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 Washington Post [8/17/2025 3:19 AM, Grace Moon, 29079K] reports the Trump administration announced Saturday it was halting visitor visas for people from Gaza, including those used for children to receive urgent medical treatment in the United States. The State Department said in a statement posted on X that it was stopping all visitor visas while it conducts “a full and thorough review of the process and procedures” used to approve “a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days.” The department did not immediately respond to questions on how long its review is expected to take or how many visitor visas it has issued recently. The move comes after far-right activist Laura Loomer criticized the visa program in recent days, describing it as a “national security threat” in a social media post. On Friday, Loomer shared a video posted by nonprofit aid organization HEAL Palestine of a cheering crowd welcoming children from Gaza with flowers and balloons at an airport in San Francisco, in a post demanding the firing of the State Department officials who approved the visas. Earlier this month, HEAL Palestine said that it had reached a “historic milestone” after launching “the largest single medical evacuation of injured children from Gaza to the U.S.” — some of whom had lost limbs or suffered severe burns. The nonprofit said it had evacuated a total of 148 people to date, including 63 children. “These children could not wait,” Zeena Salman, a pediatric oncologist and co-founder of HEAL Palestine, said in the Aug. 4 statement, adding that “their lives are at stake.” HEAL Palestine didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. According to the latest publicly available figures, the State Department issued 640 visas to people with Palestinian Authority travel documents in May allowing them to enter the U.S. temporarily, including for medical treatment. Palestinian rights groups denounced the department’s decision to remove a pathway for people from Gaza seeking medical care in the United States. “Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in Gaza,” the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund said in a statement urging the U.S. government to “reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision.” “Blocking Palestinian children injured by American weapons from coming to America for medical treatment is the latest sign that the intentional cruelty of President Trump’s ‘Israel First’ administration knows no bounds,” said Nihad Awad, the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The New York Times [8/16/2025 7:43 PM, Hamed Aleaziz and Ken Bensinger, 43795K] reports that earlier this month, Dr. Zeena Salman, a co-founder of HEAL Palestine, said in a statement that the medical evacuation flights were a matter of life or death. “These children could not wait,” Dr. Salman said. “Their lives are at stake, and this mission is about giving them a future.” Julia Gelatt, the associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute, said that more than 9,000 people with travel documents from the Palestinian Authority had entered the United States on visitor visas in the 2024 fiscal year. “This move is consistent with the Trump administration’s overall treatment of immigrants as constituting a threat to U.S. public safety,” Ms. Gelatt said. “But it is extremely hard to imagine how someone coming to the U.S. for lifesaving medical treatment would present a national security risk.” The Hill [8/16/2025 12:34 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12414K] reports that the move comes a week after President Trump refrained from criticizing Israeli leaders’ efforts to ramp up strikes and increase control in Gaza. "I know that we are there now trying to get people fed. … As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say. That’s going to be pretty much up to Israel," Trump told reporters in early August, committing to leading humanitarian aid efforts in the war-torn region. Several nations and human rights groups have said starvation is persistent among Gazans, urging countries and organizations to aid in food and resource distribution. In response to on the ground reports, Germany halted military exports to Israel, seeking to dismantle prior support for the use of force in the Gaza Strip.

Reported similarly:
NPR [8/16/2025 3:08 PM, Rhitu Chatterjee, 34837K]
Reuters [8/16/2025 1:42 PM, Jasper Ward, 45746K]

The Wall Street Journal [8/16/2025 3:28 PM, Vera Bergengruen, Lara Seligman, and Micah Maidenberg, 646K] reports more National Guard troops are heading soon to Washington, D.C., and they are preparing to start carrying weapons in the coming days, officials say, a major shift that comes days after President Trump said he was deploying them to “take back” the capital from what he described as violent criminals. Defense officials had previously said the 800 National Guard soldiers deployed wouldn’t be armed, unlike many federal law-enforcement agents sent to the capital. They also weren’t to have weapons in their vehicles. “Weapons are available if needed but will remain in the armory,” the U.S. Army said in a press release Thursday. Late Friday, some Guard members deployed to Washington were told to expect an order to carry weapons, according to people familiar with the planning. As of Saturday morning, however, no formal order had been given, a Defense Department official said. West Virginia will send approximately 300 to 400 National Guard troops to Washington at the request of the Trump administration, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Saturday. A White House official said that while additional National Guard troops will be called to the district, and might be armed, they aren’t making arrests at this time. Last night, the Guard soldiers conducted roving patrols on foot and in vehicles around the national mall, the official said. A Pentagon spokeswoman referred questions to the Army. An Army spokesman didn’t return a request for comment. CBS News [8/16/2025 8:52 PM, Emma Nicholson, 45245K] Video HERE reports a White House official told CBS News Saturday that the National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., as part of President Trump’s effort to address crime in the nation’s capital and take control of the city’s police force "may be armed," but that Guard members would not make arrests. "The National Guard is not making arrests at this time – they may be armed, consistent with their mission and training, to protect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence," the official said. The Wall Street Journal was first to report Saturday that National Guard soldiers in D.C. are prepared to start carrying weapons in the coming days — a shift from previous guidance. In a statement provided Saturday to CBS News Saturday, a National Guard spokesperson reiterated that deployed Guard members "may be armed consistent with their mission and training," adding that "their presence is focused on supporting civil authorities and ensuring the safety of the community they serve.” A Defense Department official told CBS News Thursday that the deployed National Guard members would not be armed at the request of law enforcement partners. The official also said they would not have weapons in their vehicles. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] NBC News [8/16/2025 8:25 PM, Alexandra Marquez and Gordon Lubold, 43603K] reports that the DC National Guard remains committed to assisting the District of Columbia and serving its residents and visitors whenever called upon," the spokesperson, Air National Guard Maj. Melissa Heintz, said. Heintz also said that the defense secretary "is authorized to mobilize additional National Guard forces, as needed, in coordination with State Governors." Earlier Saturday, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that he is deploying members of the West Virginia National Guard to Washington, D.C., in support of the Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up a military presence in the nation’s capital. Morrisey’s office said that the National Guard mobilization will include 300-400 troops, plus "mission-essential equipment" and "specialized training." The Washington Examiner [8/16/2025 7:11 PM, Zach LaChance, 1563K] reports Trump has been targeting crime in Washington over the past week, deploying 800 D.C. National Guard troops as well as taking control of D.C. police for 30 days. Part of the latter order was scaled back on Friday, with D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith largely resuming control of the department as opposed to DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, who the Trump administration sought to install as an emergency police commissioner. Despite the setback, the National Guard and federal officers including from the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Homeland Security Investigations have continued to patrol the streets, and as of Saturday, more are set to join them

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [8/16/2025 2:11 PM, Staff, 4779K]

The AP [8/16/2025 10:37 PM, Matt Brown and Mike Pesoli, 27036K] reports three Republican-led states said Saturday that they were deploying hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s capital to bolster the Trump administration’s effort to overhaul policing in Washington through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness. West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 Guard troops, while South Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio says it will send 150 in the coming days, marking a significant escalation of the federal intervention. The moves came as protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the heavily Democratic city following President Donald Trump’s executive order federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 District of Columbia National Guard members. By adding outside troops to the existing D.C. Guard deployment and federal law enforcement presence, Trump is exercising even tighter control over the city. It’s a power play that the president has justified as an emergency response to crime and homelessness, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump’s first term in office. National Guard members have played a limited role in the federal intervention so far, and it’s unclear why additional troops are needed. They have been patrolling at landmarks like the National Mall and Union Station and assisting law enforcement with tasks including crowd control. The Republican governors of the three states said they were sending hundreds of troops at the request of the Trump administration. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he directed 300 to 400 Guard troops to head to Washington, adding that the state “is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation’s capital.” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he authorized the deployment of 200 of his state’s National Guardsmen to help law enforcement in Washington at the Pentagon’s request. He noted that if a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes, they would be recalled. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he would send 150 military police from the Guard to “carry out presence patrols and serve as added security” and that they were expected to arrive in the coming days. His statement said Army Secretary Dan Driscoll requested the troops. CNN [8/16/2025 8:00 PM, Shania Shelton, 21433K] reports that the number of federal agents patrolling the streets of DC following Trump’s declaration of a crime emergency has also ramped up, according to an internal Secret Service memo obtained by CNN. Secret Service director Sean Curran said in a message to personnel Saturday, "More than 700 federal law enforcement personnel" from multiple agencies "are supporting the effort every day. That number is expected to increase as more National Guard troops join the safe streets initiative.” At the White House on Monday, Trump said he had "surged 500 federal agents into the district, including from the FBI, ATF, DEA, Park Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security."

Reported similarly:
New York Times [8/16/2025 2:13 PM, Campbell Robertson, et al., 143795K]
Breitbart [8/16/2025 9:20 PM, Staff, 2608K]
The Hill [8/16/2025 1:58 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12414K]
FOX News [8/16/2025 5:31 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40019K] Video: HERE
NewsNation [8/16/2025 12:53 PM, Ashley N. Soriano, Jessica Marquez, 6811K]
Telemundo [8/16/2025 11:05 PM, Staff, 2782K]

FOX News [8/16/2025 8:49 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40019K] reports the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Saturday it was adopting a no-tolerance policy for homeless encampments in support of the Trump administration’s "beautification" efforts in Washington, D.C. The previous encampment policy suggested homelessness should be "rare, brief and non-recurring," according to the District of Columbia website. It noted the protocol for cleaning public spaces was only triggered when a site presented a security, health or safety risk or if it interfered with community use. "With this in mind, we provide resources to shelter, pathways to housing and access to behavioral health services to individuals at these locations," officials wrote on the website. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday those living in homeless encampments will need to either accept treatment at a homeless shelter or go to jail if they refuse. The U.S. Park Police have already removed 70 homeless encampments in D.C., with only a few remaining, Leavitt said. The remaining two sites were expected to be cleared this week by multi-agency teams, including the FBI, Secret Service and D.C. police. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also announced other interior policy modifications for criminal activity. Burgum noted that anyone who damages federal property will be "prosecut[ed] to the fullest extent," though it is unclear what the former policy was. He added that U.S. Park Police public information officers (PIO) will be more hands-on, with the ability to pursue fleeing criminals under specified circumstances. Burgum did not specify what led to the PIO policy change.

New York Times [8/16/2025 8:18 PM, Alyce McFadden, 143795K] reports scores of demonstrators took to the streets of Washington on an oppressively hot and humid Saturday to protest the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops. Hundreds gathered at Dupont Circle for a march through Washington to protest the deployment, which the Trump administration has claimed was meant to clamp down on crime and homelessness in the city. Many of the demonstrators dismissed that pretext and said the National Guard deployment was an abuse of power. An activist group called Refuse Fascism led the demonstrators as they marched down Connecticut Avenue to the National Mall, filling the road and blocking traffic. Many were wearing bright orange bandannas and holding signs with slogans, including “Trump Must Go Now” and “No ICE! No National Guard!” Metropolitan Police officers on bicycles looked on from afar as the group marched in what was a largely peaceful, upbeat protest. Marchers sang, danced and blew brightly colored whistles. One blasted music — by D.C.-based artists only — from a portable speaker. The crowd chanted and cheered at drivers who honked in support. Many marchers were residents of Washington and its suburbs, and they said they showed up to to defend of the region they call home. Robin Galbraith, 61, said she hoped the current moment would underscore the need for statehood in the District of Columbia. She said that, too often, federal lawmakers, particularly Republicans, have used the district as a pawn “for their own agenda.” “Trump is attacking my city to distract from everything that’s going bad in his administration,” said Ms. Galbraith, a retired schoolteacher who has lived in the area all her life. Sandwiches appeared to be a motif of sort in the protest. Some demonstrators, like Ms. Luban, drew them on signs. Others opted for the real deal: At least two marchers held aloft actual sandwiches, much to the amusement of some and befuddlement of at least one passerby who wondered aloud why someone would bring a baguette to a protest. As demonstrators passed between the White House and the Washington Monument, the mood briefly turned tense as some berated National Guard troops standing in front of a military vehicle. Some marchers shouted expletives and yelled “traitor” at the Guard members. Police officers who had been following the protest intervened, forming a barrier between the crowd and the troops with bicycles. The tension dissipated, and the protest moved on, joining forces with a handful of demonstrators who had been at the White House.

NPR [8/16/2025 8:04 AM, Brian Mann, 34837K] Audio: HERE reports Washington, D.C., has filed a lawsuit to block President Trump’s claim of authority over the city’s police department. Experts say the legal fight raises constitutional questions and potential public safety dangers. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

FOX News [8/16/2025 8:49 AM, Cameron Arcand, 40019K] reports a large number of arrests by the newly federalized Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department will likely be illegal immigrants, one expert predicts. Some 29 of the 45 arrests that were announced by the Trump administration Wednesday were illegal immigrants. A day later, 15 of the 33 arrests were illegal immigrants, including a suspect from China. This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi scrapped sanctuary policies from the department as part of a move that would override city laws on the matter. Earlier today, DC Police Chief Pamela Smith issued an order permitting some cooperation with federal immigration authorities, but stopped short of allowing cooperation for the sole purpose of immigration enforcement. The short-lived Thursday order from Smith permitted officers to begin "sharing information about persons not in MPD custody" such as during "traffic stops" and to provide "transportation for federal immigration agency employees and detained subjects," according to NBC 4 Washington.

Daily Wire [8/16/2025 12:36 PM, Amanda Prestigiacomo, 3184K] reports folks in our nation’s capital are already feeling safer since President Donald Trump, mere days ago, started cracking down on crime in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order declaring a crime emergency in D.C., and moved to protect public servants, citizens, and tourists, citing staggering crime statistics. The president has already federalized D.C.’s police department and deployed 800 National Guard troops to help with this effort. Additionally, the city is now cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tackling illegal immigration. "Went on a run through DC tonight. Insane amount of people out doing the same," James Laverty posted to X on Thursday. "Cops everywhere but the vibe was different. People feel safe again. Common sense prevails." Journalist and commentator Katie Pavlich also noticed the swift changes in D.C. "First time at Union Station this morning since Trump’s crime crackdown and there wasn’t a single crazy person screaming, vagrant or person doing drugs. Instead, lots of families visiting D.C.," she wrote. "Wonderful!!!". Additionally, a woman’s video posted to TikTok and X, which commented on the safe vibes of the D.C. area, went viral, racking up millions of views. However, elected Democrats — including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and California Governor Gavin Newsom — are complaining about Trump’s efforts in D.C.

The Hill [8/16/2025 9:02 AM, Ashleigh Fields, 12414K] reports D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) wrote a letter to local residents Friday seeking to quell anxiety over the Trump administration’s federal takeover of Washington’s law enforcement. Under a provision in the district’s Home Rule Act, President Trump earlier this week deployed National Guard troops and federal officials to patrol the streets in the nation’s capital. Bowser has blasted the move as "unsettling and unprecedented." "It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across DC has created waves of anxiety," she wrote in the memo. "I was born one year before Home Rule became law, and while our autonomy has been challenged before, our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now." "My jobs are many right now. Part of my job is just managing us through this crisis and making sure that our government continues to operate in a way that makes DC residents proud," she added. "The first day of school is just over a week away, and our kids deserve a strong and joyful start to the year no matter what is happening in our city." The president said his goal is to crack down on violent crime in the city — despite data showing the crime rate decreasing — but local residents have been seen protesting the administration’s efforts in recent days. Bowser in her letter vowed to defend the autonomy of Washington, including the local police department.

Daily Caller [8/16/2025 4:57 PM, Hudson Crozier, 985K] reports years of left-wing governance in Washington, D.C., have allowed rampant crime and public safety problems to fester, prompting federal intervention. President Donald Trump has deployed more law enforcement and the National Guard to D.C.’s streets and moved to federalize D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in recent days, citing alarming data such as the fact that the nation’s capital has the fourth highest murder rate in the country. In the long term, the Trump administration’s legislative goals threaten to upend numerous liberal bail and sentencing policies that the overwhelmingly Democratic-voting town has long embraced while administrative challenges hampered its ability to enforce the law. Local Democratic leaders’ comments and misleading police data fuel the narrative that D.C. crime is exaggerated, but recent cases have renewed national attention. They include a 21-year-old House intern being slain by a stray bullet, two Israeli Embassy aides being gunned down before they were set to be engaged and Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas being carjacked at gunpoint by three men. D.C.’s story echoes the failure of criminal justice reforms imposed in cities across the country, especially since the death of George Floyd in 2020, according to Manhattan Institute fellow Charles Lehman, who researches public safety for the conservative think tank. "At best, they’ve done nothing," Lehman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "Of course, in many places … they have made the problem much worse."

FOX News [8/16/2025 8:00 AM, Andrew Mark Miller, 40019K] reports Democrats across the country have been pushing back on President Trump’s D.C. crime crackdown, citing statistics purportedly showing that crime in the nation’s capital is down or even at historic lows, but an expert who spoke to Fox News Digital is pushing back on that narrative. The chances of a person facing a violent crime in Washington, D.C., have dropped in recent years, but the possibility of dying during such a crime has skyrocketed, data shows, Fox News Digital reported on Wednesday. Lethality in D.C. jumped by a whopping 341% when compared to 2012 data, the study found, reporting that there were 13 homicides per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2012 and 57 homicides per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2024. Questions have also been raised about local crime stats from D.C. showing crime is down so far this year, with many pointing to news reports that a D.C. police commander was recently suspended for allegedly altering crime data.

Daily Caller [8/16/2025 9:51 AM, Jason Hopkins, 985K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday evening issued an additional order that directs the District of Columbia’s police force to completely cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Under Bondi’s latest directive, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is required to "fully and completely" cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal immigration authorities, countering the city’s long-standing sanctuary policies. The attorney general’s Friday memo comes as Washington, D.C. Democrats have fiercely resisted the Trump administration’s takeover of the city, including an earlier anti-sanctuary order by the attorney general. Bondi issued an order on Thursday that placed Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Terry Cole in charge of the MPD and rescinded several MPD orders that restricted ICE cooperation, an integral move in the Trump administration’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C. However, city leadership hit back later that evening, with Democratic D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb submitting a letter that called on MPD Chief of Police Pamela Smith to ignore the order. Bondi’s updated order on Friday does not place Cole as head of the MPD, but it more broadly demands local police participate in immigration enforcement. However, both Mayor Muriel Bowser and Schwalb have adamantly resisted these efforts. On Friday, Schwalb filed a lawsuit over the federal takeover of the MPD, accusing the Trump administration of acting unlawfully and threatening D.C.’s "home rule" status.

FOX News [8/16/2025 11:36 AM, Cameron Arcand, Mike Emanuel, 40019K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is touting new data showing that the nation’s illegal immigrant population has plummeted by 1.6 million people since January. The statistics, from the Center for Immigration Studies, indicate that self-deportations are driving the trend. The federal government has provided financial incentives for illegal immigrants to leave and has run advertisements telling them they can only apply to return if they leave voluntarily. The agency says over 1 million people have opted for self-deportation through the CBP Home app. DHS began offering $1,000 and free travel out of the United States to those seeking to leave the country on their own and who do not have a criminal background outside of their immigration status. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., is becoming an example from the Trump administration to sanctuary cities around the country, as Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered that officers cooperate with federal immigration authorities and put Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole in an oversight role of the police force.

NPR [8/16/2025 11:38 AM, Martin Kaste, 34837K] Audio: HERE reports immigration arrests dropped nationwide in July, slowing the pace of President Donald Trump’s promised "mass deportation" just weeks after a sharp increase in June. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, its total "initial book-ins" went from 31,597 in June to 27,483 in July, a 13% drop. ICE did not respond to NPR requests for comment, but in the past agency officials have said they need more officers and detention spaces to meet administration goals. With billions of dollars of new money from Congress, ICE has launched a drive to recruit more officers and build more detention facilities. But in the near-term, protesters and activists believe they may be able to slow the pace of arrests and deportations.

Wall Street Journal [8/17/2025 5:00 AM, Victoria Albert and Jack Morphet, 646K] reports Uncle Sam. Miami Vice. When it comes to recruiting new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, the Trump administration is getting creative. A social-media campaign launched late last month touted immigration enforcement as an opportunity for father-son bonding and to “deport illegals with your absolute boys,” a slang term for close friends. The Department of Homeland Security has invoked world-war-era imagery and touted 1990s Superman actor Dean Cain in an all-out blitz to persuade Americans they should join ICE’s ranks. The federal government also offered hefty incentives: up to $50,000 in signing bonuses and up to $60,000 in student loan forgiveness. No undergraduate degree is required. DHS also lifted the age cap for law-enforcement roles, opening a deportation officer position specifically for people over 40, and tried to woo back retired law-enforcement officials with a “return to mission” campaign. “America has been invaded by criminals and predators,” the agency says on its recruiting website. “We need YOU to get them out.” A major part of Trump’s effort is hiring more people to arrest, investigate and prosecute migrants. To do so, the administration must convince thousands of qualified candidates to take on a role that has become deeply divisive in recent months. DHS says the campaign is yielding early results. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that more than 110,000 people have applied. It isn’t clear how many of those applicants would be viable candidates for the job.

Telemundo [8/17/2025 1:56 AM, Staff, 2782K] reports ICE says that when the Sinaloa Cartel leader was imprisoned, his eldest son took over, along with two brothers, a faction that has continued to traffic and kill. Authorities consider the 42-year-old to be very dangerous. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

USA Today [8/17/2025 6:01 AM, Lauren Villagran, 75552K] reports deported and alone, Annie Garcia landed in Mexico with $40 in her pocket, a criminal record in the United States behind her and an unknown future ahead in a country she barely remembered. Fast forward to the present, to a video shared with her more than half-a-million social media followers in August. Her hair blows in the wind as she speeds on a boat through an emerald sea. She tagged the clip: #LifeAfterDeportation. Expelled from the United States, young Mexican immigrants like Garcia, 35, are documenting the aftermath of their deportation online. Their videos – raw grief over what they lost in America, surprise and gratitude for what they’ve found in Mexico – are rapidly gaining them tens of thousands of followers. At least a dozen of these deportees-turned-influencers, Garcia included, have started over in Mexico’s west coast beach gem, Puerto Vallarta. “If there’s one thing I wish my content could embody it’s how much life there is on this side of the border," Garcia wrote June 15 on Instagram. "Our countries aren’t what they were 20 or 30 years ago when our parents left."

Washington Post [8/17/2025 6:00 AM, Robert Klemko, 32099K] reports just after dusk on July 5, the crash of wood and metal suddenly reverberated through a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood here known as The Bottoms. Neighbors peered out to see a small army of men in desert camouflage and tactical vests crouched behind a black armored vehicle, shouting commands toward a brick house. A SWAT team had smashed through the front door of the residence, which neighbors say was occupied by several transgender women, part of a group of activists who initially united around trans and queer identity issues. Now, the women, dressed in bathrobes and pajamas, were being detained at gunpoint, neighbors said. “It was weird enough that six or seven White, trans people moved into the neighborhood,” said a neighbor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns. He rolled a joint and gazed at the plywood-covered front window: “And now the FBI is raiding their house.” The raid, they later learned, was part of an investigation into a July 4 attack outside the Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, an hour’s drive south. According to federal prosecutors, the suspects set off fireworks and spray-painted staff vehicles just after 10:30 p.m., then unloaded up to 30 rounds of gunfire, wounding a police officer in the neck. Eleven people have since been charged with attempted murder and terrorism-related offenses, and at least three others with aiding their escape or concealing evidence. Inside the house in Dallas, officers discovered nine firearms and a person wanted in connection with the shooting, a transgender woman named Autumn Hill, according to charging documents. The other residents were released without charges. Ten days later, authorities arrested Benjamin Song, 32, a Marine-reservist-turned-anti-fascist activist, and charged him with firing one of the weapons recovered at the scene. The Alvarado attack is one of the most violent incidents in a wave of assaults and threats against federal immigration officers since President Donald Trump launched an aggressive campaign to deport undocumented immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security recorded 79 assaults on ICE officers between Jan. 21 and June 30, authorities said, compared to 10 during the same period in 2024 under the Biden administration.

NPR [8/16/2025 8:00 AM, Martin Kaste, 34837K] Audio HERE reports
Oregon is a defiant sanctuary state where protesters and immigration lawyers believe they’re helping keep down the number of ICE arrests. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, seems vexed and vows to pay Portland a visit. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Breitbart [8/16/2025 10:36 AM, Randy Clark, 2608K] reports a suspected illegal alien was killed after darting onto a freeway to avoid contact with federal immigration officers conducting an enforcement operation at a Home Depot store in Monrovia on Thursday, according to city officials. The man was struck by a passing motorist and taken to a hospital, where he later died. Monrovia City Manager Dylan Fiek says the man ran from the Home Depot parking lot onto the 210 Freeway and likely was fleeing to avoid detection by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the city located 20 miles north of Los Angeles. According to the statement, the Monrovia Police Department was notified of a possible ICE operation at the home improvement store at 1625 Mountain Avenue on Thursday morning. The responding officer observed ICE agents approaching the store, who then began conducting enforcement activities. The statement states that one person fled from the area on foot, crossing Evergreen Avenue and entering the eastbound 210 freeway. At 9:52 a.m., Monrovia Fire and Rescue responded to a call concerning a vehicle collision with a pedestrian. An ambulance transported one person to a hospital, where the city confirmed he later died from injuries sustained during the accident. The authorities did not release the identity of the man. ABC7 reported that the man was struck by an SUV traveling about 50-60 mph, according to California Highway Patrol investigators.

FOX 5 San Diego [8/16/2025 4:37 PM, Amber Coakley] reports a recent detainment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) near Linda Vista Elementary School has sparked a wave of concern and outrage within the local community — but ICE officials are pushing back on allegations surrounding the incident. According to Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE had no involvement on campus. Her office issued a statement, shared by ICE’s San Diego Field Office, clarifying that ICE agents detained a man—identified as an unauthorized immigrant from Mexico—after he pulled into a nearby parking lot, not on school property. Detained on Aug. 14, the man taken into custody is the father of a student at the local elementary school. Dr. Fabiola Bagula, superintendent of San Diego Unified School District, confirmed he had been waiting to pick up his child when the situation unfolded. Meanwhile, McLaughlin says he has since been placed in removal proceedings. Despite the official explanation, the incident left many in the Linda Vista neighborhood feeling alarmed.

CBS News [8/16/2025 12:28 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 45245K] reports the Trump administration is signaling it will more heavily scrutinize applications filed by legal immigrants seeking American citizenship, in its latest effort to tighten access to U.S. immigration benefits. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency overseeing the country’s legal immigration system, instructed officers on Friday to consider additional factors when determining whether immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship have a "good moral character." Typically, legal immigrants with U.S. permanent residency, also known as a green card, can apply for naturalized American citizenship after a 3- or 5-year period, depending on their case. Demonstrating "a good moral character" has long been one of the requirements in U.S. immigration law for American citizenship, alongside passing English and civics tests. But a policy issued Friday by USCIS expands the "good moral character" assessment, saying that determination must involve "more than a cursory mechanical review focused on the absence of wrongdoing." Instead, the review, the agency told its officers, should be "a holistic assessment of an alien’s behavior, adherence to societal norms, and positive contributions that affirmatively demonstrate good moral character." The directive orders officers to place a "greater emphasis" on applicants’ "positive attributes and contributions," listing community involvement, family caregiving and ties, educational attainment, "stable and lawful" employment, the length of time spent in the U.S., and paying taxes as some of those factors. The memo also mandates "greater scrutiny" of factors that show applicants lack a "good moral character," beyond the crimes and disqualifying conduct detailed in U.S. immigration law. Lastly, the new USCIS policy instructs officers to weigh factors that could show that applicants who have engaged in wrongdoing have rehabilitated, such as complying with probation, paying overdue taxes or child support and receiving letters of support from their community.

Reported similarly:
Univision [8/16/2025 6:20 PM, Staff, 4932K]
Telemundo [8/16/2025 10:21 PM, Staff, 2782K]

Los Angeles Times [8/17/2025 6:00 AM, Kate Linthicum, 14672K] reports José Antonio Rodríguez held a bouquet of flowers in his trembling hands. It had been nearly a quarter of a century since he had left his family behind in Mexico to seek work in California. In all those years, he hadn’t seen his parents once. They kept in touch as best they could, but letters took months to cross the border, and his father never was one for phone calls. Visits were impossible: José was undocumented, and his parents lacked visas to come to the U.S. Now, after years of separation, they were about to be reunited. And José’s stomach was in knots. He had been a young man of 20 when he left home, skinny and full of ambition. Now he was 44, thicker around the middle, his hair thinning at the temples. Officials in Mexico’s Zacatecas state had helped his mother and father apply for documents that allow Mexican citizens to enter the U.S. for temporary visits as part of a novel program that brings elderly parents of undocumented workers to the United States. Many others had their visa applications rejected, but theirs were approved.

Breitbart [8/16/2025 3:16 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2608K] reports President Donald Trump is seeing tremendous success on the issues of border security and cracking down on crime, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday. "It’s a new day in America," Hinson said, responding to reports that 1.6 million illegal aliens who were in the country at the beginning of the year are no longer here. She also talked about the crime crackdown in D.C., noting that this is also something the American people want, despite radical leftists suggesting otherwise.

Los Angeles Times [8/17/2025 12:55 AM, Brittny Mejia, 12715K] reports San Bernardino police responded to what they described as "an officer-involved shooting" involving federal immigration officers Saturday morning. When police officers responded to the area of Acacia Avenue and Baseline Street shortly before 9 a.m., they encountered immigration agents who said they had fired at a suspect who then fled the scene. Soon after, according to the San Bernardino Police Department, a man — who has not been identified — contacted the dispatch center, saying that masked men had tried to pull him over, broke his car window and shot at him. He said he didn’t know who they were and asked for police assistance. In a statement Saturday night, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said agents had been conducting a targeted enforcement operation in San Bernardino and said that "[Customs and Border Protection] officers were injured during a vehicle stop when a subject refused to exit his vehicle and tried to run them down.” "In the course of the incident the suspect drove his car at the officers and struck two CBP officers with his vehicle," the statement read. Because of that, the official said, a CBP officer discharged his firearm "in self-defense.” According to a news release from the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, federal agents broke the driver and passenger windows of the vehicle and fired three times. Video the group uploaded on Facebook appeared to capture the interaction, showing agents wearing "police" vests and shouting at those inside to roll down the window. "No la voy a abrir," the man said from inside, saying he wasn’t going to open it. Soon after, the video captured the sound of shattering glass and what sounded like three shots being fired. The video showed a man wearing a hat with CBP on it. The video appears to show the vehicle leaving after the windows are smashed, but does not capture the driver striking the officers. "This was a clear abuse of power," the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice said in its release. "Firing at civilians, harassing families without cause, and targeting community voices must stop.” According to the San Bernardino Police Department, officers later located the vehicle in the 1000 block of Mt. View Drive and made contact with the man, but they said it was unclear what federal agents wanted him for. "Under the California Values Act, California law enforcement agencies are prohibited from assisting federal officials with immigration enforcement, so our officers left the scene as the investigation was being conducted by federal authorities," police said in a news release. In a statement, a DHS spokesperson misidentified the police department, describing it as the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, and said local authorities had the man in custody but then set him free. "This decision was made despite the subject refusing to comply and wounding two officers — another terrible example of California’s pro-sanctuary policies in action that shield criminals instead of protecting communities," the unidentified spokesperson said.

Telemundo52 [8/17/2025 4:47 AM, Maria Paula Ochoa and Genesis Miranda Miramontes, 93K] reports a family in San Bernardino says federal agents fired at their car during an immigration stop, while the Department of Homeland Security says agents conducting an immigration enforcement operation were struck by the driver’s car. The man, who was traveling with his son and brother-in-law, says federal agents broke the windows and fired shots in his car, forcing him to get out, but he refused and fled the scene. Officers followed him to his home, where community members staged a protest to prevent his arrest. The man has lived in the United States for 23 years, and his son and brother-in-law were born in the country, according to his testimony. The family owns a small events business and is heading to deliver a tent for a party, but they had to return so they couldn’t get to this job. A video captured the moment Francisco was stopped by federal immigration agents while driving along Baseline Street in San Bernardino with his son and brother-in-law. “A pickup truck cut in front of me, and another one stopped behind me, but there was little room. It said, ‘Get out.’ Why? Who are you? Why would I get out? Why would I get out if you haven’t identified yourself? I don’t know who you are?” Francisco said. The video shows how, when he refused to get out of the vehicle, two of the officers smashed the driver’s and passenger’s windows. Francisco started his car, and gunshots were heard. “They shot him, he was in front, thank God nothing happened,” Francisco said. He claims that none of the officers identified themselves, presented an arrest warrant, or told him the reason for the arrest, so he left the scene as soon as he could. “There was a person in front of me who moved away, and as he moved away, I hit the truck,” Francisco said. According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection agents were conducting an immigration operation searching for a person. "During the incident, the suspect drove his vehicle into the officers and struck two of them with his vehicle. One of the officers fired his weapon in self-defense. The suspect fled the scene," the statement said. The federal agents arrived at Francisco’s house seeking to arrest him, but community members came to his defense and protested, preventing authorities from capturing the man. Several of the protesters took refuge in a neighbor’s house. According to San Bernardino police, federal agents requested their assistance, saying in a statement, "Once it was determined that the subject was wanted for assaulting a federal agent, our officers responded with the requested assistance and supported crowd control." Both CBP and San Bernardino police officers left the scene. According to one of Francisco’s sons, the family sought legal advice in response to the incident. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [8/16/2025 8:34 AM, Madison Colombo, 40019K] reports a top Customs and Border Protection official is pushing back against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s allegations that federal agents staged an immigration raid to coincide with his rally in Los Angeles. CBP El Centro Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino dismissed Newsom’s comments as a political "tantrum." Federal agents conducted immigration enforcement operations across the city Thursday while Newsom held a press conference outlining the state’s plan to redraw congressional maps. Bovino and other officials, such as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, insisted the raids had nothing to do with the governor’s public appearance. He claimed that not far from the governor’s location, a suspected member of Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational gang from Venezuela, was arrested. That suspect was allegedly the main target of the operation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also confirmed on "America Reports" Thursday that information about the suspects is what spurred the raid. Bovino stressed that these types of arrests and raids have been ongoing in Los Angeles.

AP [8/16/2025 3:42 PM, Dánica Coto and Russ Bynum] reports Hurricane Erin exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm in the Caribbean on Saturday, rapidly powering up from a tropical storm in a single day, the National Hurricane Center said. Though the compact hurricane’s center wasn’t expected to hit land, it threatened to deliver flooding rains to Puerto Rico and other populated areas as it continued to grow. Mike Brennen, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said Erin had swiftly grown into a "very powerful hurricane," racing from maximum sustained winds of 100 mph to 160 mph in a mere nine hours. The first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, Erin ramped up from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in 24 hours. By late Saturday morning, its maximum sustained winds more than doubled to 160 mph. The U.S. government has deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precaution as forecasters issued a flood watch for the entire U.S. territory from late Friday into Monday. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña said 367 shelters had been inspected and could be opened if needed. The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it closed six seaports in Puerto Rico and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands to all incoming vessels unless they had received prior authorization. The hurricane was 105 miles north of Anguilla at about 11 a.m. Saturday, moving west at 17 mph. The storm’s center was forecast to remain at sea without hitting land, passing north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Erin was close enough to affect nearby islands. Tropical storm watches were issued for St. Martin, St. Barts and St. Maarten. The National Hurricane Center warned that heavy rain in some areas could trigger flash flooding, landslides and mudslides.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [8/16/2025 5:43 PM, Rishabh Jaiswal and Preetika Parashuraman, 45746K]

Reuters [8/17/2025 2:22 AM, Rishabh Jaiswal, Preetika Parashuraman and Rajveer Pardesi, 45746K] reports that, Erin, the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, has been downgraded to Category 3, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said early on Sunday, as the storm’s wind speed eased slightly. The hurricane was about 330 miles (530 km) east-southeast of Grand Turk Island packing maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph). It had been gauged as high as a catastrophic Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (240 kph), then downgraded to a Category 4. It had earlier been forecast to strengthen into this week. The meteorological services of France and the Netherlands discontinued tropical storm watches for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy and Sint Maarten, the NHC said. On Sunday, Erin was moving west-northwest at nearly 14 mph (22 kph) with a decrease in forward speed expected on Sunday and a turn to the north on Monday and Tuesday, the NHC said. Erin was forecast to pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday night and Monday. Swells generated by Erin will continue to affect parts of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands for the next couple of days, the NHC said. These swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the east coast of the United States, and Atlantic Canada during the early and middle portions of the week. Rough ocean conditions will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip currents, the NHC said. The Bahamas, which provides some meteorological services for the Turks and Caicos Islands, issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the British islands to its southeast. Erin has also raised concerns about wildfire risks if human-caused sparks ignite parched vegetation and strong dry winds fan the flames. BMS Group Senior Meteorologist Andrew Siffert said these conditions could arise if Erin grows into a powerful offshore storm fueled by colliding warm and cold air rather than tropical seas. Insurance-linked securities manager Twelve Securis said on Friday that Erin was forecast to remain far enough offshore to spare the U.S. East Coast from significant impacts.

Reported similarly:
AP [8/17/2025 5:38 AM, Staff, 56000K]

CNN [8/17/2025 3:18 AM, Mary Gilbert, Allison Chinchar, Rebekah Riess, Andrew Freedman, 662K] reports powerful Hurricane Erin has undergone astonishingly rapid changes in its intensity — a phenomenon that has become far more common in recent years as the planet warms. It quickly became a rare Category 5 for a time Saturday, before weakening and becoming a larger system on Sunday as it churns through the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean. Erin went from a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph winds at 11 a.m. Friday to a Category 5 with near 160 mph winds just over 24 hours later. It put Erin in the history books as one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record, and potentially the fastest intensification rate for any storm earlier than September 1. Erin was still “a formidable Category 4 hurricane” late Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said. By 2 a.m ET Sunday, it had weakened further to a Category 3 hurricane while becoming a larger system, the Center said. With maximum sustained winds near 125 mph and higher gusts, its hurricane-force winds now extend outward up to 25 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles. It is forecast to return to Category 5 strength as it undergoes an eyewall replacement cycle, a process that will cause the storm’s windfield to grow. Rapid intensification is when a hurricane gains at least 35 mph of wind speed in at least 24 hours. Extreme rapid intensification historically tends to happen in September and October. Even more hurricanes are rapidly intensifying in the Atlantic as the oceans and atmosphere warm in response to fossil fuel pollution and the global warming it causes. This likely makes Erin another example of the increasing extremes of a warming world. Furthermore, Hurricane Erin is now one of only 43 Category 5 hurricanes on record in the Atlantic – which makes it rare, though not as rare in the context of recent hurricane seasons – as peak strength is becoming easier for storms to achieve. It is the 11th Category 5 hurricane recorded in the Atlantic since 2016, an unusually high number.

CBS News [8/16/2025 9:04 PM, Staff, 45245K] Video HERE reports Erin has strengthened into a powerful Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday. The hurricane is not forecast to hit land, but strong winds are affecting nearby islands, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding and landslides. The storm will eventually swerve away from the continental United States, the Miami-based hurricane center said. Erin began as a tropical storm, became a hurricane on Friday and quickly intensified overnight Saturday. Here’s how the storm became so powerful. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [8/16/2025 5:14 PM, Hayley Vawter, 43962K] reports a landslide early Sunday morning in the Endicott Arm area of Alaska near the state’s capital triggered a local tsunami with waves estimated to be up to 15 feet high. According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, people boating in the Endicott Arm area reported a mysterious local tsunami near Harbor Island. Three kayakers camping on Harbor Island reported losing most of their gear, but made it back to Juneau safely, the Earthquake Center said. Waves were estimated to be around 10–15 feet high near Harbor Island. The National Park Service reported a tsunami of 100 feet scraped trees off the rocky slopes of Sawyer Island. The Alaska Earthquake Center said this event was possibly the largest landslide and tsunami in Alaska since 2015. It was detected by seismic stations over 600 miles away, according to the center. The U.S. Coast Guard flew over the landslide on South Sawyer Glacier and Tracy Arm Fjord. Hours of small-magnitude earthquakes led up to the landslide happening, according to the Earthquake Center. The center estimated that earthquakes were happening for more than 18 hours before the landslide happened.

FOX News [8/16/2025 10:00 AM, Kurt Knutsson, 40019K] reports when a hospital or nonprofit falls victim to a cyberattack, it’s hard to place blame. Cybersecurity isn’t their strength, and many lack the budget for a dedicated security team, let alone a chief technology officer. But when a tech giant like Google experiences a data breach, it raises serious questions. Google recently confirmed that hackers stole customer data by breaching one of its internal databases. The breach targeted a system that used Salesforce, a popular cloud-based platform companies use to manage customer relationships, store business contact information and track interactions. The attack has been linked to a known threat group. Google has confirmed that a hacking group known as ShinyHunters stole customer data from one of its internal Salesforce databases used to manage business client relationships. The company disclosed the breach in a blog post published in early August, noting that the stolen data included "basic and largely publicly available business information, such as business names and contact details."

NewsMax [8/16/2025 6:28 PM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 4779K] reports Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are considering legislation that would designate Russia and Belarus as state sponsors of terrorism over the kidnapping of Ukrainian children. The bill cites media reports and Ukrainian government estimates that tens of thousands of children have been taken or displaced since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a source familiar with the proposed legislation told NBC News. "The Russian Federation has kidnapped, deported, or displaced Ukrainian children as young as a few months to 17-year-olds, according to reliable reports. [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin’s regime seeks the ‘Russification’ of Ukrainian children through kidnapping, deportation, or displacement to destroy their Ukrainian identity," the draft states. "The Russian puppet state, the Republic of Belarus, has directly supported the kidnapping of Ukrainian children and supported their relocation." If enacted, the bill would give Russia 60 days to show that the missing children "have been reunited with their families or guardians in a secure environment; and the process of full reintegration of such children into Ukrainian society is underway." If not, the legislation directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate both countries as state sponsors of terrorism.

New York Post [8/17/2025 6:40 AM, Nicholas McEntyre, 43962K] reports three people were killed and eight others wounded when multiple gunmen opened fire inside a Brooklyn restaurant around closing time Sunday morning. Officers responded to calls of a shooting inside Taste of the City Lounge at 903 Franklin Avenue in the Crown Heights neighborhood just before 3:30 a.m., NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press briefing. The fatal victims were identified as three men, who were 27, 35, and an unknown age. The eight wounded victims were transported to local hospitals. However, their conditions were not disclosed. No arrests were made in the shooting, and the suspects have yet to be identified. The NYPD has opened an investigation into the early morning shooting.

Reuters [8/16/2025 11:53 AM, Andreas Rinke, 45746K] reports the U.S. is ready to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Saturday, a day after a summit in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "And the good news is that America is ready to participate in such security guarantees and is not leaving it to the Europeans alone," Merz told German public broadcaster ZDF after being briefed together with other European leaders by Trump on his talks with Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to meet Trump on Monday in Washington, after which a three-way meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelenskiy should be held as soon as possible with the aim of reaching a peace agreement, Merz said. "If that works out, it’s worth more than a ceasefire," he said. Merz said Trump had indicated that Russia seemed ready to negotiate based on the front lines of the conflict, rather than the borders of Ukrainian regions it claims. "This is a huge difference because Russia is claiming territories that it hasn’t occupied yet," he said.

NewsMax [8/17/2025 6:19 AM, Staff, 4779K] reports President Trump is leaning on Ukraine to strike an agreement after meeting Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska where, according to sources, the Russian president offered to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for vast swathes elsewhere. At face value, some of Putin’s demands would be hugely difficult for Ukraine to accept, setting the stage for potentially fraught talks about ending Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years, which has killed or wounded more than 1 million people. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host a virtual meeting of the "coalition of the willing" - a grouping of allies of Kyiv - from 1300 GMT. European powers want to help set up a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy to make sure Ukraine has a seat at the table to shape its future. They also want robust security guarantees for Ukraine with U.S. involvement, and the ability to crank up pressure on Moscow if needed.

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