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 New York Times [4/29/2025 3:40 AM, Luke Broadwater and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, 330K] reports President Trump signed three more executive orders on Monday, including one targeting local jurisdictions that the administration says are not cooperating with its aggressive immigration crackdown. One order directs Pam Bondi, the attorney general, and Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that the Trump administration considers “sanctuary cities,” meaning they limit or refuse to cooperate with federal officials’ efforts to arrest undocumented immigrants. It calls for pursuing “all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures” against jurisdictions that continue to oppose the administration’s immigration crackdown. A second order instructs the Trump administration to provide legal resources to police officers accused of wrongdoing; review and attempt to modify existing restraints on law enforcement, such as federal consent decrees; provide military equipment to local law enforcement; and use enforcement measures against local officials who “unlawfully prohibiting law enforcement officers from carrying out duties.” Earlier in the day, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the order would “unleash America’s law enforcement to pursue criminals.” A third executive order seeks to enforce existing rules requiring professional truck drivers to be proficient in English. The order requires the Transportation Department to place any driver who cannot speak and read English “out of service.” “Proficiency in English,” Mr. Trump’s order states, “should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.” One of the orders also could hinder undocumented immigrants from getting in-state tuition for higher education. It directed federal agencies to stop the enforcement of state and local laws “that provide in-state higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-state American citizens.” The Wall Street Journal [4/28/2025 6:57 PM, Michelle Hackman and Tarini Parti] reports that the order directs the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security to identify within a month cities and states that aren’t complying with federal immigration laws, designating them as “sanctuary jurisdictions.” The cities and states on the list could face a cutoff in federal funding and possible criminal and civil suits if they refuse to change their laws or practices. “It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law-enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday at a briefing alongside Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar. Trump also directs the Justice Department to pursue civil-rights cases against cities or states that, in its view, favor immigrants in the country illegally over U.S. citizens. The order cites policies that treat immigrants more leniently in criminal cases or sentencing and state laws that provide immigrants in-state tuition rates at public universities but deny the lower rates to out-of-state U.S. citizens. At least 25 states have adopted such laws in some fashion. Sanctuary cities and states have become a major obstacle for Trump as he has sought to drive up deportations in line with his campaign pledge. Most immigrants in the country tend to cluster in large cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, and the administration has a tougher time arresting those here illegally if local police refuse to assist. The directive comes as the administration is facing legal challenges against actions it has already taken against sanctuary cities. Last week, a federal judge in California blocked Trump’s efforts to strip federal funding from 16 counties and cities in the state, including San Francisco, under a pair of executive orders Trump has previously signed. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick ruled the orders likely overstep the president’s authority and the constitutional requirement of due process and protections against coercion. The ruling took issue with previous orders’ lack of specificity in defining which jurisdictions were deemed sanctuaries, an issue Monday’s executive order will attempt to skirt by requiring the Justice Department and Homeland Security to formulate a list. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the executive order wouldn’t change policies in the sanctuary city. “The courts have backed us up on this as well,” Wu said on Monday. A spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said that “making ‘lists’ of cities to withhold federal funds based on their political leadership is fundamentally unconstitutional and undemocratic.” Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokeswoman for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, said the city would balance its policies with working with the administration. In addition to targeting federal funding, Trump’s administration has brought lawsuits against Chicago and New York for policies that limit local law-enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials and, in some cases, block housing of immigration detainees in local jails. The Justice Department argues federal law overrides the city and state when it comes to immigration. The Daily Caller [4/28/2025 9:19 PM, Jason Hopkins, 1082K] reports Bondi and Noem have one month to identify sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States, according to the executive order. "It’s quite simple — obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday morning when announcing the impending rollout of the executive order. The new directive from the White House comes less than a week after an Obama-appointed judge temporarily blocked two other executive orders targeting sanctuary cities. The New York Post [4/28/2025 7:14 PM, Steven Nelson and Josh Christenson, 33298K] reports that “Immediately following each publication… the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall notify each sanctuary jurisdiction regarding its defiance of Federal immigration law enforcement and any potential violations of Federal criminal law,” it instructs. After that, federal agencies will scour their books for any funding — including grants and contracts — to revoke in coordination with the White House Office of Management and Budget. If sanctuary jurisdictions don’t change their laws, “the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall pursue all necessary legal remedies and enforcement measures to end these violations and bring such jurisdictions into compliance with the laws of the United States,” the order says. Axios [4/28/2025 8:15 PM, Sareen Habeshian, 13163K] reports that the executive order comes after Trump promised during his 2024 campaign to eliminate sanctuary policies and to use the federal government’s weight to dole out consequences for jurisdictions that refuse to comply. He then signed an executive order the day he was inaugurated, calling for federal grants to sanctuary cities to be cut. But a federal judge last week blocked the administration from cutting funds for jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, calling parts of Trump’s order unconstitutional. State of play: Lawfare Project senior counsel Gerard Filitti told Axios on Monday that an order identifying sanctuary jurisdictions, and even directing prosecutions, does not run afoul of the judge’s ruling last week addressing funding. Executive action on funding arguably violates the Constitution’s spending clause, which gives Congress — not the President — the power to finance programs, Filitti said in an email. Yes, but: "The new executive order does not run afoul of the spending clause, nor is it susceptible to arguments that changes are being made without due process." Zoom in: Monday’s executive order marks a shift in the administration’s approach to targeting sanctuary cities. "We have already seen the Administration try to restrict funding going to sanctuary cities (albeit so far unsuccessfully), but what we are seeing now is an anticipated shift to legal proceedings targeting these cities for their willful failure to comply with federal immigration law," Filitti said. The distinction between non-cooperation and obstruction is subtle in the new order, but it is critical to the Trump administration’s approach to enforcement, Filitti noted. "Put simply, the Justice Department will be looking at the DHS list of sanctuary cities and look to prosecute officials in them for obstruction," he said. "Because while sanctuary cities may have the ‘right’ to not cooperate (because of the Tenth Amendment), they do not have a legal right to obstruct enforcement through harboring." He called it a new and potentially very powerful tool to induce officials in sanctuary cities to cooperate in Trump’s deportation agenda.

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NewsNation [4/28/2025 11:14 PM, Julian Resendiz, 6866K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited El Paso on Monday. The trip included meeting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and a walk along the border wall near the spot where federal officials a few months ago discovered a cross-border tunnel believed to have been used by Mexican cartels to bring across drugs and "high value" migrants. Noem’s visit followed that of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week to highlight El Paso’s importance in the Trump administration’s border security strategy even as migrant encounters have plummeted. Noem’s trip came unannounced and wasn’t open to local news media. It came a little more than a month after DHS announced a series of international ads telling migrants not to come to America and warning they would be hunted down if they commit crimes. The president of Mexico called the ads "discriminatory" and vowed to change her country’s laws so they wouldn’t run in the future. Noem later countered saying the ads are working. Noem was seen walking along the Rio Grande levee at Gate 28 of the border wall. That’s the spot where Border Patrol’s Confined Space Entry Team (CSET) – working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement – located a quarter-mile-long tunnel going under the river and originating in Mexico last Jan. 9. Border Patrol agents, federal agents in several unmarked vehicles and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers accompanied Noem at the river levee. Across the border in Juarez, Mexico, dozens of Mexican National Guard troops patrolled their side of the border. "Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, we have the most secure border in American history. In less than 100 days, daily border encounters are down 93% and migrant crossings are down 99.99% at the Darien Gap," she tweeted. "The world is hearing our message: do not come to this country illegally. If you do, we will arrest you, deport you and you will not be allowed to return.” The secretary previously visited the U.S.-Mexico border in February. She met with border agents and officers in Del Rio, Texas. It also comes weeks after she traveled to El Salvador, Colombia and Mexico, whom the administration considers key security partners. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Austin [4/28/2025 4:18 PM, Ray Lewis, 602K] reports Border Czar Tom Homan said Monday the Trump administration has carried out 139,000 deportations. He told members of the media during a press conference that he’s pleased with the number. "Last time there was a count, there was 139,000 deportations. Am I happy with the number? The numbers are good, especially if you look at the ICE numbers," Homan said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s arrests and removals of people from the U.S. He dismissed reports that the Biden administration carried out more deportations than the Trump administration has, adding that ICE statistics are "far beyond" those associated with the Democrat’s. "I read in the media, ‘Oh, ICE’ – and ‘the deportations are behind the Biden administration.’ Well, what? Because they counted border removals," Homan explained. "We don’t have 10.5 million people crossing the border. We don’t have border removals.” The border czar noted that statistics on the Biden administration’s removal of people from U.S. borders would be higher than the Trump administration’s numbers even if the former president deported 5% of those encountered at the borders. The National News Desk could not confirm that claim though. "Compare apples to apples, ICE arrests and deportations are far more than Joe Biden," Homan said. The Biden administration deported millions of people, but the former president supported offering immigrants pathways to legally enter the U.S. Biden said in his State of the Union address last year that he wouldn’t demonize immigrants, separate migrant families or ban people from the country because of their faith. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the Trump administration for its immigration actions, like deporting a Salvadoran man who was living legally in Maryland.

CBS Austin [4/28/2025 9:51 AM, Kayla Gaskins, 602K] reports the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has intensified with two major raids resulting in hundreds of arrests over the past few days. In Florida, a joint task force of U.S. Customs and Immigration officials and Florida law enforcement conducted "Operation Tidal Wave," a four-day operation that led to the arrest of nearly 800 illegal immigrants. This was a major success. It was a large-scale operation. This was just a preview of what’s to come throughout the nation. All of these people are now off of our streets who otherwise have been acting with impunity and terrorizing US communities," Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant DHS Secretary, said. Among those arrested were convicted murderers, multiple alleged and suspected gang members, and a Russian wanted by Interpol. In Colorado, another mass arrest took place where 114 illegal migrants were taken into custody during a multi-agency raid of a nightclub led by the DEA in tandem with local police. The Trump administration has been using the Alien Enemies Act as justification for deportations. The Supreme Court has already ruled that the government needs to give individuals deemed "alien enemies" a chance to fight deportation in court. The El Paso judge stated that the federal government must give detainees 21 days to contest their status.

CBS News [4/28/2025 4:45 PM, Tony Dokoupil, 51661K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants Monday amid a significant drop in illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Customs and Border Protection said illegal border crossings in March fell to the lowest level ever recorded, with just under 7,200 apprehensions. According to the agency, it was a 95% decrease from a year earlier. It also marked a decrease from February, in which the number of illegal migrant crossings hit a 25-year low. About 8,300 migrants were apprehended in February.

The New York Times [4/28/2025 3:08 PM, Zach Montague, 145325K] reports a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s policy of allowing immigration enforcement agents to act in spaces like schools and houses of worship was filed in Oregon on Monday, seeking to settle a legal debate over whether those areas should be off-limits. The suit, brought by Justice Action Center and Innovation Law Lab, follows efforts by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to step up deportations, which have so far fallen short of President Trump’s goals. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to restore a policy set during the Biden administration that generally prohibits immigration agents from carrying out operations that disrupt civic spaces, particularly ones where adults and children congregate together. The suit also asks the court to nullify a memo from Mr. Trump’s first week in office overturning that policy, arguing that it violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of assembly. The case brings together a diverse coalition of labor organizations, interfaith groups and parishes, with member organizations and constituents in all 50 states. Bloomberg Law [4/28/2025 5:23 PM, Quinn Wilson, 1085K] reports that DHS’ decision to rescind its past practice discouraging immigration enforcement at certain "sensitive" or "protected" locations violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the plaintiffs say in their complaint in the US District Court for the District of Oregon. The move, known as the "Huffman memo," also allegedly violates the First Amendment. Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos Del Noroeste—Oregon’s largest Latinx labor union—and four different churches want the district court to declare the Huffman memo unconstitutional, void, and of no effect, the complaint says. They also want the memo declared unlawful because it’s allegedly arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion. DHS maintained a consistent non-enforcement policy at the aforementioned sensitive locations for more than 30 years until the Huffman memo was released, the complaint says. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its Acting Director Todd Lyons, and the US Customs and Border Protection and its Acting Commissioner Pete Flores were also named as co-defendants, the complaint says.

Federal News Network [4/28/2025 6:47 PM, Justin Doubleday, 1089K] reports the Department of Homeland Security abruptly ended alternate and flexible work arrangements on Sunday, requiring most employees to return to a five-day, in-person schedule starting Monday. DHS’ new policy also ends compressed schedules, which allowed employees to work four, 10-hour days per week. Instead, staff "are required to work five days a week and will no longer be approved to work compressed AWS schedules," reads an April 27 "DHS FAQS" document obtained by Federal News Network. "Employees that do not report to their assigned work location, as required, will have their remote IT access terminated and be subject to disciplinary action up to and including removal from their federal position," the FAQs document states. DHS said employees should be approved to take leave if they could not arrange for childcare or other personal needs in time. DHS’ FAQs document states components "should make all space available, to include conference rooms, meetings rooms, cafeterias, break rooms, lobbies and common, shared space." Many federal employees have encountered limited space and other challenges in returning to the office. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the directive "is consistent with the president’s executive order to return employees to in-person work." Bloomberg Government first reported the new policy. President Donald Trump ordered a return to office for most federal employees on his first day in power. Agencies have since rescinded many telework and remote work agreements. Agencies have used flexible and compressed work agreements for decades. The Office of Personnel Management’s handbook on such agreements state they can help supervisors meet their program’s goals, in addition to offering employees more flexibility in their schedule. DHS’ new policy does not apply to certain employees, including active-duty military spouses, employees with signed contracts for DHS’s workforce transition program, or employees with approved reasonable accommodations. Employees with approved remote work agreements or Domestic Employee Telework Overseas agreements are also exempt from the policy. It also doesn’t apply to "employees initially hired as remote employees, never assigned to a formal DHS office location, with their personal residence serving as their post of duty," according to the FAQs document.

CNN [4/28/2025 8:22 PM, Manu Raju and Haley Talbot] reports Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said the coming days will be critical in the House as committees begin to draft the contents of President Donald Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda. “We’ve been working on it for over a year, and now is game time,” said Johnson, who emphasized that “this next few weeks is going to be critical.” Lawmakers, who returned to Washington from a two-week recess, are preparing for a critical period of legislating. Eleven different House committees plan to release various pieces of the larger bill before they’re cobbled together into one massive package that Johnson wants to bring to the floor before Memorial Day, an ambitious timeframe. Johnson met with Trump at the White House on Monday afternoon, after which the speaker told reporters that the legislation will “solve a lot of problems” and provide a “turbo boost for the economy.” But there are a number of contentious issues still unresolved, namely over $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to federal programs and a multi-trillion dollar overhaul of the US tax code. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent left a separate meeting with GOP leaders on Capitol Hill insisting that House and Senate Republicans are moving “in lockstep” on tax cuts. “The House is moving things along quickly, and the Senate is in lockstep. We think that they are in substantial agreement, and this is going to be a win for the American people,” he declared. “Very pro-growth.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, however, said that while he thinks the House may pass a bill by Memorial Day, it will take longer in the Senate where special rules and other considerations need to be factored in. The House and Senate GOP are using a process known on Capitol Hill as “budget reconciliation” to try to advance the Trump agenda since bills can’t be filibustered in the Senate under this process. That means the GOP can enact the plan without Democratic support, but it needs to adhere to the strict budget rules in the Senate. So far, House Republicans have promised to pump into the sweeping bill roughly $150 billion for defense programs and tens of billions more in border security measures. The defense and homeland security provisions are considered less controversial among House Republicans, but the huge dollar for these programs underscores how central they are to the president’s agenda. The $150 billion in defense programs includes $25 billion for Trump’s “Golden Dome” for missile defense, $34 billion in ship building and more than $20 billion in munitions purchases. The House Armed Services Committee plans to begin voting on Tuesday on this aspect of the bill. On border security, the House Homeland Security Committee proposes $46.5 billion for new border barriers, $5 billion for new Customs and Border Protection facilities and $4 billion for new Customs officials and border personnel. The committee proposes several billion dollars more in new technology to tighten security measures at the border and also includes $1 billion for security and planning for the 2028 Olympics, as well as $625 million for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The House Homeland Security Committee is also planning to begin voting on Tuesday on this aspect of the larger proposal.

Washington Examiner [4/28/2025 5:53 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 2296K] reports House Republicans are seeking tens of billions of dollars to carry out the Trump administration’s border security and immigration enforcement priorities, according to newly released funding requests. Funding plans released by the House Judiciary Committee and House Homeland Security Committees on Monday reveal the GOP’s plans to make President Donald Trump’s campaign promises on immigration a reality. The funding is part of the budget reconciliation package that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wants to pass through Congress by Memorial Day, May 26. Both proposals would introduce and fund brand new concepts for the federal government to oversee immigration levels, including 900 miles of buoy wall in the Rio Grande and a first-ever application fee of a minimum of $1,000 for asylum-seekers, and a $1,000 fee for parolees. The House Homeland Security Committee seeks roughly $60 billion to tackle border security. It justified its request by citing measures to help maintain control of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Hill [4/28/2025 4:01 PM, Mike Lillis, 12829K] reports Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee have scheduled a Wednesday meeting to craft sweeping changes to federal immigration laws — a key component of President Trump’s domestic agenda that GOP leaders are racing to enact before summer’s end. The 116-page bill, released Monday by the Judiciary Committee, features a new fee structure for immigrants seeking asylum and other avenues to legal status as part of the Republicans’ broader effort to crack down on waves of migration, largely from Central and South America. Under the proposal, for instance, the application fee for those seeking asylum — a process that’s currently free — would jump to a minimum of $1,000. Proponents of the change argue that it would weed out those with legitimate claims to asylum from those simply seeking a free ticket into the United States. But such fees have been denounced by Democrats and human rights advocates, who say the charges are exorbitant and will have deadly consequences by preventing people fleeing violence in their own countries from securing safety in the U.S. The immigration charges are part of the Republicans’ sweeping effort to adopt Trump’s domestic policy wishlist in the first year of his second term. That agenda features wide-ranging tax cuts, an expansion of energy production and sweeping reductions in spending on federal programs.

DailySignal [4/28/2025 3:38 PM, Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, 495K] reports President Donald Trump has been directly involved in House Republicans’ move to dedicate $69 billion to building the border wall and hiring more border patrol agents, a White House official confirmed to The Daily Signal. The House Homeland Security Committee released its budget proposal Sunday, calling for $46.5 billion in new money to pay for the border wall. More than $5 billion of the total $68.8 billion will go toward new facilities and personnel for Customs and Border Protection. Reconciliation funding will equip CBP with the ability to hire and train 3,000 new Border Patrol agents, 5,000 new Office of Field Operations customs officers, 200 new Air and Marine Operations agents, 290 support staff, and eligible retired agents and officers. The border wall, which the House Homeland Security Committee calls an "integrated border barrier system," will feature physical infrastructure as well as technological enhancements. Sunday’s budget proposal triples Congress’ investment into Trump’s first term border wall.

The Hill [4/29/2025 5:00 AM, Aris Folley, 12829K] reports top Democratic funding negotiators in the House and Senate on Tuesday published a tracker they say is aimed at documenting federal funding blocked under President Trump, while accusing his administration of targeting at least $430 billion in funds. Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), top Democrats on the Senate and House appropriations committees, released the tracker early Tuesday in an effort they say is intended to "shine a light on President Trump’s vast, illegal funding freeze and how it is hurting people in every zip code in America.” The tracker was compiled by Democratic appropriations staff and details what the offices say is the "minimum amount" of funds believed to be frozen, cancelled or that the Trump administration is fighting to block in court. It so far highlights 114 programs that Democrats say have seen their funds frozen, cancelled or terminated in the president’s first 100 days in office. That includes what Democrats say is roughly $1 billion in funding for HeadStart gone "frozen," $400 million blocked funding for AmeriCorps State and National Grants, $2.4B in "frozen" funding for Wildfire Hazardous Fuels Management and $15 million in funding held back for the Social Security Administration Research. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. The tracker also catalogs what Democratic staffs have counted as billions of dollars in held up funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program and National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. "No American president has ever so flagrantly ignored our nation’s spending laws or so brazenly denied the American people investments they are owed," Murray and DeLauro said in a statement on Tuesday.

NewsNation [4/28/2025 6:57 AM, Tom Dempsey, 6866K] reports the Trump administration has deported three children under the age of 10 — all American-born citizens — alongside their mothers who were in the United States illegally, according to lawyers and advocacy groups. The American Civil Liberties Union, National Immigration Project and other groups described the cases as a "shocking — although increasingly common — abuse of power." However, the White House has defended the move and fought back against claims of denying the mothers and children their due process. One of the Honduran-born mothers was removed with two children, a 4- and 7-year-old, while another case involved a mother and her 2-year-old. The American children were detained while accompanying their mothers to appointments with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Associated Press reporting. Family attorneys have raised questions about whether proper deportation procedures were followed in these cases, particularly because of the speed of the removals. The 4- and 7-year-old siblings were deported to Honduras within a day of being detained with their mother, Gracie Willis of the National Immigration Project said. The younger of the pair has a rare form of cancer and may now be unable to access medicine or speak with their doctors, according to Willis. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., slammed the move on social media: "This is unlawful, inhumane, and a direct attack on the basic due process rights guaranteed to all people, citizens and non-citizens alike, under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.” "The Trump administration is disappearing families in the dead of night, and if we don’t stop them, it will only get worse," Nadler’s post continued. Willis said the mothers did not have a fair opportunity to decide whether they wanted the children to stay in the United States. "We have no idea what ICE was telling them, and in this case, what has come to light is that ICE didn’t give them another alternative," Willis said in an interview, the AP reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the mothers wanted their children to be removed with them, telling NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday, "The children went with their mothers. Those children are U.S. citizens, they can come back into the United States if their father or someone here wants to ultimately assume them.” Ron Vitiello, senior adviser for Customs and Border Protection, echoed that sentiment on NewsNation’s "Morning in America" on Monday. "These kids were not deported, and they happened to be U.S. citizens living in the United States. That parent elected to take those children with her on her deportation flight to Honduras … They were not deported," Vitiello said. A judge scheduled a hearing next month on the case of the 2-year-old to examine ICE’s handling of the deportation. The Department of Homeland Security contends the mother wanted to bring her young child with her, but the girl’s father says otherwise.

New York Times [4/28/2025 8:17 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, 145325K] reports the removal of three children with U.S. citizenship with their families to Honduras last week has prompted alarm that President Trump’s strict immigration enforcement may have crossed “illegal and unconstitutional” lines, as a federal judge in one of the cases put it. Lawyers for the two families involved said the mothers were not given an option to leave their children in the United States before they were deported. But Mr. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, said the mothers requested the children’s removal. The cases have added to growing concerns that the Trump administration may be violating the Constitution in its increasingly stringent crackdown on immigration, including removing U.S. citizens, a desire that Mr. Trump has expressed in the past but that legal experts say runs against longstanding prohibitions. Three children who are U.S. citizens were removed to Honduras last week as part of the deportation of other members of their families. Two of the children, ages 4 and 7, belong to one Honduran family. The mother of those children had an outstanding deportation order and had shown up to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in on Thursday, said Gracie Willis, the raids response coordinator with the National Immigration Project, who is helping the family’s immigration lawyer with the case. The 4-year-old, Ms. Willis said, has cancer. The mother had shown up to the check-in with a lawyer but was quickly thrust into the deportation process. Her lawyer had no meaningful chance to try to stop the deportation in court, Ms. Willis said. The mother wanted both children to remain in the United States, she said. Two days before, a mother with a 2-year-old who is a citizen was put in a similar situation. The mother also had an outstanding deportation order and had been going to ICE check-ins for years, Ms. Willis said. This time, however, she was detained with the 2-year-old and an older child, not given access to her lawyers and was deported with the children, according to Ms. Willis. She also wanted her 2-year-old to remain in the United States, Ms. Willis said. The girl’s father had sought in an emergency petition on Thursday to stop the girl from being sent abroad, said the judge in the case, Terry A. Doughty of the Federal District Court in the Western District of Louisiana, who said he had a “strong suspicion that the government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”

Reported similarly:
Axios [4/28/2025 12:33 PM, Avery Lotz, 13163K]

CNN [4/28/2025 12:50 PM, Aaron Pellish, 22131K] Video: HERE reports White House border czar Tom Homan defended the Trump administration’s move to deport three US citizen children last week. Homan told CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez the children’s parents, who were in the US illegally, made a "parental decision" to leave the country together. Gracie Willis, an attorney with the National Immigration Project, denies that the mothers were given a choice whether their children could remain in the US. The AP [4/28/2025 1:17 PM, Staff, 48304K] Video: HERE reports President Donald Trump’s border czar is insisting that three children, one with a rare form of cancer, who are U.S. citizens and were sent to Honduras with their Honduran-born mother “weren’t deported.” Tom Homan argued their mother “made that choice.” Telemundo [4/28/2025 3:14 PM, Staff, 2454K] reports Tom Homan, the border czar appointed by Donald Trump, defended this Monday the expulsion of three U.S. citizen children who were sent to Honduras with their mothers on deportation flights, blaming the parents for the removal. Last week, the Trump administration deported three U.S. citizen children under the age of 10 from two different families to Honduras on deportation flights along with their two undocumented mothers, according to civil rights groups and attorneys for the families. Their two mothers, one of whom was pregnant, had lived in the United States for years before being “removed from the country under deeply troubling circumstances that raise serious due process concerns,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) denounced. Homan told reporters Monday that the expelled children were afforded "due process" and that the U.S. citizen minors and their undocumented mothers were deported at the mothers’ request.

Washington Times [4/28/2025 10:38 AM, Kerry Picket, 1814K] reports White House border czar Tom Homan said having a citizen child doesn’t make someone "immune" from U.S. immigration laws. "I said this from day one, if you enter this country legally, it’s a crime if you remain in this country illegally, and [if] you ignore a judge’s order about deporting, if you choose to have your citizen child, knowing you’re in this country illegally, you put yourself in that position," Mr. Homan said. Mr. Homan was defending actions taken by the administration after a Honduran mother, an illegal immigrant, was deported Friday with her 4-year-old and 7-year-old, both of whom have U.S. citizenship. This happened on the same day another child with U.S. citizenship, a 2-year-old girl, was sent to Honduras with her illegal immigrant mother. "What we did is remove children with their mothers who requested the children depart with them. This is a parental decision — Parenting 101. The mothers made that choice," Mr. Homan said. "And I tell you, what if we didn’t do it? The story today would be ‘Trump administration separating families again.’". He said, "Having a citizen child does not make you immune from our laws.”

Washington Examiner [4/29/2025 4:00 AM, Ashley Oliver, 2296K] reports attorneys for the families allege that the children, all of whom are U.S. citizens, were wrongly deported, but the Trump administration maintains that the mothers chose to bring their children along and that the U.S. citizen minors, therefore, were not technically deported at the behest of the government. The American Civil Liberties Union said that in both instances, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials held the two families incommunicado and did not allow them to respond to "multiple attempts by attorneys and family members to contact them" before they were removed from the country. "As a result, the families were completely isolated during critical moments when decisions were being made about the welfare of their minor children," the attorneys said. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, attempted to put to rest the notion that the government was illegally deporting U.S. citizen children, including one with serious medical needs. "The mothers made that choice, and I tell you what, if we didn’t do it, the story today would be ‘Trump administration separating families again,’" Homan said during a press briefing honoring Trump’s first 100 days in office. ICE officials apprehended a woman named Jenny Carolina Lopez Villela and her two daughters, including the 2-year-old, while they were appearing for a routine government check-in on April 22, according to attorneys for the family. That evening, ICE officials contacted Lopez Villela’s partner, Adiel Mendez Sagastume, who is the father of the 2-year-old, and he was able to speak to Lopez Villela for about a minute, the attorneys said. The toddler is identified in the lawsuit as V.M.L. "V.M.L.’s father began to give V.M.L.’s mother the phone number for their attorneys, but before he could, he heard the ICE officer take the phone from her and hang up the call," the attorneys said. Department of Justice attorneys responded to the court, describing Sagastume as a man "who claims to be" the toddler’s father and said he was skittish about his immigration status when authorities asked for his identification. The DOJ attorneys said Lopez Villela was scheduled to be deported on April 25 to Honduras and that she drafted a brief note, which they included in the court filings, in which she declared that she "wants to retain custody" of her daughter. The family’s attorneys argued that the note, which was in Spanish, did not translate to that. "That is emphatically NOT what the note says. The note states factually that V.M.L.’s mother ‘is bringing’ V.M.L. with her. This is not a statement of intent, hope, desire, or assessment of what is best of V.M.L.," the attorneys said.

NBC News [4/28/2025 8:21 PM, Suzanne Gamboa, Carmen Sesin, and Julia Ainsley, 44742K] reports one mother who was about to be deported was allowed less than two minutes on the phone with her husband to figure out what would become of her 2-year-old U.S. citizen son. Another mother wasn’t allowed to speak with attorneys or family members before she was deported, accompanied by her U.S.-born children, even though Immigration and Customs Enforcement knew one of them had Stage 4 cancer. Attorneys for the mothers and their children who were sent to Honduras are blasting Trump administration officials, saying the deportations of three U.S. citizen children over the weekend, including the 4-year-old boy who left without access to his cancer medicines, are illegal. They’re pushing back against statements that the families chose for the children to go with their mothers. On Monday, Trump administration border “czar” Tom Homan said the three U.S. citizen children, all under 10 years old, were placed on deportation flights at their mothers’ request. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the children weren’t deported but “went with their mothers,” adding that as citizens they could come back if there’s someone in the United States who "wants to assume them." But attorneys have provided details they say show that the mothers and their families had little to no chance to make arrangements for their children. They said ICE ran out the clock on their attempts to help the families make arrangements for the children. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email that the agency is “confident in our process and procedures," adding that it has documentation that confirms it was the parents’ choice for the children to go with them. "We take our responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal law enforcement to ensure that children are safe and protected," she said.

Daily Caller [4/28/2025 10:53 AM, Jason Cohen, 1100K] reports radio host Charlamagne Tha God called out the media on Monday for neglecting to mention that a two-year-old deported by President Donald Trump’s administration was sent back with her mother, who was not a legal citizen. News outlets reported that the Trump administration deported three U.S. citizen children, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio on “Meet the Press” Sunday criticized the coverage as “misleading” due to focusing on the citizen children rather than their noncitizen mothers. When journalist Morgyn Wood discussed the two-year-old’s case on the “Front Page News” segment of “The Breakfast Club” and mentioned the toddler’s mother was not a citizen, Charlamagne said he was unaware of that fact despite consuming news of the incident. “You know what, Morgyn, I did not know. I did not know until you said it about the two-year-old. I mean, I knew about the two-year-old getting deported, but all the news reports just kept saying that a two-year-old got deported,” Charlamagne said. “I didn’t know that the mother had got deported because she wasn’t a citizen … I didn’t know that.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported the illegal immigrant mothers of U.S. citizen children ages 7, 4 and 2 on Friday, The Washington Post reported. Government officials assert that the two mothers of the three children made the choice to bring them back to Honduras with them, according to the Post. “It is common that parents want to be removed with their children,” Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told the Post. “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker cited the Post’s reporting in her Sunday segment with Rubio. The Post’s headline for its Saturday report was “Three U.S. citizens, ages 2, 4 and 7, swiftly deported from Louisiana.” “On the headline, that’s a misleading headline. Three U.S. citizens ages 4, 7 and 2 were not deported. Their mothers who were illegally in this country were deported,” the secretary of state told Welker. “The children went with their mothers. The children are U.S. citizens, they can come back into the United States if their father, or someone here, wants to assume them.”

Axios [4/28/2025 5:34 PM, April Rubin, 13163K] reports both U.S. citizen and immigrant children are increasingly being caught up in President Trump’s increasingly aggressive deportation efforts. Three children who are U.S. citizens were removed from the country with their deported mothers, while a recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo shows the agency is specifically targeting unaccompanied immigrant children. The Trump administration defended the children’s removals, saying they were staying with their family. An internal ICE document showed that the agency is seeking to locate children who came into the U.S. unaccompanied by an adult. According the document, ICE targeted unaccompanied immigrant children who had missed immigration hearings or were deemed threats to public safety. The memo said ICE is also looking for adult criminals who may be posing as unaccompanied immigrant children. As many as 1,400 children still haven’t been reunited with their families, the Washington Post reported.

Reuters [4/28/2025 4:36 PM, Nate Raymond, 41523K] reports a federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Monday to turn over the names of any migrants flown recently from the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay to El Salvador so he could determine whether they were deported in violation of a court order he issued. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy said at a hearing in Boston that the information was necessary to assess the administration’s claims that flying four Venezuelans held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba to El Salvador did not flout Murphy’s order from March because the flight was conducted by the Department of Defense. Murphy in late March had issued a temporary restraining order, which he later extended into an injunction, restricting the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to rapidly deport migrants to countries other than their own without allowing them to first raise concerns about their safety or potential torture. U.S. Justice Department attorney Jonathan Guynn said at Monday’s hearing that because the Homeland Security Department did not "direct" the Defense Department to deport the four individuals, three of whom belonged to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, the administration had not violated the judge’s orders. The hearing marked the latest instance of a judge questioning the administration’s compliance, or lack thereof, with court rulings limiting its aggressive deportation practices as part of the Republican president’s immigration crackdown. Murphy questioned how the Defense Department could conduct the flights without working in concert with Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is tasked with overseeing detained migrants and executing their deportations.

CNN [4/28/2025 5:46 PM, Jennifer Hansler and Priscilla Alvarez, 22131K] reports the United States proposed sending up to 500 Venezuelan migrants with alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador as the two governments sought to reach an agreement on the use of the Central American nation’s notorious mega prison, according to emails seen by CNN. The details of the arrangement, which have not been previously reported, reveal the Trump administration’s deal-making with El Salvador to take the unprecedented step of sending migrants to the country to be detained in CECOT, officially known as the Terrorism Confinement Center. El Salvador eventually agreed to accept up to 300 people in mid-March, according to an internal document. A US official described 500 as a "notional" figure, adding that the arrangement between the two countries is a "cooperation agreement but in a friendly non-binding fashion," and still stands.

CNN [4/28/2025 4:59 PM, Kit Maher, Betsy Klein and Michael Williams, 22131K] reports Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was a central figure in the first major self-inflicted crisis of Trump’s second term, when the prominent journalist was inadvertently added to a Signal chat where Cabinet officials discussed military strikes in Yemen. Weeks later, Trump sat for an interview with Atlantic reporters — touching on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, immigration crackdown efforts and more. The Signal chat controversy frustrated Trump, who just a week before had canceled a scheduled interview with the magazine’s reporters. And the president put a spotlight on the planned sitdown ahead of time, saying in a post on Truth Social last week that he was “curious” and seeing if “it’s possible for the Atlantic to be ‘truthful.’” He then spoke with Atlantic reporters Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer as planned, as well as Goldberg. Trump said he believes that Hegseth is going to “get it together,” after reporting in recent weeks detailed turmoil at the Pentagon, including firings for alleged unauthorized disclosures and military plans being shared in a second Signal group chat that included his wife and brother. The Atlantic reporters mentioned CBS reporting that Hegseth had installed a makeup studio at the Pentagon, costing thousands of dollars. Hegseth has disputed the reporting and defended his leadership at the Pentagon, but the president smiled when asked about the story, per The Atlantic. “I think he’s gonna get it together,” Trump said in the interview. “I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him.” Trump added that Hegseth was “safe,” according to a transcript of the interview released Monday afternoon.

The AP [4/28/2025 6:53 PM, Michelle L. Price and Chris Megerian, 1769K] reports the White House on Monday opened a weeklong celebration of Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office by focusing on his border crackdown, an area of relative strength for the president at a time when there are red flags for him in the latest round of polling. Yard signs with mugshots of immigrants who have been accused of crimes like rape and murder were posted across the White House lawn, positioned so they would be in the background of television broadcasts outside the West Wing. Tom Homan, Trump’s top border adviser, told reporters there has been "unprecedented success" on the border effort and "we’re going to keep doing it, full speed ahead.” Immigration is Trump’s leading issue in public opinion surveys, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a morning briefing the administration is in "the beginning stages of carrying out the largest deportation campaign in American history.” About 139,000 people have been removed so far, according to the White House. Deportations have occasionally lagged behind Democratic President Joe Biden’s numbers, but Trump officials reject the comparison as not "apples to apples" because so many fewer people are crossing the border now. Later Monday, Leavitt held a second briefing exclusively for "new media," where Trump-aligned social media influencers asked friendly questions and applauded at the end. Tuesday will be Trump’s 100th day in office, and the Republican president plans to mark the day in Michigan, where he will hold a rally in Macomb County, an automotive hub north of Detroit. After relatively little travel so far in his term, Trump will also deliver a commencement address Thursday at the University of Alabama.The Washington Examiner [4/28/2025 12:44 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 2296K] reports just one day shy of President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office, top Trump administration officials claimed victory on myriad border and immigration-related promises that Trump made to voters as a candidate. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt touted Trump’s accomplishments during an unusually early morning press conference with reporters at the White House on Monday. "One of President Trump’s central campaign promises was to secure the border and end this invasion in just under 100 days. 99 now, to be exact," Leavitt said. "The president has overwhelmingly delivered on that promise. America’s borders are now secure because of President Trump.” White House border czar Tom Homan joined Leavitt at the White House and reiterated the ways that the Trump administration has made the country safer by reducing illegal immigration at the southern border and launching a mass deportation operation aimed at those unlawfully in the country. Telemundo52 [4/28/2025 6:49 PM, Clara Ramirez, 101K] reports Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, joined White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at a press conference on Monday. The czar said that “the numbers prove” that under President Trump “historic numbers have been reached at the border.” In closing, Homan said he will maintain his strong and uncompromising stance on immigration issues. For her part, Leavitt said that President Trump is preparing to sign an executive order this Monday targeting sanctuary cities. According to Leavitt, the order directs the Attorney General and also Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, to "provide a list of sanctuary cities where local officials are not complying with federal immigration laws." CBS Austin [4/28/2025 4:27 PM, Matt Galka, 602K] reports President Donald Trump is set to mark the 100th day of his second term with an event in Michigan on Tuesday, and his administration is emphasizing progress on border security heading into the event. The White House aims to showcase its crackdown on illegal immigration as a key achievement of Trump’s presidency. The promised crackdown was a main issue for then-candidate Trump on the campaign trail. The White House lawn now displays dozens of mugshots of immigrants with various crimes listed and the word "ARRESTED," underscoring the administration’s efforts. However, the crackdown has sparked controversy, most recently after three U.S. citizen children from two families were removed from the country and sent to Honduras with their mothers. White House Border Czar Tom Homan defended the decision. "What we did is remove children with their mothers who requested the children depart with them. This is a parental decision, parenting 101. The mothers made that choice," Homan said. Over the weekend, hundreds of alleged illegal immigrants were arrested in Florida and Colorado. In Colorado Springs, the DEA dismantled an underground nightclub, resulting in over 100 arrests. There were nearly 800 immigrant arrests in Florida. Immigration remains a strong issue for Trump, although recent polls indicate Americans are divided on his handling of it as he approaches his 100th day. Democrats are hoping to capitalize on the shifting sentiments.

Reported similarly:
USA Today [4/28/2025 4:25 PM, Chloe Kim, 75858K] Video: HERE

AP [4/28/2025 8:53 AM, Chris Megerian and Calvin Woodward, 48304K] reports the weeks since President Donald Trump returned to office have been a whirlwind of activity to show Americans that his administration is relentlessly pursuing his promises. With a compliant Republican-controlled Congress, Trump has had a free hand to begin overhauling the federal government and upending foreign policy. As Trump hits his 100th day in office Tuesday, his imprint is everywhere. But the long-term impact is often unclear. Some of the Republican president’s executive orders are statements of intent or groundwork to achieve what has yet to be done. On Day 1, for example, he declared an energy emergency to spur production. But he’s not promising a payoff until next year, when he told voters to count on a big drop in their utility bills. Trump’s goals occasionally conflict with each other. He promised both to lower the cost of living and to impose tariffs on foreign goods, which will most likely increase prices. Other issues are languishing. Very much unsettled is whether Trump has run up his scorecard lawfully. He has faced lawsuits over some of his actions, meaning much of what he’s done could be undone as cases play out. Inflation has been falling since a peak of 9.1% in 2022. It was at 3% in January, the month Trump was inaugurated, and 2.4% in March. “We already solved inflation,” Trump boasted. But the Federal Reserve warned that the president’s tariff plans will most likely lead to higher prices by taxing foreign imports. In addition, it’s unlikely Trump will manage to “pay off all our debt.” His plans for tax cuts would reduce revenue to cover the country’s bills. Besides, he made a similar pledge in 2016, and then the national debt ballooned during his first presidency. Trump has clearly made progress on a signature promise to control the border. The number of people trying to cross illegally into the U.S. from Mexico dropped steeply in President Joe Biden’s last year, from a high of 249,740 in December 2023 to 47,324 in December 2024. Under Trump, the numbers sank to only 8,346 in February and 7,181 in March. It’s unclear whether Trump is matching Biden’s aggressive deportation record last year — the numbers are not yet in. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is arresting large numbers of people across the country. Many who assert their innocence have been deported without due process. The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is one of those hanging in the balance. He was deported to a Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record and no hearing into whether he’s a gang member as alleged by the administration. In the campaign, Trump gave voters a pledge they’ll be able to judge for themselves, simply by looking at their utility bills. He promised to reduce their energy costs by half to three-quarters in 12 to 18 months. At times, he hedged: “If it doesn’t work out, you’ll say, ‘Oh, well, I voted for him, and he still got it down a lot.’” Other times, he didn’t hedge. “Under my plan, we will cut energy and electricity prices in half,” he told a Mint Hill, North Carolina, rally in September.

Washington Times [4/28/2025 9:31 AM, Kerry Picket, 1814K] reports White House border ​czar Tom Homan accused the Biden administration of putting up illegal migrants in expensive hotel rooms instead of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities, helping migrants avoid deportation. He said it was a deliberate strategy by President Biden to help illegal immigrants stay in the U.S. "The Biden Administration released millions of people in the United States. No one ever talks about it. I’ll talk about it. Why did they release people into the interior United States and put them into an ICE bed?" Mr. Homan said during a White House press briefing on Monday. "Why not put them in an empty ICE bed at $127 a night, rather than a hotel room at 500 bucks a night?". Mr. Homan said the Biden administration "did it on purpose.” "When you put them in an ICE detention bed, they get a hearing in 35 days. Court records show that nine out of 10 people who claimed asylum get a removal order. They’re gone," he said. "But if you release them, and put them in a hotel room at 500 bucks a night, their hearings could be in five, seven, nine years. You pull out all appeals, and what are they hoping for?". White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt touted the 99% decrease from the more than 184,000 illegal aliens who were released into the country during the same period last year under Mr. Biden.

Washington Times [4/28/2025 9:48 AM, Mallory Wilson, 1814K] reports Trump administration border czar Tom Homan said Monday that former President Joseph R. Biden was the only president to "unsecure" the border on purpose. "Even President [Barack] Obama and President [Bill] Clinton took some steps to secure the border. They understood national security’s important," Mr. Homan said. "Joe Biden was the first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured a border on purpose. That’s just a fact.” Mr. Homan told reporters in the White House briefing room that he worked under six presidents, and "every president I worked for took border security seriously because you can’t have national security if you don’t have strong border security.” He said the "most secure border in my lifetime" under President Trump’s first term was handed over to Mr. Biden, who unsecured it. He said the success of the second Trump administration at the border is "unprecedented.”

USA Today [4/28/2025 7:36 PM, Lauren Villagran, 75858K] reports to meet President Donald Trump’s goal of deporting 1 million people a year, the administration would have to have sent well over 100,000 people packing in his first 100 days. On Trump’s 99th day in office, his border czar says the administration is on track, deporting 139,000 people since Trump’s inauguration. "The numbers are good," Tom Homan said April 28 during a news conference at the White House. But immigration experts say the figures don’t add up. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is required by Congress to publicly share detention and deportation information every two weeks, has reported removing less than half that number, roughly 57,000 people. The difference could be explained if there were more deportations along the nation’s borders, which are controlled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But the Trump administration successfully sealed the Mexican border within days of taking office, so arrests there have slowed to a trickle, government data confirms. "Unless they deported 30,000-plus people to Canada, I’m not seeing it," said Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight at the left-leaning Washington Office on Latin America. There is no indication that many people have been removed to Canada. Transparency in numbers is important, he and other immigration experts said. "The public deserves to have a very transparent accounting of the enforcement that has been happening under the Trump administration policies," said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the right-leaning Center for Immigration Studies. "That kind of transparency is necessary for evaluating their results," she said. "Otherwise these numbers are meaningless, especially in comparison to previous years.”

Washington Post [4/29/2025 3:24 AM, Niha Masih, 31735K] reports the Trump administration’s efforts to deport some pro-Palestinian student protesters rest on a power granted to the secretary of state to determine whether an individual is a threat to U.S. foreign policy interests — a provision that has been used just 15 times since its addition more than three decades ago, according to an analysis conducted by legal and political experts. Section 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(4)(C)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act — invoked in the cases of Columbia University students Mahmoud Khalil, Yunseo Chung and Mohsen Mahdawi, and Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk — stipulates that a person is deportable if the secretary of state has "reasonable grounds" to believe their presence or activities in the United States "would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences" for the country. But the provision has been used sparingly since its addition in 1990 as part of an overhaul of immigration law. Publicly available data reveals just 15 known cases in which it was used before March 2025, according to an analysis of 11.7 million immigration cases that was submitted as an amicus brief in legal proceedings in support of Khalil, Chung and Mahdawi. The analysis — based on data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review and published decisions by the Board of Immigration Appeals — was conducted by Graeme Blair, associate professor of political science at UCLA, and David Hausman, assistant professor of law and director of the Deportation Data Project at the University of California at Berkeley. It has been endorsed by more than 150 law professors and scholars from top U.S. universities. In the amicus brief, lawyers argued that the cases against the students are "unprecedented in the history of this provision" and that they are unaware of the clause ever having been invoked as a sole charge against a green-card holder. Khalil, Chung and Mahdawi are U.S. permanent residents. A spokesperson from the State Department referred to an earlier comment from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who during a news briefing in March denied that the students’ cases were a free-speech issue. "As the Secretary indicated, the Department revokes visas every day in order to secure America’s borders and keep our communities safe," the spokesperson said in an email. They declined to provide details on how many visas or green cards were revoked involving the provision. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said via email that an American visa or green card is a privilege. "When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans, and harass Jews, take over buildings and deface property, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country," she said. Most of the 15 cases in which the foreign policy ground was used are from the 1990s, and it has been invoked just four times since 2000, according to the analysis. Five individuals were detained during the proceedings and only four ultimately were ordered to be removed or deported after being charged.

NPR [4/29/2025 5:01 AM, Tom Dreisbach, 29983K] reports that, when Donald Trump campaigned for president, he promised his followers payback. "I am your retribution," he said in 2023. It was not just campaign rhetoric. In the first 100 days of his second term, President Trump has moved aggressively to fulfill his promise of retribution against an extraordinary range of individuals and organizations, targeting political opponents, news organizations, former government officials, universities, international student protesters and law firms. An NPR review has found that the administration is using a vast array of government powers to launch criminal investigations, sweep people into ICE detention, ban companies from receiving federal contracts, revoke security clearances and fire employees. Consider just one week in April. On Wednesday, April 9, Trump ordered criminal probes into two former Trump administration officials, saying one was "guilty of treason" — a crime, Trump has noted, that is punishable by death. That same day, he signed an order targeting a law firm for alleged "election misconduct.” The next day, Thursday, Trump’s former personal attorney, who is now the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, announced criminal investigations into the state’s Democratic governor and attorney general over immigration policies. That Friday, his administration sent a series of sweeping demands to Harvard University, including an end to diversity programs, audits to ensure "viewpoint diversity" and bans on certain student groups. This agenda of retribution has defined the early days of the second Trump administration. The list of targets now exceeds 100, according to NPR’s review, ranging from some of the United States’ most prominent Democratic politicians to international students who were unknown to the general public. The FBI’s arrest last week of a Wisconsin judge for allegedly obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement has raised additional concerns that the administration may also be targeting members of the judiciary. While discussing the case on Fox News, Attorney General Pam Bondi described some judges as "deranged" and added "no one is above the law.” Trump has enlisted a wide spectrum of major and minor government agencies in his retaliation campaign. Among those agencies, NPR has found, are the departments of Justice, Defense, Homeland Security, Education, and Health and Human Services, along with the IRS, the General Services Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and even the Federal Housing Finance Agency. At the same time, Trump has continued to pursue personal lawsuits aimed at imposing financial penalties on companies and news organizations that have angered him. Some of the president’s allies argue that his actions mark the end of what they call the "weaponization" of law enforcement that began under President Joe Biden.

The Hill [4/28/2025 6:00 AM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12829K] reports the Trump administration has shifted staff and undertaken a series of policy changes at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division that current and former staff say strike at the heart of its mission. Justice Department leadership has in recent weeks directed attorneys to focus on priorities laid out in executive orders from President Trump, such as "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" and "Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” It’s a departure for a division that under former President Biden described itself as protecting the civil rights of all Americans, including "some of the most vulnerable members of our society.” "The impact is catastrophic. They are scaling back possibly, nearly all enforcement that they have been doing for decades on civil rights statutes they’re required to enforce," said Stacey Young, a longtime Civil Rights Division attorney who now runs Justice Connection. "This is a monumental shift in the way the division operates, and it’s going to result in American civil rights not being protected as they almost always have been.” The department last week removed roughly a dozen career leaders from their positions, pushing some into unrelated roles responsible for responding to public information requests and a complaint adjudication office. Many have since resigned, leaving many sections without any leadership beyond political appointees, with additional departures expected. Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights under former President Obama, said the moves were "sidelining an enormous amount of very nonpartisan expertise" that has enforced the law under administrations of both parties. "And the only reason you do that is if you didn’t think that the laws were worth enforcing. That actually should really raise eyebrows in Congress," he said. The sweeping changes come less than three weeks after the swearing in of Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s assistant attorney general for civil rights. The former co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, Dhillon backed Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election and also was among those defending him against a Colorado lawsuit arguing he should be barred from running for office due to leading an insurrection. The California lawyer has made a name for herself by championing conservative causes, suing on behalf of Trump supporters who said actions taken by San Jose police enabled a clash with counterprotestors. She represented a Google employee fired after he criticized the company’s diversity policy by arguing biology was to account for why there were fewer female engineers at the company. She also sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over his stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic, challenging the law on behalf of churches and other entities. In her short tenure, she’s sent out new mission statements for the division’s 11 sections, with many offering a passing reference to the major statutes they enforce — such as the Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act — while directing attorneys to use orders from Trump to guide their priorities. "The zealous and faithful pursuit of this section’s mission requires the full dedication of the section’s resources, attention, and energy to the priorities of the President," the mission statement for the Educational Opportunities Section reads. Levitt said the Civil Rights Division has a long history of protecting populations that face discrimination, whether based on race, religion, gender, disability or other factors. "The orientation coming out of the mission statements of the Civil Rights Division thus far seem to have forgotten that," said Levitt, now a professor at Loyola Law School. "It’s very clear that Assistant Attorney General Dhillon made her name and came to Trump’s attention bringing cases based primarily on white Christian male grievance.”

FOX News [4/28/2025 5:04 PM, Peter Pinedo, 46189K] reports as the Senate reconvenes this week after a spring break, the Honest Elections Project is urging GOP leaders to move quickly to close a loophole they say is allowing noncitizens to vote in federal elections. According to Honest Elections Project, an election integrity watchdog group, judicial interpretation of the National Voter Registration Act, often called the Motor Voter Act, effectively ties states’ hands, making it difficult to put commonsense voter ID requirements in place and opening the window for noncitizens to influence and tip the balance in elections. The group said current federal law makes it so that voter registration essentially operates on an honor system in which all a noncitizen needs to do to be added to the voter rolls is check a box indicating he or she is a citizen. Doing so is punishable as perjury but is not sufficient as a deterrent, critics say. To stop this, Honest Elections sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Rules Committee Chair Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday, urging them to immediately bring the SAVE Act to the Senate floor for a vote.

New York Times [4/28/2025 8:45 PM, Ed Shanahan, 145325K] reports a 45-year-old Iraqi man was charged on Monday with voting illegally in the 2020 presidential election, a prosecution that federal officials said had been assisted by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency. The case against the man, Akeel Abdul Jamiel, appeared to be the first announced by the Justice Department in which Mr. Musk’s unit, also known as DOGE, is credited with aiding in the investigation that led to the charge. The department did not respond to an inquiry about what form the unit’s help had taken. Mr. Jamiel lived in South Glens Falls, N.Y., about an hour north of Albany in Saratoga County, when he cast the illegal ballot, officials said. He was prohibited from voting because he was not a U.S. citizen but did so anyway, according to a charging document. He registered as a member of the Conservative Party about a month before the election, public records show. It appears to be the first time he had registered to vote in the United States, where records show he had lived since at least 2005. President Trump has argued since 2020 that rampant voter fraud caused him to lose that year’s election to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. In what could be considered an ironic twist, court filings in a lawsuit suggest that Mr. Jamiel is a Trump supporter. Mr. Jamiel was not in custody on Monday, and a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York declined to comment on when he might be. The charge he faces, voting by aliens, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of as much as $100,000. He could not be reached for comment. In a statement, John A. Sarcone III, the interim U.S. attorney for the district, called Mr. Jamiel’s vote “a callous and illegal act.” “We will continue to investigate and prosecute illegal schemes aimed at corrupting the election process,” Mr. Sarcone added. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and studies have found that the practice is virtually nonexistent. Still, Mr. Trump and his allies have long claimed that large numbers of noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, vote or try to vote in U.S. elections.

Telemundo [4/28/2025 6:30 PM, Myriam Masihy, 171K] reports some celebrities have reported being victims of scammers and impostors who clone their image or use artificial intelligence to impersonate them, and now that same technology seems to be being used to impersonate immigration lawyers. Cecilia Peréz refers to what she says seemed to be the Instagram profile of immigration lawyer Alma Rosa Nieto, whom she says she has been following for years and from where a message came from, allegedly from the same lawyer. Oh, what an excitement. The lawyer answered me, Peréz recalls, then tells me, "Tell me, how can I help?" Periz confided in her exchange messages with the lawyer, although she confirms that she never spoke to her on the phone or teleconference, only through written notes, where she was asked for several things. My passport. And then, he already contacted me and told me to send him, I have to make the payment to an e-mail, that e-mail had the photo, he had the stamp, it’s like the stamp, the migration stamp, he recounts. Cecilia claims that she sent two payments for Zelle, one of $1,000, and the other of 1,500, all to a gmail email that allegedly belonged to the lawyer’s assistant. I get on the page again, to see it, and it was gone, there was no longer the logo, everything about the lawyer. There, yes, I said, "They stole from me, stole me, they stole from me," he says. That’s when, for the first time, he says, he searched the phone from the lawyer Nieto’s office, and called. "There a secretary answered me, they gave me even an appointment with the lawyer, I talked, via zoom with her." Unfortunately, she was confirmed that she had been conned and that lawyer Nieto never charges for her services through zelle.

Bloomberg [4/29/2025 12:23 AM, Robert Burnson, 16228K] reports Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil failed to convince an immigration judge that he shouldn’t be deported for his anti-Israel activism because he was arrested without a warrant. Khalil’s attorneys had urged the judge in Louisiana to release him after federal prosecutors acknowledged last week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents lacked a warrant when they took him into custody on March 8 outside his student-housing apartment building in Manhattan. But the judge, who isn’t identified in a court filing, ruled Friday that the “termination of removal proceedings is not an appropriate remedy for the harm” that Khalil alleged, according to a letter his lawyers wrote Monday to a federal judge in New Jersey handling a challenge to his detention. The immigration judge also found that the Department of Homeland Security proved that Khalil “is removable as charged.” Earlier in the month, his deportation was ruled appropriate because his presence in the US harms the country’s foreign policy interests. The judge scheduled a May 22 in-person hearing with Khalil, who remains at a detention facility in Louisiana. Justice Department lawyers argued in a filing that Khalil’s “warrantless” arrest was justified because ICE agents who approached him on the street thought he might try to flee after refusing to cooperate with them. Lawyers for Khalil, who became a lawful permanent resident in 2024, didn’t immediately respond outside regular business hours to a request for comment.

Breitbart [4/28/2025 8:39 PM, Bradley Jaye, 2923K] reports Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Mary Rosado is the latest judge with a resume as a Democratic Party activist to rule against the Trump administration. Rosado on Friday temporarily barred the opening of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center on Rikers Island despite the agreement between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Trump administration. Rosado set May 29 for the next hearing in the case. Her resume is strikingly similar to other judges who have stepped in to block Trump’s constitutional executive authority. Rosado is a registered Democrat in New York, whose Supreme Court judges are partisan and elected based on party affiliation. According to New York Campaign Finance records, Rosado donated almost $12,000 to Democrat campaigns and committees between 2005 and 2019. Her donations include the New York County Democratic Committee and Friends of Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat congressman born in the Dominican Republic who is the first illegal immigrant to serve in Congress. Espaillat has called to impede federal law enforcement’s efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants, even those who have committed crimes in addition to entering the country illegally. Rosado has a history of ruling to hinder immigration enforcement. She previously ruled that New York was not able to block buses filled with illegal migrants. Her elevation to a judge was praised by left-wing activist groups. The Judicial Screening Panel of The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York approved of Mary Rosado’s candidacy prior to her election. The group’s website states: In order to obtain an "Approved" rating, the Panel must be satisfied that the candidate, once on the bench, will: 1) demonstrate a commitment to the equality of rights for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people; 2) possess the integrity, intellect, experience, and temperament required of judicial office; and 3) perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice against or in favor of any person and will not permit discrimination against any minority in his or her courtroom.

FOX News [4/28/2025 8:01 PM, Staff, 46189K] Video: HERE reports New York City Mayor Eric Adams remains confident after a ruling blocking his order to allow ICE agents into Rikers Island Prison, telling Fox News Digital its “all part of the process.”

USA Today [4/28/2025 1:31 PM, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 75858K] Video HERE reports New York city police are investigating after two women were reportedly assaulted by pro-Israeli counter-protesters during clashes with a crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on social media. A visit to New York by far-right Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler who has pressed for an intensification of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, sparked protests in recent days. After pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, one woman was isolated from her group, harassed by counter-protesters and injured while another was surrounded and subjected to "vile" threats, Adams said on Sunday. "Let me be clear: None of this is acceptable, in fact it is despicable. New York City will always be a place where people can peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence, trespassing, menacing or threatening," Adams said. "Hate has no place in our city, and those responsible will be held accountable." Adams said one person had been arrested and urged the women to come forward, saying the NYPD had not yet been able to locate them.

FOX News [4/28/2025 8:41 AM, Danielle Wallace, 46189K] reports the White House lawn is lined with posters of 100 of the "worst illegal immigrant criminals" arrested in the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term. "Good Morning from The White House!" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X on Monday morning, sharing video of the posters, which say "arrested" at the top and appear to have a mugshot or other photo of the person followed by the label "illegal alien.” The bottom of the poster lists a crime the person is accused of committing, including rape, murder, sexual assault of a child, lewd acts in front of a child, and distribution of fentanyl and illegal guns. "We will hunt you down. You will face justice. You will be deported — and you will never set foot on American soil again," the White House wrote in a separate X post. "Oh, and your mugshot may just end up on a yard sign at the White House.” Leavitt and Border Czar Tom Homan have an early morning press briefing scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday. The White House released a list and photos of all 100 illegal immigrants featured on the yard signs, highlighting several higher-profile cases. There’s a poster of Jose Enrique Pol Troncoso, a 31-year-old Dominican national arrested earlier this month by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami. He was convicted of fentanyl possession and carrying a concealed weapon. His criminal histo also includes cocaine and heroin possession and stalking in Orange County, Florida, according to the White House. Last month, ICE Houston arrested 66-year-old Guatemalan national Norberto Che Xol, whose photo is also featured at the White House Monday. He was convicted of indecent sexual contact with a child in Harris County, Texas. The White House is also displaying the image of Virginia Basora Gonzalez – a Dominican woman previously deported for fentanyl trafficking who broke down in tears when she was arrested by federal agents again in Philadelphia last month. Gonzalez had a final order of removal dated March 4, 2020. Her criminal history includes a conviction for attempted possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl in Philadelphia, according to the White House. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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The Hill [4/28/2025 7:48 AM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12829K] reports authorities on Sunday arrested a second suspect in the theft of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse at a downtown restaurant in Washington, D.C. U.S. Secret Service Miami Field Office Special Agent in Charge Rafael Barros announced the arrest shortly after the Washington field office confirmed the arrest of the first suspect in the case. Barros said on Sunday that the arrest was made with "critical assistance" from the Miami Beach Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations division, adding that Miami Beach Police officers located the suspect "after receiving information from Washington" and made the arrest "without incident.” Barros said the second individual "is believed to be a co-conspirator" connected to "a pattern of robberies and thefts in Washington, D.C.," including the robbery against the DHS secretary. Noem’s purse included some major belongings, including $3,000 in cash, her DHS access badge, passport, driver’s license, blank checks and keys. The theft occurred as Noem was celebrating Easter with her family earlier this month. Earlier on Sunday, U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool announced the arrest of the first suspect, whom he did not identify by name but called "a serial offender.” McCool said there was no indication Noem was targeted because of her position. Following the arrest of the first individual, Noem released a statement to The Hill through a spokesperson. "Thank you to Secret Service and ICE and our law enforcement partners for finding and arresting the criminal who stole my bag on Easter Sunday as I shared a meal with my family at a Washington DC restaurant," Noem said in the statement. "This individual is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years," Noem added. "Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets.” Neither suspect was identified by name, since formal charges had not yet been filed, as of Sunday evening.

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(B) NBC News Daily [4/28/2025 1:30 PM, Staff] reports that a second suspect has been arrested in connection with the theft of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse. The Secret Service says the suspect is believed to be a coconspirator with the primary defendant who was arrested on Saturday. They are both accused of stealing the secretary’s bag as she ate dinner with her family on Easter Sunday. Officials say both suspects are in the country illegally.

Washington Post [4/28/2025 5:29 PM, Derek Hawkins, Spencer S. Hsu, and Keith L. Alexander, 31735K] reports a man suspected of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem’s purse, along with her passport and about $3,000 in cash, from a Washington, D.C., restaurant was charged in federal court Monday with robbery, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. A 35-page federal criminal complaint accuses Mario Bustamante Leiva of making off with Noem’s belongings as she dined in Capital Burger on April 20 and using her credit cards in five purchases totaling more than $200. The complaint does not identify Noem by name, but the details of the robbery match the theft of her belongings at the same time and location. The complaint says Bustamante Leiva, a 49-year-old Chilean national who was arrested Saturday, recently robbed two other people in a similar manner and made purchases with their credit cards as well. The charges cap a week-long investigation that involved multiple federal agencies running down a theft that likely would have remained a local matter were the victim any lower-profile than Noem, one of a handful of senior administration officials with a permanent Secret Service detail. Investigators pieced together security footage from cameras at several businesses around town, reviewed financial records, and consulted local transportation officials to trace the suspect’s movements. In a statement Sunday after Bustamante Leiva’s arrest, Noem described the suspect as a “career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years.” The Washington Post could not independently confirm that Bustamante Leiva is an undocumented immigrant. A representative from DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

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New York Post [4/28/2025 5:35 PM, Alex Oliveira, 54903K] reports the booze-hound illegal migrant who snatched Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Gucci purse brazenly drank for hours with her Amex card at an Italian eatery after pulling off the caper, according to shocking details released by the feds. Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49, was caught on camera blowing $205.87 on food and alcohol at Angolo Ristorante Italiano in Washington, DC, on April 20 just minutes after he slyly made off with her shoulder bag, charging documents from the US Attorney’s office of DC show. Other images released Monday showed him snatching Noem’s bag — which had $3,000 cash and the DHS honcho’s ID and passport — from under her feet at the Capital Burger around 8 p.m., where she was enjoying an Easter dinner with family, according to the docs. Bustamante-Leiva stayed at the red-sauce joint until about midnight, charging documents said, before leaving and falling asleep outside at a table. He remained there until about 7:30 a.m., authorities say. Feds also accused Bustamante-Leiva of using the ill-gotten gains from other robberies in the area to buy Josh Cabernet Sauvignon wine.

New York Post [4/28/2025 9:08 AM, Jennie Taer and Emily Crane, 5100K] reports the second illegal migrant nabbed in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Gucci bag theft has been identified as a Chilean national who was released into the US despite being handed notice of “expedited removal,” The Post has learned. Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana was busted in Miami on Sunday after he and another illegal migrant allegedly made off with Noem’s designer purse containing $3,000 in cash last week, law enforcement sources said. Montecino-Sanzana was released into the US in January 2021, according to sources — despite US Border Patrol issuing him with a notice of expedited removal when he was apprehended trying to sneak across the southern border in December. His arrest came shortly after Mario Bustamante-Leiva was taken into custody in Washington DC over the theft. Charges against him are pending.

Politico [4/28/2025 4:52 PM, Amanda Friedman, 2100K] reports a complaint filed on Monday reveals more details about the suspects accused of snatching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse from a restaurant in Washington, D.C. last weekend. Authorities arrested two suspects in connection to the theft of Noem’s purse on Easter Sunday at the Capital Burger — reportedly containing roughly $3,000 in cash along with her driver’s license, passport, keys and Homeland Security badge. Noem had planned to use the cash to pay for her family’s dinner and other Easter activities. The United States Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department arrested the primary suspect, 49-year-old Mario Bustamante Leiva, a Chilean national, in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, according to the complaint. The Secret Service called the individual a “serial offender” in a statement released about the arrests on Sunday. The complaint outlines federal charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and robbery against Bustamante Leiva in connection with Noem’s theft along with two other incidents that took place between April 12 and April 20. Bustamante Leiva’s attorney could not be reached for comment about the charges. Interim District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, during a Saturday appearance on NBC News, said Bustamante Leiva was in the country illegally. POLITICO could not independently confirm Bustamante Leiva’s immigration status. Noem thanked law enforcement for making the arrest on Sunday, linking the theft to her efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown. “This individual is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years,” Noem wrote in a post to X. “ Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets.”

New York Post [4/28/2025 7:48 PM, Staff, 54903K] reports this guy’s a Noem criminal. The illegal migrant who was busted for snatching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s Gucci purse was picked up by cops in New York for a similar crime just a few weeks earlier — but they let him go with a desk appearance ticket and a court date. The NYPD’s warrant squad was hunting for Chilean national Mario Bustamante-Leiva, 49 — because he never showed up to court — when he allegedly ripped off Noem during Easter dinner with her family at a Washington, DC, burger bar, law enforcement sources told The Post. After swiping Noem’s purse — which contained $3,000 cash, her passport, wallet and government ID — he hopped a bus and sidled up to the bar at Angolo Ristorante Italiano in DC, where he boozed it up until midnight and rang up $205.87 on the DHS honcho’s American Express, according to documents released by prosecutors Monday. The feds also released surveillance images of Bustamante-Leiva wearing a white face mask and a baseball cap before and after he allegedly stole Noem’s $4,000 luxury bag from under her feet at The Capital Burger. Another picture allegedly showed the accused serial thief at Angolo — Noem’s Gucci bag clearly in view — while chatting on the cell phone. The high-profile theft was the fourth he pulled off in eight days, authorities said. He copped to stealing Noem’s bag, but said he didn’t know who she was when he snatched the pricey bag from the floor while she dined, according to court docs. Bustamante-Leiva’s rap sheet also includes a 2021 shoplifting arrest in Utah and a headline-grabbing bust across the pond in London in 2015, where he was arrested for a months-long theft spree and charged with palming $28,000 in phones, wallets, and computers. He landed on NYPD’s radar on March 2 after he swiped a fanny pack from a Times Square dosa shop and racked up $1,200 in credit card charges in just 20 minutes, according to the victim, an international student from India. The victim told The Post that he forgot his bag at the eatery for just a few minutes, and it was gone when he came back. Good Samaritans pointed out the thief, whom he described as a "little old man" wearing a COVID mask. After his arrest, NYPD cops gave Bustamante-Leiva, who said he lived in the Bronx, a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges and released him. When he didn’t show up for his court date, officers went looking for him, law enforcement sources said. New York’s sanctuary laws meant that the NYPD was not allowed to report him to federal immigration authorities, despite being in the country illegally. "Years ago, people would be held on ICE detainers if somebody was known to be in the country unlawfully and committed crimes," former Manhattan prosecutor Mark A. Bederow fumed. "That would be a no-brainer hold … these kinds of crimes would not be committed if the policies were stronger. That’s just the reality.” It’s unclear whether Bustamante-Leiva’s previous busts showed up on his criminal record when Manhattan cops arrested him and let him go. It’s common for the NYPD to hand out tickets and court dates to people arrested for lower-level theft, even if it’s a felony. Bustamante-Leiva and his accomplice in the Noem bag snatch, Cristian Rodrigo Montecino-Sanzana, are believed to be part of a large East Coast robbery organization, sources said. The two men allegedly worked together and have committed similar robbery schemes across the US, sources said.

Breitbart [4/28/2025 4:15 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2923K] reports federal officials have indicted seven foreign nationals in Kentucky, accusing them of moving huge sums of cash for a Mexican drug cartel. Mexican national Jose Malagon Castro, 49, who was operating a chain of El Rey Market outlets in the Louisville area, is accused of using his businesses to launder millions in cartel drug money. Prosecutors say he transferred about $34.7 million to accounts in Mexico. When Castro was arrested, he was found with more than half a million dollars in cash in a backpack stashed in the trunk of his car, according to WDRB-TV. Castro also reportedly employed several foreign nationals who investigators say were tasked with conducting wire transfers as part of Castro’s money transmission service. The IRS assisted in the investigation and arrests with the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Cincinnati office saying, "IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to rooting out the money laundering schemes that serve as the lifeblood of drug trafficking organizations." Those arrested and indicted will next appear in court on Tuesday.

Blaze [4/28/2025 4:35 PM, Cortney Weil, 1668K] reports a Chinese national accused of voting in the 2024 election in Michigan now faces a bench warrant after he failed to attend a hearing last week. Haoxiang Gao, a 20-year-old Chinese national with a green card, was supposed to show up for a hearing in district court on Thursday but never appeared, prompting Judge J. Cedric Simpson to issue a bench warrant for his arrest. Simpson decided to issue the bench warrant after conferring with Gao’s lawyer, K. Orlando Simón. Now with a bench warrant against him, law enforcement officers are compelled to arrest Gao, should they encounter him. As of Friday, no follow-up hearing for Gao had been scheduled. At the moment, it’s unclear where he is. Gao is one of 16 noncitizens believed to have voted in Michigan last fall, according to an audit.

Federalist [4/28/2025 7:36 AM, M.D. Kittle, 1033K] reports that, following the FBI’s arrest Friday of a Wisconsin judge accused of helping an illegal immigrant charged with violent crimes elude, at least briefly, federal authorities, the left — right on cue — took to social media and the streets to declare "No Justice, No Peace." . "The arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan is a chilling attack on judicial independence. Judges must be free to uphold the law. Every American who believes in due process should be alarmed," Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. bloviated on his X account. "We don’t arrest judges. That’s not how democracy works," chided Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C.. "An independent judiciary is the cornerstone of our legal system — undermine it, and you undermine justice itself.” The "no one is above the law" left once again has been caught up in their own rhetoric. We do arrest judges, when there is evidence to suggest they broke the law — as is the case with Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan. Indeed, judges must be free to uphold the law; they are not entitled to break the law, disregard it, or rewrite it, as several judges steeped in the Trump "resistance" movement have been accused of doing. Representative democracy in a republic, the U.S. system of government, works when judges don’t flout the separation of powers that is at the heart of the founders’ Constitution. And, if Judge Dugan did what she is accused of doing, it should be easy for anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of that ingenious founding document to see how the rejection of the rule of law in pursuit of personal politics is an abuse of the judiciary. Dugan, according to the criminal complaint, was charged Friday in federal court on two very serious allegations: obstructing a U.S. agency and concealing an individual to prevent an arrest. FBI Director Kash Patel in an X post said Dugan "intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest.” The complaint notes federal authorities appeared at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18 to arrest Flores-Ruiz as he was about to appear before Dugan for a pretrial conference on three misdemeanor counts of battery. The illegal immigrant that officials say had been previously deported from Mexico, is accused of striking a man "in the face and body with a closed fist approximately 30 times" during an argument about the volume of the suspect’s music. Flores-Ruiz, according to the local complaint, also struck a woman who attempted to intervene in the domestic incident. Both went to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. In a statement to several media outlets, Dugan’s attorney said the judge "has committed herself to the rule of law and the principles of due process for her entire career as a lawyer and a judge," adding that Dugan will "defend herself vigorously, and looks forward to being exonerated.”

FOX News [4/28/2025 2:18 PM, Stephen Sorace and Garrett Tenney, 46189K] reports a Milwaukee judge arrested Friday for allegedly hiding a previously deported illegal immigrant in her jury room had a notice posted to her courtroom door for people who feel "unsafe" coming to the courthouse, Fox News learned Monday. The notice posted to Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan’s courtroom door was dated April 14, four days before she allegedly helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant, and his attorney leave the courthouse to evade ICE agents, Fox News observed. The notice states: "ATTENTION - IF ANY ATTORNEY, WITNESS COORDINATOR, OR OTHER COURT OFFICIAL KNOWS OR BELIEVES THAT A PERSON FEELS UNSAFE COMING TO THE COURTHOUSE TO COURTROOM 615, PLEASE NOTIFY THE BRANCH 31 CLERK TO REQUEST COURT APPEARANCE VIA ZOOM." Dugan was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding after evidence came to light that she had shielded Flores-Ruiz from ICE agents, according to a criminal complaint. She was also charged with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Blaze [4/28/2025 1:15 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1668K] reports democrat Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ administration issued guidance on April 18 directing state employees not to immediately cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal agents. The day the guidance went out, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan allegedly helped a previously deported illegal alien facing three misdemeanor counts of battery get away from immigration officials following his pretrial April 18 appearance in her courtroom. Dugan has been charged with two federal felony counts: obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the U.S. and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. In the wake of Dugan’s arrest by the FBI, Evers apparently felt that critics’ suggestion that his administration instructed state employees to violate federal law was "crap." "That’s what they would say no matter what," Evers told WISN-TV. "We’re not encouraging them to break the law. In fact, one of the things that ICE is arresting people for, we’re seeing all that, frankly, is not law-breaking. And then what do you do? So I think having caution right up front, I think, is important." The guidance issued by Evers’ Department of Administration provided state workers with instructions on what to do if ICE ever showed up to their office.

CBS News [4/28/2025 11:16 PM, Marissa Armas, 51661K] reports dozens of North Texas interfaith leaders are speaking out to support immigrants who they say are being deported without due process. "We as faith leaders are not going to be silent, we are going to speak up. We are not going to step back, we’re going to step up, " said George Mason, president of Faith Commons, at a press conference on Monday. Faith leaders said that immigrants in the community are scared, which is why they’re taking action. Starting in a few weeks, faith leaders will soon begin holding weekly vigils outside of the Simmons ICE Processing Center in protest of the deportations. They also said they’re considering opening church doors as a refuge, if needed. "I unequivocally denounce indiscriminate deportation of our neighbors and the violations of their rights," said Vicky Glikin, senior cantor of Temple Emanu-El. "Refugees and asylum seekers deserve to live free from intimidation by ICE.” The Interfaith Clergy Emergency Response League and Faith Commons coalition said that migrants and refugees are "disappearing" from the community, many without due process, many also without criminal records. "The levels of fear and anxiety today are about as high as I have experienced them," said Rev. Amy Spaur, lead pastor of La Fundución de Cristo. "People are scared. They are very scared.” As CBS News Texas reported Friday, one of those immigrants is Venezuelan asylum-seeker Neri Alvarado Borges. He was recently deported to an El Salvador mega-prison back in March, despite having no criminal record in the U.S. or Venezuela. His family said it was without proper due process. "We got some connections with several of the local people that have been deported, in fact, one media guy we work with is meeting with some of the family members right now," said Pastor Eric Folkerth from Kessler Park United Methodist Church. The Trump administration said many of the individuals being deported are violent criminals and gang members. Many immigrants are being deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, but faith leaders said the number of immigrants being deported who are not breaking the law is increasing. "It is factually known now that some of the people who were rounded up and shifted off were in the system following the rules," Folkerth said. "They were following the rules, they still got taken away, without due process, that’s wrong… that’s got to be wrong.” Faith leaders said they’re discussing a tentative plan for if ICE shows up to arrest folks at churches and religious gatherings. They’re also urging the community to sign a letter they’ve created, asking the administration to adhere to the rule of law when it comes to immigrants.

NewsNation [4/28/2025 11:01 AM, Gabe Chavez, 6866K] reports new details have emerged about a former New Mexico judge and his wife, who are now in federal custody. They are accused of assisting a suspected gang member living in their home and hiding evidence. Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Judge Joel Cano, now disbarred, and his wife, Nancy, were arrested by Department of Homeland Security agents on Thursday at their home in Las Cruces. This arrest follows the investigation of an alleged Venezuelan gang member who had been staying with them. Federal court documents indicate that Cristhian Ortega-Lopez was arrested in February by federal agents on suspicion of living in the country illegally and having ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Upon his arrest, the documents revealed that Nancy Cano maintained communication with Ortega-Lopez and attempted to help him delete his Facebook account, which contained evidence relevant to his criminal case. Additionally, the federal documents state that one of the phones used by Ortega-Lopez was still in the Cano home and may have contained further incriminating evidence. A search warrant was issued in March to locate the missing phone, but police reported that Joel Cano admitted to destroying the device and disposing of the pieces. As a result, Cano is facing charges of tampering with evidence, while his wife is charged with conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Telemundo [4/28/2025 8:31 PM, Pilar Niño, 34K] reports eight immigration judges were fired in the month of April by the government and that makes 31 since the Trump administration arrived, several of the officials were part of the Bay Area courts. For the union that represents the 700 immigration judges in the country, the firings are incomprehensible considering that there are 3,700,000 cases held up in the courts. "It doesn’t take a genius to understand that the intent is to send an intimidating message that if they don’t rule or act in line with the administration, they will be fired," said Matt Biggs, president of IFPTE. Two of the judges fired so far were in Concord offices and three in San Francisco. "Unfortunately it is very alarming what is happening because it obviously starts to indicate that this could be a reason for the new judges to be more conservative, and decline the immigration benefits that by law one could ask for and seek protection," said Angel Rodriguez, an immigration attorney. One more obstacle for asylum seekers, Rodriguez said, where a stricter judge, for example, would no longer accept partial applications, which are enriched. "There has even been a memo recently telling judges that if the person has not submitted a complete asylum application, they can even deny them for not submitting a complete application," Rodriguez said. So the risk of eroding due process is real, and restricting eligibility "I fear they will make it very difficult for people to win asylum cases and other types of deportation cases, in Trump’s first term they ordered judges not to give asylum to victims of domestic violence, for example, or those fleeing gangs," said Bill Hing, professor of Law and Immigration USF. The union confirmed to Telemundo 48 that several of the fired judges are suing. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [4/28/2025 8:58 PM, Chris Cameron and James Wagner, 145325K] reports Mexico has agreed to send water to the United States and temporarily channel more water to the country from their shared rivers, a concession that appeared to defuse a diplomatic crisis sparked by yearslong shortages that left Mexico behind on its treaty-bound contribution of water from the borderlands. Earlier this month, President Trump threatened additional tariffs and other sanctions against Mexico over the water debt, amounting to about 420 billion gallons. In a social media post, Mr. Trump accused Mexico of “stealing” water from Texas farmers by not meeting its obligations under a 1944 treaty that mediates the distribution of water from three rivers the two countries share: the Rio Grande, the Colorado and the Tijuana. In an agreement announced jointly by Mexico and the United States on Monday, Mexico will immediately transfer some of its water reserves and will give the country a larger share of the flow of water from the Rio Grande through October. The concession from Mexico averted the threat of more punishing tariffs and diplomatic enmity with the United States amid the rollout of Mr. Trump’s new trade policies. But fulfilling the agreement is expected to significantly strain Mexico’s farmlands and could revive civil unrest triggered by previous water payments to the United States. Much of the Mexican borderlands are enduring extreme drought conditions, according to Mexico’s meteorological agency and water commission, and Mexico’s water reserves are at historic lows. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has taken a conciliatory approach in negotiations with the Trump administration. Hours after Mr. Trump’s threat of tariffs over the water dispute earlier this month, Ms. Sheinbaum acknowledged that her country had fallen short of its treaty commitments, citing the extreme drought and saying that Mexico had been complying “to the extent of water availability.” In a statement on Monday, the State Department lauded Ms. Sheinbaum “for her personal involvement” in negotiating the agreement, and spoke of “water scarcity affecting communities on both sides of the border.” A statement from the Mexican foreign ministry on the agreement noted that the United States had agreed not to seek a renegotiation of the 1944 water treaty.

(B) NBC News Daily [4/28/2025 2:22 PM, Staff] reports that the United Nations is warning that Haiti is at the point of no return as gang violence surges in the country, leaving many Haitian migrants in the US in limbo. The Trump administration is moving to end a Biden-era program that brought many migrants here. While a judge has temporarily paused the order telling Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans they have until April 24th to self-deport or face deportation, the Trump administration has appealed and they could rule as early as next week. The spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security called the Biden-era program an unlawful scheme and said multiple third countries have agreed to accept Haitians deported from the US.

CBS News [4/28/2025 11:28 PM, Adam Thompson, 51661K] reports Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador last month was not a mistake, President Trump’s "border czar" Tom Homan said during Monday’s White House press briefing. The Trump administration claimed in court papers last month Abrego Garcia, who was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Maryland, was deported to a Salvadoran prison in March because of an "administrative error." In 2019, Abrego Garcia — who entered the U.S. illegally — was granted "withholding of removal," which forbids immigration authorities from removing him to his home country of El Salvador, citing the risk of persecution by gangs. "I don’t accept the term ‘error’ in Abrego Garcia," Homan said. "There was an oversight, there was a withholding order. But the facts surrounding the withholding order had changed. He is now a terrorist, and the gang he was fearing, from being removed from El Salvador, no longer exists.” Homan’s claim that Abrego Garcia is a "terrorist" likely stems from the administration’s decision to designate certain gangs — including Salvadoran gang MS-13 — as terrorist organizations. The Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of belonging to MS-13, but his attorneys have strongly denied that he was a gang member and noted that he does not have a criminal record in the U.S. or any other country. Prior to receiving his protection order, Abrego Garcia was arrested as he was soliciting work outside of a Home Depot, his attorney said. He was taken into custody, along with three men who authorities say were recognized as being affiliated with gangs. Abrego Garcia was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie with graphics that were "indicative of the Hispanic gang culture," and police said a source told them Abrego Garcia was an active member of MS-13. His legal team denies any MS-13 links. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said during his visit to the White House earlier this month that he has no intention of sending Abrego Garcia back to the United States, which prompted a visit to El Salvador by Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the Salvadoran president’s assertions. "I will tell you what the president of El Salvador told you in the Oval Office: El Salvador does not intend to smuggle a designated foreign terrorist back into the United States," Leavitt said. "He is an El Salvadoran national. That is his home country. That is where he belongs.”

NBC News [4/28/2025 9:11 PM, David Noriega, 44742K] reports the sprawling penitentiary where Kilmar Abrego Garcia was last known to be held offers a sharp contrast to the supermax mega-prison to which he was first deported. As opposed to tattooed gang members in brightly lit, crowded cells, the inmates at the Centro Industrial prison in Santa Ana wear yellow T-shirts and move more or less freely. Some spend much of their time outdoors raising dairy cows and growing vegetables. Others work in factories making uniforms for the armed forces or desks for public schools. The government calls them "trusted inmates": They have exhibited good behavior and are in the final years of their sentences. And the prison categorically excludes anyone accused of belonging to a gang. "We only house the common population," said Samuel Diaz, the prison’s director and warden. "No gang members work here.” NBC News obtained access Monday to the Centro Industrial in Santa Ana in a carefully choreographed tour. Officials did not provide access to Abrego Garcia, and they would not answer questions about his location, the conditions of his detention or any other aspects of his case. But they facilitated interviews with other inmates, who described the conditions in the prison as "perfect" and "excellent.” The Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" the return of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who the Justice Department has acknowledged should not have been sent to a prison in his native El Salvador because of an immigration judge’s 2019 order barring such action. For human rights advocates in El Salvador and the United States, the details of Abrego Garcia’s transfer — from the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, a supermax prison specifically designed for gang members, to a low-security prison from which gang members are excluded — contradicts a central claim made by both governments: that Abrego Garcia is a dangerous member of MS-13 and a terrorist. (His wife and his attorney deny those allegations.). Abrego Garcia’s precise whereabouts and condition remain unknown. Since he was deported, Abrego Garcia has been allowed no contact with his family or his lawyers. In a meeting with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., on April 17 (the only time he has been seen since he was deported), Abrego Garcia said he had been transferred out of CECOT to a different facility. Documents the Justice Department filed in federal court on April 20 subsequently confirmed that facility to be the Centro Industrial in Santa Ana. There have been no updates since then.

Reported similarly:

Telemundo [4/28/2025 9:37 PM, David Noriega, 2454K]

The Hill [4/28/2025 10:30 AM, Shaun McCutcheon, 12829K] reports after 100 days of Trump 2.0, America’s southern border is officially secure. Illegal border crossings are at their lowest levels in decades. But President Trump’s push for border security, among other policies, has hit superfluous judicial roadblocks every step of the way. After the Trump administration refused to return two airplanes deporting illegal immigrants to El Salvador last month, the U.S. District Court for D.C. found probable cause to hold Trump in contempt, claiming the administration demonstrated a “willful disregard” for an emergency order to turn those flights around. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit temporarily stayed contempt proceedings against Trump while it reviews a flood of pleadings on the subject (including ours), but the threat of contempt is still very much alive. The courts are in a perilous dash to stop Trump’s immigration policy based on old and proven laws. In the courts’ rush to judgment (pun intended), the often one-sided, policy-driven rulings are giving the judicial branch the worst possible taint — as an enemy of electoral democracy. The attempt to prosecute contempt is a bridge way too far. While the district court had much to say at the hearing, castigating government lawyers, its written order didn’t match the tempo. This is yet another symptom of the anti-Trump fervor within the judiciary, but precisely why contempt cannot be found.

Washington Post [4/28/2025 6:30 AM, Serena Mayeri, Amanda Shanor and Alexander Volokh, 31735K] reports the Trump administration has doubled down on its refusal to remedy its mistaken deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego García, a Maryland father, to a notorious prison in El Salvador — despite a federal court order to facilitate his return. This case is one of many recent presidential actions that cloak flagrant violations of core constitutional rights in spurious claims of emergency power. Alleging an "invasion" or "predatory incursion" of terrorists and foreign criminals, President Donald Trump is removing and imprisoning noncitizens without due process, asserting he is authorized to do so by the Alien Enemies Act. The administration invokes "foreign policy" to seize and detain students, including legal permanent residents, conflating political speech and peaceful protest with "terrorism." Citing "national security," the president has sought to revoke security clearances, order investigations into, and otherwise threaten and punish lawyers, law firms and former government officials who have opposed Trump in court or publicly criticized him. In each instance, Trump asserts that the courts cannot stop him because, he says, these "emergencies" give him exclusive presidential power under Article II of the Constitution. But his true motive appears to be liberating the executive from all accountability to constitutional law. The three of us have divergent views on many legal and political questions, but we all agree that the unchecked executive power the president claims poses an existential threat to liberty and constitutional democracy. National security is clearly not a genuine concern here. There is no "emergency" or "predatory incursion" by a foreign government at the border; protesting or writing op-eds does not turn students into terrorists; and lawyers who oppose the administration in court do not endanger national security. Stated simply, Trump is inventing transparently risible national security "emergencies" and foreign affairs "concerns" to avoid judicial scrutiny. The administration violates basic guarantees of due process when it summarily deports noncitizens and has them incarcerated abroad without bothering to demonstrate that they in fact pose a threat to the United States. Government agents punished activities at the core of free expression when they seized and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident who acted as a spokesperson and negotiator for student protesters; Rumeysa Ozturk, who co-authored an op-ed critical of her university’s response to student government resolutions regarding the war in Gaza; and Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian Buddhist student leader who went to what he thought was a naturalization interview.

New York Post [4/28/2025 7:32 PM, Rich Lowry, 54903K] reports if Joe Biden effectuated his immigration policy without due process, why can’t Donald Trump do the same with his? That’s the question raised by Joe Biden’s effortlessly permitting millions of people to enter the country illegally and Donald Trump’s having to go through extensive exertions to remove (or keep removed) one illegal immigrant, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia shouldn’t have been deported to El Salvador, but the point still stands — illegal immigrants can be imported by the millions, with nothing more than a notice to appear and a bus ticket to their preferred destination, while there’s a time-consuming process to attempt to remove them by the thousands. This disparity inherently favors illegal immigration. As it happens, there’s a relatively easy way out of this box, although it’s not what the administration is trying to do now. The path to deportations without due process is not to invoke a dubious wartime power and perhaps ultimately defy the Supreme Court, all toward the goal of… deporting several hundred members of Tren de Aragua with some other random illegal immigrants mixed in. Even if this worked out brilliantly, the numbers involved are a fraction of a drop in the bucket. The way to get people out without due process is the same way they came in without due process — of their own volition. People choose to come to the United States illegally when they believe that the dangers are worth it because they stand a very good chance of getting in and staying. As we’ve seen over the last several months, if they think the balance has changed, they make a different calculation.

USA Today [4/28/2025 12:48 PM, Rex Huppke, 75858K] reports the Republicans who chose Donald Trump to be president of the United States must be over-the-moon delighted to see his administration addressing the greatest threat America faces: children who are U.S. citizens. That’s right. We recently learned a 2-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old with Stage 4 cancer – all citizens – were whisked out of the country April 25 and deposited in Honduras with their mothers, who were being deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Regarding the 2-year-old, who, if I’m sure, posed the biggest threat of them all, a Trump-appointed federal judge wrote that he has a “strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.” The child’s father wanted her to remain with him in the United States, but the mother and child were spirited away with a speed that tells you all you need to know about the process. Now I assume from their lack of outrage that Republican lawmakers are in favor of citizen-toddlers being denied due process. I mean, have these kids really earned it yet?

San Diego Union Tribune [4/28/2025 12:44 PM, Agustina Vergara Cid, 1682K] reports the Trump administration is quickly implementing its immigration agenda, which far exceeds deporting illegal immigrant criminals. Recently, the administration has begun revoking the legal status of foreign students en masse, in a move that may end up sabotaging American businesses in the long term. There are more than 1500 known cases of foreign student legal status being revoked at this point, with apparently little to no explanation given. Lawsuits have ensued, and some attorneys claim that these students are not criminal, nor have participated in pro-Hamas protests that so concern the administration, nor pose any sort of security risk for the country. They claim that the reason behind the revocations could have to do with offenses as small as a parking ticket (which shouldn’t trigger a revocation), and that some students don’t have any offenses at all but still saw their legal status terminated. Attorney Steven Brown, who’s involved in the ongoing litigation over revoked student statuses, explained in an interview that "not only are [these terminations] arbitrary and capricious and not supported by the current [student visa] regulations, there is [also] a substantial lack of due process.” This new approach to student visa revocations not only causes stress and fear for the 1,500+ individuals directly impacted. It will also trigger a chilling effect on the enrollment of international students in the future due to the lack of clarity and apparent arbitrariness of the revocations. These students will think twice before going through a laborious visa process and spending tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and other expenses to come study in America if they think they can be deported and have their studies ruined for a traffic ticket or no reason at all. An underappreciated consequence of the administration’s new direction on student visas is its potentially damaging impact on American businesses, which often rely on recruiting international talent through these programs.

FOX News [4/29/2025 5:00 AM, Patty Morin, 46189K] reports that, as an angel mom from Maryland grieving the brutal murder of my daughter by an illegal immigrant, I can tell you this: we do not have the luxury of feeling safe under Democratic control. Not in our homes. Not in our communities. And certainly not here in Maryland under Democrat rule. My daughter, Rachel Morin, was a vibrant, loving mother of five. She brought light into every room she entered. Even on her hardest days, she still managed to shine. On August 6th, 2023, her life was taken from her by Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who entered our country under the Biden administration. Just this month, he was rightfully convicted of first-degree murder, rape, and kidnapping. Unfortunately, Rachel’s story is not an isolated tragedy. She is one of many victims across our state and country who suffered at the hands of individuals who should never have been here because of the failures of the Biden administration. And instead of standing with the victims, his party is still making it worse. This month, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen took it upon himself to use taxpayer dollars to charter a plane to El Salvador and advocate that a MS-13 gang member in prison be brought back to the U.S. Rather than working for Americans and the victims of migrant crime, Van Hollen spends his time actively making American lives worse and championing dangerous criminals from another country. This isn’t compassion. It’s recklessness. It’s a slap in the face to my family and his other constituents. Not only to my daughter and others who’ve been affected by migrant crime, but to every Marylander whose lives are put in danger because of Van Hollen’s new sanctimonious initiative advocating for illegal criminals. Marylanders hear his message to us loud and clear: the protection of our families is not a priority for Democrats. Thankfully, we are blessed to have a president in the White House who actually cares about the people that elected him. Someone who is taking real steps to secure our borders, and keep Americans safe. I saw this first hand when I visited the White House this month to share my family’s story with the White House press corps. After speaking with President Donald Trump and sharing an emotional moment with him after my remarks, I know that he cares and I am confident that he has secured the southern border and has a plan to completely reverse the damage done by the past administration by also addressing crime at the northern border. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Politico [4/28/2025 11:22 AM, Myah Ward, 2100K] reports White House border czar Tom Homan on Monday warned undocumented immigrants that they “cannot hide” and will be prosecuted in they remain in the U.S. illegally — the latest effort from the Trump administration to push self-deportation. “Get your affairs in order. If you’re in the country illegally, work with ICE, go to CBP One Home app, and leave on your own,” Homan said from the White House press briefing room. Homan said every immigrant in the U.S. illegally must register with the federal government and carry documentation. And those who fail to register with the Department of Homeland Security or neglect to update any new address will have those actions treated as criminal offenses “starting today.” He also warned other undocumented immigrants that if they have a final order to leave the country but remain anyway, the Trump administration will “aggressively prosecute” and issue daily monetary fines of up to $998. The border czar’s briefing room appearance comes as the Trump administration marks its 100th day in office this week, with Homan touting the administration’s progress on border security. He pointed to a significant drop in illegal border crossings, which have plunged since Trump took office to the lowest level in decades.

Washington Examiner [4/28/2025 5:09 PM, Naomi Lim, 2296K] reports White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said he remains confident that President Donald Trump will deport a million illegal immigrants by the end of the year. One day before Trump commemorates the 100-day mark of his second administration, the White House underscored the president’s immigration policy achievements. Border czar Tom Homan reported that 139,000 illegal immigrants have been deported since Trump’s Inauguration Day.

Blaze [4/28/2025 11:35 AM, Julio Rosas, 1668K] reports border czar Tom Homan made it clear that not only has the Trump administration deported more illegal aliens than the Biden-Harris administration, but the plans to conduct mass deportations are well under way, as shown by recent operations across the nation. Homan said during a White House press briefing on Monday morning that because tens of thousands of people are no longer illegally crossing the southern border, more resources can be spent on interior enforcement. "[ICE agents] are removing public safety threat and national security threats every day. While you are sleeping at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, there are men and women out there enforcing the law and making this country safe again. And we’re going to keep doing it, full speed ahead," Homan said. Homan pointed out that the reason why it appears the Biden-Harris administration deported more illegal immigrants is that former officials counted removals at the northern and southern borders as a "deportation," while interior deportations dropped to their lowest levels in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement history. Because the country’s borders are no longer overwhelmed, all the deportation numbers today are from the interior of the United States.

FOX News [4/28/2025 9:53 AM, Diana Stancy, 46189K] reports President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, issued a word of caution to illegal immigrants remaining in the U.S.: The Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is on the hunt. "If you’re an illegal alien in the United States, this message is for you: You cannot hide from ICE," Homan told reporters Monday. "We’re actively looking for you." Homan addressed reporters at the White House to share details on the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, just ahead of Trump’s 100th day in office Tuesday. In honor of the event, the White House placed 100 posters of the "worst illegal immigrants arrested" during the first 100 days of the term on the White House lawn. "Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime," Homan said. "And so every sick person we take off the streets, especially child rapists, makes this country much safer. Every illegal alien we arrest, public safety threat, one at a time makes this country safer." The posters also detail the various crimes each illegal immigrant faces accusations of, ranging from rape, murder, sexual assault of a child, lewd acts in front of a child, and distribution of fentanyl and illegal guns. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [4/28/2025 5:16 PM, Michael Katz, 4998K]

FOX News [4/28/2025 10:38 AM, Staff, 46189K] Video: HERE reports Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told reporters at the White House Monday that illegal immigration is not a "victimless crime."

Breitbart [4/28/2025 1:16 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2923K] reports officials or judges knowingly harboring illegal immigrants “will be prosecuted,” President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, warned on Monday. “So I said from day one, you don’t have to support ICE’s [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] operations. You can support sanctuary cities if that’s what you desire to do,” Homan said, explaining that sanctuary cities must “stand aside and watch ICE keep their communities safe.” Further, Homan expressed confusion over these pro-sanctuary officials and judges, as their number one priority should be protecting their communities — not harboring dangerous illegal immigrants who do not belong in the country. “Any public official — your mayor, city councilman or governor — their number one responsibility is protection of the communities,” he said, explaining that ICE has been crystal clear in who it is targeting. “We’re targeting public safety threats and national security threats,” Homan said. “I can’t believe there’s any elected official — and especially a judge — that doesn’t believe we should be doing that, and they should be helping us.” But since there are, unfortunately, officials who seemingly place illegal aliens over citizens, Homan issued a clear warning. “But I said in day one. You can sit aside and watch again. You can argue against us. … protest all you want, but when you cross that line — I’ve said this one thousand times — when you cross that line to impediment or knowingly harboring or concealing an illegal alien migrant, you will be prosecuted — judge or not,” Homan said.

DailySignal [4/28/2025 9:00 AM, Ben Weingarten, 495K] reports against fierce resistance, the Trump administration is enlisting the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration in its crackdown on illegal immigration. On April 7, the IRS signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that alarmed progressive pro-immigration groups and like-minded advocates—and reportedly prompted the tax bureau’s acting chief to resign in protest. The deal allows ICE to request the tax return information of migrants who are not in this country legally. In recent days, as part of a push to encourage self-deportation, the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration have also coordinated to strip benefits from otherwise inadmissible migrants granted parole during the Joe Biden administration—a group posing national security concerns who have now had their parolee status revoked. “Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country, including violent criminals,” an unnamed senior DHS official told ABC News, while stressing the desire to “determine what public safety and terror threats may exist so we can neutralize them, scrub these individuals from voter rolls, as well as identify what public benefits these aliens are using at taxpayer expense.”

(B) NBC 5 News at 11:00am [4/28/2025 12:31 PM, Staff] reports President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration is ramping up. His administration is now defending new deportations of families involving children who are US citizens. Last week, one mother sent from Louisiana to Honduras with her two children who are US citizens. One is a four-year-old with a rare form of cancer. Immigration advocates say he does not have access to his medication. Another undocumented mother and her American-born two-year-old daughter were also removed from Louisiana to Honduras. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said she chose to take her child. Immigration advocates say that is not true. The president’s border czar argues the responsibility is on the parents.

NPR [4/28/2025 4:55 PM, Jan Johnson, Kaity Kline, Michelle Aslam, Sarah Handel, 29983K] Audio: HERE reports in his first interview since being detained, pro-Palestinian advocate Mohsen Mahdawi tells NPR he was arrested after arriving for what he thought was a citizenship test.

NPR [4/29/2025 4:32 AM, Joel Rose, 29983K] reports that, facing financial headwinds, budget carrier Avelo Airlines struck a deal to operate deportation flights for ICE. Now it’s facing a backlash from customers and politicians. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Telemundo Washington DC [4/28/2025 3:28 PM, Rosbelis Quiñonez, 38K] reports Baltimore authorities reported that 14 people were arrested after dismantling a network that facilitated fraudulent marriages to obtain immigration benefits. According to spokespersons for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), four individuals who led the service are facing criminal charges. McCarthy added that the leaders of the criminal operation charged between $20,000 and $40,000 to arrange each fraudulent marriage. The total profits would have reached $4 million, according to authorities. Agent McCarthy explained that these individuals allegedly recruited American citizens, convinced them to enter into fraudulent relationships and marriages, and then presented false evidence to Immigration Services in order to obtain immigration benefits. As a result, 10 immigrants were arrested and marriage proceedings were suspended.

USA Today [4/28/2025 6:03 AM, Trevor Hughes, 75858K] Video: HERE reports a video showing a man being hauled away from a Virginia courthouse by a group of plainclothes men who refused to show ID or a warrant to his attorneys raises new questions about how federal immigration agents are operating. Attorneys for the man, identified as Teodoro Dominguez-Rodriguez, originally of Honduras, said they had no official notification of where he had been taken following the April 22 incident. Federal records show that man of that name is now being held at the Farmville Detention Center in Virginia. The April 22 incident bears similarities to legal detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in other states. The video has also shaken some immigrants who fled their own countries over fears of corrupt government agents or unchecked vigilantes. Similar detentions captured on video have sparked concerns and condemnations, among them the March 8 detention of Columbia University student protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, the March 17 detention of Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University professor who was taken into custody by masked men, and the March 25 arrest of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was surrounded by plainclothes people and bundled into a waiting vehicle. Civil-rights experts say the actions by ICE raise concerns over accountability and due-process rights, in addition to creating an environment emboldening police impersonators or vigilantes. The Trump administration has prioritized immigration enforcement as it makes good on the president’s 2024 campaign promises. A Florida woman was arrested April 21 after she was accused of impersonating an ICE agent to kidnap her ex-boyfriend’s wife. Police say the woman was wearing a t-shirt with "ICE" on it, while carrying a handheld radio. "If we start to have a society where people have to accept that that they are being taken into custody without any showing of authority, society is going break down. And they did not show that," said Nicholas Reppucci, the chief public defender in Charlottesville, Virginia, whose office represents Dominguez-Rodriguez. "The lawyers asked to see an arrest warrant and to see identification and they didn’t get it.”

Telemundo Amarillo [4/28/2025 4:29 PM, Staff, 2K] reports a police operation ended with the arrest of several Hispanics suspected of being involved in child exploitation. According to the Alpharetta police report, the undercover operation took place over four days in Fulton County, Georgia, and resulted in the arrest of the following suspects. Police said the six suspects face charges of attempted child sexual abuse and child exploitation. Williams and Castillo also face human trafficking charges, authorities reported.According to the Department of Public Safety, Durán faces charges of possession and production of child pornography and possession of a firearm in commission.

Reuters [4/28/2025 9:22 AM, Ted Hesson and Rami Ayyub, 24727K] reports Texas military base Fort Bliss could be ready "in the very near future" to hold migrant detainees, White House border czar Tom Homan said during a press briefing on Monday. "Fort Bliss is being ramped up," Homan said, adding that he did not have an exact timetable for when it might be ready to hold migrants. Fort Bliss is a U.S. Army base that is headquartered in El Paso, Texas, but extends into New Mexico.

CBS Colorado [4/29/2025 12:33 AM, Sarah Horbacewicz, 51661K] reports officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are in the middle of processing people who were detained in a raid at what federal officials call an unlicensed nightclub in Colorado Springs over the weekend. More than 100 people are in ICE custody. Officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration said they had been following the illegal nightclub for months. They say over the last two years the club had moved locations but sparked about 170 service calls. The raid took place early Sunday at an event space near the intersection of Academy Boulevard and Airport Road. During their investigation, DEA officials say drugs were sold to undercover officers. Officials say there may have been illegal drugs, drug trafficking, prostitution and possibly human trafficking at the nightclub. The DEA says there were approximately a dozen firearms at the event and at this point it’s not clear if there will be any charges related to weapons. Two of the people inside the had outstanding warrants, according to the DEA. The DEA says they aren’t aware of any drug charges related to Sunday’s operation right now but those could come as the investigation continues. Once officials entered, the DEA says approximately 200 people were detained. Originally, the DEA reported that 114 of those people had been arrested for being in the country illegally and were taken into ICE custody. But on Monday night, a department spokesperson said that number has dropped to 105. ICE has not provided an explanation for why the number has dropped. On Sunday one woman told CBS Colorado her family members are American citizens but were still taken into federal custody at the event center when they did not have their identification. ICE did not answer questions posed by CBS Colorado about the status or location of those who were arrested. The DEA says some arrested for being in the country illegally have previous drug and assault charges. Agencies are also looking into any possible ties to gang activity. More than a dozen U.S. soldiers were at the nightclub. Members of the military were at the party, both working and as guests. That’s according to a DEA spokesperson, who said there were about 17 Army soldiers there. Some of those soldiers may face administrative and criminal charges.

The Daily Caller [4/28/2025 12:50 PM, Jason Hopkins, 1082K] reports more than 100 illegal migrants were arrested during a Sunday morning raid of a Colorado nightclub infested with gang activity, according to federal officials. In one of the latest moves to combat illegal migrant criminal activity, an underground nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was raided in a joint operation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Trump administration announced. In addition to the arrest of over 100 illegal migrants, drugs and weapons were also seized. During a press briefing Monday morning, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the club had been frequented by Tren de Aragua gang bangers. “In the early Sunday morning hours, [the Department of Justice] and DHS together launched a joint raid of an illegal alien underground nightclub used by Tren de Aragua in Colorado Springs, Colorado,” Leavitt said. “DHS took more than 100 illegal aliens into custody, and many drugs and weapons were also seized.” CNN [4/28/2025 6:55 PM, Chris Boyette, 22131K] reports that “What was happening inside was significant drug trafficking, prostitution, crimes of violence,” Jonathan C. Pullen, special agent in charge at the DEA’s Rocky Mountain division, said at a news conference Sunday. “We seized a number of guns in there.” Also, some active-duty military members were at the club – some of whom were working there – and were turned over to the Army, Pullen said. “We had active-duty service members who were running security at the club and involved in some of these crimes,” he said. The operation came as President Donald Trump is approaching 100 days into his second term, marked by a surge of controversial policies, including a crackdown on immigration in the US. Trump on Monday is expected to sign a new executive order stepping up his administration’s crackdown on immigration.

FOX News [4/28/2025 7:39 AM, Staff, 46189K] reports former ICE field director John Fabbricatore joins ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss the raid, a second arrest connected to the Kristi Noem robbery in D.C. and the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on illegal immigration. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Colorado [4/28/2025 9:28 AM, Sarah Horbacewicz, 51661K] reports Walls and windows are boarded up at an event center in Colorado Springs after the DEA, alongside various other federal and local law enforcement agencies, raided an "underground nightclub" over the weekend, taking more than 100 undocumented immigrants into custody. On Sunday, family members and friends came to the scene to try to account for friends and family as well as locate cars left behind. At least 114 people who are allegedly in the United States unlawfully were arrested at a party in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. We do not yet know the status or number of military members at the event. The DEA shared in a news conference Sunday morning what they were looking for as part of a months-long investigation with other law enforcement agencies. "What we have found is, number one, they’re operating illegally, right? There’s no business license, there’s no liquor license, but in addition, we’re always finding drug trafficking in these clubs. We’re seeing acts of violence inside the club, outside the club, prostitution as well," Special Agent in Charge for the DEA Rocky Mountain field division, Jonathan Pullen, said. Marvin Melgar says he was one of hundreds of people there when the authorities arrived. Melgar says he was detained for hours as he says officials separated attendees who had identification or not and processed them. Melgar says he was later released. "It was actually pretty scary. They were a bit too rough on everybody," Melgar told KKTV, "I had my hands behind my back and my shoulders were hurting like hurting so bad.” Later Sunday night, the DEA shared on X, "Only those here illegally or those with warrants were taken into custody. Most partygoers were eventually released.” But Patricia Rodriguez says her nieces and nephews are U.S. citizens and were also at the party and taken into custody. Rodriguez says she doesn’t know what to do and if the family should get lawyers involved. Rodriguez also told CBS Colorado that her nephew is now in the hospital after the gas complicated past medical issues.

FOX News [4/28/2025 11:37 AM, Nikolas Lanum, 46189K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that nearly 200 calls were made to 911 under the Biden administration regarding the Colorado nightclub raided by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). "America is safer tonight thanks to Donald Trump," Bondi told "Fox & Friends.” During an interview outside the White House with host Brian Kilmeade, Bondi said that the Trump administration has been monitoring the club after learning that 170 calls to 911 had been made over the last several years. "Wouldn’t you think that would’ve been a red flag? Nothing happened. Guns, shootings, [aggravated] batteries, nothing happened," she said. Federal authorities announced Sunday that the underground nightclub in Colorado Springs was "frequented by TdA and MS-13 terrorists.” Bondi noted that the DEA Rocky Mountain Division led the investigation in coordination with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The operation also involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, and the Colorado Springs Police Department. One hundred fourteen illegal immigrants were arrested, two of whom had outstanding warrants. Bondi also commented on a Wisconsin judge who allegedly hid a previously deported illegal immigrant in her jury room in order to stop him from being arrested by U.S. ICE agents. "She jeopardized the lives of law enforcement officers, even the defendant, by doing this. They had to have a chase down the street while victims of a crime were sitting in a courtroom," Bondi said, calling the judge’s actions "absurd.” Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding after evidence came to light that she had shielded the migrant from ICE agents, according to a criminal complaint. She was also charged with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest. "I say the victims of crime should be very happy today because these victims of crimes, they deserve justice. This is a criminal judge sitting on a criminal bench," Bondi added.

89.7 FM Tampa Bay [4/28/2025 3:50 PM, Nancy Guan, 179K] reports lawyers and families across the U.S. are seeing more people being detained at immigration appointments, striking fear into the immigrant community. Heidy Sánchez had so much to celebrate. She and her husband, Carlos Yuniel Valle, just bought a home three months ago. They were raising their 1-year-old daughter and having family barbecues in the backyard. Sánchez had a stable job as a home health aide, caring for the sick and the elderly. And Valle was doing well as a landscaping subcontractor. There was one more thing the couple was working towards — getting Sánchez’s green card. Valle, a naturalized U.S. citizen who had immigrated from Cuba, submitted what’s called a petition for an alien relative for Sánchez two years ago. It was the first step in helping Sánchez become a legal permanent resident. Valle said he didn’t have any doubts that would eventually come through. His wife didn’t have so much as a traffic ticket on her record, he said. But then they started hearing about people being detained at their immigration check-ins — people without criminal backgrounds. Last Monday, Sánchez received multiple calls from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Tampa, Valle recounted through a translator. They were telling her that her immigration appointment was being moved up from the end of the month to the next day. Valle said they were conflicted about what to do, but ultimately wanted to "do things the right way." So the family, along with their immigration attorney’s assistant, went to the Tampa ICE office on Tuesday. Sánchez, who spoke with WUSF over the phone, said she pleaded with the immigration officers not to separate her from her infant daughter.Sánchez said she left her daughter with Valle. She was then taken on a bus to Miami and put on a plane with 81 others to Cuba. According to a post on X from the Ministry of the Interior of Cuba, there were eight women and 74 men on the flight. When she landed, Sánchez said she felt broken.

Telemundo [4/28/2025 6:58 PM, Staff, 171K] reports a lawyer in Miami and a congresswoman are calling for a humanitarian stoppage for the woman who left a 15-month-old baby in the United States, conceived through invitro fertilization that she still was breastfeeding. The case has shocked the community, so this weekend dozens of people gathered to protest in front of the federal court building in Tampa, for what happened to this Cuban family that has been unfairly separated - as they much believe - and ask the local authorities to help in the case and to gather this nursing mother with her little girl. A Miami lawyer and a congresswoman are calling for a humanitarian stoppage for the Cuban mother who left a 15-month-old baby in the U.S., a girl conceived through invitro fertilization that she was still breastfeeding. Cañizares, the immigration lawyer, says that women "are going through a very difficult process. His dad tells me he’s kicking his chest to anyone who sees asks for it.’ Flooded in tears, Sanchez says she is "very grateful to the family and all the people who have raised her voice to help us," but recognizes how difficult a situation that separates her from her daughter and says that this battle is not just for her "is for all the mothers and people who are deporting." The first time Sánchez appeared before the U.S. immigration authorities was in 2019 on the southern border, when there was a policy of staying in Mexico, but on the day of his second hearing before a judge he was unable to attend due to violence in Mexican territory. "The narcos were on the streets taking the cars, they took a Walmart," he recalls of that passage. That’s why when she managed to report to the immigration authorities, she was left in detention and nine months later she was released with a document I220-B, a deportation order that requires regular appointments to ICE officials.

New York Times [4/28/2025 6:14 PM, Michael Gold, 145325K] reports House Republicans are proposing to charge migrants $1,000 to claim asylum, one of a series of new or increased fees on immigrants seeking to gain legal entry into the United States that is part of their effort to curb immigration and pay for the Trump administration’s border crackdown. The fees on immigrants are one of several proposals in legislation released on Monday by the House Judiciary Committee to be included in the major domestic policy bill Republicans are putting together to implement President Trump’s domestic agenda. But a huge backlog in such claims has kept many of those seeking asylum in the country for years, waiting for their cases to be heard. Under the bill, applicants would also pay $100 a year while their application is pending. The bill would also require a $1,000 fee for most immigrants who are paroled into the United States and a $3,500 fee for those sponsoring children — large sums that could make it more difficult for minors who cross the border alone to be released from federal custody and taken in by family members in the United States. Asylum seekers and people under temporary protected status — meant to protect them from being sent back to countries facing conflict or natural disasters — would have to pay a $550 fee when applying for authorization to work.

New York Post [4/28/2025 6:00 PM, Jennie Taer, 54903K] reports the Trump administration has revoked the visas of 4,000 foreign students in its first 100 days — the bulk of which have committed crimes in the US including arson, assault and robbery, The Post has learned. More than 90% of the rogue students who saw their visas nixed had committed crimes such as arson, wildlife and human trafficking, child endangerment, domestic abuse, DUI and robbery, a senior State Department source told The Post Monday. More than 500 of them had assault raps. The State Department worked with the Department of Homeland Security, which tapped into their databases and compared that information with existing law enforcement records. Officials only considered "serious" cases as part of the effort. The thousands of students, most of whom hail from Asia and the Middle East, were swiftly notified that the State Department had stripped them of their status in the US. Some have already departed on their own while others will soon be rounded up by immigration agents as part of Trump’s mass deportation agenda. It’s unclear how many still face deportation.

Washington Times [4/28/2025 11:02 AM, Mallory Wilson, 1814K] reports White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said more than 85 miles of border wall is being constructed, as the administration touts its success at reducing illegal immigration. She said the new border wall is in "various stages of construction and planning.” Another 75 miles of temporary barriers have been deployed across the border in Texas, she told reporters at a briefing Monday. "Even the border wall saves lives," border czar Tom Homan said at the briefing. "People want to hate on the border wall — every place a border barrier has been built, illegal immigration has declined, illegal drug flow has declined.” He said the border wall saves women and children — "the most vulnerable" — because they can’t get over the wall, and instead must cross the border where there is no wall, where they encounter immigration officers "who will take care of those humanitarian needs.” During President Trump’s first term, he boasted that he would build a border wall and have Mexico pay for it. Out of more than 450 miles Mr. Trump claimed to have built in his first term, the Government Accountability Office said only 69 were fully completed. Ms. Leavitt said Monday that Mr. Trump has "made it clear" to Congress that more funding is needed for border wall construction, as well as more support for Immigration and Custom Enforcement and border patrol agents. Mr. Homan said Mexico has paid for the wall "in a roundabout way.” "Putting 10,000 military on the southern border, taking the action they did, ‘remain in Mexico,’ they didn’t have to do that, but they’re doing it. Putting military on the southern border has moved immigration to a record low," he said. "We’re saving millions of dollars every day on detention, transportation, removal proceedings.”

Daily Caller [4/28/2025 10:44 AM, Jason Hopkins, 33298K] reports the White House released a fact sheet revealing just how dramatically illegal immigration has been reduced along the southern border and how many illegal migrants have been arrested and deported. Since the Trump administration returned to power, daily border encounters have fallen 93% and migrant crossings are down by 99.99%, according to a 100-day fact sheet the White House shared Monday with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Encounters with “gotaways” — illegal migrants who successfully avoid Border Patrol apprehension and considered to be a top public safety threat — are down by 95%.”The Biden Administration refused to enforce our nation’s laws when it came to border security,” the administration said in a prepared statement. “This allowed millions of illegal aliens – including criminals, gang members, and terrorists – into our country.” “But in just 100 days, President Trump and Secretary Noem have not only closed our border but have delivered the most secure border in American history,” the administration continued. The milestone marks a far cry from the border crisis that raged on during the previous administration. The White House provided data on how many illegal migrants reached the U.S. under President Joe Biden.

FOX News [4/28/2025 9:18 AM, Anders Hagstrom, 46189K] reports the White House kicked off its celebration of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office by highlighting its efforts to combat illegal immigration on Monday. Border czar Tom Homan joined White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at an early morning briefing on Monday. The pair touted massive decreases in border crossings as well as new executive orders aimed at deportations and further border enforcement. "We are in the process of carrying out the largest deportation campaign in American history," Leavitt said. "After four years of being vilified by the Biden-Harris administration, our heroic ICE officers can finally do their jobs." Homan joined Leavitt and accused the Biden administration of having "unsecured the border on purpose," despite receiving a very secure border from the first Trump administration. "Look, I started on the Border Patrol in 1984. I’ve been at this for over 40 years. I’ve worked for six presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. Every president I’ve ever worked for took border security seriously because you can’t have national security if you don’t have strong border security. We’ve gotta know who’s coming, what’s coming, where its coming and why its coming in, right?" Homan noted that "even President Obama and President Clinton" addressed border security to some extent. But Biden, he said, is the "first president in the history of this nation who came into office and unsecured the border on purpose." He then went on to tout massive decreases in illegal immigration that Trump has achieved in just a few months.

Telemundo Amarillo [4/28/2025 3:05 PM, Staff, 2K] reports a Brazilian influencer was deported from the United States after authorities deemed her a threat to national security. A note published by El Comercio indicated that the incident occurred on April 10 at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where the woman identified as Francielly Ouriques was making a stopover en route to California to attend the Coachella 2025 festival. In a video posted by the influencer on social media, Ouriques recounted that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents detained her for a second search. According to her account, one of the reasons given was that she was carrying someone else’s suitcase, belonging to a friend. However, during the search of her luggage, the agents found four Tramal pills, a painkiller banned in the United States. Agents also searched her cell phone and found alleged messages suggesting she was working illegally in the country. A Daily Mail report said a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said Ouriques was denied entry because her statements did not match the stated purpose of her visit.

NewsNation [4/28/2025 8:25 AM, Ashley N. Soriano, 6866K] reports DHL Express, an international shipping company, will resume its business-to-consumer shipments worth more than $800 to the United States after working with federal authorities on new customs regulations at the border. New rules require formal entry processing on all shipments above $800, an increase from the previous minimum of $2,500. In response, DHL stopped all shipments beginning April 21. But after a "constructive dialogue" with Customs and Border Protection and other agencies, the company said adjustments were made and it will now resume shipping. "DHL values this positive development and the support of the federal government in making these changes," said Dirk Heinrichs, spokesperson for DHL Express. "Our focus remains on effectively supporting our customers and facilitating international trade. We recognize the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors in addressing both security and economic considerations.”

UPI [4/28/2025 5:09 PM, Chris Benson, 1500K] reports U.S. border agents in Michigan intercepted nearly 200 pounds of cocaine on its way north to Canada in a third seizure of the illicit drug in weeks time, according to federal officials. "Safe and secure international commerce is essential to protecting the homeland," Marty C. Raybon, director of CBP field operations in Michigan, said Monday in a release. Last week, some 193 pounds of cocaine was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after they randomly selected a Canada-bound commercial truck for search during outbound enforcement operations near the U.S. point of entry at the Ambassador Bridge. The driver, an unidentified Canadian citizen, faces federal prosecution in the United States. This was now the third bulk cocaine seizure by field agents in Detroit since last month. Normally, Border Patrol agents seize illicit drugs at the border with Mexico. However, more than 1,500 pounds of cocaine have been seized at Michigan ports of entry since October 2024.

USA Today [4/28/2025 3:42 PM, Nathan Diller, 75858K] reports nearly 30 people are banned from sailing with Carnival Cruise Line after getting into a fight while disembarking a cruise over the weekend. Video footage of the April 26 incident appears to show a group of passengers shoving past barriers inside a terminal in Galveston, Texas, before pushing at least one person to the ground and punching them. The scuffle continues even as security guards intervene. The ship was returning from a week-long Caribbean cruise with stops in Mexico and Honduras, according to CruiseMapper. The cause of the fight was not immediately clear. “The incident occurred in the debarkation area under the authority of U.S. Customs and Border (Protection),” the cruise line told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. “This matter has been turned over to law enforcement. Meanwhile we will not tolerate such behavior, and 24 people have been placed on our Do Not Sail list.” CBP "detained several individuals" and one person was arrested by port police and charged, the statement read. Police did not specify what the charge was.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/28/2025 8:42 PM, Karen Kucher and Alexandra Mendoza, 1682K] reports a driver pursued by California Highway Patrol officers from Orange County to the U.S.-Mexico border in San Ysidro died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Saturday night, authorities said Monday. Officers had initially tried to pull the 38-year-old driver over for speeding in a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado in San Clemente, authorities said. "However, the vehicle failed to yield, and a pursuit was initiated," a CHP spokesperson said in a news release. "CHP discontinued the pursuit out of concern for public safety due to the evading driver’s continued high speeds and reckless driving behavior," the spokesperson added. CHP and Customs and Border Protection officers stopped the truck just before the Mexican border at the port of entry, where the driver died by suicide, authorities said. Videos posted on social media showed drivers in the southbound lanes waiting to enter Tijuana being ordered out of their cars to take cover nearby. Border commuters were seen crouching in nearby areas, including behind vehicles at the self-declaration customs area and behind concrete barriers, videos show. In one video, officers could be seen pointing guns at a parked vehicle as someone yelled, "Let me see your hands!". A CBP spokesperson deferred questions to the CHP. No further information was immediately available.

Reuters [4/28/2025 9:25 PM, David Shepardson, 41523K] reports the Trump administration has tapped a former White House official to serve as the acting head of the 60,000-employee Transportation Security Administration. The TSA confirmed on Monday Ha Nguyen McNeill has been named deputy administrator and is serving as acting head of the agency that provides security at U.S. airports and other transportation hubs. In January, Trump forced out TSA Administrator David Pekoske, whose term did not expire until 2027. McNeill served as the TSA’s chief of staff during Trump’s first term and previously worked at the National Security Council and the Office of Management and Budget. Trump has yet to name a nominee to head the agency. The TSA screened 904 million passengers in 2024, which was a record high and a 5% increase over 2023. In March, the largest federal employee union filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump’s administration from ending collective bargaining for nearly 50,000 TSA officers. The American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit claiming the Homeland Security Department canceled a bargaining agreement covering TSA officers as retaliation against the union for challenging other Trump administration initiatives. The lawsuit seeks to block TSA from canceling a seven-year collective bargaining deal, which was enacted last year, and bar DHS from rescinding it again. During former President Barack Obama’s administration, the TSA granted officers the ability to bargain over certain subjects, and former President Joe Biden’s administration expanded the scope of bargaining in 2021. On February 27, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rescinded the directives allowing TSA officers to unionize and directed the agency to cancel the bargaining agreement within 90 days. Noem also said she had asked lawyers at the DHS to take actions to make it impossible for any future administration to grant TSA workers the right to bargain without action from Congress.

Washington Examiner [4/28/2025 3:14 PM, Annabella Rosciglione, 2296K] reports Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he would discuss proposals to change some protocols at the Transportation Security Administration with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Duffy asked his social media followers to "Tell me how we can Make Traveling with Family Great Again!" He later said he would make a list of feedback to send to Noem. Some of the most liked comments asked why TSA standards differ at every airport and if airlines could be required to seat families together. TSA procedures vary at each airport due to differences in the equipment used. Not every airport has the same screening technology, and some may have more advanced technology. Duffy’s inquiry comes as Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced legislation to abolish the TSA and replace it with privatized security.

FOX News [4/28/2025 2:00 PM, Pilar Arias, 46189K] reprots some states are seeing massive lines at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations as travelers scramble to get their REAL IDs prior to the May 7 deadline. Others, not so much. FOX News Multimedia Reporter Asher Redd was live outside a DMV in Antioch, Tennessee, on FOX 35 Orlando Monday morning, where a line of about 200 people stood behind him. Redd said states like Illinois, Pennsylvania and Tennessee have some of the longest lines and appointment wait lists through at least July. There in Tennessee, he reported some DMVs are open six days a week in hopes of getting everyone the identification travelers from U.S. airports and those entering some federal buildings will need. California is in a similar boat, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported, where some offices are opening an hour early through June 27 for those who started the process online and made appointments. Meanwhile, Florida is not seeing the same rush. Some people who live in the Sunshine State can skip DMVs altogether, and get their drivers’ licenses at the local tax collector’s offices. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/28/2025 6:00 AM, Elizabeth Elkind, 46189K] reports a Kentucky lawmaker is urging the federal government to delay its forthcoming REAL ID deadline as his state and others face a whirlwind of logistical issues. "Kentucky wants to comply with REAL ID, but we’re simply not ready. And we’re not alone. At least 17 other states are still below 50% compliance, and 30 states are below 70% compliance," Republican Kentucky state Sen. Jimmy Higdon told Fox News Digital. "If we flip the switch now, millions of Americans could be denied access to air travel and federal buildings. We need more time, and that’s a reasonable request.” REAL ID was first created by law in 2005, but the federal government has delayed its implementation multiple times – most recently in 2022. But the Trump administration has made clear that the current May 7 deadline is final. Higdon and his colleagues in the Kentucky state Senate wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem last week seeking an extension. "I can tell you for a fact, I’m hearing from constituents and my fellow legislators, ‘Hey, this is a problem. This is a real problem,’" he told Fox News Digital. The Kentucky Republican called on other state officials to reach out to Noem and ask for a delay as well. "We’re not alone here in Kentucky. We’re not the lone ranger when it comes to non-compliance. We’re at 40%," he said. "We’re simply not ready.” Indeed, a recent CBS News analysis found that Pennsylvania, Maine and Washington were among the states that came in under 40% compliance. New Jersey’s compliance rate was just 17% as of April 18, according to the study. The Trump administration has argued that finally acting on REAL ID helps the White House’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, millions of whom have entered the country since President Donald Trump was last in office. But Higdon said there was confusion over what REAL ID is. He described long lines and a dearth of appointments as Kentuckians have scrambled to meet the deadline. "It’s almost a panic of sorts trying to get the REAL ID, a lot of people don’t understand it," Higdon said. "The media’s done a good job of letting people know the deadline’s approaching. But a lot think they need a real ID, and they don’t if there’s other means of real ID – a passport, passport card, military ID – all those things work.” "And if you don’t plan to travel, if you’re not going to get on a commercial airline flight or visit a military base or federal courthouse, you really don’t need that REAL ID-compliant ID". In response to Kentucky legislators’ request, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told Fox News Digital, "Beginning on May 7, passengers will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly, like a passport or military ID. TSA is committed to enforcing the law, as directed by Congress.” "Non-compliant passengers may expect wait times or additional measures at airports. If you are an illegal alien without a REAL ID, the only way you will be permitted to fly is if you are self-deporting," TSA said.

Washington Examiner [4/28/2025 10:50 PM, Brady Knox, 2296K] reports President Donald Trump announced the 13 "new" members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council, intended to address concerns with the agency. Trump announced the formation of the council in a Jan. 24 executive order. On Monday, he appointed 13 people to the council, including two of his Cabinet members. He praised the appointees as "Top Experts" who are "Highly Respected" by their peers. Included were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as well as Govs. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Glenn Youngkin (R-VA). Trump also touted the inclusions of former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Texas Division of Emergency Management chief W. Nim Kidd, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, Mark Cooper, Bob Fenton, and Evan Greenberg. "I know that the new Members will work hard to fix a terribly broken System, and return power to State Emergency Managers, who will help, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations to all!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump’s January executive action cited problems with FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene as a reason for needing an overhaul of the agency. He claimed political bias and support for illegal immigrants as necessitating an intervention. "There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA," the executive order read. "Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President. And it has lost mission focus, diverting limited staff and resources to support missions beyond its scope and authority, spending well over a billion dollars to welcome illegal aliens.” The council’s goal will be to produce a report after one year that includes an assessment of FEMA’s responses to disasters in the last four years, including whether it is sufficiently staffed, a comparison of FEMA’s responses to disasters with local and state responses, a historical background of FEMA’s founding and how the country responded to disasters before its existence, and more. The inclusion of Hegseth and Noem will likely draw criticism, as they are two of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet members.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [4/28/2025 7:16 PM, Jim Mishler, 4998K]

AP [4/28/2025 7:45 AM, Jack Brook, 48304K] reports the textile mills that once served as the backbone of Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, have long been shuttered, and officials believed federal money would be key to the town’s overdue revitalization. They hoped an improved stormwater drainage system and secured electrical wires — funded through a program to help communities protect against natural disasters and climate change — would safeguard investments in new businesses like a renovated historic theater to spur the largely rural economy. Mount Pleasant was about to receive $4 million when the Federal Emergency Management Agency eliminated the program. Officials say their plans — years in the making — and those of hundreds of communities nationwide supported by the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program have been upended. "This is a generational set of infrastructure projects that would set us up for the next hundred years and it just — poof — went away," said Erin Burris, assistant town manager for Mount Pleasant, 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Charlotte. FEMA’s elimination this month of the BRIC program revoked upwards of $3.6 billion in funding earmarked for communities like Mount Pleasant. Though President Donald Trump has openly questioned whether to shutter FEMA completely, local officials said they were blindsided by the move to end BRIC, established during the Republican president’s first term. Many affected communities are in Republican-dominated, disaster-prone regions. FEMA called the BRIC grants "wasteful" and "politicized" tools, but officials and residents say they were a vital use of government resources to proactively protect lives, infrastructure and economies. Money would have gone toward strengthening electrical poles to withstand hurricane-force winds in Louisiana, relocating residents in Pennsylvania’s floodplains and safeguarding water supply lines in Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley. Disasters affect the vast majority of Americans — 95% live in a county that has had a federally declared weather disaster since 2011, said Amy Chester, director of Rebuild by Design, a nonprofit focused on disaster prevention. The BRIC program told communities, "We’re going to help your community be stronger ahead of time," she said. "Cutting one of the sole sources of funding for that need is essentially telling Americans that it’s OK that they’re suffering.” Officials call FEMA’s program imperfect but important.

New York Times [4/28/2025 6:13 PM, Jay Senter, Ann Hinga Klein and Julie Bosman, 145325K] reports schools shuttered early and cities warned of probable power outages, as potentially dangerous thunderstorms threatened the Upper Midwest late Monday afternoon. In northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin, residents were bracing for storms that could bring high winds, tornadoes and hail the size of Ping-Pong balls. The Upper Midwest is accustomed to severe weather, but the high level of risk for very large hail and strong tornadoes caused alarm for state and local officials, who activated emergency operations centers and closed nonemergency city buildings. “We always have severe weather, I guess, in Iowa,” said Superintendent Joe Carter of the Algona Community School District, about two hours north of Des Moines. “I think the difference with this one is the threat of really, really strong stuff, such as tornadoes, and with a Category 4 ranking of severity.” A large area that includes Minneapolis and St. Paul is under a relatively high risk (Level 4 out of 5) for severe weather, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. At least five school districts across north central Iowa announced early closings on Monday afternoon. The Algona Community School District let out classes at 2 p.m. and canceled afterschool track and golf meets so that buses could get students home throughout the 400-square-mile district before storms descended by early evening. In the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, Minneapolis closed some city facilities early Monday afternoon and set in motion a team to try to persuade homeless people to take shelter before the storm arrived. In St. Paul, the school district preemptively canceled afterschool activities. Brennan Dettmann, a local meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said that it was unusual to see such a big storm at this time of year. “All of the hazards that can come with severe storms are on the table,” he said. “We’re expecting that if the line stays organized, you’re looking at more of a threat from wind and hail. But if it breaks into more scattered storms, the threat of tornadoes goes up.” He urged residents to have a plan in place to take shelter in case of an emergency.

Washington Post [4/28/2025 2:24 PM, Ian Livingston and Matthew Cappucci, 31735K] reports a tornado outbreak may target the Upper Midwest, with the greatest risk of strong and possible long-track tornadoes in parts of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Storm Prediction Center has placed that area under a moderate (Level 4 of 5) severe weather risk. Monday is probably the peak of this event, but a concerning storm risk shifts eastward Tuesday. Cities at the highest risk for tornadoes include Minneapolis and Rochester in Minnesota and La Crosse in Wisconsin; Des Moines is also within a heightened risk zone for strong twisters, which are tornadoes rated EF2 or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (zero to 5). Large to very large” hail is expected, as are damaging gusts, plus heavy rain and frequent lighting with any intense thunderstorms. Severe weather is also likely from New York to northern Arkansas, then westward across Oklahoma and bending southward into north Texas. On Sunday, the jet stream dip in the west that has kept isolated but daily supercell thunderstorms going in the Plains began shifting east, which led to several tornado-producing supercells in Nebraska. The responsible slow-moving atmospheric disturbance will finally fully shift east, sparking the larger event that opens the week. The greatest tornado potential extends from Iowa and southern Minnesota to Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Another focused zone of tornado risk may develop west of Oklahoma City, with elevated potential also stretching along the front and dry line between both zones. As of Monday afternoon, updated forecast models suggested there may be increased thunderstorm activity in northeast Kansas, northwest Missouri and Iowa.

ABC News [4/28/2025 6:09 PM, Kenton Gewecke and Megan Forrester, 34586K] reports a tornado watch spans the Midwest on Monday, putting millions of Americans on alert -- even as severe weather, including wind and hail, continues to batter those areas from a system that moved in over the weekend. The weather conditions pose a moderate risk for northern Iowa, eastern Minnesota -- including Minneapolis -- and western Wisconsin. These areas face the greatest likelihood for strong tornadoes, very large hail and destructive thunderstorm wind. They are on tornado watch through 11 p.m. CT Monday. Parts of Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma are also on tornado watch, with wind expected to reach up to 75 mph. That includes Des Moines and Topeka and lasts through 11:59 p.m. CT Monday. Enhanced risks are also in place from Kansas City, Missouri, to Green Bay, Wisconsin; from Duluth, Minnesota, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There is also a slight risk for severe weather in place from west Texas to the western Great Lakes, including Oklahoma City. More than 60 million Americans were on alert for severe weather from Texas to the Great Lakes on Sunday and Monday.

CBS Philadelphia [4/28/2025 10:10 AM, Renee Anderson, 51661K] reports the Jones Road Wildfire in Ocean County, New Jersey is still burning, despite hopes the weekend rain might help bring it fully under control. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is expected to share its next update at noon Monday about the conditions and containment efforts. At last update Sunday afternoon, the state forest fire service said the fire was 65% contained after scorching 15,300 acres. "Precipitation received yesterday afternoon over the northern portion of the fire varied in amounts," New Jersey Forest Fire Service posted on social media, adding zero inches to a trace of rainfall fell over the southern portion of the fire. Jones Road Wildfire arson suspect in court this week. The wildfire broke out last Tuesday morning, forcing approximately 5,000 residents to leave their homes while power was cut in Lacey and Ocean townships for the night. The evacuations have since been lifted and roads have reopened.

AP [4/28/2025 3:22 PM, Staff, 24727K] reports three-fourths of a vast wildfire in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has been contained, state officials said Monday. The state Forest Fire Service said the blaze in southern New Jersey’s Ocean County had grown to nearly 24 square miles (62 square kilometers) but was 75% contained. No deaths or injuries have been reported, though several buildings and vehicles have been destroyed officials said. A 19-year-old man from Waretown is charged with arson. Prosecutors say Joseph Kling set wood pallets on fire and left the area before putting them out, sparking what became the state’s second-largest fire in nearly two decades. The Office of the Public Defender, representing King, said he’s "presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.” It’s forest fire season in the vast pine wilderness that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) — an area roughly as large as the Grand Canyon — and firefighters are contending with low humidity and the aftermath of a monthslong drought. The Pine Barrens sit between Philadelphia and the Atlantic coast, a region with quick-draining sandy soil and trees with still-developing leaves where winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.

NBC News [4/28/2025 3:47 PM, Marlene Lenthang and Kathryn Prociv, 44742K] reports severe thunderstorms will rumble across a large swath of the United States on Monday into the evening, with the most destructive potential in the Upper Midwest. On Monday, 36 million people are under the risk of severe storms from northern Minnesota to southwest Texas, where strong tornadoes, hail up to 2 inches in diameter and damaging straight-line winds are possible. A tornado watch is in effect for northwest Iowa and parts of southwest Minnesota until 8 p.m. Thunderstorms are developing in the region, potentially producing a few strong tornadoes, large hail and wind gusts up to 80 mph through the evening. Tornadoes may also hit Wisconsin and areas of Minneapolis; Kansas City, Missouri; Madison, Wis.; Omaha, Nebraska; Milwaukee; Oklahoma City; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

(B) NBC News Daily [4/28/2025 2:52 PM, Staff] reports President Trump is expected to give a speech at the University of Alabama ahead of the school’s commencement ceremonies this Thursday. Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl expects there to be a heavy law enforcement presence before, during, and after the president’s visit. Visitors will have to go through metal detectors before entering the coliseum. An exact time for this Thursday’s address has not been announced.

ABC 13 Hampton [4/28/2025 9:49 PM, Taylor Brokesh] reports South Carolina-based U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun confiscated approximately 10,000 pounds of cocaine from one fishing vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, the Coast Guard announced. The seized cocaine was worth an estimated $74 million. Five suspected smugglers are in U.S. custody as a result of the interdiction, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard said, at the Coast Guard Atlantic Area’s direction — based in Portsmouth — the crew of the Calhoun detected a "suspicious fishing vessel" in international waters "exhibiting behavior consistent with narcotic trafficking." The ship was about 1,265 miles west of Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, off the coast of Morocco. The Calhoun launched a cutter small boat and interdicted the ship, where they were able to apprehend the five suspected smugglers and the 10,000 lbs. of cocaine. "This interdiction demonstrates the Coast Guard’s unwavering commitment to combating transnational criminal organizations (TCOs),” said Vice Adm. Nathan Moore, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area. “Our dedicated crews, in close coordination with interagency and international partners, continue to disrupt the flow of illicit narcotics, which serves as a critical strategic action that disrupts the financial networks of TCOs, undermining their ability to fund further illicit activities that threaten our communities.”

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Maritime Executive [4/28/2025 8:19 PM, Staff, 325K]

NBC 6 Wilmington [4/28/2025 9:37 PM, Staff, 307K] reports the United States Coast Guard, as well as other federal and state agencies, are scheduled to hold an active-shooter exercise on the Bald Head Island Ferry. In a Facebook post, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector says the exercise is set for Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Southport Channel of the Cape Fear River.

USA Today [4/28/2025 4:46 PM, Christopher Cann and N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 75858K] Video: HERE reports one person died and 10 others were sent to a hospital in Clearwater, Florida, after a recreational boat struck a ferry carrying dozens of festival- and beachgoers and then fled the scene, law enforcement officials said. The collision occurred just off the Memorial Causeway bridge around 8:40 p.m. April 27, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Approximately 45 people were aboard the ferry, including two crew members, and six people were on the other vessel at the time of the crash. Ten adults suffered injuries ranging from broken bones to head injuries, officials said at a news conference Monday. The Coast Guard previously said 12 people were transported to a local hospital without providing additional information about their conditions. Authorities said only those on the ferry suffered injuries. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the collision. Both vessels have been seized as evidence and investigators are conducting interviews and reviewing footage to determine exactly what caused the crash. Breitbart [4/28/2025 6:34 AM, Simon Kent, 2923K] reports that two of the more seriously injured being have been transported by helicopter to hospitals, the City of Clearwater said in a post on X. Forty people were aboard the stricken vessel. AP reports the ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway bridge and all passengers along with crew have been removed. Police did not immediately provide any information about the boat that fled the scene. "All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured," the post said. Videos on social media showed several first responders rushing to the scene with lights flashing. The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission will investigate the fatal incident. A spokesperson for the Clearwater Ferry confirmed to NBC News the vessel was in an accident Sunday but declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation. The boat that fled the scene has been identified by another law enforcement agency and an investigation was underway, Reuters reports. Clearwater is about 23 miles northwest of St. Petersburg.

New York Post [4/29/2025 2:38 AM, Nicholas McEntyre, 54903K] reports newly released audio of a mayday call captured the frantic moments in the aftermath of the deadly collision between a Florida ferry and a private boat Sunday night, which left one dead and 10 others injured. "Mayday, mayday, mayday! There’s been a boat collision. The Clearwater ferry, underneath the Clearwater Memorial Causeway. The Clearwater ferry is adrift," the unnamed caller announced to the US Coast Guard in the eight-second audio. The water taxi, operated by PSTA and the Clearwater Ferry, was carrying 45 passengers onboard at the end of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival. The collision was quickly declared a "mass casualty incident" by authorities who recalled the "horrific screaming" from the background of 911 calls. Jose Castro, 41, was identified as the ferry passenger killed in the collision. Still, officials said the crash could have been worse. A worker on the ferry was hailed a hero for his actions. "Efforts of a ferry crew member likely saved lives last night," Clearwater Police Chief Eric Ganday said Monday. Officials also released footage of the deadly wreck. A web camera set up in nearby Coachman Park picked up the water taxi traveling near the causeway at 8:43 p.m. The 40-foot ferry was putting along when the private 37-foot boat raced into frame. The stationary camera, overlooking a marina and the water, captured the moment of impact when the smaller boat landed on top of the ferry. Ten passengers were left with injuries ranging from scrapes to broken bones and head wounds. "We are heartbroken for the person who lost their life, everyone who was hurt, and their families. We deeply appreciate the dedication of the first responders and others who rushed to help Sunday night," Clearwater Ferry wrote on Facebook. The private boat, operated by Jeff Knight, immediately fled the scene, officials said. Knight was found hours later, nearly four miles from the wreck. He voluntarily submitted to a breathalyzer test, with police noting he had zero trace of alcohol in his system. No charges have been filed yet as officials are working with prosecutors to determine the cause and aftermath of the crash. "We are currently working with the state attorney’s office to make sure we fit whatever legal definitions for hit and run should or shouldn’t be, based on the circumstances that persisted that evening," Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said.

(B) CBS Mornings [4/28/2025 8:02 AM, Staff] reports that a deadly hit and run boat accident happened in Florida last night. The US Coast Guard says a boat a Clearwater ferry and fled the scene. One person was killed and six others were sent to the hospital. The Coast Guard says it has identified the boat. The collision sent the ferry carrying 45 people into a sandbar where it remained stuck. The Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife officials will handle the investigation into the crash.

Miami Herald [4/28/2025 2:41 PM, Don Sweeney, 3973K] reports a kayak found empty about 400 yards offshore in Hawaii has led to a search for the missing owner, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. The yellow kayak was found off Keauhou, Hawaii, at 10:09 a.m. Sunday, April 27, the Coast Guard said in a news release. The owner, Jared Willeford, 42, was seen launching the kayak at about 8 a.m., the agency said. His truck and trailer were found at the nearby boat ramp. A Coast Guard airplane and helicopter are assisting in the search, along with the Hawaii County Fire Department, the Coast Guard said. Helicopter crews continued the search overnight, the Coast Guard said on Facebook.

Reported similarly:
Honolulu Star-Advertiser [4/28/2025 5:36 PM, Staff]

Yahoo! News [4/28/2025 12:06 PM, Kevin Knodell, 52868K] reports U.S. Coast Guard crew members from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball on Thursday stacked bales of interdicted illegal drugs on the flight deck to prepare for offloading in San Diego. The narcotics were seized in the Eastern Pacific during counternarcotic patrols. The operation was part of a larger multiagency effort to combat Latin American drug cartels. The Pacific has seen a dramatic influx in drug trafficking, with drugs moving from Latin America into the U.S. mainland on boats—and in some cases homemade “narco submarines “—moving up routes in the Eastern Pacific. Increasingly, drugs are also being smuggled westward through routes spanning the Pacific islands and into Australia and Asia in what is being called the Pacific Drug Highway. “The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases, from detection, monitoring and interdictions to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in districts across the nation, “ the Coast Guard said in a statement after delivering the confiscated cocaine to San Diego. “The Coast Guard continues to increase operations to interdict, seize, and disrupt transshipment of cocaine and other bulk illicit drugs by sea. These drugs fuel and enable cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations to produce and traffic illegal fentanyl threatening the U.S.”

FOX News [4/28/2025 10:00 AM, Kurt Knutsson, 46189K] reports cybercriminals always find new ways to scam you, whether it’s mimicking a government agency, creating a fake website or delivering malware disguised as a software update. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, they come up with a new trick. This time, the FBI has issued an alert: Hackers are using a "time-traveling" technique to bypass your device’s security measures. No, we’re not talking about actual time travel (though wouldn’t that be something?). This is a sophisticated cyberattack where hackers manipulate a system’s internal clock to sneak past security defenses. The concept of "time-traveling hackers" refers not to literal time travel but to a sophisticated cyberattack technique where hackers manipulate a system’s internal clock to bypass security measures. This attack is reportedly tied to the Medusa ransomware gang. In this type of attack, hackers exploit expired security certificates by altering the system date on a targeted device to a time when those certificates were still valid. For example, a security certificate that expired in, say, 2020 could be made usable again if the system’s clock is set back to 2019. This allows malicious software signed with these outdated certificates to be recognized as legitimate by the system, effectively "traveling back in time" from a security perspective. This technique was notably used in the Medusa ransomware attacks, which targeted critical infrastructure and prompted an FBI cybersecurity advisory (AA25-071A) earlier in 2025. The campaign has affected over 300 critical infrastructure targets. The attackers combined this method with social engineering and exploited unpatched vulnerabilities, amplifying the threat. The FBI has warned that such attacks pose a significant risk, as they can disable modern security protections like Windows Defender by tricking the system into accepting outdated drivers or software. The FBI is urging organizations to take action quickly, warning that this technique can slip past traditional defenses by taking advantage of how systems trust old certificate data.

CyberScoop [4/28/2025 5:52 PM, Matt Bracken] reports bill requiring the Department of Commerce to study national security issues posed by routers and modems controlled by U.S. adversaries passed the House on Monday, advancing legislation that lawmakers say is “crucial” to understanding the devices’ cybersecurity risks. The House has moved quickly on the Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act, which was introduced by Reps. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, and Robin Kelly, D-Ill., in March and advanced out of the chamber’s Energy and Commerce Committee three weeks ago. The bill, which calls on Commerce’s assistant secretary for communications and information to lead a study into devices that are “designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied” by or subject to the influence of a “covered country,” takes particular aim at China and the state-sponsored hacking campaigns that have plagued U.S. networks.

CyberScoop [4/28/2025 12:53 PM, Tim Starks] reports cybersecurity companies don’t just defend their customers against cyberattacks — they also have to defend themselves, and a SentinelOne report published Monday examines some of the biggest threats they’re facing. Those include ransomware, Chinese government-sponsored hackers and North Korean IT workers posing as job applicants, according to the report from SentinelOne’s SentinelLabs. “In recent months, SentinelOne has observed and defended against a spectrum of attacks from financially motivated crimeware to tailored campaigns by advanced nation-state actors,” the report reads. “These incidents were real intrusion attempts against a U.S.-based cybersecurity company by adversaries, but incidents such as these are neither new nor unique to SentinelOne.” Cybersecurity firms can make an attractive target for hackers, despite the perception that a company that protects others might be better at protecting their own networks and systems. FireEye famously discovered the notorious SolarWinds hacking campaign hacking campaign when it realized that it itself was a victim.

Chicago Tribune [4/28/2025 2:35 PM, Tess Kenny, 5269K] reports a cyber incident early Monday morning has caused computer outages at the DuPage County Courthouse and sheriff’s office in Wheaton, according to county officials. Outages were ongoing as of mid-day Monday and the incident is under investigation. The county has contacted the FBI and U.S. Secret Service. "The county was made aware of a cyber incident occurring around 2:30 a.m. that is impacting the sheriff’s office, the 18th Judicial Circuit Court and the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office," DuPage County Chief Judge Bonnie Wheaton, Circuit Court Clerk Candace Adams and Sheriff Jim Mendrick said in a joint emailed statement.

FOX News [4/28/2025 6:53 PM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 46189K] reports police in Arizona arrested a suspected arsonist at a Tesla dealership after he allegedly lit a newly delivered Cybertruck on fire. Mesa police responded just before 2:00 a.m. on Monday, April 28, to reports of an explosion at the Tesla Service Center in Mesa, Ariz. Witnesses reported smoke and flames near the building, which officers determined were coming from a newly delivered Tesla Cybertruck. Footage from Fox News affiliate, KSAZ-TV, captured federal and state law enforcement surrounding the Tesla dealership after the fire was put out. The arson suspect, identified by local police as 35-year-old Ian Moses, allegedly wrote "THEIF" (sic) on the side of the dealership before setting the Cybertruck on fire. The footage captured the charred electric truck as investigators taped off the scene. No injuries were reported. During their investigation, police said they noticed a suspicious van parked nearby and observed a man riding a bicycle approaching and opening the van’s door. Officers immediately contacted the individual and identified the suspect. Investigators were able to match Moses to security photos captured by the Tesla Security Center during the incident. He was arrested and booked into jail for one count of arson of a structure and property. The Mesa Police Department announced that it is collaborating with federal authorities, and additional charges against Moses are pending as the investigation continues. This arrest comes amid a broader national movement targeting Musk’s companies, driven by activists protesting the billionaire’s involvement with the Trump administration.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [4/28/2025 12:04 PM, Lucas Nolan, 2923K]

NPR [4/28/2025 7:26, Geoff Brumfiel, Jenna McLaughlin, 29983K] Audio HERE reports two members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency were given accounts on classified networks that hold highly guarded details about America’s nuclear weapons, two sources tell NPR. Luke Farritor, a 23-year-old former SpaceX intern, and Adam Ramada, a Miami-based venture capitalist, have had accounts on the computer systems for at least two weeks, according to the sources who also have access to the networks. Prior to their work at DOGE, neither Farritor nor Ramada appear to have had experience with either nuclear weapons or handling classified information. A spokesperson for the Department of Energy initially denied that Farritor and Ramada had accessed the networks. "This reporting is false. No DOGE personnel have accessed these NNSA systems. The two DOGE individuals in question worked within the agency for several days and departed DOE in February," the spokesperson told NPR in an emailed statement. In a second statement later Monday evening, the spokesperson clarified that the accounts had been created but said they were never used by the DOGE staffers. "DOE is able to confirm that these accounts in question were never activated and have never been accessed," the email statement read. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Washington Post [4/28/2025 7:44 PM, Ellen Nakashima and Hannah Natanson, 31735K] reports national security agencies across the Trump administration are ramping up investigations into alleged leaks to the news media, in some cases using polygraph tests that current and former officials say are creating a climate of fear and intimidation. At FBI Director Kash Patel’s direction, the bureau in recent weeks has begun administering polygraph tests to identify the source of information leaks, an FBI spokesperson said. The new use of polygraphs at the bureau, which are commonly known as “lie detector” tests, has not been previously reported. “The seriousness of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs, as they involved potential damage to security protocols at the bureau,” said the spokesperson, who declined to elaborate. The ramp-up has been bolstered by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s new legal guidelines that allow the Justice Department to subpoena reporters’ personal communications and broaden the scope of potential criminal prosecution to leaks of not just classified material, but also “privileged and other sensitive” information that the administration says is “designed to sow chaos and distrust” in the government. But current and former officials note that the broader scope could include information that is simply embarrassing or seen as undermining the administration’s views. People are trying to keep their heads down,” said one former FBI field office head, who like others interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “Morale’s in the toilet. … When you see people who are being investigated, or names [of agents who worked on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases] being passed over to the DOJ, it’s what the f---?” At the Pentagon, embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened the use of polygraphs, according to current and former officials, and has demanded that some senior department officials be administered lie detector exams, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The sense of dread is palpable. Some officials who have left the government under a buyout and might normally feel less constrained about talking to the news media are refusing to speak while they are officially still on the payroll. Even contractors with security clearances say they can’t take any chances in case they are asked in their next polygraph test whether they have had contact with journalists. “It’s a toxic environment,” said one official with a top-secret clearance.

NPR [4/28/2025 6:13 PM, Tom Bowman, 29983K] reports President Donald Trump said he spoke with his embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following reports he used the unsecure Signal chat to discuss classified information and fired some of his top aides, leaving the Pentagon embroiled in chaos. "I think he’s gonna get it together," Trump said of Hegseth, during an interview with The Atlantic magazine over the weekend. "I had a talk with him, a positive talk, but I had a talk with him.” Meanwhile, one former senior staffer, Colin Carroll, who served as chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, said in a lengthy interview with Megyn Kelly on Saturday there’s a "culture of fear and toxicity" in Hegseth’s office. "No one’s going to want to come into that environment.” Carroll, along with Hegseth’s former top aides, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, were fired amid accusations by the defense secretary that they leaked classified information to the press. Both Carroll and Caldwell strongly deny any leaks in separate interviews and on X, and instead say they were fired because they had trouble working with Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper, who oversaw what they call a dysfunctional office. NPR has repeatedly contacted Kasper, who has not returned phone calls. In her interview with Carroll, Kelly says she reached out to Kasper, who released a statement: "The idea that there was dysfunction is an argument of convenience, which in hindsight is being weaponized by a small group which is rallying against the president and the secretary in their own interests." Kasper has since stepped down as chief of staff and will now serve as a "special government employee" working on science, technology and industry. Meanwhile, Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz went on Fox News on Sunday to defend Hegseth. "He is leading the charge, and he has no tolerance for leaking," Waltz said, calling any suggestions of chaos or dysfunction a "media narrative," and that Trump officials "are going to power through." Waltz, who took responsibility for creating a Signal chat group that inadvertently included a journalist last month, sidestepped a question about the departure of senior aides, including Kasper.

Free Beacon [4/28/2025 5:00 AM, Alana Goodman, 475K] reports that, for decades, federal law has required U.S. universities to disclose the sources of large foreign donations to the federal government. But the Biden administration sparsely enforced the law, allowing foreign nationals from adversarial countries to funnel cash to top American schools and stay anonymous. In some cases, it’s unclear whether the schools themselves are keeping close track of the foreign money they accept. In early February, the Washington Free Beacon filed state records requests with 11 public universities for the identities of foreign donors that gave the schools more than $20,000 in the past two years. Some, like the University of California, Los Angeles and University of Michigan, said it would take months of searching or more than $1,500 in fees to provide an answer. That won’t fly with President Donald Trump, who last week signed an executive order outlining more robust enforcement of the Higher Education Act of 1965’s foreign donor disclosure requirements. In some cases, it already appears to be spurring action. Another recipient of the Free Beacon’s records requests, the University of California, Berkeley, for weeks did not respond. On Friday, shortly after Trump signed the order and launched a foreign funding investigation into the school, it sent a list of major foreign donors from 2023 and 2024. Trump’s order calls on Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to "take appropriate steps to reverse or rescind any actions by the prior administration that permit higher education institutions to maintain improper secrecy regarding their foreign funding," a reference to the Biden administration’s unusual policies that shielded foreign donors. Historically, the Department of Education disclosed foreign donor names in a public database. During the Biden administration, it stopped publishing names, instead only releasing the countries where each donation came from. Such a policy is easy for foreign donors to exploit. From 2021 to 2025, U.S. universities raked in nearly a billion dollars from mystery donors in offshore tax havens like Bermuda, Guernsey, and the Cayman Islands, the Free Beacon reported. In some cases, the money actually came from China, as shown through state-level disclosures that include donors’ names. At the University of Pennsylvania, for example, a $3 million gift from a donor in the Cayman Islands actually came from E-House Enterprise Holdings, a Chinese real estate company with a listed address in Hong Kong.

The Hill [4/28/2025 2:58 PM, Alex Gangitano, 12829K] reports President Trump on Monday threatened to veto a Senate resolution aimed at thwarting his imposition of tariffs on a host of countries. In a statement of administration policy obtained by The Hill, the Office of Management and Budget said Trump would veto the resolution introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) because it "would undermine the Administration’s efforts to address the unusual and extraordinary threats to national security and economic stability" posed by the trade deficit. Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, introduced the resolution earlier this month as a way for Congress to step in and rein in Trump on trade. A Senate vote on the legislation is expected by the end of the week and could happen as early as Wednesday. The Wyden bill would reverse Trump’s 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods, and prevent him from imposing additional tariffs up to 49 percent on various countries. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have shown support for checking the president’s trade authority in light of Trump’s latest actions that have caused rising recession fears. Another Senate bill would limit Trump’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs without the approval of Congress; seven Republican senators, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the Senate’s president pro tempore, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the former Senate Republican leader, signed onto it. Trump imposed sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs on trading partners on April 2, which the White House dubbed "Liberation Day," in a move that rattled the markets and led to calls from lawmakers and Wall Street to back off. The president on April 9 paused the hefty tariffs on trading partners for 90 days, keeping 10 percent tariffs in place, and raised the tariffs on China to 145 percent total. Administration officials have been in conversations with trading partners to reach deals on tariffs before the 90 days expire, but no deals have been finalized.

Reuters [4/28/2025 9:23 PM, Jeff Mason and David Shepardson, 41523K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration will move to reduce the impact of his automotive tariffs on Tuesday by alleviating some duties imposed on foreign parts in domestically manufactured cars and keeping tariffs on cars made abroad from piling on top of other ones, officials said. "President Trump is building an important partnership with both the domestic automakers and our great American workers," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement from the White House. "This deal is a major victory for the President’s trade policy by rewarding companies who manufacture domestically, while providing runway to manufacturers who have expressed their commitment to invest in America and expand their domestic manufacturing.” Automakers said earlier on Monday they were expecting Trump to issue relief from the auto tariffs ahead of his trip to Michigan, which is home to the Detroit Three automakers and more than 1,000 major auto suppliers. Last week, a coalition of U.S. auto industry groups urged Trump not to impose 25% tariffs on imported auto parts, warning they would cut vehicle sales and raise prices. Trump had said earlier he planned to impose tariffs of 25% on auto parts no later than May 3. "Tariffs on auto parts will scramble the global automotive supply chain and set off a domino effect that will lead to higher auto prices for consumers, lower sales at dealerships and will make servicing and repairing vehicles both more expensive and less predictable," the industry groups said in the letter.

Reuters [4/28/2025 6:03 AM, Rajesh Kumar Singh, 41523K] reports the U.S. aviation industry, reeling from President Donald Trump’s trade war and a slump in travel demand, is lobbying the White House for exemptions from tariffs. Industry officials have held meetings with senior members of the Trump administration including the President, asking them to restore the tariff-free regime under the 1979 Civil Aircraft Agreement, under which the sector enjoyed a $75 billion annual trade surplus. Trump’s tariffs have ended its decades-old duty-free status. "Our government affairs team is hard at work on it to make the case as to why there should be a carve-out," American Airlines (AAL.O)CFO Devon May told Reuters. The aviation industry expects the exemption to help companies keep costs down during a sharp pullback in travel spending by consumers worried about slower economic growth and higher inflation. Airlines have been cutting flights in response to softening bookings. They have also been scrapping their financial forecasts and trying to control costs in a bid to protect margins. They are also pushing back against price increases for aircraft and parts as planemakers and engine makers seek to pass along the tariff costs. Airline executives have even raised the possibility of returning leased planes and deferring aircraft deliveries. "It’s really difficult for us to wrap our heads around paying tariffs on those airplanes," May said. "It just doesn’t make economic sense.” Executives of plane and jet-engine suppliers have also sought to reassure shareholders their companies will not absorb the tariff costs, either. The tussle has raised the risk of showdown with their airline customers. Boeing expects a tariff hit of less than $500 million a year. Jet-engine maker GE Aerospace (GE.N)has estimated its tariff bill would exceed $500 million. Its rival RTX (RTX.N)expects about $850 million in additional annual costs. All three companies are counting on cost-mitigation strategies including price increases and a large order backlog. GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp cautioned airlines against deferring deliveries. "There are plenty of other people who will step up in line and take their place," he told Reuters. At the end of March, American had 14 planes scheduled for delivery this year from European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA)and Brazil’s Embraer (EMBR3.SA). The company expects some of those jets including Airbus’ A321 XLR, which is built in Europe, would face tariffs. "It’s just really difficult for us to imagine paying another 10% or something higher than that on airplanes, which are our biggest capital cost," May said.

CNBC [4/28/2025 3:20 PM, Lori Ann LaRocco, 44742K] reports the clock is ticking on trade deals that the U.S. will need to strike with many nations, most notably China, to avoid what Trump’s treasury secretary has described as an "unsustainable" tariffs war. But in the U.S. farming sector, the damage has already been done and the economic crisis already begun. U.S. agriculture exporters say the global backlash to President Donald Trump’s tariffs is punishing them, especially a decline in China buying of U.S. farm products, leading to canceled export orders and layoffs. Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coaliti (AgTC), a leading export trade group for farmers, tells CNBC the number of canceled purchases of U.S. agriculture should not be described as approaching a crisis. "It is a full-blown crisis already," he said. Data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday revealed China made its biggest cancellation of pork orders since 2020, halting a shipment of 12,000 tons of pork. AgTC says "massive" financial losses are already being shared by its members as a result of the trade war, based on reports it is receiving from member companies. A wood pulp and paperboard exporter reported to the trade group the immediate cancellation or hold of 6,400 metric tons in a warehouse and a hold of 15 railcars sitting in what is known in the supply chain as "demurrage," when fees are charged for delayed movement of goods. Meanwhile, the exporter said there are 9,000 metric tons on the water to China expected to arrive on May 13 and facing the threat of costly diversion to Chinese bonded warehouses or to other countries as Chinese buyers may refuse the cargo and abandon it at port. One grass seed exporter told AgTC it received two weeks notice that eight loads were being canceled by Chinese customers despite vessels bookings already being in place.

NBC News [4/28/2025 9:20 AM, Chantal Da Silva, 44742K] reports Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire Monday hours after President Donald Trump said he believed his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was prepared to give up his claim to the Crimean Peninsula as part of a longer-term truce deal. The Kremlin said in a note to the media that the ceasefire would begin at midnight local time May 8 and end at midnight May 11, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of “Victory Day,” when Russia celebrates its victory over the Nazis. The note added that all military action would be suspended during this period, adding that "the Ukrainian side should follow this example." It said any actions in defiance of a ceasefire would be met with a response. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the announcement by calling on Russia to “cease fire immediately” if it “truly wants peace.” “Why wait until May 8th?,” Sybiha asked in a post on X on Monday. It comes after Trump suggested Zelenskyy may be willing to give up Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Asked if he thought Zelenskyy was ready to cede the peninsula, Trump replied, “I think so.” If Ukraine’s leader were to agree to such a measure, it would mark a major shift in Ukraine’s stance on giving up land for peace. In what looks to be a potentially pivotal week for efforts to bring at least a pause to fighting in Ukraine, upbeat comments from the Trump administration and Zelenskyy over the weekend were followed by Putin’s spokesperson Monday, who said that the Kremlin was ready to begin peace negotiations with Washington and Kyiv. Setting out Russia’s conditions for peace, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov separately said Monday that international recognition of the “Russian affiliation of Crimea,” and the four other Ukrainian regions in which Russia has annexed territory was “imperative” to any deal. That recognition must be legally codified and “indefinite” Lavrov said, adding that the demilitarization of Ukraine and the lifting of sanctions against Russia and the return of Russian assets frozen by the West would also be key.

Washington Examiner [4/28/2025 11:02 AM, Haisten Willis, 2296K] reports frustration is mounting as President Donald Trump seeks a deal to end the war in Ukraine, his press secretary told reporters Monday morning. "He is increasingly frustrated with leaders of both countries," Karoline Leavitt said. "He wants to see a permanent ceasefire.” Russian President Vladimir Putin offered a temporary ceasefire Monday morning, she added, but Trump will only accept a permanent deal to "stop the killing [and] the bloodshed." He remains optimistic he can strike a deal. Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican, where both leaders attended Pope Francis’s funeral. However, a peace deal, which Trump promised on the campaign trail, remains elusive. "He’s also being realistic as well," Leavitt said. "Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this. I do think that the president meeting with President Zelensky shows that he is exuding a lot of effort and time into this because he wants to be a peacemaker president.” Trump spoke on the matter himself aboard Air Force One over the weekend. The president said he thought the meeting with Zelensky went well but added that we’ll learn a lot over the next few days.

Reuters [4/28/2025 6:47 PM, Staff, 24727K] reports negotiations held in Cairo to reach a ceasefire in Gaza were on the verge of a "significant breakthrough," two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday. There was no immediate comment from Israel and Hamas. Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a brief post on X that an Israeli official denied the reported breakthrough, without giving further details.The Egyptian sources said there was a consensus on a long-term ceasefire in the besieged enclave, yet some sticking points remain, including Hamas arms. Hamas repeatedly said it was not willing to lay down its arms, a key demand by Israel. Earlier, Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV reported that Egyptian intelligence chief General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad was set to meet an Israeli delegation headed by strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer on Monday in Cairo. The sources said the ongoing talks included Egyptian and Israeli delegations. Mediators Egypt and Qatar did not report developments on the latest talks. Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Sunday that a recent meeting in Doha on efforts to reach a ceasefire made some progress, but noted there was no agreement yet on how to end the war. He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he added.

Washington Post [4/28/2025 2:12 PM, Shira Rubin and Claire Parker, 31735K] reports the United Nations’ top court held oral arguments Monday to determine whether Israel is required to allow the U.N. and other agencies to provide unhindered aid to Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The U.N. General Assembly had asked the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on Israel’s legal obligations under both the U.N. charter and international law. For nearly two months, Israel has blocked all aid from entering Gaza, and earlier this year, it banned the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, or UNRWA, from operating inside Israel and from communicating with Israeli officials. “As an occupying power, the State of Israel must provide services or facilitate their delivery — including through UNRWA — to the population it is occupying,” the agency’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a statement Monday as the proceedings were underway. In Gaza in particular, the humanitarian crisis has once again reached catastrophic levels, with the World Food Program saying last week that it has simply run out of food to distribute. Israel, however, refused to appear before the court at The Hague, which Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said has a political bias against the Jewish state. At a news conference in Jerusalem on Monday, he likened the hearings to a “circus” and said that “it is not Israel that should be on trial.” “No [other] country is subject to such double standards,” he said. Instead, Saar and other Foreign Ministry officials said it was UNRWA that should be in the hot seat, repeating claims that the agency was infiltrated by Hamas and other militants in Gaza. Israel has not made public evidence to substantiate its allegations that a significant number of UNRWA employees are tied to local terrorist groups.

FOX News [4/28/2025 12:36 PM, Brooke Singman, 46189K] reports the Trump administration sanctioned three vessels and their owners for providing support to the Houthis – the Iranian regime’s network of terrorist proxies and partners, Fox News Digital has learned. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the sanctions Monday, following the Houthis’ efforts to deploy missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and naval mines to attack commercial shipping interests in the Red Sea – activities that "threaten global freedom of navigation and the integrity of international commerce." "Today’s action underscores our commitment to disrupt the Houthis’ efforts to fund their dangerous and destabilizing attacks in the region," Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said Monday, adding that the department will "continue to leverage" its tools and authorities "to target those who seek to enable the Houthis’ ability to exploit the people of Yemen and continue their campaign of violence." The State Department designated the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist in February 2024 and redesignated the group as a foreign terrorist organization in March. "Providing material support to the Houthis not only carries acute sanctions risk, but also exposes vessels and crew members to serious safety risk from potential Houthi attacks," a Treasury Department official told Fox News Digital. A Treasury official told Fox News Digital that the Houthis control the strategic Yemen Red Sea ports of Hudaydah, Ras Isa and Al-Salif, and are funneling millions of dollars derived from port revenues and the seizure of refined petroleum products to fund a "reckless attack campaign against U.S. interests and those of our allies in the region."

New York Times [4/28/2025 4:28 PM, Ismaeel Naar, 145325K] reports dozens of people were killed on Monday in an attack that hit a migrant facility in an area of northern Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia, according to the group and aid officials. The Houthi militia, which is backed by Iran, said that an American strike hit what the group called a migrant center in Saada, killing at least 68 African migrants. A U.S. Defense Department official said that Central Command was “aware of the claims of civilian casualties related to the U.S. strikes in Yemen, and we take those claims very seriously.” The official said it was conducting a damage assessment and an inquiry into the Houthis’ claims. The attack came hours after the U.S. military said that American forces had conducted more than 800 strikes in Yemen since mid-March in a campaign against the Houthis. It said the campaign targeted “multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities and advanced weapons storage locations” — but made no mention of civilian casualties. Houthi officials have said that more than 100 civilians have been killed and condemned the latest strike as a “heinous crime against African migrants.” The Houthis and the U.S. military have made competing claims about who was responsible for civilian deaths in recent strikes. Last week, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command said that an explosion on April 20 that killed 12 people in the Yemeni capital had been caused by a misfired Houthi missile, not an American strike as the Houthis had claimed. On Monday, graphic footage broadcast by the Houthi-controlled al-Masirah news channel showed bodies scattered amid the rubble in Saada. In addition to the dozens who were killed, at least 40 migrants were injured, according to two aid officials in Yemen who spoke on the condition of anonymity while they further verified the circumstances of the attack. The United Nations said it was deeply alarmed by the reports of an airstrike on the migrant facility, adding that it had received reports from colleagues that hospitals in Saada were being overwhelmed because of their limited capacity.

Wall Street Journal [4/28/2025 5:27 PM, Sudarsan Raghavan, 646K] reports Yemen’s Houthi rebels alleged an American airstrike killed at least 68 people and injured scores more in a detention center holding African migrants in northern Yemen on Monday, one of the deadliest attacks in the six-week-long U.S. bombing campaign. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the death toll from the alleged strike in Yemen’s Sa’ada province, the Houthis’ ancestral stronghold. U.S. Central Command, which oversees the air campaign against the Houthis, is aware of the claims of civilian casualties in Yemen and is conducting an inquiry into them, a defense official said. Human-rights groups say the detention center is a prison for African migrants who are caught trying to illegally cross into Saudi Arabia, suspected of crimes or without the means to pay smugglers. The Trump administration launched the air campaign last month to stop the Houthis from using missiles and drones to attack ships in the Red Sea and Israel in response to the war in Gaza. President Trump has also threatened Iran with consequences for future Houthi strikes, as it backs the Houthis, the last of Iran’s proxies capable of regularly targeting U.S. military assets, Israel and other American allies. The alleged strike comes amid a rising death toll among Yemenis as the U.S. air campaign continues, according to researchers investigating civilian casualties.

The Hill [4/28/2025 1:27 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12829K] reports Chinese officials on Monday criticized the Trump administration’s approach to negotiating tariff policy and accused the U.S. of bullying other nations. “They make up bargaining chips out of thin air, bully and go back on their words,” said Zhao Chenxin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s main economic planning agency. That approach, Zhao continued, “makes everyone see one thing more and more clearly, that is the so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ severely go against historical trends and economic laws, impact international trade rules and order and seriously impair the legitimate rights and interests of countries.” The remarks came at a briefing Monday by several senior Chinese officials across numerous government agencies. The officials sought to reassure the public of the nation’s ability to weather any potential economic fallout from President Trump’s tariffs of 145 percent on Chinese imports.

Reuters [4/28/2025 6:14 AM, Staff, 24727K] reports Taiwan’s Pegatron, an important supplier to Apple and Dell, said on Monday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs were confusing U.S. customers and risked leading to shortages of consumer electronics in the United States. Washington’s on-again, off-again levies have created uncertainty for U.S. retailers and disrupted decisions on shipments, the electronics manufacturer’s chairman T.H. Tung told Reuters on the sidelines of an awards event. "Within two months, shelves in the United States ... might resemble those in third-world countries, where people visit department stores and markets only to find empty shelves, all because everyone is waiting and seeing," Tung said. This month, Trump abruptly paused some tariffs targeting trading partners including Vietnam, Indonesia and India, where Pegatron has manufacturing bases. A 10% levy on nearly all goods imported into the U.S. remains, however. Though meant to provide some relief while trade talks take place, Tung said U.S. importers will not necessarily take advantage of the pause by ramping up shipments if they believe the 10% tariff might be repealed. Trump’s actions had disrupted the seamless logistics at the centre of the modern global supply chain, Tung said, but added that Pegatron would stick to its plans. "Just because Trump raises tariffs doesn’t mean the rest of the world will do the same. Taiwanese contract manufacturers are sticking to their overseas plans," he said. "We won’t immediately adjust our long-term plans just because of two or three months of tariff changes. Manufacturing bases require long-term planning," he added. Pegatron has been diversifying its manufacturing locations away from China since Trump’s first term, expanding to countries in Southeast Asia as well as Mexico. Tung said the manufacturing locations were not decided by Taiwanese contract manufacturers themselves, however, but had to be negotiated with customers.

AP [4/28/2025 4:45 PM, Staff, 48304K] Video: HERE reports the Philippines on Monday rejected China’s claim to a group of three sandbars in the South China Sea, after recent displays by both sides of their national flags on the uninhabited outcroppings. The back and forth over Sandy Cay is the latest flare-up in a long-running dispute over territory in the hotly contested South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.

AP [4/29/2025 4:27 AM, Jim Gomez, 5046K] reports Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrived in the Philippines on Tuesday to further boost an alliance in the face of China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Ishiba will meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila later Tuesday at the start of his two-day visit. Their talks are expected to focus on China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea, a reaffirmation of their commitment to a three-way alliance with the United States, and the barrage of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, officials said. Japanese and Philippine officials are expected to start negotiations this year on two defense pacts, including a proposed defense logistical agreement that would allow the provision of food, fuel and other necessities when Japanese forces visit the Philippines for joint training under a major defense accord that was signed last year and is expected to be ratified by the Japanese legislature. Another proposed agreement involves the security of highly confidential defense and military information the countries could share. Talks on this agreement are also expected to start this year, according to Japanese and Philippine officials. “In the South China Sea and East China Sea, China has made unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force,” Ishiba said in a news conference in Tokyo over the weekend before embarking on a trip to Vietnam and the Philippines. “I intend to further strengthen our cooperation with regard to security.” Chinese coast guard and navy ships, along with suspected militia vessels, have been accused of separately ramming and blocking and using powerful water cannons against Philippine and Vietnamese ships in the disputed South China Sea in recent years. China claims virtually the entire waterway, where it has bolstered its coast guard and navy presence and built artificial island bases to fortify its claims. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-simmering territorial standoffs.

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