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 Wall Street Journal [2/10/2025 12:00 PM, Tarini Parti and Richard Rubin] reports the Department of Homeland Security has asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to deputize some law-enforcement workers, including IRS criminal investigators, to assist in immigration enforcement, according to documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. In a memo dated Feb. 7, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requested Bessent provide agents who would help investigate financial flows involving human-trafficking networks and businesses that employ illegal immigrants. The agents could help arrest, detain and transport people. The ask by Noem follows a broader effort by the Trump administration to deputize law-enforcement officials at various agencies to help carry out deportations. A previous memo granted immigration-enforcement authority to agencies at the Justice Department, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Internal Revenue Service’s criminal-investigation division, or IRS-CI, has 2,290 special agents, according to its most recent annual report, and that is up 10% since 2022. The tax agency has been adding enforcement staff, including criminal investigators, since the then-Democratic-controlled Congress voted in 2022 to expand the IRS and give it more resources. President Trump and Republicans opposed that expansion, and the president has occasionally made offhand remarks about diverting IRS employees to the border. Trump has promised the largest mass-deportation campaign in U.S. history. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been trying to increase arrests in recent weeks. “It is DHS’s understanding that the Department of Treasury has qualified law enforcement personnel available to assist with immigration enforcement, especially in light of recent increases to the Internal Revenue Service’s work force and budget,” Noem said in the memo. The IRS criminal investigators are law-enforcement officers who can make arrests, and they often carry firearms, just like other federal agents. They are different from the IRS’s revenue agents and revenue officers, the tax agency’s name for auditors and collections workers, respectively. FOX News [2/10/2025 6:04 PM, Staff, 49889K] reports DHS sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent requesting that the IRS provide agents to be used for immigration enforcement efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The senior DHS official said the expectation is that the request will be approved. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who signed the letter, said President Donald Trump directed her agency to "take all appropriate action to supplement available personnel to secure the southern border and enforce the immigration laws of the United States," even through use of the agency’s authority to deputize federal employees to perform immigration functions. Through the implementation of Trump’s directive, Noem noted DHS has secured partnerships with a number of law enforcement officials, who have agreed to assist in carrying out the president’s immigration agenda. For instance, DHS has deputized law enforcement components of the Department of Justice, members of the Texas National Guard and law enforcement officials with the Texas Attorney General’s Office. "Even with these resources available, more can be done to fully implement the Executive Order," Noem wrote. She informed the agency that ICE needs IRS agents to assist and serve on interagency task forces to help build complex cases that blend tax, immigration and money laundering charges.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [2/10/2025 1:36 PM, Hamed Aleaziz and Andrew Duehren, 161405K]
Washington Post [2/10/2025 6:37 PM, Marianne LeVine and Hannah Ziegler, 40736K]
Reuters [2/10/2025 6:16 PM, Ted Hesson, 48128K]
Axios [2/10/2025 6:23 PM, Sareen Habeshian, 16349K]
CBS News [2/10/2025 8:49 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 52225K] Video: HERE
Washington Examiner [2/10/2025 7:24 PM, Brady Knox, 2365K]

The New York Times [2/10/2025 12:05 PM, Jenna Russell, 161405K] reports that a federal judge in New Hampshire issued an injunction Monday blocking President Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, the third federal judge to do so. The executive order instructed the government to stop recognizing as citizens any children who are born on U.S. soil to undocumented immigrant parents. Judge Joseph N. Laplante of the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire said he would issue an injunction immediately, and that he would follow it on Tuesday with an explanatory order detailing his reasoning. The executive order has already been blocked indefinitely by a federal judge in Maryland, who issued a nationwide injunction last week, and by a similar action by another federal judge in Seattle. The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration — both legal and illegal — has prompted at least 10 lawsuits, seven of them challenging his executive order about birthright citizenship. The federal lawsuit filed in New Hampshire was brought by three state branches of the American Civil Liberties Union, in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. Two other organizations, the Asian Law Caucus and the State Democracy Defenders Fund, helped file the suit on behalf of several groups that assist immigrants, including New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support. USA Today [2/10/2025 1:32 PM, Bart Jansen] reports U.S. District Judge John Coughenour called the order “blatantly unconstitutional,” in a separate challenge in Seattle. However, Trump has said he expects the Supreme Court to eventually side with him if the legal dispute gets that far. He has said he would appeal Coughenour’s order. His attorneys have yet to file a response to the New Hampshire decision but Laplante expects the case to be appealed eventually to the Supreme Court. Trump’s birthright order was part of a series that sought to bolster security along the southern border. The order aimed to end automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. He signed the order on his first day in office Jan. 20 and it was scheduled to go into effect after Feb. 19. Legal experts said the order appears to conflict with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” Cody Wofsy, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing pregnant Indonesian nationals, called Trump’s order a radical interpretation of presidential power that would “rewrite the DNA of this country.” Wofsy said children born to immigrants could be subject to arrest, detention and deportation for their lack of documentation even if the Supreme Court eventually upheld birthright citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security could maintain records of arrests and detention even if the children were confirmed as citizens, he said. “This executive order is a fundamental attack on the Constitution and on the bedrock American value of birthright citizenship,” Wofsy said. “It threatens to strip thousands of U.S. born babies of both their equal membership in this society and to impose on them and their families a raft of extremely grave injuries.” But Trump and his aides have argued the constitutional amendment was intended to help former slaves after the Civil War and wasn’t intended for the children of people who entered the country without proper authorization.

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Los Angeles Times [2/10/2025 2:07 PM, Lindsay Whitehurst and Kathy McCormack, 17996K]
The Hill [2/10/2025 10:00 AM, Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld, 16346K]
Reuters [2/10/2025 11:41 AM, Nate Raymond, 30936K]
CBS News [2/10/2025 10:03 AM, Melissa Quinn, 52225K]
FOX News [2/10/2025 10:12 AM, Greg Norman, 49889K]
Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 6:51 PM, Paul Feely, 57114K]

FOX News [2/10/2025 4:21 PM, Aubrie Spady, 49889K] reports the government’s leading disaster relief agency reportedly spent millions on hotels for illegal immigrants just last week, according to Elon Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s efforts to cut government spending. Musk found his most recent target in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the government’s disaster relief branch that recently sparked concern over a reported lack of funds during Hurricane Helene. In his message Monday, Musk charged that "sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order," which put FEMA under review to improve the agency’s "efficacy, priorities and competence." Of the $59.3 million, $19 million was for direct hotel costs, while the balance funded other services such as food and security. According to NY City Hall, the funds were not part of a disaster relief grant. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital that those who made the payment will be "held accountable." "As Secretary Noem said yesterday, we must get rid of FEMA the way it exists today. This is yet another egregious example," DHS said in a statement. "Individuals who circumvented leadership and unilaterally made this payment will be fired and held accountable." The report comes just one day after Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, suggested getting rid of FEMA "the way it exists today."

Newsweek [2/10/2025 7:27 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K] reports a federal court on Sunday prevented the Trump administration from transferring three Venezuelan men from an immigration detention center in New Mexico to Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, according to the immigrants’ lawyer. In a memorandum late last month, President Donald Trump announced plans to detain up to 30,000 immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally at Guantánamo Bay as part of his immigration crackdown. Guantanamo Bay is widely recognized for its military prison, established after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Center for Constitutional Rights filed a request with a federal district court on Sunday for a temporary restraining order to stop the Trump administration from transferring the men to Guantánamo, according to a statement from the nonprofit legal group. The men are currently detained in New Mexico and "have a pending case before the court challenging their unlawfully prolonged detention," according to the statement, which warns they were at risk of an "imminent transfer to the island prison.” The filing states that the men are being held at the Otero County Processing Center, the same ICE facility where other detainees recently transferred to Guantánamo had reportedly been held. According to the filing, the men recognized some detainees from government photos released to the media. Guantanamo Bay is located on the southeastern coast of Cuba. The United States has leased the land from Cuba since 1903 under an agreement that Cuba disputes. The Cuban government has long opposed the U.S.’s presence there, and Cuban officials have criticized Trump’s new policy. Baher Azmy, the attorney for the men said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that the ruling is a "small but important win for clients otherwise bound to the latest iteration of the legal black hole.” President Donald Trump, on January 29: "We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people. Some people are so bad, we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send them out to Guantanamo.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, speaking to reporters: "It’s the perfect place to provide for migrants who are traveling out of our country through gray tails or other assets, but also hardened criminals. Where are you going to put Tren de Aragua before you send them all the way back? How about a maximum security prison at Guantanamo Bay, where we have the space.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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The Hill [2/10/2025 1:55 PM, Tara Suter, 16346K]

Roll Call [2/10/2025 3:36 PM, Chris Johnson, 440K] reports the Trump administration’s decision to detain migrants at Guantánamo Bay is poised to spark a new chapter of legal challenges about the rights of those kept on the military base in Cuba, which has been a source of controversy for decades. The process for housing immigrants at Guantánamo Bay appears to have already begun, with the Trump administration sending migrants with violent criminal records to the facility, including members of the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua. President Donald Trump has signaled plans to expand the site to house 30,000 beds for immigration detention, part of a border effort to give greater visibility to deportation with a military flourish. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on social media Monday about a visit she paid to the facility over the weekend. Legal uncertainty about the plan appears to exist within the U.S. government itself. Last week, CNN reported that attorneys at the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon were still trying to determine "as tents went up in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to hold migrants" whether it was legal to fly them from the U.S. southern border to the facility. A federal judge in New Mexico on Sunday temporarily blocked the U.S. government from transferring three Venezuelan men from a detention facility in that state to Guantánamo Bay, writing that he is in the middle of deciding a long-pending legal issue in their case and the moves would bring "uncertainty surrounding jurisdiction." Noem, seeking to allay concerns about housing migrants at a detention facility known for holding suspected terrorists, said in an interview last week on NBC’s "Meet the Press" that the immigrants would be given legal protections.

Newsweek [2/10/2025 3:28 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K] reports the backlog of immigration court cases awaiting hearings has more than doubled since 2021, new data from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) showed Monday. Over 4 million cases were pending, as of January 16, compared to the 1.7 million at the end of September 2021. The wait list, plus a lack of immigration judges, potentially stand in the way of the Trump administration’s plans to deport nearly three times as many. Over the past decade, the number of judges available to hear immigration cases has risen, from 249 in 2014 to 735 in 2024. At the same time, the number of pending cases has also risen, going from 744,641 in 2015 to 4,006,396 in the first quarter of 2025, leaving each judge with around 5,400 cases each. The Trump administration is hoping to cut the backlog through executive orders signed within days of the president’s return to the White House. One allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use what is known as expedited removal for those who entered the U.S. illegally and have been in the country for less than two years. The process bypasses the courts and can be completed within hours. Another memo instructed ICE to bypass the courts in cases of immigrants who arrived under the now-defunct CBP One app or through humanitarian parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans—another Biden-era policy scrapped by Trump. Some immigration advocates, including the Vera Institute, have warned that attempts to prevent immigrants having access to legal representation, which have faced challenges, will also slow down court cases, as migrants are left to navigate the system themselves.

FOX News [2/10/2025 8:00 AM, Adam Shaw, 49889K] reports two lawmakers in the House and Senate are introducing separate bills to slap limits on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) they believe are undermining U.S. immigration law – coming amid broader questions about funding of NGOs and a funding crackdown by the Trump administration. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas is reintroducing the "Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act," while Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is introducing the Fixing Exemptions for Networks Choosing to Enable Illegal Migration (Fence) Act. Hagerty’s bill would end tax-exempt status for organizations that help illegal immigrants, requiring that exempt organizations do not engage in a pattern of providing assistance, benefits, services or other support to those who they know "to be unlawfully present in the United States." "Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right, and these organizations will be able to preserve their tax-exempt status simply by ceasing these activities," his office said in a release. Gooden’s bill would prevent federal contracts and grants being awarded to NGOs unless they certified to the Office of Management and Budget that they are not involved in human trafficking or smuggling. It also would yank tax-exempt status from organizations who knowingly violate federal law. The bill also requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a written strategy and best practices guide for non-profits to ensure they are in compliance with the law. It also requires NGOs to go through a verification process to ensure illegal immigrants are not receiving benefits. "For years, non-governmental organizations have exploited taxpayer dollars to facilitate illegal immigration under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid,’" Gooden said in a statement. "The exploitation of the American taxpayer will end under the Trump Administration. This bill ensures that not a single cent of hard-earned American tax dollars will fund organizations complicit in human trafficking and illegal border crossings." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/11/2025 4:00 AM, Emma Colton, 49889K] reports the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided millions of dollars in funding to extremist groups tied to designated terrorist organizations and their allies, according to a report published by Middle East Forum, a U.S. think tank. "The Middle East Forum’s multi-year study of USAID and State Department spending has uncovered $164 million of approved grants to radical organizations, with at least $122 million going to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters," the conservative think tank wrote in its report published Feb. 4. "Billions more of federal dollars have been given to leading American aid charities which have consistently failed to vet their terror-tied local partners, and show little interest in improving their practices, to the apparent indifference of the federal government." The Middle East Forum’s report focuses specifically on funds from USAID and the State Department that wound up in the hands of radical groups and organizations tied to terrorism. The think tank reported that among its top findings, USAID was found to have given more than $900,000 to a "Gaza-based terror charity" called Bayader Association for Environment and Development. The funding began in 2016, and its most recent allocation was made just days before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Bayader describes itself as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that works "to build a civil society" on the Gaza Strip. "Founded in 2007, shortly after Hamas’s takeover of the Gaza Strip, Bayader operates in close cooperation with the Hamas regime. Its 2021 annual report notes ‘coordination’ and ‘meetings’ with Hamas’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Social Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture," the report found.

New York Times [2/11/2025 3:23 AM, William K. Rashbaum, Dana Rubinstein, Glenn Thrush, Michael Rothfeld and Jonah E. Bromwich, 740K] reports the Justice Department on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to drop the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York, a remarkable incursion into a continuing criminal case that raises questions about the fair administration of justice during President Trump’s second term. The order was sent in a letter from the department’s acting No. 2 official, Emil Bove III, to Manhattan prosecutors who brought the charges against the mayor last year. Mr. Bove justified the decision to ask for the dismissal by saying that the mayor’s indictment had limited Mr. Adams’s ability to cooperate in President Trump’s immigration crackdown. He also suggested that the indictment, which was handed up in September, threatened to interfere with the June 2025 mayoral primary, despite the nine-month interval between the two events. Mr. Bove explicitly said that the Justice Department had made its decision without assessing the strength of the evidence against Mr. Adams or the legal theories undergirding the case. Instead, his letter criticized the U.S. attorney who brought it and former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. He offered expressly political arguments for dropping the charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions from foreign nationals and bribery, asserting the urgency of Mr. Trump’s immigration objectives. It will now fall to the acting head of the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, Danielle R. Sassoon, whether to heed Mr. Bove’s order to dismiss the charges “as soon as is practicable” by filing a motion with the judge. A spokesman for Ms. Sassoon’s office declined to comment. The letter was a remarkable intervention in a high-profile public corruption prosecution, one that cast the independence of federal prosecutors into doubt given the way Mr. Adams has curried favor with Mr. Trump. Mr. Bove directed that the charges against Mr. Adams be dismissed without prejudice, suggesting that the case could be revived if merited — or if it pleased the president.

CBS 7 [2/10/2025 2:34 PM, Cody Butler and Emily Van de Riet, 11K] reports Florida Highway Patrol troopers will soon be trained to detain illegal immigrants in the United States. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a formal agreement between the state and the Department of Homeland Security during a news conference Friday morning. The agreement will allow Florida Highway Patrol troopers to be trained and approved by Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] to arrest and detain illegal immigrants, then deliver them to federal authorities. DeSantis said it will take a while for the state to fully implement the agreement since troopers will need to be trained.

Chicago Tribune [2/10/2025 4:46 PM, Mike Nolan, 4917K] reports Orland Park says its police will work with federal immigration agents on cases involving undocumented immigrants charged with or convicted of criminal offenses. The Village Board recently adopted a resolution that also supports Senate Bill 1313 that would undo provisions of existing state law concerning law enforcement coordination with federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trustees also reaffirmed Orland Park is not a sanctuary city, citing an ordinance approved by the board in January 2024. The recent resolution came Feb. 3, as the Justice Department sued Chicago, Cook County and the state over sanctuary policies.

Border Report [2/10/2025 1:32 PM, Dave Hendricks, 153K] reports that Gulf cartel boss Osiel Cardenas Guillen’s son-in-law pleaded guilty to extortion and money laundering charges Thursday. Carlos "Cuate" Martinez, 38, of Mission, Texas, participated in a conspiracy to fix prices for transmigrante services in South Texas. The conspiracy forced transmigrantes — people who transport cars and other goods from the United States to Central America — to pay at least $27 million from 2014 to 2022, according to an indictment filed by federal prosecutors. "It calls for a fixed sentence of 11 years," said attorney Kent A. Schaffer of Houston, who is part of Martinez’s legal team. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas declined to comment. Carlos Favian Martinez married Celia Marlene Cardenas in 2004, according to information published by the Cameron County Clerk’s Office. Her father, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, was among the last old-school leaders of the Gulf cartel and played a key role in the creation of the Zetas. Martinez settled in Mission. Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, handled the case with assistance from the FBI. Prosecutors brought charges against a dozen people. Some owned transmigrante businesses. Others had Gulf cartel connections. Martinez was arrested in November 2022.

Boise State Public Radio [2/10/2025 5:57 PM, James Dawson, 57K] reports a controversial bill giving Idaho cops the ability to enforce U.S. immigration laws is heading to the state senate. House Republicans embraced the proposal Monday morning on a party line vote. It would allow law enforcement to charge someone who’s in the country illegally, but only if they’re being detained or investigated for a separate crime. He said law enforcement also wouldn’t be able to conduct raids at places of business to ask workers for their immigration documents. The first violation would be a misdemeanor with subsequent violations considered felonies. Those convicted for the new crime would be deported. Idaho’s bill now heads to the state senate for consideration.

Newsweek [2/10/2025 6:28 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused the FBI of corruption, alleging that the bureau leaked plans for large-scale immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area. Vowing to take action against what she called "crooked deep state agents," Noem condemned the leaks, which she said undermined federal efforts to enforce immigration laws. Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security for further comment via email outside normal office hours. Immigration was a key element of President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign and helped Republicans sweep to power on a national level. While large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree that the immigration system is broken, as indicated in a recent New York Times/Ipsos poll, Americans disagree on how policies such as deportations should be carried out. On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing an internal government document it had reviewed, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would oversee a large-scale operation targeting individuals without legal status in the U.S. or those with pending removal orders. The Times said the document had been shared with certain government officials last week. According to the outlet, a federal law enforcement source, speaking anonymously out of fear of reprisal, said officers and agents from the Los Angeles FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration were being brought in to assist with the immigration enforcement operation. "They needed more bodies," the official told the Times. On Thursday, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, blamed media leaks for hindering a large-scale operation in a Denver suburb. Since last month, federal agencies, including the DEA and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have been assisting ICE. During his campaign, Trump pledged to conduct the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. Upon returning to office, the president overturned a policy that restricted ICE operations near sensitive locations, such as schools, churches and hospitals. Thousands have gathered in downtown Los Angeles in recent days to protest Trump’s immigration policies, including mass deportations. Demonstrators temporarily blocked the 101 Freeway last week, and a person was stabbed during an altercation near Spring Street on Friday afternoon. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday: "The FBI is so corrupt. We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.

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CBS Austin [2/10/2025 10:51 AM, Kristina Watrobski, 581K]

Newsweek [2/10/2025 6:06 PM, Jesus Mesa, 56005K] reports two Venezuelan planes are en route from the United States to Caracas, carrying an undisclosed number of Venezuelan citizens as part of former President Donald Trump’s mass deportation operation. Operated by Venezuela’s state airline, Conviasa, the flights mark a rare instance of deportation cooperation between Washington and Caracas despite years of diplomatic tensions. The planes landed in El Paso, Texas, after a stop in Cancún, Mexico, where they picked up Venezuelan nationals—an operation overseen by Grenell himself. After meeting with Maduro in Caracas in January, Grenell said Venezuela had agreed to provide transportation for deported migrants, which led to Conviasa receiving clearance to fly over U.S. airspace. Among those being deported are individuals allegedly linked to Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization that U.S. authorities have connected to violent crimes across Latin America and within the U.S.

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AP [2/10/2025 6:19 PM, Valerie Gonzalez]
Miami Herald [2/10/2025 6:14 PM, Antonio Maria Delgado, 6595K]
Telemundo51.com [2/10/2025 6:47 PM, Staff, 283K]

Reuters [2/10/2025 6:11 AM, Oliver Griffin, 48128K] reports Colombian migrants deported from the United States in the early days of President Donald Trump’s administration say they experienced degrading treatment, but some said they still want to try and return to the United States. Daniel Vasquez, 40, expected to be swiftly released after he was picked up by U.S. immigration officials after crossing the Mexican border in January. He had paid a group of people smugglers, or "coyotes," $500 to help him to the crossing, and the leader had said detentions last only hours. But Vasquez was detained for more than a week at immigration centers in San Diego, California, and Laredo, Texas, describing the experience as a "roller coaster of emotions.” Conditions in San Diego were cramped, he said, and bright lights kept him awake. He was flown to Laredo, held for four days, then returned to San Diego before being put on a flight to Colombia. Each time he was transported in chains. "Feeling those handcuffs and experiencing that situation was too strange for me. It was depressing. It was shocking, degrading," he said. U.S. officials have long restrained migrants with chains and handcuffs during transit. But since Trump took office last month, both the Brazilian and Colombian governments have complained of inhumane treatment on deportation flights. Deportees on a flight from Brazil told local media they had been abused and refused bathroom breaks. Vasquez said he had seen women urinate in their seats on his flight. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to questions about treatment of migrants on flights, or about detainees being denied toilet breaks. Vasquez’s deportation flight to Colombia was one of those turned back by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who cited poor treatment onboard. Petro’s action led to a trade stand-off with Trump which ended when Bogota said it would send its own planes to bring migrants home. The Brazilian and Indian governments have pledged to work with the U.S. government to make sure migrants are well-treated on deportation flights. Guatemala’s president has agreed to take deportees of other nationalities, while El Salvador has offered its prison system to the U.S. government.

FOX News [2/11/2025 4:00 AM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 49889K] reports China’s growing presence in America’s backyard could grant the communist country access to Florida’s coast, coinciding with a dramatic rise in Chinese national border encounters. The Caribbean region, also known as "America’s third border" due to its proximity to the U.S., has been financially backed by China in maritime logistics and infrastructure projects in recent years. "I think the Chinese are trying to gain influence in a region which is very close to the American homeland," Gordon G. Chang, an author and expert on U.S.-China relations told Fox News Digital. Chang pointed to the $3.4-billion Freeport Container port project in the Bahamas, just 87 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida. A report from the House Foreign Affairs Committee found that China invested over $10 billion in six Caribbean countries between 2005 and 2022. During his inauguration speech, President Donald Trump repeated his desire to retake control of the Panama Canal, the vital strategic waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. "Above all, China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back," Trump said in his inaugural address. The U.S. controlled it from its 1914 completion until 1999, when it was handed over to Panama under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties. The treaties permit the U.S. military to preserve the canal’s neutrality, allowing the U.S. to perpetually use the canal. Chinese companies have invested heavily in ports and terminals near the canal. A Hong Kong-based company runs two of the five ports close to its entrances. "This is going to take some time because China didn’t take over the Canal Zone with soldiers, they took it over with people in business attire with large checkbooks and suitcases of cash," he said. "And the United States needs to come in with cash of its own to drive the Chinese out of the Canal Zone and Panama." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [2/10/2025 9:36 AM, Editorial Board, 21617K] reports that amid the flood of executive orders issued from the White House on Jan. 20, one is especially misguided, both in legal and policy terms: Beginning in 30 days, the order declared, children born in the US to mothers who are undocumented immigrants — or even legal temporary residents — may no longer automatically be granted citizenship of their own. The order was immediately challenged in court, where a federal judge, John C. Coughenour, quickly declared it “blatantly unconstitutional.” Two further injunctions followed last week. For good reason. “All persons,” the 14th Amendment reads, “born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” Administration lawyers argue that the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” doesn’t apply to children of immigrants who arrived in the US either illegally or on a visa. Logical quandaries aside — the implication seems to be that people born in the US aren’t subject to its laws — there’s no statutory basis for such a claim. That any lawyer would even make the case, said Coughenour, “just boggles my mind.”

Washington Post [2/10/2025 6:00 AM, Annie Gowen and Sarah L. Voisin, 40736K] reports the Flores family invited almost everybody they knew to baby Elian’s first birthday party, but Leydi Flores wasn’t sure whether anyone would show up. Her family’s Mexican restaurant has had a ghostly feel in recent days, as many Latino families in this rural farming town lay low, scared that they might become targets of President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Across the country, raids have ensnared thousands and crowded immigration detention centers. "I’m worried," Flores said, cuddling her grandson in a banquet room at the restaurant as her daughter put together an enormous cardboard Winnie-the-Pooh for the celebration. "We invited all these people. Will they come? Do they have visas or not? Will the police be outside watching?". The close-knit community in O’Neill is still recovering from a 2018 raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at several agricultural facilities, which gutted the town, forced some businesses to close and left many residents reeling. "I feel like we’ve bounced back to a certain extent, but I feel like there’s a heaviness you can’t truly recover from," said Kasey Hoffman, a part-time English teacher who helped care for children at the local elementary school after their parents were detained seven years ago. "Even now, it just feels so heavy.” The town took a big hit to its workforce in the aftermath of the raid. At least 100 families moved away. The impact still gives people pause, even in an overwhelmingly White county of ranches and cornfields that went for Trump by a huge margin in November. A flag flying in one yard these days urges "Take America Back.” "Whatever you believe about immigration," said Bill Price, who was mayor at the time, "the realities are, they fulfill a lot of jobs no one else will do.” In Hoffman’s family literacy class, she counted only nine of 25 adult students on a Thursday night last month. Their anxiety was palpable. All had seen the images on social media of immigrants, their hands and ankles shackled, being led onto U.S. military planes bound for Guatemala. That week, the nearby meatpacking town of Schuyler was so awash with fear over false media reports of a large-scale ICE raid that the police chief put out a statement debunking it. Tiny O’Neill — population 3,500 — sits among corn and soybean farms and cattle ranches in a remote part of northeastern Nebraska not far from the South Dakota border. It’s a quiet, three-stoplight town, founded by Irish settlers, with shamrocks dotting its landscape and blooming on sidewalks, dumpsters and a large green and white mural on the south side of town. Another, even bigger shamrock decorates the middle of the main intersection that is a frequent meeting spot.

Wall Street Journal [2/10/2025 12:00 PM, Ruth Simon and Paul Kiernan] reports the Trump administration’s promise of mass deportations and immigration raids is already having chilling effects on spending by immigrants. The effects are wide-ranging, from sluggish tamale sales on a Los Angeles sidewalk to canceled home purchases in the Virginia suburbs. Joshua Calderon, who sells guitars and giant teddy bears in South Los Angeles, said he recently cut his hours because nobody is walking by his shop. “There are no customers,” said Calderon. “It’s been day after day with practically no sales.” Emilio Sandoval, a nearby street vendor, normally sells out of tamales by midmorning. But at 10:30 a.m. on a recent Thursday, the pot of Mexican corn-flour treats was still half-full. “People are afraid of going out,” said Sandoval, from his perch under a brightly colored umbrella. “I have cousins who don’t have papers and don’t want to go out because they could be separated from their daughters.” Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has issued a spate of directives to expedite the removal of immigrants who are living in the U.S. without authorization. It has also launched a splashy public-relations campaign to draw attention to deportation efforts and raids. The flurry of activity has fanned fears in Latino communities—and a sharp drop in consumer spending, according to business owners. “Everyone knows somebody who is undocumented,” said Sam Sanchez, a Chicago restaurateur and co-founder of Comite de 100, a recently created organization of Latino business owners focused on immigration. “People are saving money.” Even people who are in the U.S. legally, he added, are afraid of being picked up by accident. Since President Trump took office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested an average of 822 migrants a day, according to the partial records that are available. ICE arrested roughly 310 people a day in the 2024 fiscal year.

Newsweek [2/10/2025 6:05 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K] reports an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic appeared in court on Thursday, accused of killing a Massachusetts sandwich shop owner during a home break-in. On Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced it had lodged an immigration detainer against 25-year-old Eric Dionida German-Pena as he had entered the country illegally in September 2022. Ilias Mavros, 48, was found by officers with the Lynn Police Department at around 6:30 p.m. on February 3. They were responding to a concern for welfare call after he failed to show up for work at his shop, Crazy Buzzy’s Roast Beef. The Essex County district attorney’s office said in a press release that Mavros showed signs of trauma when officers arrived, and he was declared dead at the scene. Further details on the case remain sealed, following a court order Thursday. District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said German-Pena was arraigned on February 6 after being arrested the day prior. He is charged with Mavros’ murder and pled not guilty at the hearing at Lynn District Court. ICE lodged its detainer after discovering he had entered the country illegally, meaning its officers should take custody once local law enforcement is finished with him.

Politico [2/10/2025 6:31 PM, Joe Anuta, Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo] reports New York City Mayor Eric Adams sought Monday to clarify a directive governing how city employees should deal with federal immigration authorities. The move follows outrage from labor leaders and local Democrats who found the city’s previous guidance too permissive to President Donald Trump’s immigration agents. POLITICO first reported the city’s desire to amend its instructions Friday, after the uproar that included a threat of legal action from the City Council. And in a Monday morning meeting with commissioners that largely centered on the memo, a confab first reported by THE CITY, Adams urged his staffers not to criticize Trump for fear of jeopardizing federal funding. During briefings Monday with elected officials and labor leaders to assuage their concerns, City Hall workshopped a flow chart with updated instructions on how to deal with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officials and others who demand access to shelters and hospitals. The flow chart, provided by City Comptroller Brad Lander’s office, omits a legally ambiguous clause that had sparked criticism from the building service workers union that staffs city-run properties, threats of legal action and a weekend rally demanding the administration change course. Those concerns underscored the Democratic mayor’s increasingly cozy relationship with Trump, who is considering clearing Adams of federal bribery charges ahead of his April trial. The source of ire was a Jan. 13 memo, disseminated by the city’s Law Department and first reported by Hell Gate, instructing municipal employees to allow ICE access to property or city records if they "reasonably feel threatened or fear for your safety or the safety of others around you.". Monday’s flow chart dispensed with any mention of the word "fear" and instead laid out a more sober account of how local statutes interact with the Fourth Amendment: While employees can verbally deny access to federal agents without a judicial warrant, they should not interfere with any actions of law enforcement personnel should officers decide to come in anyway.

Reported similarly:
CBS New York [2/10/2025 7:28 PM, Lisa Rozner, 52225K] Video: HERE

FOX News [2/10/2025 12:45 PM, Mollie Markowitz, 49889K] reports that a recently surfaced video shows a New York City teachers’ union representative providing instructions on how to help migrant families avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A representative for the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) can be heard coaching educators on how to help illegal immigrants evade ICE at home and in public, in a Zoom session released by the New York Post. "If ICE comes to the home, you do not have to open the door," the representative can be heard saying in the video. "In fact, you should not open the door," the representative continued. "If you open the door but leave the chain on, that could be interpreted as allowing ICE in, so you should keep the door closed and remain silent." For individuals who do not speak English, the UFT representative mentioned "red cards," which can be printed for free and are meant to be slipped under the door when an ICE agent comes to the home. "I do not wish to speak to you. I do not agree to allow you into my house," the "red cards" read in English on one side and in the residents’ language on the other. The UFT representative said some schools in New York City are distributing "red cards," while others are not "comfortable" doing so. Adams’ office did not immediately respond for comment.

FOX News [2/10/2025 8:25 AM, Stephen Sorace, 49889K] reports lawmakers in Democrat-run Maryland are considering a bill to roll back sanctuary policies and increase cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in certain scenarios. Maryland’s Senate Bill 387, or the Protecting Marylanders From Violent Offenders Act of 2025, would require local law enforcement and correction officers to turn over illegal immigrants to ICE if the individual was convicted of a violent crime, terrorism, participation in a criminal street gang, or an aggravated felony such as trafficking drugs or firearms. Republican Sen. William Folden, the bill’s author, told FOX45 Baltimore that the bill is "only for the most violent offenders.” "This isn’t about trying to turn any communities against each other," Folden said. "This is about keeping our communities safe from these repeat violent offenders that some jurisdictions keep putting back out into the community and that’s not safe for anyone.” Critics of the bill, however, say the legislation threatens constitutional rights. Sanctuary policies in Howard and Prince George’s County currently prohibit local authorities from cooperating with ICE agents. Maryland’s attorney general has also issued guidance to local authorities on immigration detainers in a 2025 memorandum, stating detainers "are requests only; local officers are not obligated to honor them, and, in fact, risk violating constitutional rights by doing so.” The Maryland bill, which is currently under committee consideration in the state Senate, would take effect on Oct. 1, 2025, if enacted. Since taking office last month, President Donald Trump has conducted a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, with ICE officials making several criminal arrests over the last weeks in many left-leaning "sanctuary" cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C. While leaders in some sanctuary cities have refused to cooperate with ICE as immigration raids continue, Trump border czar Tom Homan delivered a bold message to those cities: "We’re going to keep coming" no matter what. "They’re not going to stop us," he said Sunday, stressing that criminal illegal immigrant gang members such as Tren de Aragua have "no safe haven" from the rule of law. "We’re going to find them. We’re going to arrest them, and take them off the streets," Homan said, referring to the criminal gang members.

Telemundo Washington DC [2/10/2025 3:05 PM, Freixys Casado, 46K] reports Alexandria police reported that when they were preparing to arrest a young Salvadoran man, they realized that he was already detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Christensen sent an email to parishioners, letting them know that police had been notified and warning anyone donating checks to contact their bank. Security camera video helped Alexandria police quickly identify a suspect, whom they identified as 22-year-old Carlos Alvarenga Hidalgo. But when those officers set out to serve arrest warrants on five charges, including three felonies, they learned that Alvarenga Hidalgo was in ICE custody, held at the Farmville Detention Center. At the jail, Alvarenga Hidalgo’s fingerprints were entered into a database shared with federal authorities, according to a spokeswoman for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Department. The next day, ICE arrived at the jail and picked him up. But even though he is now in ICE custody, a court order sought by the Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney means Alvarenga Hidalgo will return to Northern Virginia to face the local charges, old and new, first. Once the local cases are resolved, Alvarenga Hidalgo will be turned over to ICE again.

Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 6:29 PM, Maggie Newland, 57114K] reports some state lawmakers are pushing to keep law enforcement officers and agencies from participating in immigration enforcement in certain locations in North Carolina. Two bills filed Monday focus on schools, churches, hospitals, farms and construction sites. With the Trump administration’s focus on immigration enforcement, Ivan Almonte with Respuesta Rapidas de Durham says some people are afraid to leave their homes. “People are reducing the places where they can go,” he noted. “I think we have seen the impact in businesses and construction sites, but also at schools.” He explained that even many people who have their documents feel afraid. Some state lawmakers say they’re hearing this fear in their communities. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing Wake County in the North Carolina House, said people are legitimately worried. “Not knowing if one day if there’s an ICE raid and people are going to have to show papers or something, and it goes one step beyond, too, in that they’re not having their children go to school,” she said. Two bills filed in the state House would prohibit law enforcement agencies and officers from participating in immigration enforcement activities in certain locations. One bill addresses churches and other places of religious worship, as well as schools and hospitals. The other bill is for farmland and construction sites. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS12 [2/10/2025 5:51 PM, Sophie Pendrill] reports a desperate 9-1-1 call from a woman who said she was being held captive led deputies with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) to a brothel operating out of a small apartment in Lake Worth Beach. The investigation resulted in the arrests of two Guatemalan nationals—brothers Yudvin and Glin Zuniga Latin—on charges including human trafficking and sexual battery. Authorities say the women were brought to Palm Beach County under false pretenses, promised legitimate jobs, but were instead forced into sex work at gunpoint. Authorities say this isn’t the first time at least one of the brothers has been accused of operating a brothel. This time, he and his brother Yudvin were arrested on the spot and placed under an ICE detainer. A third suspect is still on the run.

FOX News [2/10/2025 8:51 PM, Louis Casiano, 57114K] reports a man accused of attacking a Louisiana college student with a hammer is the reason President Donald Trump has transferred some illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Gov. Jeff Landry said Monday. Juan Monroy, 32, is charged with attempted second-degree murder after allegedly attacking a Nicholls State University student on Friday near St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Thibodaux, 60 miles west of New Orleans. The attack was unprovoked and appeared to be random, authorities said. Monroy was quickly caught because of university police and church staffers, the school said. He was working on a non-university job site adjacent to the campus at the time of the incident, officials said. The unidentified student was treated at a medical facility and released. "Our focus at this time is on the well-being of our student in this incident. We would like to thank the quick action of the Nicholls State University Police and all the local agencies that have assisted with this investigation," said Nicholls President Jay Clune. Monroy was booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex where he is being held on $500,000 bail. In addition, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also put an additional hold on his release, the sheriff’s office told Fox News Digital. "This is yet another senseless act of violence committed by someone who should not be in our country," Landry said in response to the arrest. "Monsters like this are the reason why the federal government is opening up Guantanamo Bay. We stand with our victims." Authorities have not said if Monroy was in the United States illegally. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office.

CBS Austin [2/10/2025 1:52 PM, Jackson Walker, 581K] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on Monday reported the arrest of an illegal Venezuelan migrant who had asked to be taken into custody. ICE arrested the 23-year-old, who the agency says is homeless, in Detroit last week. The agency claims he entered the Detroit office’s lobby and asked to be taken into custody. The Venezuelan added that if ICE did not arrest him, he would leave and commit crimes, according to ICE. He is currently in ICE custody pending the results of immigration proceedings. ICE has not publicly named the individual. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Detroit Field Office Director Robert Lynch applaud the migrant’s decision. "We’re grateful that this individual self-reported and turned himself over to ICE before going out and threatening public safety," he said in a press release. The arrest comes as ICE continues to execute President Donald Trump’s mass deportation directive targeting an influx of illegal migrants to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday blasted the FBI after information was leaked regarding ICE’s upcoming immigration enforcement actions in the Los Angeles area.

FOX News [2/10/2025 2:24 PM, Greg Norman, 49889K] reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a homeless Venezuelan illegal immigrant who officials say walked into the agency’s Detroit office and demanded to be taken into custody – or else he would "go out and commit crimes." The Venezuelan national – who was not publicly identified – will now remain in custody pending immigration proceedings. "We’re grateful that this individual self-reported and turned himself over to ICE before going out and threatening public safety," ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Detroit Field Office Director Robert Lynch said in a statement. The agency announced Monday that the 23-year-old man "entered the agency’s lobby" in Detroit on Feb. 6 "and asked to be taken into custody, stating that if ICE did not arrest him, he would go out and commit crimes.". ICE also on Tuesday announced the arrests of illegal immigrants in Colorado and New York City. The agency said Adan Desederio Pavon-Andino, 30, of Honduras, was taken into custody in Thorton, Colorado, on Feb. 5. "Pavon has two convictions for felony marijuana possession and is facing four charges of felony possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, felony re-entry as well as alien in possession of a firearm," according to ICE.

Telemundo [2/10/2025 2:56 PM, Staff, 2623K] reports Jonathan was getting ready to take his older brother, Luis Fernando, to work early Wednesday morning when they were both caught in a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Cedar Run apartment complex in Denver, Colorado, just as they were both in a car ready to leave, according to NBC News, sister network of Noticias Telemundo. Luis Fernando said that the agents arrived at the scene around 4 a.m. and that, despite being shown the paper attesting that he is an asylum seeker and a form stamped by the court that confirmed that Jonathan was waiting for a work permit, the immigration officers arrested him.

AZCentral [2/10/2025 8:02 AM, Richard Ruelas, 6018K] reports President Donald Trump’s appointed "border czar" said that upon retaking office the new administration would focus initial deportation efforts on people who pose public safety threats. But most of the people whose cases have landed in Phoenix federal court recently were accused only of entering the United States illegally. Court records show some were not even on the radar of immigration officials. Instead, they came to authorities’ attention because of tips that were months, or years, old. Among those charged were a landscaper who was arrested on his way to a job and a handyman picked up near his home. An arrest of a 61-year-old man, which was captured on video, involved an armored vehicle with a battering ram. That man came to the attention of immigration officials, according to court documents, because he tried to buy a gun three years ago. The arrests that have shown up in criminal court in Phoenix were done by a mix of Border Patrol agents, who handle matters near the border, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which typically handles matters in the interior of the country. The cases brought by those agencies are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. On Feb. 7, that office said prosecutors had charged 565 people with "immigration-related crimes" in the two weeks following Trump’s inauguration. A statement released by the office described a multi-agency effort that prioritized arresting people who had serious criminal records, warrants for their arrests, or final orders of deportation. Included in the tally was at least one U.S. citizen charged with smuggling people in the toolboxes on his pickup truck. In 2024, U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutors brought an average of 424 cases every two weeks, according to their quarterly reports. To get a first-hand look at the types of criminal cases prosecuted against immigrants, The Arizona Republic attended seven successive days of initial appearance hearings at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in downtown Phoenix. Those brief hearings, held days after an arrest, are a first step in a criminal prosecution. Over the seven days, more than 60 people were brought before a judge. Of those, only 10 people were not facing immigration-related charges, including drug trafficking and one person was charged with second-degree murder on tribal land.

Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 9:00 AM, Staff, 57114K] reports that a large-scale immigration enforcement operation is set to unfold across Los Angeles before February ends, signaling a significant escalation in federal activity in the region. An internal government document details plans for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target individuals without legal status and those with pending removal orders. The operation marks a notable shift for L.A., which faced repeated criticism during Trump’s presidential campaigns but has yet to see major enforcement actions, as the L.A. Times reports. The scale of the planned operation has prompted ICE to call in reinforcements from other federal agencies. Two federal law enforcement sources, speaking anonymously to protect themselves from retaliation, confirmed that FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration agents from L.A. field offices will provide support. "They needed more bodies," a federal official said. Federal agencies haven’t waited for this upcoming action to begin their collaborative efforts. The DEA’s L.A. office shared on X about participating in immigration enforcement, while ATF spokesperson Ginger Colbrun confirmed their agency has supported Department of Homeland Security operations in Southern California since January 26.

San Francisco Chronicle [2/10/2025 9:06 PM, Ko Lyn Cheang, 4368K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, debunked what the agency said was a fake flyer circulating online Monday that claimed immigration raids were happening in San Francisco "tomorrow at 1:30 (PST).” The incident highlights how disinformation continues to stoke fear among immigrant communities as the Trump administration implements its plan to conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. ICE is an agency under the Department of Homeland Security that conducts federal immigration enforcement. The flyer, written on what purports to be Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement letterhead, was titled "415-650 Worksite Inspections," and claimed, falsely, that "Immigration Agents will be sent out to worksites to check for the following: Immigrants that have stayed past their Visa Program (90 days)" and "Jobs that smuggle Immigrants.” An ICE spokesperson said the agency is aware of the flyer and that it is not an official communication from ICE. The spokesperson said the agency condemns the impersonation of law enforcement and that imposters can be criminally charged under local and federal law. As a matter of policy, the spokesperson said, ICE does not announce or confirm ongoing or future law enforcement actions for public, officer, and agent safety. The flyer claimed that immigration officers were going to inspect five locations in San Francisco, including three San Mateo County schools — Benjamin Franklin Intermediate School, Fernando Rivera Intermediate School and Westmoor High School — as well as two shopping centers, Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City and Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco. The Chronicle has reached out to the schools and malls for comment. The false information comes about two weeks after a rumor that an immigration enforcement officer confronted a middle school student on a Muni bus was debunked. But before the rumor was dispelled, the San Francisco Unified School District superintendent sent a letter to families with students attending schools in the vicinity of the bus line in question alerting them to the report.

AP [2/10/2025 6:06 PM, Staff] reports a Dominican man was sentenced Monday to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a human smuggling operation that authorities say led to the deaths of 11 migrants. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Fermín Montilla was captain of a boat carrying 48 people from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico when it capsized in May 2022 near an uninhabited island. The victims were 11 Haitian girls and women who were buried in Puerto Rico.

The New York Times [2/10/2025 3:17 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, 161405K] reports that a coalition of some of the nation’s largest refugee resettlement organizations on Monday sued the Trump administration over its indefinite pause of the refugee system, asking a federal court to move swiftly to restart the program. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, aims to immediately revive a system that had thrived for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations and to restart federal funding for organizations that help refugees resettle in the United States. It is the first suit to challenge the Trump administration’s freeze of the program. The new halt on refugee resettlement has quickly had an impact: More than 10,000 refugees were in a pipeline to travel to the United States when it went into effect. The lawsuit also aims to resume federal funding of refugee resettlement organizations, which ground to a halt on Jan. 24, four days after Mr. Trump took office. The groups argue that they rely on those funds to help refugees obtain housing, food and other necessities as they rebuild their lives in the U.S. Reuters [2/10/2025 5:52 PM, Ted Hesson, 48128K] reports that the legal challenge, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington State, argues that Trump exceeded his executive authority by abruptly shutting down the program and freezing funding to aid refugees already in the United States. The sudden shutdown meant refugees across the globe had their scheduled travel to the U.S. canceled, including 1,660 Afghans cleared to resettle. Days later, funds for U.S. groups that assist refugees already in the country were frozen as part of a larger pause on foreign aid. The lawsuit was brought by nine refugees and U.S.-based family members, including a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were approved to travel to the U.S. on January 22 but had their travel canceled. USA Today [2/10/2025 7:18 PM, Chris Kenning, 89965K] reports that the Trump Administration also stopped federal funding for faith-based U.S. resettlement organizations, crippling their ability to provide services, the lawsuit said. That can include help with housing, job placement and language courses. "Shutting down this proven and Congressionally-mandated program irrevocably harms tens of thousands of vulnerable refugee families we have pledged to support," Rick Santos, the head of Church World Service, one of the plaintiff agencies, said in a statement.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [2/10/2025 4:34 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 16346K]

Newsweek [2/10/2025 11:24 AM, Nadine C. Atkinson-Flowers, 56005K] reports that according to a Migration Policy report, nearly 46.2 million legal immigrants lived in the United States in 2022. Based on the rhetoric in the news—and elsewhere—ramped up in February 2025, you would think there were none here in America. You would also think that everyone who has come from elsewhere had committed some kind of crime in the U.S.—or in their home countries. It also felt like people from specific groups were being targeted. Since coming to America, I have walked many miles in these—my immigrant shoes. It started with a 12-year wait for a green card approval at my local Embassy in Jamaica—for which many trees died and much financial resources were poured into over the years. It culminated in the visa package that was not to be opened on penalty of death—even if only figuratively—that was to be handed to the border officer when I landed in the U.S. with my family. To this day, I am not sure what was in it. The interrogation—albeit benign—at secondary inspection signaled the beginning. The stamp in the passport was what truly began the journey. Regardless of what people say, no two cases are the same—regardless of how they appear on the surface. I find it fascinating that many persons in the U.S. are very uninformed about how immigration actually works—and are equally uninformed about other countries.

Miami Herald [2/10/2025 5:41 PM, CD Goette-Luciak, 6595K] reports dozens of former Nicaraguan political prisoners were waiting to greet Holmann in the hotel’s lobby. All of them had been passengers aboard the same flight, the result of a U.S. negotiated prisoner release. On Feb. 9, 2023, Nicaraguan authorities transported 222 dissidents directly from their jails or house arrest to a U.S. government-chartered plane, which flew them to Dulles. The group was then put up for two days at the nearby Westin hotel, and granted a period of humanitarian parole, allowing them to legally remain in the country for two years. Returning to Nicaragua was not an option. After the plane took off, the Nicaraguan government revoked the citizenship of all the freed prisoners on board. The group’s humanitarian parole is expiring three weeks into the new administration of President Donald Trump, who promised to crack down on what he called a national emergency at the southern border and to conduct mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants already in the United States. Now, even these former prisoners, directly freed by the previous U.S. administration, are uncertain about their futures here, highlighting how chaotic and uncertain a time this is for people in the U.S. fleeing persecution.

Newsweek [2/10/2025 12:55 PM, Billal Rahman, 56005K] reports that groups of migrants are abandoning their attempts to reach the United States and are instead heading back home amid President Donald Trump’s stricter border security measures. Two groups of more than two dozen migrants turned back after they were encountered by Honduran authorities, according to the U.S. Border Patrol chief. Newsweek has contacted Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for further comment via email. Immigration was a key element of President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign and helped Republicans sweep to power on a national level. While large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree that the immigration system is broken, as indicated in a recent New York Times/Ipsos poll, Americans disagree on how policies such as deportations should be carried out. Trump vowed to "seal the border" and carry out the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history. Thousands of undocumented immigrants have been arrested by Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents amid a crackdown.

New York Times [2/10/2025 5:19 PM, Santul Nerkar, 161405K] reports a Brooklyn man pleaded guilty on Monday to smuggling hundreds of precious artifacts, including ancient Egyptian talismans, gold amulets and a sculpture with the carving of a king from the Ptolemaic dynasty. The man, Ashraf Omar Eldarir, 52, had been charged with smuggling relics on four occasions from 2019 to 2020, and then selling some to an art dealer for thousands of dollars. Mr. Eldarir was stopped at Kennedy International Airport in January 2020 by Customs and Border Protection officers, who found him with around 600 Egyptian artifacts in three checked suitcases, all wrapped in bubble and foam. Mr. Eldarir, who was arriving from Cairo, did not declare the items before entering the country, prosecutors said.

Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 5:19 PM, Isabel Garcia, 57114K] reports News 8 has confirmed the recent arrest of eight undocumented immigrants by Rochester Border Patrol agents on February 5. It comes as several Sheriff’s offices across our region recently outlined standard policies for their roles working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Five of those arrested last week already had final orders of removal, meaning an immigration court judge had previously ordered these individuals to be deported but they failed to turn themselves in. News 8 also confirmed four of the are from Nicaragua, four are from Mexico. On the matter of the five with final orders of removal, they are awaiting deportation. The remaining three are awaiting deportation hearings. Also, all 8 of the undocumented immigrations are being held at a Federal Detention Facility in Batavia. Now this all comes as local sheriff’s offices recently outlined their policies and procedures when it comes to working with ICE. According to a letter to the media issued February 6 by Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione, local law enforcement officers, including sheriff’s deputies are not authorized under federal or New York State laws to arrest or detain any person based solely on a violation of U.S. federal code prohibiting ‘improper’ entry.

Border Report [2/10/2025 4:12 PM, Staff, 153K] reports a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested in El Paso on criminal charges related to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle undocumented noncitizens for financial gain and alleged drug trafficking activity. According to court documents, between on or about Dec. 21, 2023 and Feb. 5, 2025, Manuel Perez Jr., 32, of El Paso, allegedly smuggled and attempted to smuggle undocumented noncitizens into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. The indictment alleges that, in multiple instances, Perez Jr. admitted a vehicle driven by an undocumented noncitizen at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso as part of human smuggling operations. Additionally, Perez Jr. allegedly conspired to possess a substance containing at least 5 kilograms of cocaine from on or about Nov. 1, 2019, through Feb. 5, 2025, to distribute throughout Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina and elsewhere. Perez Jr. is charged with one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States for financial gain, three counts of bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain, and one count of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute. Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 6:39 PM, Daniel Borunda, 57114K] reports "Perez violated his oath to protect and serve. Instead, he allegedly facilitated human smuggling and drug trafficking operations in our community," FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge John S. Morales said in a statement. "Perez(‘s) alleged actions not only profited human smuggling and drug trafficking organizations but also undermine the public’s trust in law enforcement," Morales said. "He tarnished the badge that so many others proudly wear and uphold their oath. The FBI El Paso West Texas Public Corruption Task Force remains committed to holding accountable those who violate the law, regardless of their position.". Perez is accused of being involved in human and drug smuggling activity, including allowing a vehicle driven by an undocumented person to enter the U.S. at the Paso Del Norte international bridge in Downtown El Paso, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said on Monday, Feb. 10. The case was investigated by the FBI El Paso West Texas Border Corruption Task Force, which is made up of the FBI, CBP Office of Professional Responsibility and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [2/10/2025 6:35 PM, Natalie Venegas, 56005K]
Telemundo 48 El Paso [2/10/2025 5:59 PM, Staff, 14K]

Border Report [2/10/2025 6:21 PM, Julian Resendiz, 153K] reports federal officials in Laredo, Texas, say a traffic stop by local police has led them to 5,000 high-caliber bullets reportedly headed to a Mexican drug cartel. The Laredo police officers who pulled over a Toyota pickup near the intersection of U.S. Highway 83 and La Pita Mangana Road on Feb. 6 began asking questions after running a background check on the driver’s name. They learned that Julio Cesar Hernandez had a "lengthy criminal history" in Webb County, Texas, according to a complaint affidavit filed Feb. 7 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. A man later identified as Marcos Ulises Salazar Esquivel, a Mexican national illegally present in the United States, was a passenger in the Toyota. Records show the Laredo officers located approximately 5,000 rounds of 5.56-caliber ammunition in the rear seat of the Toyota and a small amount of cocaine in Salazar’s pants pocket. The officers allegedly also found a 9mm Taurus G3c pistol and two magazines loaded with eight and six bullets each in another part of the truck. In a post-arrest interview, Hernandez allegedly told investigators he is "closely tied" to a Mexican drug cartel and was transporting the ammunition to an individual who would smuggle it into Mexico, according to the affidavit.

Border Report [2/10/2025 5:51 PM, Staff, 153K] reports about 300 Texas National Guard are headed to the South Texas border town of Laredo, according to Border Patrol. Laredo Sector Chief Patrol Agent Jesse Muñoz on Friday told the Laredo Morning Times that over 300 Texas National Guard soldiers will arrive in the Laredo Sector within a month to enhance border security. The new troops will be allowed to perform immigration officer duties under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. This is under a new memorandum of understanding between CBP and the Texas National Guard that allows some in-state active-duty soldiers the authority to question immigration status under Title 8. "Under Title 8, they will have the authority to make arrests, but I want everybody to understand. We are not going to tell them, ‘Hey you guys go and take this area,’ and we don’t put Border Patrol agents out," Muñoz told the Laredo Morning Times. ""They are going to work under direct supervision of the Border Patrol. If there’s a case where they make an apprehension, there will be Border Patrol agents close by that will come and assist.".

Washington Examiner [2/10/2025 5:21 AM, Staff, 2365K] reports that, less than a week ago, President Donald Trump threatened Mexico with tariffs unless the country increased its efforts to subdue fentanyl trafficking along the border. Heeding this warning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to boost support in exchange for Trump postponing the tariffs for 30 days. As part of the agreement, Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 troops to enhance border security as part of the country’s Operation Northern Border. It has only been a few days, but there have been positive results so far. Four days after its implementation, authorities arrested 139 people and seized over eight kilograms of fentanyl, according to reports. Dozens of firearms and numerous other drugs were also seized as part of the operation, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine, through enforcement campaigns carried out in Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Baja, California. Additionally, Mexican authorities took possession of 16 properties and over 100 vehicles. While the early results have proved worthwhile thus far, Trump’s deal with Sheinbaum has its fair share of critics. Skeptics of the arrangement believe it will have few positive results, with some saying the move to deploy troops was more symbolic than anything. "It’s a lot of shock and awe, but very little policy," Arturo Sarukhan, former Mexican ambassador to the United States, told New York Times. He said the new strategy to deter fentanyl smuggling might be pointless. "It’s Whac-a-Mole," said Sarukhan. "Most of the fentanyl goes through legal points of entry into the U.S., not between them, and that’s where most troops will be deployed: at illegal points of entry.”

AP [2/11/2025 12:06 AM, Julie Watson, 47097K] reports Margelis Rodriguez and her two children took selfies on their flight to Tijuana, showing off the T-shirts she had custom-made to mark what she expected to be her family’s life-changing moment. On the back of the shirts were their names and the flags of the six countries they passed through in 2024. On the front between the flags of her native Venezuela and the United States, was written in Spanish: "Yes it was possible, thank God. The wait was worth it. I made it!!". The celebratory words now sting — driving home how close they came without making it and how precarious their lives are with their future more uncertain than ever, Rodriguez said while standing near the tent her family lives in at a shelter in Tijuana, a block from the towering wall marking the U.S. border. The family is among tens of thousands of people who had appointments into February, many of them left stranded in Mexican border cities after President Donald Trump took office. As part of a broader immigration crackdown, his administration quickly canceled all appointments people had made through a U.S. government app. Under the Biden administration, the CBP One app facilitated the entry of nearly 1 million people since January 2023, and supporters say it helped bring order to the border and reduced illegal crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimates about 280,000 people were trying to get appointments each day, many of them after traveling to Mexico, the only country where the app worked. Now they face the daunting question of what to do next. Some returned home. Others left shelters vowing to cross the border illegally. The Rodriguez family appears to capture the prevailing mood: Stay put and see how Trump’s policies unfold over the next few months.

Washington Examiner [2/11/2025 5:00 AM, Robert Schmad, 2365K] reports former President Barack Obama’s administration may have skirted the law when it moved to approve the unionization of Transportation Security Administration screeners in 2011, according to Freedom of Information Act documents shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner by Americans for Fair Treatment. AFFT, an organization that assists public-sector workers dissatisfied with their union representation, recently settled a lawsuit with the TSA forcing the agency to comply with a FOIA request it filed in 2023. The group sought to uncover the legal rationale for allowing TSA screeners to unionize under the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal labor union. The group’s inquiry was spurred by skepticism over the fact that TSA officers are not included under Title 5 of the U.S. Code, which grants the federal employees covered under the law the right to collective bargaining. The documents obtained by the Washington Examiner do not show the TSA engaging in any legal analysis to justify unionization despite the agency’s security officers lacking collective bargaining rights under the law. According to AFFT’s president and legal counsel, the TSA’s existing unionization scheme is brazenly illegal. "During the Obama administration, the TSA administrator did an abrupt about-face, and TSA moved ahead with allowing screeners to unionize in violation of the law," Dave Dorey, an attorney specializing in labor and employment law who represented AFFT, told the Washington Examiner. "Multiple administrators of TSA have stated publicly that TSA screeners are not covered by Title V, which includes significant rights for unionized workers — including the ability to file claims of unfair labor practices with an independent board and ultimately vindicate their rights in federal court. TSA screeners have none of these protections.” Instead of seeking a legal analysis to justify why workers who play a crucial role in national security should be allowed to engage in collective bargaining, Obama TSA Administrator John Pistole commissioned a third-party firm to survey "non-TSA leaders of unionized security forces" to determine if unionization was appropriate for his agency in 2010, according to one of the documents obtained by the Washington Examiner. Pistole posed questions to other security heads about how unionization would affect the TSA performance and found that the unionized security agency heads largely supported unionization. The TSA also had no records of a legal analysis when it modified its collective bargaining policy in 2014, according to a FOIA response obtained by the Washington Examiner. "Title 5 of the United States Code contains an authorization for most federal employees to collectively bargain (unionize)," Dorey said. "Some parts of TSA are included in Title 5, but TSA screeners are not. Therefore there is no authorization for TSA screeners to unionize. Even if TSA screeners were included within Title V, they would not be authorized to collectively bargain because they perform ‘security work which directly affects national security.’".

WSYR-TV [2/10/2025 5:28 PM, Max Bevington] reports a loaded gun was confiscated by TSA officers at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport on Friday, Feb. 7. At the airport’s security checkpoint, officers found a 9mm handgun loaded with 17 bullets, including one in the chamber, in a carry-on bag, according to the TSA. The gun belonged to a man from Somerset, New Jersey. He was detained and the gun was confiscated, the TSA stated. He was later released to rebook his flight. The man now faces a federal financial civil penalty of thousands of dollars for carrying a firearm to a checkpoint, the TSA said.

WDTN [2/10/2025 3:35 PM, Carlos Mathis] reports the Transportation Security Administration took action last week preventing two weapons from entering planes at a local airport. According to the TSA, a gun was located during routine screening of luggage at Dayton International Airport on Feb. 3 and again on Feb. 7. TSA officers spotted the image of the weapons, and contacted Dayton Airport Police. Donald Barker, federal security director of Ohio TSA, encourages travelers to empty their suitcase before packing for a trip to remove anything unwanted. In 2024, Dayton Airport encountered seven firearms located by TSA officers, which is down from eight in 2023 and 13 in 2022.

CBS Austin [2/10/2025 9:05 AM, Staff, 581K] reports that an American Airlines flight was reportedly delayed for hours over a Wi-Fi hotspot that used the word "Bomb.". According to ABC News, American Airlines Flight 2863, which was scheduled to fly from Austin, Texas to Charlotte, North Carolina last Friday, was delayed for four hours due to suspicious activity "regarding the name of a Wi-Fi hotspot involving the word "bomb.". The incident was reported to the Austin Police Department, as well as the Department of Aviation before the pilot informed passengers that "somebody renamed their hotspot." In a statement issued to ABC, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that it and its partners "take bomb threats very seriously.". The TSA confirmed to ABC that passengers and all checked baggage were rescreened and that authorities checked each baggage compartment on the aircraft. The Austin Airport told the network that no significant impacts to the operations of the airport or the airline occurred due to the incident.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [2/10/2025 2:12 PM, Bonny Chu, 49889K]

Axios [2/10/2025 8:19 AM, John Frank, Monica Eng, Carrie Shepherd, 16349K] reports the TSA says you have to get your Real ID by May 7. For real, this time. Why it matters: After that date, Real IDs or valid passports will be required for domestic travel and entry into certain government facilities. By the numbers: 93% of the 5 million Colorado credentials issued are Real ID compliant, according to the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles citing numbers from Jan. 31. Yes, but: That still leaves about 350,000 people who need to get a new driver’s license in the next two months. What to know: Colorado Real ID cards have a star in a black circle, the newest design, or a gold star in the top right corner. If your driver’s license or ID does not have a star, it’s time to renew or replace it, state officials said. Caveat: Not all credentials are eligible for the upgrade. For instance, CO-RCSA driver’s licenses and ID cards issued to people living in the country illegally are not compliant. The big picture: The Real ID is 20 years in the making. Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 after the 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government should have one standard source of identification, rather than accepting state driver’s licenses, which have state-specific requirements. Reasons for the decades of delays include states not wanting federal oversight of their ID systems, low compliance and administrative hurdles because of the pandemic.

FOX News [2/10/2025 8:31 AM, Danielle Wallace, 49889K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that she supported getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "the way it exists today." In an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union," Noem’s stance appeared in line with that of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who have both suggested shutting down FEMA could be an option, as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly gained access to FEMA’s sensitive disaster relief data to review its programs. "Can and should Donald Trump shut it down?" CNN’s Dana Bash asked Noem. "He can. And I believe that he will do that evaluation with his team," Noem said. "And he’s talking about it, which I’m grateful for. He’ll work with Congress, though, to make sure that it’s done correctly and that we’re still there to help folks who have a terrible disaster or a crisis in their life. He’s been very clear that he still believes there’s a role for the federal government to come in and help people get back up on their feet. But there’s a lot of fraud and waste and abuse out there. And since President Trump has taken over and come back into this administration, we’ve seen incredible change." Noem, who visited Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday to meet with Hurricane Helene victims and survey the damage, told CNN that she oversaw 12 different natural disasters that prompted a FEMA response when she was governor of South Dakota. As Trump considers block grants for state and local officials experiencing natural disasters, Noem said Sunday that she knew from experience that local officials, such as county emergency management directors, mayors, city council and commissioners "made way better decisions than the people in Washington, D.C." Asked what she would tell Trump if the president asked her to get rid of FEMA, Noem said, "I would say yes, get rid of FEMA the way it exists today." "We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California," Noem told Bash. "But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed so it can be deployed much quicker. And we don’t need this bureaucracy that’s picking and choosing winners." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
USA Today [2/10/2025 12:43 PM, Riley Beggin, 89965K]

Miami Herald [2/11/2025 4:04 AM, Staff, 6595K] reports state and local emergency managers are facing a serious question in the wake of President Donald Trump’s first few weeks in office: When disaster strikes, will they be able to count on the federal government? Trump has called the Federal Emergency Management Agency a "disaster" and suggested it might "go away." He said states would best take care of hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires on their own, with the federal government reimbursing some of the costs. He convened a council to review FEMA and recommend "improvements or structural changes.” But leaders in states that have been hit by disasters say they need more than the promise of an eventual federal check to manage catastrophic events. They say they’re not equipped to handle the roles FEMA currently plays - such as marshaling emergency resources from multiple federal agencies, providing flood insurance, conducting damage assessments and distributing billions of dollars in recovery funds. "FEMA has been an absolute lifesaver for people," said Vermont state Sen. Anne Watson, a Democrat who has been involved in the state’s recovery from devastating 2023 floods. "I don’t see [states and municipalities] as being able to replicate what FEMA does. The possibility of it going away leaves millions and millions of Americans in a very vulnerable position.” Meanwhile, Trump said last month that he wanted to make federal wildfire recovery aid to Los Angeles conditional on California enacting new laws requiring voter identification, adding further uncertainty about whether states can expect help from the feds. Trump and his allies also targeted the agency in the wake of Hurricane Helene, spreading lies that FEMA, under President Joe Biden, was diverting disaster money to immigrants without legal status; failing to provide helicopters; limiting aid to $750 per person; and cutting off support for Republican areas. State officials say that while there’s room for a conversation about state and federal roles in disaster response, eliminating FEMA altogether would be shortsighted. "I don’t think it makes sense to get rid of FEMA," Lynn Budd, director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, said in an interview with Stateline. "There are economies of scale [that a nationwide agency provides]. States don’t have that capability built to handle a disaster every single year.”

Federal News Network [2/10/2025 3:36 PM, Michele Sandiford, 470K] reports amid the continued debate over FEMA’s future a senior GOP Senator is calling for reforms that could bolster the agency’s work. Senator Jim Lankford (R-Okla.) said too many agencies have responsibilities under the federal disaster framework. In a letter to the White House, Lankford said he should consider whether more disaster assistance responsibilities should be consolidated under FEMA. Trump has called for potentially eliminating FEMA and recently announced a FEMA Review Council to overhaul the agency.

Bloomberg [2/10/2025 1:30 PM, Brody Ford and Zahra Hirji, 21617K] reports that federal cost-cutting initiatives pushed by President Donald Trump have turned their focus to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where spending on consultants like Deloitte now faces scrutiny. Workers at the agency have been asked to provide by Tuesday evening plain-language explanations of contracts and designate which are “non-essential” and should be terminated or reduced, according to documents seen by Bloomberg News. Contracts from dozens of consultants, including Guidehouse, Serco Group Plc., and the Cadmus Group are being reviewed, the documents state. Trump has deputized Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and CEO of Tesla Inc., to oversee cost savings through a White House office known as the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk’s teams are looking to cull spending and root out programs opposed by the new administration, leaving government contractors on high-alert. The directive at FEMA is based on a request from the administrator of the General Services Administration, the documents state. Stephen Ehikian, acting administrator of the agency, is a former Salesforce Inc. executive who has said he will work closely with DOGE. Spokespeople for FEMA, Deloitte, Guidehouse, Serco and Cadmus didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Newsweek [2/10/2025 6:19 PM, Anna Skinner, 56005K] reports meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) have issued a slew of winter weather warnings from east Kentucky through southern New Jersey as a winter storm threatens heavy snow and hazardous travel. Meteorologists warned of two winter storms bringing snow and a wintry mix to the U.S. on Monday night. One storm is situated over the Central Plains and another is bringing poor weather to parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic. Numerous weather alerts warned people of dangerous travel conditions as well as the chance for heavy snow. In the Mid-Atlantic, a winter storm warning is in place for Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, northwest North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. For the storm in the Central Plains, there’s a winter storm warning in place for Kansas and Missouri. Winter storm watches and winter weather advisories, as well as flood watches, impact even more states. Many of the winter storm warnings warned of widespread snowfall amounts of up to 8 inches.

The AP [2/10/2025 6:31 PM, Rebecca Santana and Cedar Attanasio] reports the acting head of the federal agency responsible for responding to disasters said Monday that he’s suspending payments sent to New York City to house migrants and that staff who made them will be held accountable, after Elon Musk blasted the transactions on his social media platform. Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reposted Musk’s comments and said the payments were suspended as of Sunday. Musk gave no evidence to support his claim, and information from the city of New York indicated that money it’s received to care for migrants was appropriated by Congress and allocated to the city last year by FEMA. The city hasn’t been notified of any pause in funding, spokeswoman Liz Garcia said. A statement noted that the city has received federal government reimbursements through the past week and said the matter would be discussed directly with federal officials. Neither Hamilton nor Musk specified what kind of payments were involved. CBS Austin [2/10/2025 1:07 PM, Jackson Walker, 581K] reports that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk on Monday sounded the alarm over a $59 million payment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to house migrants in New York City. Musk shared via X his presidential advisory committee had discovered the payment went to luxury hotels which house illegal migrants. He demanded the expense, made last week, be reversed. "Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order," Musk wrote. "That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds.". Cameron Hamilton, acting FEMA administrator, responded by noting those responsible would be held accountable. "I want to thank the @DOGE team for making me aware of this," Hamilton wrote via X. "Effective yesterday these payments have all been suspended from FEMA. Personnel will be held accountable." "@USCongress should have never passed bills in 2023 and 2024 asking FEMA to do this work," he added. "This stops now."

Reported similarly:
CBS Austin [2/10/2025 1:07 PM, Jackson Walker, 581K]
Washington Examiner [2/10/2025 1:41 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 2365K]

FOX News [2/10/2025 1:27 PM, Bailee Hill, 49889K] reports that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy toured the devastation left by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and Tennessee, explaining how residents there feel forgotten by the rest of the nation as they continue to rebuild their ravaged communities after the historic storm. Duffy spoke with "The Faulkner Focus" exclusively from Pigeon River Gorge, where a section of the major interstate I-40 was destroyed in Helene’s floodwaters, to discuss how communities are faring and why many feel forgotten months later. "When you live in small town America, like many of the communities here in western North Carolina, they feel forgotten," Duffy told Harris Faulkner on Monday. "They feel like the federal government doesn’t care. Their state governments haven’t cared about them. And I think with this administration, they understand that they might be from a small town, they might not be the richest people. But you know what? We have not forgotten about them because they’re Americans, and they deserve our help and our aid, and we’re going to provide it to them." Duffy pledged to rebuild the stretch of the highway that had collapsed, noting it would be a billion-dollar project and would require a lot of time to completely repair it.

Reported similarly:
Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 11:19 AM, Staff, 57114K]

Newsweek [2/10/2025 7:37 PM, Anna Commander, 56005K] reports portions of Southern California are bracing for an expected "severe" storm heading its way later this week. Los Angeles County was hit by concurrent deadly fires during extreme wildfire weather conditions in January. The area is now at risk for mudslides amid the looming threat of extensive rain. An area previously impacted by wildfires is called a "burn scar" area. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles, a Pacific storm is set to make its way ashore dropping "widespread" rainfall from Tuesday until Friday. The day with the heaviest rainfall is predicted to be Thursday into the evening, the NWS says. A flood watch will also go into effect on Thursday near previous fire locations due to "the risk of debris flows and flash flooding in and around the recent burn areas," according to the NWS. NWS Meteorologist Bryan Lewis told Newsweek via phone on Monday, that this is the "biggest storm of the year," due to rainfall. The area is expecting 1.5 to 3 inches of rain and "double that for the foothills and mountains," Lewis said. The biggest area of concern is for burn scar regions, Lewis said, also adding that a flash flood warning could be initiated if more than half an inch of rain per hour is falling.

CBS Los Angeles [2/10/2025 8:50 PM, Dean Fioresi, Luzdelia Caballero, 52225K] reports the second phase of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s debris removal plan is set to begin this week, with crews now targeting residential properties impacted by the two devastating wildfires that broke out in January. "This mission is personal for us," said Major General Jason Kelly, the deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Our teams on the ground are bringing the same urgency, precision and care to residential properties that we do with all our civil works and military construction missions around the world.” Debris cleanup began as soon as allowed by the Eaton and Palisades fires, which both erupted on Jan. 7 and rapidly grew to engulf tens of thousands of acres and destroy thousands of homes and businesses. A week after the fires both broke out, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to speed up the debris removal process in the impacted areas, and in weeks since constant work has been underway to try and expedite Los Angeles’ recovery. As Phase 1 neared completion, FEMA urged homeowners to begin applying for free cleanup with help from USACE, who are will now turn their attention to homes destroyed and damaged by the fires starting Tuesday. They can still apply through the end of March, joining the thousands that have already signed up. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, has been working in partnership with six locally affected jurisdictions in order to help survivors of the fires in collecting Rights of Entry, coordinating responsible transport and disposal of fire ash and debris and establish safe debris haul routes, according to a statement from FEMA. "Clearing debris is the first step toward recovery, and we are committed to helping residents in communities across LA County rebuild," said Colonel Eric Swenson, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Recovery Field Office. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proud to support this mission alongside our federal, state and local partners to ensure families return home and begin the rebuilding process as quickly as possible.” With the cleanup scheduled, officials advised people living in the areas that there will likely be an increase in truck traffic in their neighborhoods and along the debris removal routes heading to local landfills. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [2/10/2025 6:27 PM, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher] reports Hawaii’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurance companies can’t bring their own legal actions against those blamed for Maui’s catastrophic 2023 wildfire, allowing a $4 billion settlement that was on that the verge of collapse to proceed. Other steps remain in finalizing the deal between thousands of people who lodged lawsuits and various defendants, including Hawaiian Electric Company. The massive inferno that was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century decimated the historic town of Lahaina, killing more than 100 people, destroying thousands of properties and causing an estimated $5.5 billion in damage. Soon afterward, attorneys began lodging hundreds of lawsuits. A settlement was announced last summer, but insurance companies held out, insisting that they should have the right to go after the defendants separately to recoup money paid out to policyholders. Monday’s ruling resolves a key roadblock to finalizing the deal and sends the case back to a Maui judge to determine next steps.

CBS Austin [2/10/2025 3:51 PM, Kayla Gaskins, 581K] reports Donald Trump is demanding the Secret Service release all information regarding the two assassination attempts against him. Trump told the New York Post in an interview he wants "every bit of information" regarding the investigations, adding that he’s "entitled to know." NewsNation [2/10/2025 3:58 PM, Brian Entin] reports that in particular, Trump wants to know why one of the suspects and six cell phones, and the other had foreign apps. In a statement to NewsNation, the Secret Service said, "As it relates to a request by the president, any information held by the Secret Service will be provided to the president, without exception."

Washington Examiner [2/10/2025 11:04 AM, Mike Brest, 2365K] reports that President Donald Trump said Monday that he has fired the boards of visitors for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard academies. The president said the service academies had been "infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues over the last four years," which has been a theme of Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s first weeks in their roles. "I have ordered the immediate dismissal of the Board of Visitors for the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard," he explained in a Truth Social post. "We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards. We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!" The boards for each service academy provide independent advice and recommendations to the president related to the morale, curriculum, and any other matters related to the academies. Trump already issued executive orders mandating the service academies and the Pentagon, at large, stop their diversity and inclusion efforts and trainings for service members. "The Department of Defense will fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives. We will provide status updates as we are able," the U.S. Military Academy Communications Office told the Washington Examiner.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [2/10/2025 2:26 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 49889K]

Military Times [2/10/2025 3:32 PM, Beth Sullivan] reports the U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday evening for a crew member reported missing from the cutter Waesche while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean "pending the development of new information," the service said. Seaman Bryan K. Lee, 23, was discovered "unaccounted for" Tuesday morning while the cutter was conducting a "routine" counter-drug patrol about 300 nautical miles south of Mexico, the service said in a Monday release. The cutter immediately deviated from its patrol and initiated a comprehensive search effort. Waesche and other assets searched for Lee for nearly 190 hours, covering more than 19,000 square nautical miles, the service said. In addition to Waesche’s embarked helicopter and unmanned aircraft system, responding assets included Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South, C-130 aircraft from the Air Force and Coast Guard and Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Offshore Patrol Vessel.

Miami Herald [2/10/2025 7:46 PM, David Goodhue, 6595K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted an overloaded migrant boat carrying more than 130 people from Haiti, including small children, near the Florida Keys last week. The sailboat was traveling between Cuba and Cay Sal Bank in the Bahamas, about 50 miles southeast of the Middle Keys city of Marathon, when it was spotted last Tuesday by a Coast Guard airplane crew and a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations crew, according to a Coast Guard statement. Photos released by the Coast Guard showed crew members caring for small children and infants. There were a total of 132 people on the sailboat, the Coast Guard said. "The Coast Guard will continue to prioritize strengthening our domestic integrity and disrupting attempts to enter the United States illegally by sea," Lt. Zane Carter, a Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer, said in a statement. "We are steadfast in our mission to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders.". The interdiction comes about two weeks after the Coast Guard announced it was surging personnel and assets to South Florida to comply with the Trump administration’s orders to use the military to secure the U.S. border. On Monday, the people were returned to Haiti on board the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba. The Coast Guard said it has returned 313 people to Haiti who were stopped at sea since Oct. 1. In all of fiscal year 2024, which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, the total number of Haitians intercepted at sea was 857, according to the Coast Guard.

CBS Miami [2/10/2025 6:29 PM, Joan Murray, 52225K] reports oily tar balls have been washing up along South Florida beaches, stretching from Fort Lauderdale to Lake Worth Beach in Palm Beach County, raising environmental concerns and frustrating beachgoers. While reports surfaced widely on social media Saturday, some residents say the issue has been ongoing. The source of the tar remains unknown. The U.S. Coast Guard has been monitoring for spills and tracking oil tankers but has not identified a cause. Fort Lauderdale temporarily closed a portion of its beach on Saturday, but it reopened on Sunday. Some of the tar balls were collected during routine beach cleanings, while others drifted back out to sea.

San Diego Union Tribune [2/10/2025 1:51 PM, Staff, 2212K] reports that a U.S. Coast Guard patrol interdicted a suspected smuggling vessel 12 miles west of Point Loma on Sunday, and a dozen people were taken into custody, officials said. Around 10:20 a.m., a Customs and Border Protection patrol aircraft and a Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter spotted the 25-foot boat, according to a press release. The cutter Petrel was diverted, and shortly before 11:50 a.m. it launched a team on a small boat to board the vessel. All 12 people — 11 men and one woman — claimed Mexican nationality. They were to be transferred to the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station, officials said.

The Wall Street Journal [2/10/2025 12:00 PM, Derek B. Johnson] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency placed several members of its election security group on administrative leave last week, multiple sources familiar with the situation told CyberScoop. According to one source, the moves happened Thursday and Friday of last week and were targeted at employees focused on CISA’s mis-, dis- and malinformation teams. The moves include four employees currently working on or assigned to the team, two more that left the team in the past four years but still hold positions at the Department of Homeland Security, and another two that work on elections misinformation or disinformation at DHS. A second source confirmed that some, but not all members of CISA’s election security team, were placed on leave last week. The extent of the teams impacted by the decree is unclear. A third source told CyberScoop that a CISA employee set to attend an event in Florida on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence had to cancel at the last minute Friday, with the employee telling event planners they were being placed on leave. The individual said they had received notice of their impending leave that same day, according to text of the email shared with CyberScoop. The decision to sideline DHS and CISA employees who previously or currently on mis- and disinformation happened the same week that Attorney General Pam Bondi moved to dissolve the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, which was stood up in 2017 to counter efforts by countries like Russia, China, Iran and others from meddling in U.S. elections, often through online propaganda campaigns. When reached for comment, CISA’s press office referred CyberScoop to DHS’ Office of Public Affairs, which did not respond to multiple inquiries. Politico first reported on the moves Friday. Kim Wyman, former Republican Secretary of State for Washington and former election security lead at CISA under the Biden administration, told CyberScoop that the impact of shuttering CISA’s mis- and disinformation work will fall mostly on smaller election jurisdictions that are not immune from the impact of online propaganda, but lack the resources, funding or expertise to effectively confront it. “It’s overwhelming for those medium and small-sized jurisdictions, and the federal government and specifically CISA played a really important role of leveling that playing field. That’s the big void that’s going to occur,” Wyman said. “The larger jurisdictions are going to be able to pivot … but the small and medium counties were already struggling, and this is going to be a blow.” The AP [2/10/2025 8:28 PM, Christina A. Cassidy, 47097K] reports that in recent days, 17 employees of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who have worked with election officials to provide assessments and trainings dealing with a range of threats - from cyber and ransomware attacks to physical security of election workers - have been placed on leave pending a review, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. Ten of those employees are regional election security specialists hired as part of an effort to expand field staff and election security expertise ahead of the 2024 election. The regional staffers were told the internal review would examine efforts to combat attempts by foreign governments to influence U.S. elections, duties that were assigned to other agency staff, according to the person. All were former state or local election officials who were brought in to build relationships across all 50 states and the nation’s more than 8,000 local election jurisdictions. They spent the past year meeting with election officials, attending conferences and trainings, and ensuring officials were aware of the agency’s various cybersecurity and physical security services. A spokesperson with the National Association of State Election Directors said Monday the group could not comment on CISA’s personnel decisions and looks forward to hearing from agency officials about the organization’s plans for election-related work. Maria Benson, a spokeswoman with the National Association of Secretaries of State, said the group had requested a staffing update from CISA. She said CISA "has relayed to NASS that all cybersecurity and physical security services are expected to be available to state and local election officials."

Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 8:30 AM, Mark Keierleber, 57114K] reports the Los Angeles Unified School District was ensnared by three high-profile cyberattacks in the last few years, each of which exposed reams of sensitive information online. Three subsequent class-action lawsuits from parents accused the nation’s second-largest district of taking inadequate steps to protect their children’s personal records — and failing to tell them that sensitive information had been leaked. The district has since taken multiple actions to shield details about the incidents from public view. The trio of events encompass a September 2022 ransomware attack that exposed students’ highly sensitive psychological evaluations among other records; a January 2022 cyberattack on education technology company Illuminate Education, which compromised sensitive information in Los Angeles and districts nationwide; and a massive June 2024 cyberattack on the cloud computing company Snowflake, a third-party vendor used by the district to store certain records. Threat actors with the Vice Society cybergang took credit for the September 2022 ransomware attack on L.A. schools, posting the records to its dark web leak site after education officials did not pay its extortion demand. In the aftermath of the attack, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho sought to downplay its effect on students. An anonymous law enforcement source told the local press that students’ psychological evaluations were included in the leak, a revelation Carvalho refuted as "absolutely incorrect.” "We have seen no evidence that psychiatric evaluation information or health records, based on what we’ve seen thus far, has been made available publicly," said Carvalho, who acknowledged the hackers had "touched" the district’s massive student information system but said the "vast majority" of exposed student records involved their names, academic records and home addresses. An investigation by The 74 into the leak uncovered that the breach had, in fact, exposed student psychological evaluations, which contain a startling degree of personally identifiable information about students receiving special education services, including their detailed medical histories, academic performance and disciplinary records. Just hours after our story published, the district acknowledged in a statement that "approximately 2,000" student psychological evaluations — including those of 60 current students — had been uploaded to the dark web.

Miami Herald [2/10/2025 2:06 PM, Shelby Stivale, 6595K] reports that late NFL star Aaron Hernandez’s brother, Dennis "DJ" Hernandez, has officially been sentenced after threatening to carry out a shooting on the University of Connecticut’s campus. U.S. District Judge Sarala Nagala sentenced DJ, 38, to 18 months of prison time already served and three years of supervised release on Friday, February 7. DJ must continue mental health and substance abuse treatment and allow probation officers to monitor his electronic devices, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. DJ has been in custody since his July 2023 arrest, which came days after he made multiple Facebook posts threatening to harm or kill three people, one of which was a judge. That same month, DJ threatened to carry out a mass shooting at UConn. Court documents alleged that his vehicle was identified on campus in July 2023. "I would recommend remaining away from there because when I go I’m taking down everything. And don’t give a f— who gets caught in the crossfire," DJ allegedly wrote. "I’ve died for years now and now it’s others people turn. I’m prepared to give my life. So if I don’t get to see you on the outside know I love you always. Not all shootings are bad I’m realizing. Some are necessary for change to happen."

NBC News [2/10/2025 6:41 PM, Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V, 50804K] reports the GOP-controlled Senate on Monday voted to advance the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, putting her on a path to be confirmed this week. The party-line vote was 52-46, with all Republicans present voting in favor of Gabbard. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., did not vote. Last week, Gabbard’s nomination as the nation’s top-ranking intelligence official squeaked through the Senate Intelligence Committee on a party-line 9-8 vote. "The intelligence community needs to refocus on its core mission, collecting intelligence and providing unbiased analysis of that information," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a floor speech Monday. "That’s what Tulsi Gabbard is committed to ensuring if she is confirmed to be DNI, and I believe she has the knowledge and leadership capabilities to get it done.". A final vote on Gabbard would take place at midnight Tuesday, unless all senators reach an agreement to vote sooner. After that, Thune said the Senate would immediately hold a procedural vote on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary. Monday’s vote came despite concerns from Democrats and some Republicans about her 2017 secret meeting with then-President Bashar Assad of Syria; her past efforts to repeal a powerful government surveillance tool, known as Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702; and her previous support for Edward Snowden, a former government contractor who leaked classified information to the press about those spying programs.

Reported similarly:
Roll Call [2/10/2025 2:32 PM, Jacob Fulton, 440K]
FOX News [2/10/2025 6:33 PM, Julia Johnson, 49889K]

New York Times [2/10/2025 6:03 PM, Matthew Cullen, 161405K] reports President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum today, reprising a policy from his first term. All imports of the metals, no matter the country of origin, would face a 25 percent tax, according to the White House. Domestic steel makers say they are struggling to compete against cheap foreign steel. They benefited last time Trump imposed similar tariffs, Ana Swanson, our international trade reporter, told me. “But there’s a big trade-off,” Ana said. “They increase costs for other businesses that use steel and aluminum. And there are a lot of those — makers of cars, machinery, planes and food packaging come to mind.” The new fees are likely to rankle allies like Canada and Mexico, who supply the bulk of U.S. metal imports. They would also hit at China, which dominates the global steel and aluminum industry, even if it does not export a lot of steel or aluminum directly to the U.S. In his three weeks back in office, Ana pointed out, Trump has already threatened more tariffs globally than he did in his entire first term, when he ended up imposing levies on foreign solar panels, washing machines, metals and more than $300 billion of products from China.

Wall Street Journal [2/10/2025 12:00 PM, James Rundle] reports New York state banned the use of DeepSeek on government devices, citing concerns over data privacy and censorship in the popular generative artificial intelligence app from China. DeepSeek, owned by Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, shot to fame in January, with its low-cost AI models rivaling American ones using less-advanced Nvidia chips. The app quickly dethroned OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most downloaded consumer AI app in the U.S. and made its models open source, attracting the attention of U.S. developers keen to latch on to the generative AI craze. Its sudden popularity caused a massive selloff in chip stocks. However, DeepSeek has also caused significant security concerns among Western governments. Analysis from security experts suggests that it has hidden code that could enable information to be sent to sanctioned companies in China. State agencies began removing the app over the weekend at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s direction, said Colin Ahern, the state’s chief cyber officer. “We do have high confidence that the reporting that we’re seeing is true, and should be taken very seriously. That’s why the governor is taking new steps today,” he said. DeepSeek didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Tests performed by The Wall Street Journal and others also raised concerns about censorship in the app, after it gave answers to politically sensitive questions over Taiwan, Tibet and the deadly 1989 military crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in line with China’s official government positions. In some cases, the app refused to answer, unlike Western-developed apps such as ChatGPT. News Corp, owner of Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.

Bloomberg [2/10/2025 8:46 AM, Stephanie Ha, 1450K] reports that U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his desire for Canada to become the 51st state Sunday, while also threatening new tariffs on steel and aluminum products despite a 30-day reprieve announced nearly a week ago. A source tells CTV News that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a crowd of business leaders at a summit in Toronto Friday that Trump’s threat to make Canada the 51st state is a "real thing," in part as a way to gain access to Canada’s critical minerals. The comments were made after media had been asked to leave the room. Speaking to Fox News anchor Bret Baier in an interview Sunday, Trump was asked directly about Trudeau’s comments about the annexation threat being real. "Yeah, it is," Trump answered. "I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much." But according to Statistics Canada, when trade in goods and services are combined, Canada recorded an overall trade surplus of $94.4 billion with the United States in 2023. Trump also spoke about Canada becoming the 51st state while speaking to the media on Air Force One on Sunday. Trump claims Canadians would be "paying less than half of the tax" if Canada were to become part of the U.S.

Bloomberg [2/11/2025 3:57 AM, Rachel Aiello, 1450K] reports Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada, are “entirely unjustified,” and “unacceptable.” Speaking to travelling reporters just as the sun was rising in Paris, Trudeau said that the federal government will be working with U.S. administration in the lead-up to the tariffs coming into effect, to highlight their negative impact, but “if it comes to that, our response of course will be firm and clear.” “We will stand up for Canadian workers. We will stand up for Canadian industries,” the prime minister said Tuesday. On Monday, Trump — citing the impacts of global overcapacity on the American domestic market — signed an executive order removing the exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on steel, and increased his 10 per cent 2018 aluminum tariffs. In Trump’s order, the president states in-part: “These actions are necessary and appropriate to remove the threatened impairment of the national security of the United States.” Disagreeing with that position, Trudeau pointed to how deeply integrated the Canadian and U.S. markets are, from defence and shipbuilding, to automotive manufacturing. “Together we make North America more competitive,” he said. This morning Trudeau stopped short of committing to a dollar-for-dollar response as he was ready to do on Trump’s now-paused import tariffs, but Canada did retaliate back in 2018 when similar measures were imposed during the NAFTA renegotiations, before receiving an exemption. This trade action comes just over a week after the U.S. and Canada agreed to a pause of at least 30 days on tariffs and reciprocal tariffs on cross-border imports. Trudeau commented briefly, ahead of a plenary session at the AI Action Summit in Paris, alongside numerous world leaders. Among them, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. When Vance arrived at the summit he did not stop to answer questions, including from Canadian media about tariffs and the American administrations’ “51st state” rhetoric. The prime minister is in Europe looking to strengthen Canada-EU trade ties in the face of nations on both sides of the Atlantic facing increased economic insecurity and threats from the 47th U.S. president. Trudeau said Canada will also be working with other allies who have been impacted by Trump’s latest trade action.

ABC News [2/10/2025 6:43 AM, David Brennan, 33392K] reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to his U.S. and European partners not to "abandon" Kyiv in any revived peace talks with Russia, aimed at ending the war between the two nations now nearly 3 years old. The return of President Donald Trump to the White House has raised the prospect of renewed negotiations, with the president telling reporters this weekend he had been "making progress" in contacts with Kyiv and with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with Britain’s ITV News published this weekend, Zelenskyy said he "would be ready for any format for talks" if there was "an understanding that America and Europe will not abandon us and they will support us and provide security guarantees.” Russian officials have expressed openness to renewed talks, but have not indicated any willingness to downgrade Moscow’s longstanding war goals of annexing swaths of Ukraine and blocking Kyiv’s ambitions to join NATO. Putin has said he is not willing to negotiate directly with Zelenskyy, dismissing the Ukrainian leader as "illegitimate.” On Monday, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told RIA Novosti that Moscow has not yet received any suitable negotiating proposals. The diplomatic maneuvering continues as White House officials prepare to travel to both Germany and Ukraine, with fresh high-level peace talk discussions expected. Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend next weekend the Munich Security Conference in southern Germany, where Zelenskyy is expected to lead Kyiv’s delegation. Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, is then expected to visit Ukraine on Feb. 20. In his interview with ITV, Zelenskyy warned the White House against simply freezing the conflict along the current front line. "A frozen conflict will lead to more aggression again and again," the Ukrainian leader said. "Who then will win prizes and go down in history as the victor? No one. It will be an absolute defeat for everyone, both for us, as is important, and for Trump.”

AP [2/10/2025 7:14 PM, Aamer Madhani, 30936K] reports President Donald Trump’ s senior advisers are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss the path toward ending Russia’s nearly three-year war in Ukraine. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told The Associated Press that the White House is ironing out details of the highly anticipated talks during the annual summit for international security discussions. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Kellogg are among the Trump administration officials traveling to Germany for the summit, and all could be involved in the critical talks with Zelenskyy and his team on the sidelines of the event. “Knowing how the process works, it would probably be better for Zelenskyy if we all met together and talked through it as a group,” Kellogg said in an interview. Trump on Monday said he’d “probably” speak with Zelenskyy this week. The U.S. president said administration officials also would use the Munich gathering to get a better gauge of the support that European nations are willing to provide Kyiv as it tries to repel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grinding invasion. Kellogg and other administration officials have already been meeting with European diplomats in Washington to discuss Ukraine. But the talks in Munich give Trump’s top aides their first major opportunity to deliver a message about the new administration’s foreign policy outlook and its approach to a war that Trump has said is costing too much American taxpayer money. He complained anew about Europe not doing enough in its own backyard. Trump argued that countries on the continent should repay the U.S. what Washington has spent helping Kyiv.

FOX News [2/10/2025 11:08 AM, Morgan Phillips, 49889K] reports that Egypt announced on Sunday it will host a summit of Arab leaders on Feb. 27 to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after President Donald Trump signaled he wants the U.S. to own it. Trump’s stunning declaration, made last week after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated over the weekend, rankled key U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Egypt’s foreign ministry said the meeting in Cairo would include discussions on "the state of Palestine that asked to hold the summit in order to discuss new and dangerous developments for the Palestinian cause." Gaza’s Arab neighbors also dismissed Trump’s calls for them to take in the 1.8 million Palestinians still living in the Strip. While many of Trump’s allies surmised the bold suggestion was a negotiating tactic, Trump reasserted to reporters Sunday night as he was leaving the Super Bowl that he was committed to "buying and owning" Gaza. "I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it. Other people may do it through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back," he said.

CNN [2/11/2025 2:00 AM, Kevin Liptak, 987K] reports that, like most of President Donald Trump’s meetings these days, Tuesday’s talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II will revolve around making a deal — at least in the president’s mind. A week after proposing a brazen new plan to seize control of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” Trump appears intent on negotiating his farfetched plan into reality. “I’m talking about starting to build,” Trump said over the weekend, “and I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt.” In this case, the deal he’s envisioning would apparently involve Jordan and Egypt accepting millions of new Palestinian refugees — over their consistent objections — so Trump can clear the rubble from the demolished Gaza Strip, construct new glass towers with Mediterranean views and invite “the world’s people” to move in. As leverage, Trump is wielding the billions of dollars in American assistance provided to Jordan and Egypt every year, without which those countries could face dire financial problems. “Yeah, maybe, sure why not?” Trump responded in the Oval Office on Monday evening when asked if he would hold back American aid to Jordan and Egypt. “If they don’t, I would conceivably withhold aid, yes.” Yet Cairo and Amman are not without leverage of their own: Both closely align their security policies with Washington, and both have played a role in protecting Israel in the past — including last year, when Jordan helped shoot down a barrage of Iranian missiles fired toward Israel. Even some US officials worry forcing Egypt and Jordan to accept new Palestinian refugees, if that’s even possible, could seriously destabilize two reliable security partners. “I do think he’ll take, and I think other countries will take also,” Trump said a day ahead of his meeting with Abdullah. “They have good hearts.” The question for Abdullah, along with Egyptian officials visiting Washington this week, is whether Trump’s maximalist proposal for the troubled enclave is serious, or whether it is merely a starting point for some alternative plan to bring peace and stability to the area. Some Trump officials have suggested the latter, even if they are careful to insist the president isn’t bluffing when discussing his audacious idea. “Come to the table with your plan if you don’t like his plan,” Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, suggesting the White House has received “all kinds of outreach” since Trump’s comments.

Reported similarly:

New York Times [2/10/2025 7:04 PM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Shawn McCreesh, 161405K]

CNN [2/10/2025 3:07 AM, Jeremy Diamond, Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder, Lauren Izso and Mostafa Salem, 987K] reports Hamas has postponed the next hostage release scheduled to take place in Gaza on Saturday “until further notice,” accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire deal. Israel described the postponement as a “complete violation of the ceasefire” and called on the Israeli military to prepare for “any possible scenario” in Gaza. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, urged Israel to cancel the ceasefire and “let all hell break out” unless Hamas release all remaining hostages by Saturday, a demand that goes beyond the deal hashed out between the militant group and Israel and injects fresh uncertainty into an already fragile agreement. In a post on X published before Trump spoke, Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing the Qassam Brigades, said that the handover of the hostages “who were scheduled to be released next Saturday … will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and compensates for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively.” He added: “We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation commits to them.” However, in a later statement, Hamas said there was still an opportunity for the release to go forward as planned. It said the move “serves as a warning” to Israel and was meant to pressure it into “fully honoring” the terms of the ceasefire deal. “By issuing this statement five full days ahead of the scheduled prisoner handover, Hamas aims to grant mediators sufficient time to pressure the occupation to fulfill its obligations,” the statement read. “This also leaves the door open for the exchange to proceed as planned, provided the occupation complies.” Abu Obeida detailed various alleged violations of the agreement by Israel over the past three weeks, including “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the strip, and not allowing the entry of relief supplies in all their forms according to what was agreed upon.” Hamas also accused Israel of not allowing tents, prefabricated houses, fuel, or rubble-removing mechanisms into the strip. It alleged Israel was also delaying the entry of essential medicines and hospital supplies. A diplomat with knowledge of the ceasefire talks claimed to CNN that the UN, Qatar and other countries had requested to deliver temporary shelters to Gaza but Israel turned them down. CNN has reached out to Israeli officials regarding the diplomat’s claim.

New York Times [2/11/2025 5:06 AM, Lara Jakes, 161405K] reports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is scheduled to hold an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday after Hamas said it was postponing the next release of Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip, increasing the pressure on an already fragile three-week cease-fire. The security cabinet is set to consider how — or whether — to move forward with ongoing negotiations to secure the safe release of all hostages this spring. Ahead of the meeting, relatives of the hostages blocked Israel’s main highway with protest signs and orange smoke bombs. Even as one family rejoiced in receiving a proof-of-life message about 27-year-old twins Gali and Ziv Berman, another was told that Shlomo Mantzur, the oldest hostage at 86, had been killed. Mr. Netanyahu moved up Tuesday’s meeting after Hamas said on Monday it would indefinitely postpone the release of several more hostages who had been expected to be freed on Saturday. Hamas accused Israel of violating parts of the cease-fire agreement. Hours later, President Trump threw down a gauntlet of his own, demanding that all of the remaining hostages be released by 12 o’clock on Saturday or “all hell is going to break out.” Only a handful of Israeli hostages have been released each week since the cease-fire began, coinciding with the freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as required under the first stage of the negotiated deal. Sixteen of 33 Israeli hostages have been released so far as required in the initial part of the deal that is set to expire in early March. About 60 other hostages, some of whom are believed to be dead, would be released in a second phase intended to last six weeks. But some Israeli officials have resisted a second stage of the deal that would include talks on how to fully end the 15-month war, urging instead to continue fighting Hamas and, potentially, rescue the hostages sooner. “Trump is right! Go back and destroy now!” the far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a social media post on Tuesday morning.

The Hill [2/10/2025 7:02 PM, Brett Samuels, 16346K] reports President Trump on Monday suggested he might end a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas if all hostages being held in Gaza are not released by the end of the week, warning that if the deal does not go through, "all hell is going to break out.". "As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after signing another array of executive orders. "And if they’re not returned — all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two, and one, and three, and four and two. Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say all hell is going to break out," he added. Trump, who speculated that many of the hostages are already dead, made clear he was speaking for himself and that Israel could override him. Asked what he meant by "all hell will break out," Trump told reporters, "Hamas will find out what I mean.". Israel and Hamas in mid-January agreed to a ceasefire that included the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, as well as the release of more than 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. While roughly half of the individuals involved in the hostage releases have been set free as part of the agreement, Hamas on Monday said it was indefinitely postponing the release of Israeli hostages and accused Israel’s government of violating the ceasefire agreement. The move threatened to derail the ceasefire, which was already on fragile footing. In addition to the hostage releases, the ceasefire agreement calls for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza in the coming weeks. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have said it will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is totally destroyed.

AP [2/10/2025 11:12 AM, Zeke Miller and Sam Magdy, 47097K] reports that President Donald Trump said Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for U.S. "ownership" of the war-torn territory, contradicting other officials in his administration who have sought to argue Trump was only calling for the temporary relocation of its population. Less than a week after he floated his plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza and turn it in "the Riviera of the Middle East," Trump, in an interview with FOX News’ Bret Baier that was set to air on Monday, said "No, they wouldn’t" when asked if Palestinians in Gaza would have a right to return to the territory. It comes as he has ramped up pressure on Arab states, especially U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt, to take in Palestinians from Gaza, who claim the territory as part of a future homeland. "We’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is," Trump said. "In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent." Arab nations have sharply criticized the Trump proposal, and Trump’s latest words were released a day before he is set to host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday.

Reported similarly:
CNN [2/10/2025 8:02 AM, Veronica Stracqualursi and Elise Hammond, 22417K]

New York Times [2/10/2025 8:13 AM, Claire Moses, 161405K] reports President Trump again reiterated his proposal for the United States to take over Gaza, telling reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that the strip of land was “a big real estate site” that the United States was “going to own.” He also mentioned building “some beautiful sites for the people, the Palestinians, to live in.” The location of such sites was not clear. Mr. Trump has repeatedly suggested that the two million Palestinians from the enclave be relocated. Mr. Trump’s comments added even more confusion around the proposal, which he first announced last week at a news conference at the White House alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The idea has drawn widespread international condemnation, with some critics likening it to ethnic cleansing. The forced deportation or transfer of a civilian population is a violation of international law and a war crime, according to experts. Top officials in the Trump administration attempted to walk back the president’s comments on Wednesday, a day after he first announced the idea. They insisted President Trump had not committed to sending American troops to Gaza and that any relocation of Palestinians would be temporary. On Sunday, as Mr. Trump was traveling to attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans, he raised the proposal again. “Think of it as a big real estate site, and the United States is going to own it,” he said of Gaza, according to an audio recording from Air Force One that was shared with reporters. “There won’t be anybody there,” Mr. Trump added. “Hamas won’t be there,” he said, referring to the militant group that led the assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that touched off the war in Gaza. “We’ll be building through other of the very rich countries in the Middle East; they’ll be building some beautiful sites for the people, the Palestinians, to live in,” he said. Mr. Netanyahu, at a government meeting in Israel on Sunday, praised Mr. Trump’s vision for the region following the war. “There are opportunities for possibilities that I think we never dreamed of, or at least a few months ago they did not seem possible — but they are possible,” he said. “President Trump came with a completely different vision,” for the future of Gaza, Mr. Netanyahu said, “much better for the State of Israel, a revolutionary and creative vision, which we are discussing. He is very determined to carry it out.”

Reuters [2/10/2025 8:36 AM, Manoj Kumar, 48128K] reports Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a two-day U.S. visit starting Wednesday, is expected to propose tariff cuts and increased energy and defence imports during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Modi is keen to avert a potential trade war and boost trade ties after Trump threatened reciprocal tariffs on many countries, including a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports. Here are key issues likely to be discussed during the bilateral meeting: India plans to propose increasing energy products imports from the United States, estimated at over $11 billion in first eleven months of 2024, to alleviate trade imbalances. As the world’s fourth largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), India may push its oil companies to purchase more U.S. LNG, buoyed by the Trump administration’s lifting of export permit bans for new projects. State-run GAIL India Ltd (GAIL.NS), is aiming to acquire a stake in a U.S. LNG plant or to secure long-term supply deals, company chairman Sandeep Gupta has said. India will likely negotiate the purchase and co-production of combat vehicles and finalise a fighter jet engine deal during Modi’s visit. Protracted talks have been ongoing between India and the U.S. over the co-production of General Dynamics’ (GD.N), Stryker combat vehicles. Officials from India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) (HIAE.NS), are set to meet with U.S. officials and General Electric’s (GE.N), aerospace unit in the coming weeks to finalise the deal. The countries are expected to discuss the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants by the U.S. administration, and India’s concerns about their treatment. Mukesh Agi, president of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), said the industry is addressing the misuse of H-1B visas while seeking an increase in legal migration to meet the United States’ professional shortage. U.S. officials and industry representatives are likely to raise the issue of "market access and a level-playing field" for U.S. businesses, citing higher import tariffs on certain goods. Elon Musk is expected to meet with Modi to discuss bringing Tesla’s cars to India and expediting the allocation of satellite spectrum for his Starlink project. India will likely propose facilitating investments by Indian companies in the U.S., highlighting their billion-dollar investments in steel, garment, and contact manufacturing sectors. Indian officials and industry groups are optimistic Modi’s visit will enhance strategic and economic ties with the United States. New Delhi aims to attract increased investments from U.S. companies in manufacturing and services, including the insurance sector, amid escalating threats from China.

Reuters [2/10/2025 7:33 PM, Kanishka Singh, 48128K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office on January 20, but did not offer details on the topics of their conversation. Trump made the comments in an interview aired on Fox News on Monday. "Yeah ... I have talked to him and I have talked to his people, too," Trump said when asked if he has spoken to the Chinese leader since the U.S. president’s inauguration. "We have a very good personal relationship," Trump added. The president did not provide details on when exactly the call happened or what was discussed. Trump said last week he was in no hurry to speak to Xi to try to defuse a new trade war between the world’s two largest economies. A conversation between Xi and Trump is seen as crucial to a potential easing or delay of trade tariffs.

Yahoo! News [2/10/2025 4:30 AM, Staff, 57114K] reports hours after China’s retaliatory tariffs on US energy imports went into effect on Monday, a group of Chinese oil and gas executives flew to Kazakhstan to explore new trade opportunities, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The representatives were part of a larger delegation led by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), a semi-official trade group, which involved more than 30 companies in sectors including energy, petrochemicals and industrial machinery, according to the report by Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with CCTV. CCPIT plans to organise more trade missions to help Chinese companies tap opportunities in the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, Africa and other regions in fields including oil and gas, automobiles and agricultural machinery, the report added. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. On Monday, China imposed a 15 per cent tariff hike on eight products from the US, including coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG), along with a 10 per cent tariff increase on a further 72 products, which include crude oil and agricultural machinery. The moves were part of a slew of retaliatory measures launched by Beijing in response to Washington’s decision to hike tariffs on all Chinese imports by 10 per cent. China has been deepening ties with emerging markets from Latin America to the Middle East in recent years, as it seeks to diversify its export destinations amid growing tensions with the West. As the world’s biggest energy buyer, China is also diversifying its import sources to shore up its energy security. Kazakhstan is among its main natural gas suppliers. Bilateral trade between China and Kazakhstan hit US$43.8 billion in 2024, an increase of 6.8 per cent year on year, according to data from China Customs.

CNN [2/10/2025 11:18 PM, John Liu, 987K] reports DeepSeek’s advances have roiled global stock markets and AI players. Now, its influence is spreading quickly at home, with some of China’s biggest tech companies, many of which had been developing their own chatbots, racing to incorporate the open-source model into their own services. In early February telecoms giant Huawei said it would run DeepSeek on its own computing hardware composed of its Ascend computer processors, which are domestically produced. Some AI watchers have hailed this as a turning point, as it demonstrates that a high-performing model like DeepSeek no longer requires Nvidia’s most powerful chips to operate. "This partnership defies US sanctions by proving China can deliver globally competitive AI performance using domestically developed AI hardware and software stack, replacing Nvidia chips with Ascend chips," analysts at Bernstein, an investment and research firm, wrote in a research note earlier this month. Starting in late 2022, the Biden Administration imposed several rounds of export controls on China in an effort to deprive the country of technology that Washington fears Beijing could use to make the next generation of weapons and AI systems. But the success of DeepSeek’s latest R1 AI model, which is said to be trained at a fraction of the cost of established players like ChatGPT, challenged the assumption that cutting off access to advanced chips could successfully stymie China’s progress. Such is DeepSeek’s fame that leading Chinese AI chipmakers - including Moore Threads, Tencent-backed Enflame, Baidu’s Kunlunxin and Hygon Information Technology - have also announced support for the firm, running the AI model on their own computing chips.

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