avoid putting them at risk. "They are doing welfare checks to see if they are living with the person who picked them up when they arrived, their sponsor, or if they are in good health," said Andrea Chavarria, a local immigration attorney and Guillermo’s representative. "The families are terrified because they believe the police and agents are going to arrest and deport not only them, but the family members they live with." Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the checks are meant to verify the safety of children who have entered the country without a parent or guardian. "DHS is leading efforts to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited," McLaughlin said in a statement. "Unlike the previous administration, President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem take the responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to reunite children with their families." The administration, McLaughlin said, has reunited nearly 5,000 unaccompanied children with a relative or guardian.

Univision [4/24/2025 3:41 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports the family of Martín Majín is experiencing moments of anguish and confusion following his sudden arrest on Tuesday, April 22, at the hands of eight federal agents in Pomona. Authorities confirmed that it was a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation targeting immigrants with arrest warrants, but his family insists the treatment was excessive. The family claims that Martín Majín has no criminal record and they fear for his health, as he suffers from chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes, requiring regular insulin and medication. So far, authorities have only confirmed that Martín was transferred to a border detention center. His family doesn’t know if he had an active deportation order, but they emphasize that, if so, the procedure shouldn’t have been carried out with weapons pointed and without prior notice. According to DHS, in addition to Martín Majín, nine other immigrants were detained that same day in Pomona. The agency explained that some of them face prior convictions for child abuse, assault with a weapon, driving under the influence of alcohol, and immigration violations.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/24/2025 5:27 PM, Teri Figueroa, 1682K] reports that, months after county supervisors voted to bar sheriff’s deputies from cooperating with federal immigration officials, the sheriff went before the board this week and stood firm on her decision to continue the limited cooperation she can provide under state law. "My policies are based on public safety," Sheriff Kelly Martinez said during a Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday. "I’m following state law, not crossing any lines when it comes to federal immigration enforcement.” The sheriff’s comment came in response to a question from the public during an annual forum for the department to share data about its cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That forum, which ran about two hours, is required by state law, which for the last several years has narrowed to further curtail working with ICE. According to data the department shared at Tuesday’s forum, 30 people were transferred from the jails into ICE custody last year — people who had either specific convictions on their record or a federal warrant for their arrest. Some had both. In addition, the department notified more than 1,000 people in county jails that ICE wanted to know their release date, and that it would comply with that request. Martinez said her policy is "based on the foundation of representing the voices of victims, as well as ensuring our communities not only feel safe, but that they are safe." She noted that the people involved in the policy are "deportable by ICE if found in the community.” "I believe it is far safer for ICE to receive individuals who meet qualifications in the jail setting, therefore not causing ICE to be in the community, seeking these individuals and potentially contacting family members and other members of the community as collateral," she said. As federal immigration crackdowns and fears of mass deportations roil the nation, dozens of speakers at the forum implored Martinez to abandon all cooperation with ICE. Paulina Reyes-Perrariz, managing attorney with Immigrant Defenders Law Center, told the board that "continued entanglement between local law enforcement and federal immigration is not good policy.” "We are living in unprecedented times where the federal government is openly disobeying court orders to (do) whatever fits their agenda and using scary tactics to make us turn on our neighbors," she said. "I bring up what’s happening in the national level in order to highlight why the sheriff’s continued refusal to comply with local policy is so dangerous at this moment.” Immigration attorney Crystal Felix said the Sheriff’s Office’s actions "are harming our community despite the clear state laws meant to protect immigrants.”

Telemundo52 [4/24/2025 3:05 PM, Lauren Coronado and Jonathan Lloyd, 101K] reports the arrival of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent on campus and the ensuing social media posts caused confusion, and classes at Cal State Fullerton were canceled Wednesday. The DHS agent with a canine appeared Wednesday morning near Yorba Linda Boulevard and Associated Roads on the campus in northern Orange County. News of the agent’s presence, at a time when federal agencies are aggressively enforcing the Trump administration’s immigration policies, spread through social media posts, and some teachers canceled classes. In a press release issued later Wednesday, the university police department said the officer and dog were part of the DHS Explosive Detection Canine Team. The dog and its handler were on campus for routine training and not to execute an action or conduct an investigation.

CBS Los Angeles [4/25/2025 2:07 AM, Nicole Comstock, 51661K] reports a longtime barber and Pomona business owner returned home on Thursday after federal agents arrested him at gunpoint two days ago. "I am happy to be with my family," Martin Majin Leon said in Spanish. He has owned Majin’s Barbershop for more than 20 years. While he is an undocumented immigrant, he owns a home in Southern California. "To have a family, to have a house and food on the table," he said. "In Mexico, it’s harder to accomplish.” Majin has been deported once, but does not have a criminal record. He returned to the United States and applied for a green card, but gave up when someone told him it would take 20 years. He hopes to start over and become a legal resident. "We’re hoping to get a good judge that will do research on his life here in the United States to check out his background to see that he’s not a criminal," his son Miguel said. The Trump administration has argued that an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration threatens public safety, national security, and costs taxpayers billions. Majin said he has contributed to society and pays his taxes every year. He hopes his message of compassion reaches President Trump. "Find it in his heart not to destroy any more families," Majin said. Majin’s family said they used his house as collateral and have a court hearing scheduled for his case. On the same day as Majin’s arrest, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents also arrested 10 day laborers outside of a Home Depot roughly 3 miles away from Majin’s Barbershop.

FOX News [4/24/2025 1:31 PM, Morgan Phillips, 46189K] reports the Trump administration is releasing a new online government tool designed to help millions of unlawful migrants living in the U.S. comply with a Trump order to register their biometric data with the government and carry documentation at all times. An online survey launched by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determines whether an immigrant, lawful or unlawful, still needs to register under the renewed enforcement of the Alien Registration Act. The new tool, launched Wednesday, guides users through the requirement with a series of questions and tells them whether they still need to register. Registration is mandatory for everyone over the age of 14 and without legal status in the U.S., and requires a fingerprint and a home address, per an executive order from President Donald Trump. Some immigrants who are here legally and who did not have to go through the biometric vetting process upon arrival would also need to check their registration. The aim is to require those unlawful immigrants who have not interacted with the government by applying for asylum or a work permit to come forward. If an immigrant fails to register, they could be fined, jailed, deported and unlikely allowed to return to the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned. Those who fail to carry registration proof could also risk legal ramifications. Immigrant advocates argue the new requirement puts those here illegally in a bind: do they register and give the government their location, making it easier to find them for deportation, or risk being charged with the crime of not registering. "The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws – we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.

Bloomberg [4/24/2025 6:00 AM, Michael Scott Moore, 16228K] reports that, when Anastasiia Bohdanovych and her husband arrived in California in July on a two-year “humanitarian parole” granted to Ukrainian war refugees, they expected to stay for the long haul. After all, the fighting raged on, and the US had been welcoming their compatriots ever since Russia invaded their country in 2022. The young couple rented an apartment in North Hollywood, got jobs, entered the green-card lottery and made plans to start a family. But the past three months have persuaded them to look outside America for a stable future. “Maybe not Ukraine right now, because there’s a war in Ukraine. But maybe Spain or Italy or something like that,” says Bohdanovych, 27, who worked as a sales rep in Odesa before fleeing for the US. “We need a second plan—and a third plan.” Almost a quarter-million Ukrainian refugees live in the US on the Biden-era program, known as Uniting for Ukraine, or U4U; many have since applied for political asylum, temporary protected status and other forms of immigration relief. Immediately after taking office, however, President Donald Trump ordered the review of all humanitarian parole and suspended the program for 90 days. (Humanitarian parole gives a person permission to stay in the US without special status, so it can be revoked anytime.) Given the 90-day review, U4U participants were bracing for an update from the Trump administration sometime this spring. For some, it seemed to arrive on April 3, when a mysterious email from the Department of Homeland Security started landing on devices around the nation, many of them belonging to legal Ukrainian immigrants. “Notice of Termination of Parole,” the email began. “It is time for you to leave the United States.” The next day, the DHS sent a second email to some recipients saying the earlier notice had been sent in error. But Ukrainians’ precarious sense of security had already been undermined. “It just created chaos” in the community, says Edem Uppa, a 29-year-old from Crimea who’s lived in the US since 2015. “How can you work properly, and manage your family properly, when you’re always under that pressure?” The DHS won’t confirm how many people received the email or explain how the mistake happened. The message seems to have resulted from a murky effort to automate DHS deportations, though it also went out to at least some non-immigrants. For instance, Nicole Micheroni, an immigration lawyer at the Boston-based firm Cameron, Micheroni & Silva, says she also got the DHS message—perhaps because she handles asylum and deportation cases and a client had used her contact info instead of their own. “It sounds like the message went to anyone whose email address was caught up in the system,” says Micheroni, who was born in Massachusetts. “The email is just making people panic when they are perfectly within their rights to stay.”

The Hill [4/24/2025 5:37 PM, Lauren Irwin, 12829K] reports Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is asking the Trump administration to halt the deportations of Afghan Christian refugees in the United States. In a letter addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, Raffensperger said he has "deep concern" after the department revoked protections from deportation for Afghans, along with Cameroonians. The courts have blocked similar efforts for other countries by Noem and the administration, but the situation has caused concern and uncertainty. Raffensperger criticized former President Biden’s "haphazard" withdrawal from Afghanistan and said it was faith-based organizations that supported vulnerable Afghans, particularly Christians. They then made their way to the U.S. through "lawful channels," he said. He asked Noem to immediately pause the deportation efforts against impacted Afghan Christians and for the administration to reevaluate their TPS eligibility.

AP [4/24/2025 6:48 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports a New York man told federal agents, "I know I’m finished," when he was arrested Thursday on charges that he concealed his leadership role in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 in his applications for a green card and U.S. citizenship, prosecutors said. Faustin Nsabumukunzi, 65, was charged with hiding from U.S. authorities his role as a local leader in Rwanda when the genocide began in 1994. An estimated 800,000 Tutsis were killed during the three-month-long genocide. The indictment of the Bridgehampton man was unsealed in Central Islip on Long Island. At an initial court appearance, Nsabumukunzi pleaded not guilty to visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud and was released on $250,000 bail. The bail package requires home detention and GPS monitoring, but he will be allowed to continue working as a gardener. Evan Sugar, a lawyer for Nsabumukunzi, described his client in an email as "a law-abiding beekeeper and gardener who has lived on Long Island for more than two decades.” He said Nsabumukunzi was "a victim of the Rwandan genocide who lost scores of family members and friends to the violence.” Sugar said Nsabumukunzi was rightfully granted refugee status and lawful permanent residence and planned to "fight these 30-year-old allegations" while maintaining his innocence. In a detention memo seeking detention, prosecutors said interviews of witnesses who knew him in Rwanda indicated that Nsabumukunzi falsely assured Tutsis at public meetings when the genocide began that they would be protected. But, they said, he then, in private meetings, urged Hutus to begin killing Tutsis, the memo says. Prosecutors said witnesses told them that Nsabumukunzi not only participated in the killing of Tutsis, including in his administrative offices, but he also encouraged Hutu men to rape Tutsi women as a genocidal tool. Prosecutors said that when the charges were described to Nsabumukunzi as he was arrested Thursday morning, he responded: "I know I’m finished.” According to the indictment, Nsabumukunzi was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted on genocide charges in absentia by a Rwandan court. He’d been accused of using his leadership position to oversee the killings of Tutsis in his local area.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [4/24/2025 10:25 PM, Angie Orellana Hernandez, 31735K]

Houston Chronicle [4/24/2025 7:18 PM, Samantha Ketterer, 1769K] reports a federal judge in Houston has ordered the U.S. government to temporarily restore the terminated legal status of an Iranian international student at Texas A&M University. Ahmad Beyhaqi is among the foreign students beginning to stack up wins in court. U.S. District Judge David Hittner said Tuesday that Beyhaqi was likely to succeed in his case, where he has alleged that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no authority to terminate his status. "The Supreme Court has made clear that all persons in the United States, including aliens whether their presence here is lawful, unlawful, temporary or permanent enjoy due process constitutional protections," Hittner wrote. Court cases have sprung up across the country as the government has revoked student visas or terminated the legal status of more than a thousand international students through a federal database managed by the Department of Homeland Security. The students say that the database removals are an attempt to coerce them to leave the country as they face confusion about their legal options. Beyhaqi is one of 23 students at Texas A&M facing terminations alongside many others across the state and region, including at Rice University, University of Houston and Houston Community College. Texas A&M officials said Thursday that no students have had their records reinstated by the government. Attorney Caridad Pastor said that Beyhaqi has never been convicted of a crime, though he had a prior dismissed charge. Federal rules grant the Department of Homeland Security limited authority to terminate legal status, however, Pastor said. That can happen in a few circumstances, including publishing a notification in the federal register identifying national security, diplomatic or public safety reasons for termination. Department of Homeland Security officials have since issued statements concerning their authority in the widespread database terminations. Department of State officials may then consider visa revocations and criminal arrests, but "the safest and most efficient option is self-deportation," they have said. One official in a Michigan court hearing last week said that a terminated status in the database doesn’t mean that the status is revoked.

CBS 8 Des Moines [4/24/2025 8:48 PM, Staff, 10000K] reports Afghan refugees in Iowa are facing fear and uncertainty after receiving letters from the Department of Homeland Security instructing them to leave the United States or face deportation. "It’s very, very unfair. And, we are left alone and we are abandoned," said Shir Agha Safi, the director of Afghan Partners in Iowa. Safi speaks for hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan who now call Central Iowa home. He said they received this letter from the Department of Homeland Security, which is sending a wave of terror through their community. The letter states, "It is time for you to leave," and continues, "Do not attempt to remain in the United States — The federal government will find you." "They have the fear of deportation, the trauma, and the terrifying thoughts about being deported to Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban," Safi said. Many refugees fought for the United States against the Taliban during the Afghan War, and now they say they feel double-crossed. "It is betrayal. It is very dishonest," Safi said. The Department of Homeland Security said safety conditions have improved in Afghanistan. In a statement to national news outlets, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, "The Secretary determined that Afghanistan no longer continues to meet the statutory requirements for its Temporary Protected Status designation."

Reuters [4/24/2025 7:00 AM, Tim Cocks, Nellie Peyton, Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke, 41523K] reports U.S. officials have interviewed white South Africans seeking refugee status about their troubles with land disputes, crime and perceived racism, while refugees from other countries are being deported or barred from the United States. Some of the South African applicants have taken part in a first round of interviews in Pretoria, three of them told Reuters, describing positive encounters with U.S. officials who seemed well disposed towards them and their accounts of persecution. More than 30 applicants have already been approved, according to a person familiar with the matter. "The staff at the embassy were exceptionally friendly," said Mark, a South African farmer who did not wish his family name to be published as the process is confidential. "I could feel they had empathy.” The U.S. administration and embassy in Pretoria declined to comment or give numbers of interviews and approvals. U.S. President Donald Trump issued a February 7 executive order that called for the U.S. to resettle Afrikaner refugees. It said Afrikaners, who are descendants of mostly Dutch early settlers, were "victims of unjust racial discrimination". The order came after Trump had suspended all U.S. refugee admissions, citing security and cost concerns. Thousands of Afghans, Congolese and others fleeing conflict were blocked after they had been vetted and cleared. The International Organization for Migration, a U.N. agency that helps people displaced by conflict, natural disasters or other major crises, declined a U.S. administration request to assist in resettling Afrikaners, the person familiar with the matter said. The IOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Accounts from applicants who have been interviewed, the number of people approved so far and the request to the IOM have not previously been reported. Two U.S. refugee officers travelled to Pretoria to conduct interviews, said two U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials, adding that some applicants who said Black South Africans had persecuted them had gained preliminary approval. "I imagine some (applications) will be denied, as we do in all cases," said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss internal details about the process. "But I think there is administrative pressure to approve these.”

CBS Austin [4/24/2025 6:44 PM, Cory Smith, 602K] reports Southern border crossings have plummeted since President Donald Trump took office and began implementing his crackdown on illegal immigration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it recorded its lowest southwest border crossings in history last month. There were under 23,000 southwest border encounters in February and March combined, compared to nearly 380,000 in the same two-month period a year earlier. "THE SOUTHERN BORDER IS NOW THE STRONGEST AND SAFEST IN USA HISTORY. IT WILL REMAIN SO!!!" Trump said Thursday on social media. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, meanwhile, has stepped up interior arrests, targeting illegally present immigrants with criminal backgrounds first. Deportations, especially deportations of violent criminals, have the support of the American people. About a third of Americans want all immigrants living in the country illegally to be deported, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center. A larger share of Americans, just over half, said some, but not all, undocumented immigrants should be deported. And there was nearly unanimous agreement that violent criminals living in the country illegally should be deported. That view was held by 97% of Americans who support some deportations, with no differences between Republicans or Democrats.

Breitbart [4/24/2025 11:45 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2923K] reports that, on Thursday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s "Cuomo," Border Czar Tom Homan stated that Congress needs to make immigration law changes, specifically raising the threshold for asylum claims at the border, allowing for the detention of families for 40 days and allowing for quicker removal of children from other nations. Homan said, "I hope Congress could make some changes. They need to make changes, right? Because what concerns me is, every four years, a new president comes along, issue[s] brand-new executive orders to undo what the previous president did. I wish they’d settle this. Congress could fix three laws that would take 85% of the problem away from the border.” He elaborated, "When you come across the border, you make a claim to asylum, the threshold’s very low, on purpose, because they don’t want to send someone back to be persecuted [in] their homeland. But it’s too low. So, the cartels, they’ll teach them a few key phrases to say and claim and they pass that first interview, but then they get to court — if they go to court — the threshold, much, much higher.” Homan added that "The second thing is the Flores Settlement Agreement" to allow the government to detain families for 40 days. And "If you’re really escaping fear and persecution in your homeland, you shouldn’t have a problem sitting in an open-air family residential center for 40 days and have the judge hear your case.” He concluded, "Finally, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, … the law says this, if you’re a child from Mexico and you come across the border by yourself and we ascertain, through investigation, that you’re not a victim of trafficking, you’re coming across to meet with a family member, whatever, you’re a victim of trafficking, you can be immediately removed to your homeland and back to your family. But if you’re from — and that’s for Mexico and Canada — but if you’re from any other country in the world, we can’t simply return you. You’ve got this multi-year process. So, … treat children all over the world the same as we treat children from Mexico.”

AP [4/24/2025 3:50 PM, Corey Williams] reports a woman from Guatemala says she and her two U.S.-born children were held for nearly a week by customs agents in Detroit after a phone app’s directions to the nearest Costco led them to an international bridge connecting the city to Canada. She now faces removal proceedings in June in immigration court, according to Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. On Thursday, Robinson, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and the ACLU of Michigan called for more accountability and transparency by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on detentions along the nation’s northern border with Canada. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center is representing the Guatemalan woman. Robinson declined to release her name or age, only confirming that she has been in the U.S. about six years, but has no legal status. Her daughters, ages 5 and 1, were born in the U.S. Their father lives in Detroit. They drove onto the bridge’s toll plaza, but didn’t go past the toll booths. They were stopped by CBP agents and taken to a nearby building where she was questioned and fingerprinted. She also signed a form stating she entered the U.S. illegally. She said agents told her she was going to be deported and encouraged her to take her daughters with her back to Guatemala, according to Robinson.

Breitbart [4/24/2025 11:13 PM, Paul Bois, 2923K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly detained hundreds of migrants after trying to reenter the U.S. by mistakenly crossing a one-way bridge to Canada from Detroit. The detentions occurred on a road leading to the Ambassador Bridge, which NPR described as being "notoriously difficult to navigate, even for locals.” “Signage is confusing, perennial construction in the vicinity doesn’t help, and often Detroiters accidentally drive onto it and into a Customs and Border Protection area. NPR has been receiving tips about immigrants and their children detained at the office space by the Ambassador Bridge for months – people who accidentally drive onto the toll plaza, as well as migrants seeking asylum in Canada who are turned back and end up detained in these office spaces for extended periods of time. But lawyers with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and ACLU of Michigan were unable to locate people in detention or who had been held there.” ICE typically detains the migrants when they attempt to cross from Canada back into the United States. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has claimed that as many as 213 people have been detained at the bridge, including families, with at least 90 percent of them having taken a wrong turn onto the bridge. "A wrong turn at the border should not lead to disappearance. It is outrageously cruel and inhumane to hold families at our northern border," Tlaib said in a statement. "We can’t lose our soul as a country and stand by and let this happen to our neighbors. I urge everyone to vigilantly look out for one another, and continue to speak out against this lawless administration that is separating families and disappearing people.” Immigration rights activists have denounced the detentions as kidnappings, while ICE agents have said that some of those detained had connections to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Los Angeles Times [4/24/2025 4:59 PM, Laurence Darmiento, 13342K] reports imports at the Port of Los Angeles are expected to plunge in the next two weeks, even as negotiations over the final tariffs that China and other countries must pay are still being negotiated by President Trump. That was the sobering message that port Executive Director Gene Seroka had Thursday for the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners during an update on port activity. "It’s my prediction that in two weeks’ time, arrivals will drop by 35% as essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased, and cargo coming out of Southeast Asia locations is much softer than normal," Seroka told the board. Figures from Wabtec Corp., which tracks port cargo, predict the slowdown in container volume hitting as soon as next week. That’s when 17 vessels are scheduled to arrive with 85,486 20-foot-equivalents (TEUs) of goods, down 28.6% from this week and 10.5% from last year. The decline will continue the following week, when 16 vessels are supposed to arrive carrying 74,925 TEUs, down nearly 33% from last year, according to Wabtec. The drop-off follows a period of higher import volume as companies tried to get ahead of the tariffs. Seroka pointed to the current 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods and the 10% across-the-board tariffs that apply to nearly all nations as suppressing demand from U.S. retailers and manufacturers. And even though Trump on April 9 announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs many nations may have to pay, Seroka said, "that’s not a lot of lead time for the industry to make decisions on procurement, manufacturing, locations or sourcing.”

Newsweek [4/24/2025 6:52 PM, Mandy Taheri, 52200K] reports Cliona Ward, a 54-year-old green card holder who has lived in the United States for more than four decades, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at San Francisco International Airport on April 21 upon her delivery of requested documents, her sister Orla Holladay told Newsweek. Holladay said that Ward’s detention was triggered by her previous nearly 20-year old criminal record, which the family believes has been expunged. Newsweek has been unable to verify and confirm if both her federal and state record has been expunged. Newsweek has reached out to CBP for comment via email on Thursday. Ward’s detention comes amid an immigration crackdown under the Trump administration, during which people with valid documentation—including green cards or visas—have been detained and face legal jeopardy. President Donald Trump vowed to prevent illegal immigrants with criminal histories or backgrounds from entering and staying in the U.S. He has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history and has detained and deported thousands of people in recent months. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) says that a green card holder has the right to live permanently in the U.S. provided they do not commit any actions that "would make you removable under immigration law." This includes breaking laws and not filing taxes. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek: "The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws—something the previous administration failed to do. Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained and removed as required."

AP [4/25/2025 1:33 AM, Rob Gillies and Jim Morris, 48304K] reports Diana and Rick Bellamy initially planned to take a Caribbean cruise out of Houston before heading to Laurel, Mississippi, to visit the home of one of their favorite HGTV shows, “Home Town.” The Calgary couple scrapped those plans and vacationed last month along Mexico’s Pacific coast instead, put off by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, the insults he’s hurled at their homeland, and stories about American border agents searching people’s phones and detaining foreigners for minor reasons. She found it ironic that she felt more comfortable traveling to Mexico than the U.S. “I never thought I would hear myself say that,” Diane Bellamy said. Trump’s attacks on Canada’s economy and threats to make it the 51st state have infuriated Canadians, who are canceling trips to the U.S. in big numbers. They also seem to have also flipped the narrative heading into Canada’s parliamentary elections on Monday, with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party surging after trailing far behind in the polls just a few months ago. The U.S. gets more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, which said the 20.4 million visits from Canada last year generated $20.5 billion in spending. But there has been a big drop in foreigners traveling to the U.S. since Trump took office, and Canadians are no exception. There were more than 910,000 fewer land border crossings from Canada into the U.S. last month than in March of 2024 — a more than 22% drop — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. An Air Canada spokesman, meanwhile, said Canada-U.S. flight bookings for April through September are down about 10%. Trump brushed aside the decline in tourism to the United States on Wednesday, saying, “There’s a little nationalism there I guess, perhaps. It’s not a big deal.” Since Trump started his second term, there have been well-publicized reports of tourists being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held for weeks at immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense. On March 3, Canadian Jasmine Mooney, an actor and entrepreneur on a U.S. work visa, was detained by U.S. border agents in San Diego. She was released after 12 days detention. Before Mooney’s release, British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed concern, saying: “It certainly reinforces anxiety that ... many Canadians have about our relationship with the U.S. right now, and the unpredictability of this administration and its actions.”

New York Times [4/24/2025 8:13 PM, Ephrat Livni, 145325K] reports tariffs are not the only threat to business for big companies selling coffee in the United States. On Thursday, a watchdog group petitioned the Trump administration to block coffee imports that it says are produced with forced labor akin to modern-day slavery in Brazil, the world’s largest coffee grower. The petition to Customs and Border Protection, filed by the nonprofit Coffee Watch, names Starbucks, by far the largest coffee retailer in the country, as well as Nestle, Dunkin’, Illy, McDonald’s and Jacobs Douwe Egberts, the owner of Peet’s, as companies that rely on potentially dubious sources. It asks the Trump administration not to allow distribution of any imports from Brazil that “wholly or in part” rely on human trafficking and forced labor. “This isn’t about a few bad actors,” Etelle Higonnet, the founder and director of Coffee Watch, said in a statement. “We’re exposing an entrenched system that traps millions in extreme poverty and thousands in outright slavery.” The request for U.S. action was filed a day after another group, International Rights Advocates, sued Starbucks in federal court on behalf of eight Brazilians who were trafficked and forced to toil in “slavery-like conditions,” said Terry Collingsworth, a human rights lawyer and the founder of the group. The suit seeks certification as a class action representing thousands of workers who it says have faced the same plight while harvesting coffee for a major Starbucks supplier and regional growers’ cooperative in Brazil called Cooxupé. “Starbucks needs to be accountable,” Mr. Collingsworth said in an interview, adding that “there is a massive trafficking and forced labor system in Brazil” that the company benefits from. Amber Stafford, a spokeswoman for Starbucks, denied the allegations and said the company was committed to ethical sourcing, including helping to protect the rights of people who work on the farms its coffee comes from. “The cornerstone of our work is our Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices verification program, which was developed with outside experts and includes robust third-party verification and audits,” she said in an email. Mr. Collingsworth contends that despite the verification program, the company has not made its practices transparent. The lawsuit, he said, will help his group get more information about the company’s supply chains.

Reported similarly:
AP [4/24/2025 4:01 PM, Staff, 48304K]

AP [4/24/2025 4:15 PM, Geoff Mulvihill] reports most adults catching a flight in the U.S. starting May 7 will be required to present a passport or an upgraded state-issued identification card that meets federal REAL ID standards. Officials in at least one state have requested another extension before enforcement begins. People will also be required to carry the new IDs or a passport to enter secure federal facilities such as military bases or to get into nuclear power plants. The Department of Homeland Security said in a report earlier this year that 56% of IDs in circulation nationally met the requirements as of January 2024. In 16 states, more than three in five IDs met the new standards, while the number was below two out of five in 22 states. About 81% of people flying recently have shown ID that would work once the new requirements kick in, according to a recent statement by Homeland Security.

Univision [4/24/2025 4:38 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports for reasons of federal security and compliance, from May 7, 2025, it will be mandatory to present a Royal ID-compatible identification Real IDto board flights within the United States, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), in coordination with the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works and the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of Motor Vehicles. The U.S. is making an urgent appeal to travelers to update their identifications before the new REAL ID federal requirement comes into effect. As of May 7, 2025, state IDs that do not meet Real ID standards will not be accepted at the TSA’s security checkpoints. This applies to all passengers over the age of 18 who travel by air within the United States, including those enrolled in the TSA PreCheck program. The only valid alternative will be to present another form of identification accepted by the TSA, such as a valid passport. With the high travel season approaching in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The TSA’s approach is to enforce the Real ID effectively and efficiently, said Mariely Loperena Moure, TSA’s Federal Director of Security for both jurisdictions. I urge you to get your REAL ID out. If they are unable to obtain a compatible ID by May 7, they will have to use their passport or other acceptable form of identification, or they may face additional delays and revisions.

CNN [4/25/2025 5:00 AM, Gabe Cohen and Ella Nilsen, 22131K] reports Trump emergency management officials are discussing reforms that would make it much harder for communities to qualify for federal disaster assistance, honoring President Donald Trump’s executive order to shift more responsibility for disaster response and recovery to states rather than the federal government. A memo from acting FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton, a Trump appointee, obtained by CNN, outlines a long list of recommendations for Trump to follow that could drastically reduce the number of emergency declarations the president approves and the amount of federal assistance doled out to cities and states hit by natural disasters. Such a change ahead of what are typically the worst months for natural disasters across the US could pose significant problems for states that are unprepared to foot the bill and for the millions of Americans impacted by disasters every year. Most notably, the memo, sent to an official with the White House Office of Management and Budget, proposes dramatically raising the threshold for states to qualify for public assistance, effectively quadrupling the amount of damage a community must suffer in order to receive federal aid. The proposal also recommends reducing the share of recovery costs the federal government will pay, limiting the types of facilities eligible for assistance and denying all major disaster declarations for snowstorms. "The primary purpose of this memorandum is to identify short-term actions to rebalance FEMA’s role in disasters before the start of the 2025 hurricane season," Hamilton writes in the memo, which is part of the administration’s ongoing effort to dramatically shrink the disaster relief agency’s footprint and cut federal costs for disasters. At this point, there’s no clear indication that FEMA or the White House are following the recommendations outlined in Hamilton’s proposal. CNN has reached out to The White House Office of Management and Budget, FEMA, and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, for comment. While the effort to reduce the burden on the federal government is not without its supporters, some worry that the proposed changes are too much, too soon. "Is it going in a direction that it needs to go? Yeah, I think so. But going there immediately is going to be very painful," former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, who served under the Obama administration, said of the proposed changes.

Reuters [4/24/2025 7:08 PM, Luc Cohen, 41523K] reports the Trump administration said on Thursday the Federal Emergency Management Agency had made more than $2.2 billion in payments to a group of states over the past three weeks, meaning it was in compliance with a judge’s order blocking an earlier sweeping pause of federal grants, loans and other financial aid. U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, ruled on April 4 that Republican President Donald Trump’s administration had violated his order because FEMA had halted disbursements since early February for a "manual review" of grants without any clear end date. The administration on Thursday submitted to McConnell a list of payments FEMA made to the 22 states and the District of Columbia, whose Democratic attorneys general brought the case, since McConnell’s ruling. In a court filing, Justice Department lawyers said FEMA was already working to process the payments before the court’s order. "Defendants respectfully submit that they have fully complied with the Court’s Order," the government lawyers wrote. The lawsuit is led by New York and Rhode Island. Other plaintiff states include California, Illinois and Massachusetts. Since taking office on January 20, Trump has taken a flurry of executive actions aiming to overhaul everything from government spending to immigration enforcement to the government’s relationships with universities. The administration faces more than 200 legal challenges to those policies, and Democrats and some legal observers say the administration has dragged its feet in complying with unfavorable judicial rulings.

Reuters [4/24/2025 7:05 PM, Leah Douglas, 41523K] reports the U.S. agency that manages disasters plans to require nearly all employees, including full-time headquarters and regional staff, to be deployed to emergency zones, according to a draft memo to agency employees seen by Reuters. This spring, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will assign all full-time employees roles in leading, managing and supporting disaster response and recovery, according to the draft memo dated "April xx, 2025," from acting head Cam Hamilton to all employees. "This memo redefines the emergency management categories, outlining how every employee within FEMA has a role in emergency management," the memo says. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has said it will move FEMA’s disaster preparedness work to state and local governments. He has floated shuttering the agency altogether. Experts have warned that shrinking or reorganizing FEMA could leave local and state governments more vulnerable to natural disasters, such as this year’s wildfires in California and severe flooding in West Virginia. The notion that FEMA office staff could be called on to support disaster response is not new, but mandatory deployment minimums will likely create anxiety for them, said Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff under the Obama and Biden administrations.

(B) CNN News Central [4/24/2025 7:40 AM, Staff] reports that there is growing concern that hundreds of FEMA workers are headed for the door. For months, President Trump and his allied have been bashing FEMA, saying its duties should be handed over to the states. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem even promising to eliminate the agency altogether. Some of FEMA’s most experienced and knowledgeable leaders are among those set to leave. Roughly 1000 FEMA workers, about 20% of the permanent full-time workforce at the agency, are expected to take the latest DOGE voluntary buyout.

New York Times [4/24/2025 5:53 PM, Amy Graff, 145325K] reports thunderstorms are expected across parts of the central United States on Thursday, with large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and a couple of tornadoes all expected to be in the mix. Forecasters with the National Weather Service said these storms were typical for late spring and not nearly as severe as those that caused historic flooding at the beginning of the month, but they also warned that the storms could be unpredictable. Thursday’s thunderstorms are part of a stormy weather pattern that has persisted this week and is typical for late spring. Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, said the thunderstorms were scattered and unpredictable because they’re associated with several smaller storm systems moving east rather than with a single big one. “You have a strong storm, it’s more predictable,” and you know where the heaviest rain might be, Mr. Chenard said. “We don’t have a strong storm, but we still have enough instability and moisture to get thunderstorms.” He said a cluster of thunderstorms that dumped rain over Louisiana on Thursday morning exemplified the volatility of the weather right now. “It wasn’t expected to be there, and it just flared up and it was there,” he said. Thunderstorm activity is expected to continue into Friday, but Mr. Chenard said the threats were expected to move east into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and portions of the Mid-Atlantic. “At this point, tomorrow is not looking to be as severe,” he said.

CBS New York [4/24/2025 7:37 PM, Kristie Keleshian and Matthew Villafane, 51661K] Video: HERE reports New York City is under an Air Quality Health Advisory on Thursday as the wildfire in Ocean County, N.J. continues to burn. The advisory is in effect until midnight. New York City isn’t the only area impacted by the wildfire smoke. A hazy sky hovered over the entire region. A National Weather Service Air Quality Alert covered New York City, Long Island, and even Central New York. "Smoke itself is a big irritant that just goes into the lung and causes inflammation. So there could be many things that people are breathing in that could affect people differently, " Dr. Swapnil Patel of Jersey Shore Medical Center said. With summer-like weather Thursday, people were out trying to enjoy the day, even as the Air Quality Index, or AQI, reached levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, like those with asthma, COPD, children and older adults. "When these advisories are issued, that really is a sign that you need to start paying attention," New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said. "Itchy throat, trouble breathing, you’re outside for long periods of time and then you start to feel some symptoms, make sure you’re going inside.” The Air Quality Alert isn’t a call for everyone to stay inside, but rather to remain cautious and aware, even when staying inside. "We smelled it in the house. We did feel it a little bit, so we did close the windows. We had them open because it was such a beautiful day," Freehold resident Maxine Grank said. David Paredes and his friends were out enjoying the day, But since Paredes has asthma, he stayed cautious. "Kind of feels like you have a powder in your throat, or it gets hard to breathe. Like, the airways and stuff, they get kind of clogged," Paredes said. Patel recommends keeping an eye on at-home air filtration devices, and making sure their internal filters are changed. "The higher quality filters are going to do a better job of course, so you want to look at the quality of filter you have. But make sure you change it, especially after a fire episode, just to make sure the air inside of your house stays clean as well," Patel said.

Reuters [4/24/2025 12:37 PM, Katharine Jackson and Doyinsola Oladipo, 41523K] reports a New Jersey teenager has been charged with arson in connection with a wildfire in the Pinelands region that has already scorched 15,000 acres and could grow into the largest blaze in the state since 2007, prosecutors said on Thursday. The Jones Road Wildfire, which started on Tuesday morning in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area in Ocean County, was caused by an improperly extinguished bonfire, the Ocean County prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Joseph Kling, 19, was charged with arson and aggravated arson in connection with the blaze, which spread to at least 15,000 acres and destroyed a commercial building, officials said in a statement. "Kling was the individual responsible for setting wooden pallets on fire – and then leaving the area without the fire being fully extinguished," the statement said. The fire, which was burning in an unpopulated area halfway between Asbury Park and Atlantic City, was 50% contained as of Wednesday evening, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, but "soaking rainfall" would be needed to fully extinguish it, officials said.

Washington Examiner [4/24/2025 6:33 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 2296K] reports Arkansas is appealing the Trump administration’s decision to deny Federal Emergency Management Agency funding after the state was slammed by some of the worst tornadoes it has seen since 1997 last month. The state’s congressional delegation sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reconsider, while Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) has filed an appeal. "As Governor Sanders noted in her request, these storms caused catastrophic damage across the state, resulting in disastrous amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the deaths of three Arkansans, and injuries to many more," Arkansas’s two senators and four House members, all Republicans, wrote in an April 21 letter to Trump. "Given the cumulative impact and sheer magnitude of destruction from these severe weather events, federal assistance is vital to ensure that state and local communities have the capabilities needed to rebuild.” Sanders appealed FEMA’s decision on April 18. She formerly worked for Trump in his first administration as White House press secretary. "Arkansas communities are still recovering from this spring’s tornadoes, as the sheer magnitude of this event resulted in overwhelming amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the tragic loss of three lives, and injuries to many others," Sanders said in a statement. "To relieve the burden on these counties, cities, and towns, I am appealing FEMA’s decision to deny Arkansas’ Major Disaster Declaration request.”

Reported similarly:
The Hill [4/24/2025 3:29 PM, Lauren Irwin, 12829K]
NewsMax [4/24/2025 5:42 PM, Mark Swanson, 4998K]

AP [4/24/2025 5:24 PM, Staff, 5046K] reports a wildfire burning in a rugged, wooded area of Nebraska grew to more than 6,600 acres but by Thursday hundreds of firefighters managed to contain about 40% of the blaze. The Plum Creek Fire started Monday afternoon from a controlled burn that got out of hand, said Jessica Pozehl, deputy emergency manager for Brown and Rock counties. The fire, which has burned 6,631 acres (2,683 hectares), is mainly in steep, rugged canyon ground and also some grassy areas, she said. Johnstown, population 60 people, is the closest town to the fire in the Sandhills in the north-central part of the state. Some structures might be endangered, but no one’s residence was in danger as of Thursday morning, Pozehl said. More than 50 fire departments, joined by National Guard members, were fighting the blaze at its height, as many as 200 to 250 people, she said. In recent days, responders used two planes to drop fire retardant, and two National Guard Black Hawk helicopters were dropping water on Wednesday and Thursday, Pozehl said. The fire has killed 45 cattle and destroyed a cabin, according to Gov. Jim Pillen ‘s office. The governor issued a statewide burn ban and authorized the Nebraska National Guard to send 29 soldiers and airmen to help volunteer fire departments.

Telemundo20 [4/24/2025 3:59 PM, Staff, 41K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday the offloading of 8,500 kilograms of cocaine, nearly 19,000 pounds, valued at more than $200 million, seized in a joint effort by the crews of the Kimball and the Coast Guard Cutter Forward between February 2025 and April in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The drugs were seized during six separate interdictions or events involving drug trafficking vessels off the coasts of Mexico, Central America, and South America, the Coast Guard reported. Captain Robert Kinsey, commanding officer of the Kimball, said the offloading is the result of a Joint Interagency Task Force package, approved by dedicated professionals who joined forces to intercept more than nine tons of pure cocaine, denying the cartels an estimated $215 million in profits. FOX 5 [4/24/2025 5:13 PM, Rhea Caoile] reports that the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Kimball offloaded the drugs at the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal located at 1800 Crosby Rd. They were joined by officials from the San Diego field offices of the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations. Authorities said the cocaine was collected from six separate instances related to suspected drug smuggling off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. Those interdictions were conducted by the Coast Guard cutters Kimball and Forward from February through April. A total of 18 suspected smugglers were detained during the operations, according to USCG.

ABC 12 New Bern [4/24/2025 12:10 PM, Alberto Cardoso] reports U.S. Representative Don Davis and U.S. Representative Don Bacon introduced H.R. 2973, the "Coast Guard Combat-Injured Tax Fairness Act," an act which ensures U.S. Coast Guard veterans receive the full benefits they earned through their service by closing a loophole in an existing law that failed to provide U.S. Coast Guard service members with the tax breaks afforded to other active duty personnel. "It is essential that we prioritize the well-being of our U.S. Coast Guard combat-injured veterans, closing this loophole and ensuring they receive full benefits,” said Congressman Don Davis. “We must not stop advocating passionately for our U.S. Coast Guard veterans, who have devoted their lives to serving our country. Together, we must work to ensure no veteran is left behind."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [4/24/2025 4:02 PM, Claire Reid] reports an anonymous donor has stepped up to pay for at least part of the removal of Deep Thought, the abandoned boat that’s been stuck near Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach for more than six months, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said on Wednesday morning. Jerry Guyer, owner of local salvage company Jerry’s Silo Marina, estimated the boat’s removal will cost at least $25,000. Guyer’s team began working to remove the boat around 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Guyer hoped the boat could be removed by the end of the day if the weather cooperates, but, by day’s end, it wasn’t removed. In October, U.S. Coast Guard officials said they wouldn’t immediately try to remove the boat because no lives were in danger and the vessel didn’t pose a risk of pollution or floating away. Officials said it would be the boat’s owners’ responsibility to pay a commercial towing and salvage company to remove it.

Hawaii News Now [4/24/2025 10:14 PM, Staff, 877K] reports a U.S. Coast Guard cutter based in Honolulu offloaded Thursday nearly 19,000 pounds of cocaine in San Diego following a string of busts. Coast Guard officials said the drugs were recovered when two of its cutters, Honolulu-based Kimball and Atlanta-based Forward, intercepted six separate suspected drug smuggling vessels while patrolling the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. The interceptions occurred February through April. Authorities said the estimated value of the cocaine is more than $214.3 million. The Coast Guard said it continues to work with multiple federal agencies and allied partners around the region in the fight against drug cartels and narcotics trafficking.

Reported similarly:
Maritime Executive [4/24/2025 8:26 PM, Staff, 325K]
Island News [4/24/2025 9:36 PM, Staff]

NewsMax [4/24/2025 3:22 PM, Michael Katz, 4998K] reports the Navy suspended the search for a sailor who disappeared April 18 after the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier made a scheduled port call at Naval Base Guam. The search for Gabriel Holt was halted at 9 a.m. Thursday and his family was notified, the Navy Times reported. Guam police wrote in an Instagram post April 19 that Holt was last seen at 11:57 p.m. local time on April 18 between the Nikko Hotel and Gun Beach on the northwestern side of the island, about 16 miles north of Naval Base Guam. The Navy said in a news release that it searched for 120 hours, spanning more than 11,000 square nautical sea miles, using crews from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25, P-8 Poseidon aircraft from Commander Task Force 72, the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Oliver Henry, Station Apra Harbor’s 45-foot Response Boat-Mediums, and Guam Fire Rescue’s coastal and offshore teams.

CyberScoop [4/24/2025 6:54 PM, Tim Starks] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will soon have a new second-in-command. Madhu Gottumukkala has been named deputy director. He comes over to CISA from his prior position in the South Dakota government, where Kristi Noem was most recently governor before taking over as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Gottumukkala had been commissioner of the Bureau of Information and Telecommunication (BIT) and state chief information officer. He’ll leave BIT on May 16. A CISA spokesperson confirmed that Gottumukkala would become deputy director of the agency. “Serving the people of South Dakota as State Chief Information Officer and Commissioner of BIT has been one of the greatest honors of my career,” Gottumukkala said in a statement Thursday. “I look forward to continuing to protect and strengthen the nation’s digital and physical infrastructure at a time when it matters most.”

Federal News Network [4/24/2025 6:31 PM, Justin Doubleday, 1089K] reports about 130 probationary employees at CISA have been on administrative leave since they were reinstated in March. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is extending deferred resignation offers to CISA probationary employees who were fired and then reinstated. The cyber agency has expanded eligibility for the Department of Homeland Security’s "Workforce Transition Program" to many of its reinstated probationary employees, according to an email viewed by Federal News Network. Employees are eligible if they complete their probationary period by April 28; were a federal employee who completed a probationary or trial period prior to joining CISA; or have one year of competitive service or two years of excepted service before joining CISA. The newly eligible employees have until the end of the day on April 28 to take a deferred resignation, a voluntary separation incentive payment, or voluntary early retirement, depending on their age and tenure. DHS opened the "Workforce Transition Program" to many employees on April 7, but the agency told the reinstated probationary employees they could not participate. The deadline for most other DHS employees to take one of the options was April 14. CISA fired approximately 130 probationary employees in February as part of a wave of terminations across DHS and the federal government. After a court order, CISA reinstated the employees in March. They have been placed on administrative leave ever since. Many fired probationary staff across the federal government have been in limbo since being reinstated. It’s unclear whether other DHS components have extended the offer to their reinstated probationary employees.

The Hill [4/24/2025 2:30 PM, Ashiya Brown, 12829K] reports since the 2020 election, concerns centering on our elections have been at the forefront of national discourse. These concerns, fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud and anti-voter conspiracy theories have led to a variety of false narratives and situations we’ve found ourselves within, including the infamous fake elector scheme, the debunked "2000 Mules" film and numerous legal battles involving those who seek to alter the course of democracy. The echo of disinformation about our elections continues to reverberate, and it remains crucial for voters and officials alike to address the very real and present issue of protecting our elections. Despite it all, one thing is clear: The systems that protect our elections are working. One way we can affirm this stance is through the efforts of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. This agency within the Department of Homeland Security has played a pivotal role in securing America’s elections, from monitoring emerging cybersecurity threats and developing strategies to combat disinformation, to helping county and state election officials run free and fair elections. Despite this, the Trump administration is planning to gut it by firing up to thousands of employees and cutting its budget by as much as 90 percent. This would be an unequivocal disaster for our nation’s cybersecurity, and our elections would face vulnerabilities like we’ve never seen before. For the sake of our democracy, this agency’s work safeguarding our elections must be preserved.

Washington Times [4/24/2025 3:17 PM, Stephen Dinan, 1814K] reports the Justice Department’s announcement this week of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictments against Tren de Aragua made a statement not just about the 27 people charged but also about the organization, reach and violence of a gang that the government now deems a terrorist organization. Authorities connected members of Tren de Aragua and an offshoot, known as Anti Tren, to carjacking, extortion, sex trafficking and murder, along with lots of guns. Two days later, the department unsealed its first indictment bringing terrorism charges against an alleged Tren de Aragua member. Prosecutors said Jose Enrique Martinez Flores provided "material support" to Tren de Aragua and sought to import large amounts of cocaine into the U.S. "Tren de Aragua is not just a street gang. It is a highly structured terrorist organization that has destroyed American families with brutal violence, engaged in human trafficking, and spread deadly drugs through our communities," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in announcing the RICO indictments. That vision of the gang challenges the claims of immigration advocacy groups, which have argued in court that the Trump administration is overselling the danger from the Venezuelan gang in a xenophobic effort to scare Americans into accepting precarious immigration policies. Rebecca Hanson, an assistant sociology and criminology professor at the University of Florida, told a judge in court filings that Tren de Aragua is "a loose, disorganized group" that "has no structured presence in the United States.” "The TdA is a relatively new gang with limited resources and therefore relatively limited capacity as compared to peer gangs," she said.

Daily Caller [4/24/2025 7:26 PM, Hudson Crozier, 1082K] reports a think tank tasked with creating a database on "targeted violence" is appealing a sudden stop in federal funding, arguing the Trump administration is killing a "critical resource" for law enforcement. But the data portrayed a seemingly slanted picture of political extremism, the Daily Caller News Foundation found. The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) was awarded $3.5 million from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to document "violent events" in the U.S., but President Donald Trump’s DHS has cut the funding, according to START’s website. The DCNF reviewed the database before START shut it down in March and found that it linked Trump’s near-assassination in Pennsylvania to "anti-immigration" views, highlighted attacks on LGBTQ flags and left out examples of anti-Israel violence at universities. START’s database also emphasized ideologies commonly seen as right-wing, despite START’s self-professed goal to give government officials a clear picture of extremism in the U.S. The think tank previously came under fire for a study that put a pro-life group on a list of "terrorist" entities but kept receiving federal funds, including more than $315,000 for its new database before Trump’s freeze. START lamented in a March 25 statement that it "will not be able to move forward with plans to use the data to train more than 15,000 state, local, and territorial law enforcement officers.” Ryan Mauro, who studies national security issues for Capital Research Center, said START’s work reflects broader problems among so-called extremism experts. Many such experts are now losing federal dollars by the millions under Trump. "There is a major political echo chamber in the world of counter-terrorism studies," Mauro told the DCNF. He has also advised federal agencies and other government offices.

Axios [4/24/2025 9:07 PM, Sareen Habeshian, 13163K] reports federal prosecutors told a court Thursday they intend to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man charged with murder in connection to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year. The move formalizes Attorney General Pam Bondi’s direction to prosecutors earlier this month. Mangione has since been indicted on federal charges that include murder through the use of a firearm, which could make him eligible for the death penalty. Thursday’s filing by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office comes before Mangione’s scheduled arraignment Friday. Mangione, who is facing federal and state charges, has pleaded not guilty to murder and terrorism charges in New York City. He faces the federal charges of murder and stalking but has yet to enter a plea. Mangione’s alleged crime and arrest attracted nationwide attention and sparked mass debate over America’s health care system. Thompson was shot and killed on Dec. 4 outside a midtown Manhattan hotel while in the city for a UnitedHealthcare investor meeting. Following a dayslong manhunt, Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on separate charges.

CBS News [4/24/2025 6:52 PM, Elyssa Kaufman, Todd Feurer, Sabrina Franza, 51661K] Video HERE reports the man who admitted to killing seven people and wounding 48 others in the 2022 Highland Park July 4th parade mass shooting will spend the rest of his life in prison. Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti on Thursday sentenced Robert Crimo III to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole – one for each of the people he killed. Rossetti also sentenced Crimo to an additional 50 years each of 48 counts of attempted murder he faced; those 48 sentences will be served concurrently. While a life sentence was mandatory for Crimo after he pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges, CBS News Chicago Legal Analyst Irv Miller said holding a full sentencing hearing with evidence from prosecutors and victim impact statements would "basically guarantee that her decision today cannot be appealed by a higher court." Miller said sentencing Crimo to consecutive life terms also will make it difficult for a future governor to give him clemency. "She basically said this defendant has absolutely no chance to be rehabilitated at any time in the future. That basically took the wind out of the sails for any future governor coming in and saying, ‘Oh, he’s rehabilitated. I’m going to let him out of jail,’" he said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/25/2025 12:16 AM, Jasmine Baehr, 46189K] reports the Trump administration is applauding a major move by a key South American ally in the global fight against terrorism. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement congratulating Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña for officially labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization – a decision the U.S. calls a critical blow to Iran’s terror network in the Western Hemisphere. "The United States welcomes President Santiago Peña’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization," said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. In addition to the IRGC designation, Paraguay also expanded its 2019 designations of the armed wings of Hezbollah and Hamas to include the entirety of both organizations. The Trump administration hailed it as a firm stand against Iranian-backed extremism. "Iran remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world and has financed and directed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally, through its IRGC-Qods Force and proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas," Bruce said. The decision is particularly significant in the Tri-Border Area, the region where Paraguay borders Argentina and Brazil, which has long been considered a financial hub for Hezbollah-linked operatives. The State Department said Paraguay’s action will help cut off the Iranian regime’s ability to fund terrorism and operate in Latin America. "The important steps Paraguay has taken will help cut off the ability of the Iranian regime and its proxies to plot terrorist attacks and raise money for its malignant and destabilizing activity," Bruce added, highlighting the Tri-Border Area as a critical front in this effort. The Trump administration said it plans to build on this momentum and continue working with allies to confront Iran’s global influence. "The United States will continue to work with partners such as Paraguay to confront global security threats," Bruce said. "We call on all countries to hold the Iranian regime accountable and prevent its operatives, recruiters, financiers, and proxies from operating in their territories.”

Washington Post [4/24/2025 5:33 PM, Perry Stein, 31735K] reports Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on social media that she has asked the Justice Department to investigate alleged “intelligence community LEAKS” by people she described as “deep-state criminals.” Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff posted separately on X that “two intelligence community leakers” had been referred to the Justice Department, with a third referral on its way. The aide, Alexa Henning, said one of the leaks included information published in a recent Washington Post article on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The Justice Department declined to comment. It is not uncommon for U.S. intelligence agencies to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department when classified information appears in media reports. When that happens, the department decides whether to investigate the matter or pursue criminal charges. “Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end. Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Gabbard wrote on X on Wednesday. “These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine POTUS’ agenda.” Gabbard, who coordinates the work of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, suggested in her post that the people allegedly involved in leaking information are still employed by the government. She has said the Trump administration will aggressively investigate people at U.S. spy agencies who leak information to the public. But she has provided no details about how the administration intends to stop disclosures of sensitive national security information, a problem that has vexed past presidents.

Reuters [4/24/2025 8:03 AM, Gram Slattery, 41523K] reports at least 20 people have been fired from the White House National Security Council in recent weeks, a broader exodus than previously reported, leaving parts of the key national security body thinly staffed, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. At least 15 dismissals occurred around the first week of April, when Laura Loomer, a conservative influencer, presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a list of NSC officials she perceived to be disloyal. There have been additional firings since then, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters. While Trump administration officials have long envisioned a pared down NSC focused on a few core missions, multiple NSC directorates now have few or no staff, including those overseeing Latin America policy, international organizations and legislative affairs. The NSC dismissals, which have affected offices overseeing every subject area from South Asian affairs to biosecurity, are the latest example of personnel turmoil within America’s national security establishment, including at the Pentagon and the State Department. One NSC staffer working on resilience - an area of national security focused on preparing for foreign attacks and natural disasters - was removed as recently as Friday, the sources said. The National Security Council is the main body used by presidents to coordinate national security strategy. Its staff often make key decisions regarding America’s approach to the world’s most volatile conflicts and play a key role in keeping America safe. Some NSC personnel turnover is normal in any new administration. Trump administration officials have publicly said they were planning for more staff changes at the NSC than is typical to ensure that all staff are loyal to the president. Some of the individuals dismissed served in the administration of President Joe Biden. But not all dismissed staff have been holdovers, and several sources close to the NSC have privately complained about a lack of clarity from the Presidential Personnel Office - essentially the White House’s human resources department - about why some individuals have been axed. The NSC said it is committed to Trump’s policy agenda, but that it would not otherwise comment on personnel matters. "All employees of the National Security Council work at the pleasure of the president and we are committed to ensuring President Trump’s America First agenda is being implemented," said NSC spokesman Brian Hughes. Some of the changes - for example, firing staff at the directorate for international organizations - seem to align with the priorities Trump administration, which is skeptical of multilateral organizations.

Washington Post [4/24/2025 7:58 PM, Dan Lamothe, 31735K] reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff departed his post Thursday, he said, the latest twist in an extended period of turmoil at the Pentagon that has included infighting among Hegseth’s advisers, the firing of at least three political appointees and deepening scrutiny of the secretary’s stewardship of the government’s largest agency. Joe Kasper, the departing chief of staff, leaves the role voluntarily and will become a part-time special government employee with a focus on science, technology and industry, he told Washington Post, though his exact role and title were not yet clear. The designation means he may work up to 130 days as a government employee in any one 365-day period, in similar fashion to a role that billionaire Elon Musk has held in the Trump administration while overseeing dramatic cuts to the federal government. Kasper had been discussing the move with colleagues for weeks, and Hegseth appeared to allude to the possibility in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. Kasper, he said, is a "great American," and was "certainly not fired.” Sean Parnell, a spokesman for Hegseth, did not respond to a request for comment. Kasper’s final departure had been forecast for days, and it was reported earlier by Politico. His exit follows weeks of friction between him and Hegseth’s other senior advisers, and questions about how the Pentagon is being managed under the former Fox News personality and the leadership he assembled upon taking office just three months ago. The spate of departures and firings — which also have targeted nearly a dozen senior military officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Navy’s top admiral — is a mark of disruption and instability the likes of which the Pentagon has seldom experienced.

Reported similarly:
USA Today [4/24/2025 9:33 PM, Tom Vanden Brook and Michael Loria, 75858K]

The Hill [4/24/2025 1:55 PM, Ellen Mitchell, 12829K] reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly directed a desktop computer in his Pentagon office be installed with the messaging app Signal, adding another layer to the controversy around his use of the encrypted messaging app, multiple outlets reported Thursday. Hegseth earlier this year effectively “cloned” the Signal app on his personal cellphone to his computer as a way to get around blocks on the messaging app in classified areas, and to message people outside the Pentagon, The Washington Post first reported. Personal cell phones and electronics are not allowed in classified areas of the Pentagon. Three people familiar with the matter told the outlet Hegseth and his aides discussed how they could bypass the lack of cellphone service in the Pentagon and more quickly connect with the White House and other top Trump officials using Signal. Hegseth has two computers in his office, one for personal use and another that is government-issued, one of the people familiar with the matter told The Post. When emailed by The Hill, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell denied the Signal usage on Hegseth’s computer. “The Secretary of Defense’s use of communications systems and channels is classified. However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer,” Parnell said in a statement.

Wall Street Journal [4/24/2025 6:13 PM, Nancy A. Youssef, Alexander Ward, and Vera Bergengruen, 646K] Video: HERE reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was rattled. Word had leaked that he was planning a classified briefing for Elon Musk on China, a revelation that infuriated President Trump and raised alarms inside the Pentagon given Musk’s business ties to Beijing. “I’ll hook you up to a f—ing polygraph!” Hegseth shouted at Adm. Christopher Grady, the then-acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to two people familiar with the exchange. Hegseth demanded proof that Grady hadn’t leaked news of the March 21 briefing. Grady was never subjected to a polygraph, and Hegseth would go on to accuse a number of other people for the leak, including Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, the Joint Staff director, who Hegseth also threatened with a polygraph test. But for Hegseth, the episode marked a turning point in an already rocky tenure. Coming just days after revelations that the former Fox News host had shared sensitive military information in unsecured group chats on Signal, the leaks deepened his frustrations and eroded his trust in his close circle of advisers, the officials say. Problems only snowballed from there. At least five political appointees have been fired or resigned, and Hegseth has said he is referring some of the aides for criminal investigation. Meanwhile, he is under investigation by the Pentagon’s inspector general for the alleged mishandling of classified information. The Joint Staff declined to comment about the exchange, and the Pentagon didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Wall Street Journal [4/24/2025 6:01 PM, Yusuf Khan, 646K] reports President Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the mining of the deep sea as part of a broader effort by the White House to secure critical minerals for the U.S. The executive order instructs the U.S. to rapidly develop its ability to collect and process minerals from the seafloor, saying they are crucial for infrastructure, advanced defense energy systems and manufacturing. The presidential decree covers mining within U.S. waters, in international waters and in partnerships with countries that are mining the seafloor in their own territories. The president added that stockpiling minerals for defense is vital for the future security of the nation, arguing that without action, China will dominate the deep-sea mining industry and the minerals it produces. The move by Trump to back deep-sea mining marks the first time the U.S. has signaled its intent to harvest minerals from the seafloor. Environmental groups have railed against the practice, saying it harms one of the last remaining untouched habitats. But for Trump and the industry’s proponents, deep-sea mining opens up a previously untapped source of critical minerals and metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese, which are considered vital for renewable-energy, steel and defense production.

Washington Examiner [4/24/2025 7:24 AM, Jamie McIntyre, 2296K] reports it was another night of hell for residents of Ukraine’s capital city, where many people spent the night huddled in bomb shelters and subway tunnels, as Russian missiles and drones rained down from the skies, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 70. Photos from the Associated Press show that homes and residential buildings were hit in Kyiv, as the city weathered one of the largest Russian attacks since the war began over three years ago. And it comes as President Donald Trump is blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for prolonging the “killing field” by rejecting an American peace proposal that would include U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia. Trump was reacting on his social media platform Truth Social to Zelensky’s statement ahead of talks in London, at which the U.S. proposal was intended to be presented. “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky said at a Tuesday press conference. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.” "The statement made by Zelensky today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that!" Trump said in his post. "The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.” Zelensky, who cut short an official trip to South Africa in the wake of the latest bombing, has long said that recognizing occupied territory as Russian is a red line he will not cross. His rejection of the U.S. plan, which would also bar Ukraine from ever joining NATO, prompted Secretary of State Marco Rubio to skip the London meeting, which was attended instead by special envoy Keith Kellogg, who called the talks "positive.” "Emotions have run high today," Zelensky posted on X. "But it is good that 5 countries met to bring peace closer. Ukraine, the USA, the UK, France and Germany. The sides expressed their views and respectfully received each other’s positions.” Attached to his post was a copy of the July 2018 "Crimea Declaration" issued by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in which the U.S. said Russia’s "attempted annexation of Crimea" undermined the "bedrock international principle… that no country can change the borders of another by force.” Clearly frustrated that Zelensky stubbornly refuses to accept a one-sided peace deal that hands Russian President Vladimir Putin everything he wants, while providing no U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump continues to say he just wants to stop the killing. "Think of this," Trump said yesterday at an Oval Office executive order signing session. "5,000. I was saying 2,500 and everyone was telling me that’s low. Think of that. Every week, 5,000 soldiers. But let’s say, from 3,000 to 5,000 are being killed, they’re Russian and Ukrainian — they’re not Americans, but they’re Russian — but they’re people, and they’re humans. They’re human beings. They have families.”

Bloomberg [4/25/2025 2:00 AM, Ryan Gallagher, 16228K] reports US efforts to help Ukraine protect itself against Russian cyberattacks have been curtailed amid wide-ranging disruption by the Trump administration, raising concerns about the erosion of vital defenses against Kremlin-backed hackers. Cuts and funding pauses to US government agencies and programs, which started shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January, have been felt globally. But their impact has been particularly pronounced in Ukraine, where the Trump administration has upended critical US support — including military shipments and, at times, intelligence sharing — and is pressuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to accept a peace deal that critics have called titled toward Russia. In the last five years or so, the US Agency for International Development alone has committed more than $200 million for cybersecurity aid to Ukraine. The National Security Agency and US Cyber Command have also provided assistance. That aid has been viewed as critical to helping the country prevent and recover from cyberattacks on government officials, telecommunications companies and energy providers amid the conflict. However, USAID has been gutted in the first months of Trump’s presidency by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and Trump has become increasingly impatient with Zelenskiy. This week, Vice President JD Vance warned the US could walk away from the peace process if Russia and Ukraine don’t accept the proposal, potentially complicating any future cybersecurity assistance. Dozens of people located in Ukraine and the US — who had provided technical assistance on cybersecurity at hundreds of facilities across the war-torn country — have had their contracts cancelled or paused, according to interviews with eight people with direct knowledge of the situation, providing previously undisclosed details about the impact of the US actions on the country’s cyber defenses.

Reuters [4/24/2025 4:05 PM, Staff, 41523K] reports NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday that the United States and its European allies agree that Russia is a long-term threat. "We all agree in NATO that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory -- to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory," Rutte told reporters outside the White House.

Wall Street Journal [4/24/2025 6:00 PM, Jane Lytvynenko and Meridith McGraw, 646K] reports in a direct response to the biggest and deadliest aerial barrage on Kyiv by Moscow’s forces this year, President Trump made a personal appeal to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to stop attacks on Ukraine and agree to a peace deal. “Not necessary, and very bad timing,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday after the attack. “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!” The overnight missile-and-drone attack killed 12 people and injured 90 others in the Ukrainian capital, part of a countrywide assault that involved 215 missiles and explosive drones, according to Ukraine’s air force. Russia said it was targeting “enterprises in Ukraine’s aviation, rocket and space, machine-building and armored vehicle industries,” among other sites. Trump’s frustration with both sides of the conflict is building as talks to end the war have stalled in recent days. On Wednesday, Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to accept a peace proposal that includes Washington’s legal recognition of Russian sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014. The U.S. president pointed out that Ukraine wasn’t required to recognize Crimea as Russian. But Trump had largely refrained from speaking out against Putin. When asked Thursday what concessions have been offered up by Russia so far, Trump said: “Stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country.”

NBC News [4/24/2025 9:01 AM, Jennifer Jett and Peter Guo, 44742K] reports China on Thursday directly contradicted President Donald Trump’s claims that Beijing and Washington are actively discussing resolutions to a trade war that threatens to upend the global economy. While Trump said Wednesday that the world’s two largest economies are “actively” talking, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson responded that “China and the U.S. have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations regarding tariffs, let alone reached an agreement.” The spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, made the comments at a briefing in Beijing, saying that reports of ongoing talks were false. He added that while China is open to negotiations, “if it’s a fight, we will fight to the end.” At 145%, Trump’s tariffs are higher on China than any other country. As he ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese goods in recent weeks, citing unfair trade practices, Beijing has responded in kind, bringing its total tariff on U.S. goods to 125% — levels that amount to a mutual trade embargo. The prospect has raised fears of a global recession, sending markets whipsawing as trade tensions have done the same. Relations briefly appeared to improve Wednesday after the Trump administration signaled that it was discussing reducing tariffs with China. Still, Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave conflicting accounts of the state of negotiations Wednesday, with Bessent saying “both sides are waiting to speak to the other,” without providing further detail. The secretary reiterated remarks he made the previous day, predicting near-term de-escalation.

Washington Post [4/24/2025 6:00 AM, Evan Halper, 31735K] reports senior administration officials are scrambling to stem economic damage from China’s restrictions on rare earth exports, as President Donald Trump’s trade war risks cutting key industries and defense contractors off from supplies of metals crucial to production, according to three people familiar with internal deliberations. While companies search for alternative suppliers and urge the White House to cut a deal that will keep the materials flowing to U.S. manufacturers, the Trump administration is finding there are no easy solutions. China has a lock on the supply of certain elements that are essential to making such things as military drones, consumer electronics and battery-powered vehicles. “China knows this is a very strong bargaining chip, and it is why they are playing it,” said Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, who was a deputy director for batteries and critical materials at the Energy Department during the Biden administration. “This is fast emerging as our Achilles’ heel. What makes these bans particularly dangerous is, oftentimes one of these materials is a single point of failure for entire supply chains, and its production rests solely in China.” The restrictions, imposed by Beijing in response to Trump’s steep new tariffs, have provoked deep consternation at high levels of the administration. Aides at the White House National Security Council, National Economic Council, Council of Economic Advisers, Commerce Department, Energy Department and Office of the Trade Representative, among several other agencies, have been involved, said the people familiar with the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect internal matters. Beijing curbed exports to the United States this month of the rare earths, a group of 17 metals critical for industry. Amid deepening concern over potential economic fallout from the trade war, Trump has softened his tone in recent days, saying that the U.S. is eager to make a deal and floating substantial reductions in the import duties. While the administration was aware that the metals posed a vulnerability, the U.S. government does not have many viable alternatives for industry leaders now panicked that their supplies will dry up within months. Companies are in many cases relying on reserves to carry them for now. And they are looking for ways to sidestep the Chinese rules by reprocessing and recycling materials exempt from the ban from which small amounts of the rare earths can be extracted. “Some companies have maybe 40 to 60 days of stock left,” said Zoe Oysul, a senior policy analyst at SAFE, a group that advocates for U.S. energy and supply chain security. “If China does not approve their export contracts, they are concerned about whether they will be able to continue to manufacture when that stock is gone.”

Reuters [4/24/2025 5:49 PM, A.J. Vicens, Anton Zverev and James Pearson, 41523K] reports North Korean cyber spies created two businesses in the U.S., in violation of Treasury sanctions, to infect developers working in the cryptocurrency industry with malicious software, according to cybersecurity researchers and documents reviewed by Reuters. The companies, Blocknovas LLC and Softglide LLC were set up in the states of New Mexico and New York using fake personas and addresses, researchers at Silent Push, a U.S. cybersecurity firm, told Reuters. A third business, Angeloper Agency, is linked to the campaign, but does not appear to be registered in the United States. The hackers are part of a subgroup within the Lazarus Group, an elite team of North Korean hackers which is part of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, Pyongyang’s main foreign intelligence agency, Silent Push said.

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