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.

Reuters [2/14/2025 3:19 AM, Staff, 50804K] reports the United States deported 119 people of different nationalities to Panama as part of an agreement between the Trump administration and the Central American nation, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday. The first flight from the U.S., carrying people from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, arrived on Wednesday, and two more will land soon, Mulino said at a news conference. In total the U.S. will send Panama 360 people on the three flights. Before being returned to their respective countries, the deportees will be transferred to a shelter near the Darien — the jungle separating Central America from South America that countless migrants traverse in a bid to reach the U.S. "Through a cooperation program with the U.S. government ... yesterday a U.S. Air Force flight arrived with 119 people of the most diverse nationalities in the world," Mulino said. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, after talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mulino stressed that sovereignty over the Panama canal is not up for debate. However, he outlined the possibility of repatriating more migrants. Mulino at that meeting also announced that a memorandum of understanding signed in July with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could be expanded so Venezuelans, Colombians and Ecuadoreans can be returned from the perilous Darien Gap at U.S. cost, through an airstrip in Panama. The Panamanian deputy minister for security, Luis Icaza, said that thanks to bilateral collaboration between Panama and the U.S., the flow of migrants crossing the Darien was reduced by 90% in January, compared with the same month a year earlier. The New York Times [2/13/2025 1:00 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, Annie Correal, Maria Abi-Habib, and Julie Turkewitz, 161405K] reports that the flight carrying the migrants, a military plane that took off from California, appears to be the first of its kind during the Trump administration. It came on the heels of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit last week to Panama, which has been under tremendous pressure from President Trump over how it runs the Panama Canal. The more than 100 migrants on the flight, including families, had entered the United States illegally from countries such as Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. It is often difficult for the United States to return migrants to those nations. President José Raúl Mulino of Panama, speaking at a news conference on Thursday morning, said 119 people of “the most diverse nationalities in the world” had arrived the night before on a U.S. Air Force flight at an airport outside Panama City. Mr. Mulino said they were being housed in a local hotel and would be moved to a shelter in Darién, a province in Panama’s east, a process managed by the International Organization for Migration. From there, he said, they would be repatriated.

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Reuters [2/13/2025 5:50 PM, Elida Moreno, 48128K]
CBS News [2/13/2025 5:17 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 52225K]

Reuters [2/13/2025 5:29 PM, Nate Raymond, 48128K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to curtail automatic birthright citizenship as part of his hardline immigration crackdown suffered a further setback on Thursday as a fourth judge declared it unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston at the behest of immigrant rights groups and Democratic attorneys general from 18 states and the District of Columbia issued a nationwide injunction blocking implementation of an executive order Trump signed on his first day back in office on Jan. 20. The preliminary injunction he issued created an extra legal barrier for Trump’s order to take effect, after federal judges in Maryland, Washington state and New Hampshire similarly blocked the order’s enforcement. The administration is expected to appeal, as it already has in the Washington state and Maryland cases. If allowed to stand, Trump’s order would for the first time deny more than 150,000 children born annually in the United States the right to citizenship, the plaintiffs say. CBS News [2/13/2025 4:26 PM, Melissa Quinn, 52225K] reports that the challengers have argued that Mr. Trump’s executive order, issued on his first day in office, violates the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. Sorokin joins federal judges in Maryland, Washington and New Hampshire that have issued preliminary injunctions blocking the Trump administration from enforcing the birthright citizenship executive order. The Justice Department has appealed two of those decisions to federal appeals courts in San Francisco and Richmond, Virginia. The New York Times [2/13/2025 5:44 PM, Staff, 161405K] reports that a hearing on two related lawsuits was held in U.S. District Court in Boston last week before Judge Leo T. Sorokin, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. Judge Sorokin granted the injunction on Thursday; it is effective immediately, and nationwide in scope. “First, allegiance in the United States arises from the fact of birth,” Judge Sorokin wrote in his decision. “It does not depend on the status of a child’s parents, nor must it be exclusive, as the defendants contend. Applying the defendants’ view of allegiance would mean children of dual citizens and lawful permanent residents would not be birthright citizens — a result even the defendants do not support.” One of the lawsuits filed in Boston was brought by 18 states, the District of Columbia and the City of San Francisco. The other was filed on behalf of an expectant mother by Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legal activist group based in Boston.

CBS New York [2/13/2025 4:58 PM, Renee Anderson and Alice Gainer, 52225K] reports that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice is suing New York over immigration enforcement, specifically the state’s Green Light Law. The law allows undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers’ licenses without providing a Social Security number. Applicants can use other forms of identification, like passports or drivers’ licenses from other countries, and they are still required to pass a road test. "New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today," Bondi said. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the law in 2019, making New York the 13th state to enact such a measure. The goal of the law was to make it safer for everyone on the road by to making it easier for immigrant drivers to get insurance. At least 19 states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, now have similar laws in place, along with the District of Columbia. The drive-only licenses cannot be used to vote or for some federal or state identification purposes. In Connecticut, for example, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles makes it clear on its website the licenses are only to be used for driving and registering a motor vehicle. The details of these laws differ from state-to-state, including whether a driver’s information can be shared with federal authorities. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [2/14/2025 12:00 AM, Staff, 2365K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi has barely been in office for a week but has already sent a clear and welcome message that the Justice Department is under new management. On Wednesday, Bondi announced she had filed a lawsuit against the state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), and New York Attorney General Letitia James for what she said was prioritizing "illegal aliens over American citizens.” The lawsuit targets a number of New York laws that have inhibited immigration enforcement. There’s the Green Light Law, which grants driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and prohibits federal law enforcement, including immigration enforcement, from accessing the state’s driver’s license information. There’s also a law that requires state officials to inform illegal immigrants if federal officials inquire about them, among other things. "This is a new DOJ," Bondi said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit. "New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.” Bondi’s flashy press conference and headline-grabbing lawsuit show there’s a new sheriff in town. The Justice Department has a zero-tolerance policy for states that defy the rule of law and endanger the public by allowing criminal illegal immigrants to roam free. After four years of the Merrick Garland DOJ’s aggressive targeting of law-abiding citizens, Bondi is a breath of fresh air. Rather than suing Texas for protecting its citizens from illegal immigrants, prosecuting peaceful protesters who prayed outside of abortion clinics, or sending the FBI to investigate parents who spoke out at school board meetings and Catholics who attend the Latin Mass, Bondi’s first major legal action as attorney general is an effort to force the state of New York to comply with existing federal immigration law. The new attorney general, who personally removed the photographs of former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Attorney General Merrick Garland at the DOJ this week, has pledged to wipe away the legacy of her predecessors on a number of fronts. Bondi has vowed to restore the independence of the DOJ following the Biden administration’s frequent use of the department as a political tool. And perhaps most refreshingly, Bondi has pledged to focus the department on its core mission of keeping people safe and prosecuting criminals.

FOX News [2/13/2025 2:20 PM, Breanne Deppisch and Jake Gibson, 49889K] reports that a D.C. federal judge sided with USAID workers Thursday, granting their request to extend a restraining order that prevents the Trump administration from effectively shutting down the foreign aid agency. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, said he would extend by one week the temporary restraining order, with plans to issue a final decision on a request to block President Donald Trump’s action on Feb. 21. His new order instructs the government to reinstate any USAID employees put on administrative leave and forbids the Trump administration from implementing any new administrative leave on USAID employees. The hearing Thursday centered on the level of "irreparable harm" alleged against Trump’s executive action in court. Nichols asked plaintiff’s attorneys detailed questions about the impact of a stop work order that placed virtually every USAID employee on leave. Karla Gilbride, representing the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees, told the judge that USAID employees had suffered harm both due to their own safety concerns and concerns for their well-being. Northern Public Radio [2/13/2025 2:37 PM, Hansi Lo Wang, 33K] reports that the decision comes after the court temporarily blocked the administration last week from carrying out a push to shrink the workforce at USAID, an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1961, and recall employees stationed abroad to the United States. At Thursday’s hearing, the judge said by next week, he plans to release another ruling on whether the ongoing pause will continue past Feb. 21, among other issues. Nichols has also asked Justice Department attorneys to provide the court with more information by Friday on how the Trump administration plans to ensure that the safety of overseas USAID employees who are put on leave would not be put at risk as well as what would happen to their regular non-salary benefits. This lawsuit — led by the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing foreign service officers and other USAID workers — is one of three ongoing legal challenges to efforts by the Trump administration to gut the agency and stop most foreign aid.

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New York Times [2/13/2025 6:37 PM, Karoun Demirjian and Eileen Sullivan, 161405K]

Washington Examiner [2/13/2025 6:22 PM, Ashley Oliver, 2365K] reports fourteen states brought a lawsuit against Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on Thursday, adding to the dozens of legal fights jamming up President Donald Trump’s agenda during his first month in office. New Mexico led the states in the lawsuit, which was filed in Washington, D.C., and alleged Musk’s far-reaching authority as head of DOGE is unconstitutional. The states asked a judge to block Musk’s ability to carry out certain actions, such as canceling government contracts or ordering spending changes. “In recent weeks, Defendant Elon Musk, with President Donald J. Trump’s approval, has roamed through the federal government unraveling agencies, accessing sensitive data, and causing mass chaos and confusion for state and local governments, federal employees, and the American people,” state attorneys wrote, saying Musk has “unchecked authority.” Trump established DOGE as an advisory board to root out wasteful government spending and identify fraud. The president tapped Musk, a billionaire tech CEO, to helm the effort. “He’s a big businessman. He’s a successful guy. That’s why we want him doing this,” Trump said from the Oval Office while speaking to reporters alongside Musk this week. But Musk and his team, which WIRED reported included several college-aged engineers, have drawn scrutiny for gaining what the lawsuit alleged was improper access to sensitive information stored in several government agencies. Asked about any “checks and balances” surrounding Musk’s role during the Oval Office appearance, Musk said he was “trying to be as transparent as possible” and that the DOGE team was posting updates about its findings on its website and on the platform X, which Musk owns.

Washington Examiner [2/13/2025 1:57 PM, Kaelan Deese, 2365K] reports that Govs. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Andy Beshear (D-KY) joined the legal fight against the Trump administration on Thursday, accusing federal agencies of withholding over $1.2 billion in grants despite court orders. Shapiro’s complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, says Pennsylvania agencies remain cut off from critical funds for infrastructure, energy assistance, and environmental programs. "Governor Josh Shapiro and members of Pennsylvania’s agencies have been working with federal partners and legislators to try to fully restore access to these funds," the lawsuit stated. "Despite that work, and despite two temporary restraining orders requiring federal agencies to restore access to suspended funds, federal agencies continue to deny Pennsylvania agencies funding that they are entitled to receive." A press release about the governor’s lawsuits alleged that an additional $900 million in grants remain flagged and require an "undefined" review, delaying projects crucial to the state’s economic and environmental goals. "While Commonwealth agencies cannot draw from certain federal accounts, they are stuck incurring debts and obligations in federally approved projects that the Trump Administration currently is refusing to reimburse," the press release stated. Neither Pennsylvania nor Kentucky had previously participated in the litigation, as both states have Republican attorneys general. Rather than filing his own suit, Beshear joined the suit brought by 22 states and the District of Columbia, and a coalition of advocacy groups.

The AP [2/13/2025 10:19 PM, Jake Offenhartz and Philip Marcelo, 47097K] reports that President Donald Trump’s border czar met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams Thursday as the Republican administration pushes for more help detaining and deporting people accused of crimes. Adams didn’t address reporters following the closed-door talk with Thomas Homan at a federal office building in New York. Both men left the building in vehicles. Besides discussing immigration, Adams had said before the meeting that he intended to bring up the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s move Wednesday to claw back more than $80 million it had previously paid the city to help defray the cost of sheltering homeless migrants. U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officials have long had a contentious relationship with New York, which has laws that limit police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Adams says he favors loosening those "sanctuary" policies, but he doesn’t have the broad power to do so as mayor. Still, the Democrat is under unique pressure to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. On Monday, the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors in Manhattan to dismiss corruption charges against Adams so he could focus on assisting the president’s immigration agenda. As of Thursday, the criminal charges remained in place. CNN [2/13/2025 2:55 PM, Eric Levenson, Gloria Pazmino, and Tierney Sneed, 22417K] reports that the focus on the Big Apple is clear from multiple legal moves over the last few days: The Justice Department on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Adams so he can better help their immigration crackdown and on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against New York state officials over so-called sanctuary policies that limit the state’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Further, FEMA clawed back more than $80 million intended to help house migrants in NYC – a move that city financial watchdog Brad Lander described as a "highway robbery" of money allocated by Congress more than two years ago. The Homan and Adams meeting on immigration enforcement Thursday comes as the mayor faces key questions about how closely he works with the Trump administration ahead of a Democratic primary election in June.

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CBS New York [2/13/2025 12:57 PM, Kristie Keleshian, Jenna DeAngelis, and Renee Anderson, 52225K]

The AP [2/13/2025 10:19 PM, Jake Offenhartz and Philip Marcelo, 33392K] reports New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he will allow federal immigration officials to operate at the city’s Rikers Island jail following a meeting Thursday with President Donald Trump’s border czar. Adams said he will issue an executive order reestablishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence at the complex — one of the nation’s largest and most notorious lockups — as had been the case under prior administrations. The Democrat said ICE agents would be focused on assisting the correction department’s intelligence bureau in criminal investigations, particularly those focused on violent criminals and gangs. “As I have always said, immigrants have been crucial in building our city and will continue to be key to our future success, but we must fix our long-broken immigration system,” Adams said in a statement. “That is why I have been clear that I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers.” Opponents dismissed the move as a “needless concession” and “legally dubious.” “ICE’s presence on Rikers serves no legitimate purpose, and opens the door to unlawful collusion between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials in violation of our city’s well-established sanctuary protections,” Zach Ahmad, senior policy counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said. Trump’s border czar Thomas Homan argued that having an ICE presence at local jails is crucial to removing violent criminals who have entered the country illegally. “For the naysayers, the city council who wants nothing to do with ICE, they need to understand: If we arrest the bad guy at Rikers Island, then the alien’s safe, the officer’s safe, the community’s safe,” he said in an interview with NewsMax after the meeting. Homan met with Adams at a federal office building in Manhattan as the Republican administration pushes for more help detaining and deporting people accused of crimes. ICE has long had a contentious relationship with New York, which has rules and laws limiting police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Immigration officials, for example, aren’t able to request city jails hold people wanted for civil immigration law violations past when they would ordinarily be released from custody, under city policy. New York City has also passed measures that curtail ICE’s access to public schools and other city properties. The New York Times [2/14/2025 3:37 AM, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, 740K] reports that the meeting was seen as an early test of the mayor’s relationship with the Trump administration, and of the degree to which Mr. Adams might owe some fealty after the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop the corruption charges against the mayor. Emil Bove III, the acting deputy attorney general who requested the dismissal, said on Monday that dropping the charges was necessary to free Mr. Adams to cooperate with the president’s immigration crackdown. ICE used to have offices on Rikers Island, allowing the city to easily transfer undocumented immigrants jailed there to ICE custody, until the city passed sanctuary laws in 2014 banning ICE from the jail complex. Mr. Adams had been seeking a way to allow ICE agents into Rikers without violating the city’s sanctuary laws, and he appears to have found a loophole. A provision in one of the 2014 laws permits him to issue an executive order to allow access to federal immigration authorities “for purposes unrelated to the enforcement of civil immigration laws.” In a series of television interviews conducted after the announcement, Mr. Adams framed the move as a necessary step to “remove dangerous people off our streets” and “to root out these gangs.”

Reported similarly:
The Hill [2/13/2025 5:47 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 16346K]
CNN [2/13/2025 6:21 PM, Eric Levenson, Gloria Pazmino and Tierney Sneed]

The AP [2/13/2025 4:22 PM, Larry Neumeister, Alanna Durkin Richer, and Eric Tucker,14282K] reports that the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned Thursday after refusing a Justice Department order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Two senior Justice Department officials also quit after the department leadership in Washington moved to seize control of the case. Danielle Sassoon, a Republican serving as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced her resignation in an email to her staff. The move was confirmed by a spokesperson for the office. Adams’ case has yet to be dropped. After Sassoon declined to dismiss the case, the department’s public integrity section in Washington was asked to take over, according to a person familiar with the matter. Two senior officials who oversee the unit, including the acting chief, resigned in response, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. The exits came days after a high-ranking Justice Department official directed federal prosecutors in New York to end the case against Adams, a Democrat who was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and bribes of free or discounted travel from people who wanted to buy his influence. He has pleaded not guilty. The New York Times [2/13/2025 10:59 PM, Glenn Thrush, Devlin Barrett and Adam Goldman, 161405K] reports that, in less than a month in power, President Trump’s political appointees have embarked on an unapologetic, strong-arm effort to impose their will on the Justice Department, seeking to justify their actions as the simple reversal of the “politicization” of federal law enforcement under their Biden-era predecessors. The ferocious campaign, executed by Emil Bove III — Mr. Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer who is now the department’s acting No. 2 official — is playing out in public, in real time, through a series of moves that underscore Mr. Trump’s intention to bend the traditionally nonpartisan career staff in federal law enforcement to suit his ends. That strategy has quickly precipitated a crisis that is an early test of how resilient the norms of the criminal justice system will prove to be against the pressures brought by a retribution-minded president and his appointees. On Thursday, the interim U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Danielle R. Sassoon, resigned rather than sign off on Mr. Bove’s command to dismiss the corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York. Ms. Sassoon is no member of the liberal resistance: She clerked for the conservative Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, and had been appointed to her post by Mr. Trump’s team. Dropping the charges, “for reasons having nothing to do with the strength of the case” went against the “duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor,” she wrote in a letter to Mr. Bove explaining her decision. Mr. Bove, rebuffed by Ms. Sassoon, tried a procedural end-around, asking officials in the department’s Washington headquarters to take over the case, then have someone on their staff sign the dismissal. Instead, five prosecutors in the criminal division and public integrity unit also quit, leaving their colleagues to furtively discuss their options, expressing their hope that they would not be called upon to take actions that would end with their resignation or termination.

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NBC News [2/13/2025 2:31 PM, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Ryan J. Reilly, and Laura Jarrett, 50804K]

CBS Miami [2/13/2025 6:16 PM, Staff, 52225K] reports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law two far-reaching immigration enforcement bills on Thursday, paving the way for stricter penalties, new enforcement measures and the creation of a state immigration board designed to coordinate with federal officials. The legislation aims to position Florida as a key player in helping former President Donald Trump identify and deport undocumented immigrants. The bills, passed by the Florida House and Senate, include stiffer penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes, tougher enforcement requirements for local officials and changes to the state’s controversial migrant transport program. The board would coordinate immigration enforcement activities with federal officials and dole out $250 million in grants to local law-enforcement agencies to assist federal enforcement efforts. Decisions made by the board would have to be unanimous. One of the more controversial bills requires that undocumented immigrants convicted of first-degree murder or raping children face a mandatory death sentence in Florida. The bill also makes it a misdemeanor for undocumented immigrants over age 18 to "knowingly" enter Florida "after entering the U.S. by eluding or avoiding examination or inspection by immigration officers." The measure carries a nine-month jail sentence for first-time violators. Second-time offenders would face felony charges carrying a minimum sentence of a year and a day behind bars. Another bill makes significant changes to a 2023 law that created the "Unauthorized Alien Transport Program" within the state Division of Emergency Management. Under the new plan, the state agency can only transport migrants out of the state if federal immigration officials "specifically request assistance," cover the costs of the travel and oversee the operations. Another measure requires sheriffs and county jail administrators to cooperate with federal immigration officials and participate in what is known as the 287(g) program and report undocumented immigrants to federal authorities. The bill would impose $5,000 fines and suspension from office for county or municipal officials who refuse to comply with immigration detainers issued by a federal agency. It also increases penalties and requires pretrial detention for undocumented immigrants who commit forcible felonies, something already required for other serious violent crimes. The measure also does away with in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students.

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Washington Post [2/13/2025 5:51 PM, Lori Rozsa, 40736K]

Houston Chronicle [2/13/2025 9:37 AM, Claire Partain, 2315K] reports that the American Civil Liberties Union’s Texas chapter asked Houston ISD to review its decision to suspend several Northside High School students following a "disruptive" protest on nationwide immigration crackdowns. Around 100 students participated in a walkout protesting nationwide changes to immigration enforcement Friday, according to HISD. While most participated peacefully, the district said it entered secure mode as some students declined requests to return to class and began protesting indoors. The school was put into secure mode, and some students were issued a three-day suspension "consistent with the Code of Student Conduct." "That protest was overwhelmingly peaceful and well-organized, with staff respecting students’ right to protest and ensuring that all students remained safe. Most of the students returned to class without incident," HISD said in a statement. "However, a small group of students became very disruptive to the learning environment. The students were running through the hallways and persisted with disruptive activities despite requests to return order." While students and activists acknowledged that some students interrupted learning, they said the district should have used lesser punishments and avoided giving blanket punishments to students who did not damage property. Citing HISD’s code of conduct, the state ACLU chapter questioned the campus’ decision to suspend students.

AP [2/13/2025 1:44 PM, Sean Murphy, 47097K] reports that Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he will stop a plan pushed by the state’s top education official to collect the immigration status of children when they register for public school. The Republican governor said Wednesday he is a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, but that policymakers should focus on targeting those in the country illegally who commit other crimes. "Collecting 6, 7, 8-year-old kids’ addresses and immigration status in the state of Oklahoma, that’s not a public safety issue," said Stitt, a second-term governor who is term-limited in 2026. "Let’s go after the people that are committing crimes, and let’s not terrorize and make our kids not show up for school." State Superintendent Ryan Walters pushed the proposal, which was approved by the State Board of Education last month, outraging teachers and civil libertarians and promoting fear in immigrant communities. "The governor’s sound rejection of a radical attempt to undermine the right to education is a result of the concerted advocacy of parents, educators, and advocates across Oklahoma who mobilized to oppose it," Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement. The proposed rule, which requires the governor’s approval before it takes effect, mandates that parents or legal guardians provide proof of citizenship of their children when enrolling them in public school, including a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. passport, consular report of birth abroad, permanent resident card or other legal document.

Axios [2/13/2025 4:39 PM, Alayna Alvarez, 16349K] reports Denver Public Schools this week is believed to be the first district in the nation to sue the Trump administration over immigration enforcement in schools — but it’s likely not the last. DPS officials have heard from "several" school districts that are interested in joining its lawsuit or pursuing similar action, spokesperson Scott Pribble told Axios Denver. DPS’ lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, argues the immigration crackdown has significantly lowered school attendance and is jeopardizing state funding, which is tied to enrollment. The district says it has been forced to divert resources from education to prepare for potential immigration arrests on school grounds. DPS also filed for a temporary restraining order that would reinstate the sensitive-locations policy and prevent schools from becoming "hunting grounds for suspected undocumented immigrants." If successful, DPS’ lawsuit could set a precedent for other districts looking to shield students from immigration raids.

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The Hill [2/13/2025 2:58 PM, Lexi Lonas Cochran, 16346K]

USA Today [2/13/2025 1:22 PM, Jonathan Limehouse, 89965K] reports that the two pilots involved in the crash ejected themselves into San Diego Bay before being quickly recovered by a fishing boat crew. The two pilots who were aboard a military aircraft when it crashed near Shelter Island in San Diego are in "good condition" and under 24-hour medical observation, U.S. Navy officials said. The Navy said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY that a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135 crashed while landing around 10:15 a.m. The pilots ejected into San Diego Bay and were immediately recovered before being taken to a local hospital for medical assessment, according to Navy officials. The EA-18G Growler was identified in San Diego Bay, where it remained submerged as of Wednesday evening, the Navy’s statement reads. Response teams are actively assessing the scene of the crash, according to military officials. "Harbor Security boats are on site securing the area, and a containment boom was placed around the crash site to minimize the spread of fuel and debris," the statement reads. "Environmental and safety teams are working to mitigate any potential impacts. There are no reports of civilian injuries or damage at this time." Navy advising people not to ‘approach, touch or collect any debris’. After being helped out of the water by the fishing crew, the pilots were picked up by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vessel, according to the Coast Guard, the outlet reported. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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Miami Herald [2/13/2025 10:52 AM, Stacey Ritzen, 6595K]

Reuters [2/13/2025 1:25 PM, Ryan Patrick, 48128K] reports that the United States and Canada have agreed to strengthen cross-border law enforcement collaboration to counter Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement on Thursday. INTERPOL Washington Director Jeffrey A. Grimming and National Central Bureau Ottawa Director Marie-Josee Homsy signed a memorandum of cooperation that commits the two countries to take "concrete actions" against the gang, which has become "one of the world’s most dangerous transnational criminal organizations," the statement said.

Reuters [2/13/2025 12:48 PM, Staff, 48128K] reports that the U.S. military is increasing its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities, the top U.S. general overseeing troops in North America said on Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a number of actions on immigration and the border with Mexico, including sending thousands of additional troops and threatening to label cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. "We have also increased some uniquely military capabilities that will get after... the cartels, which are driving the illegal migration, and that is primarily through airborne ISR to get more information on those and figure out how we can counter their actions," said Air Force General Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command. ISR stands for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Asked if he would need a carrier strike group in the waters between the United States and Mexico, Guillot said: "I will need significant increased maritime presence in cooperation with the Coast Guard." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, speaking before Guillot made his remarks, said that Mexico was not alarmed by the flights since they were over U.S. territory, but wanted more details on them.

New York Times [2/14/2025 3:37 AM, Carol Rosenberg and Charlie Savage, 740K] reports dozens of Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration to the U.S. military base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are being guarded by troops rather than civilian immigration officers, according to people familiar with the operation. While the Trump administration has portrayed the detainees as legally in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, military guards and medics are handling them in practice, the people said. In doing so, the civilian law enforcement role of immigration detention is being essentially militarized as the government embarks on a new, legally uncertain course of moving people it intends to deport from U.S. soil into incommunicado detention at an offshore prison. “This is the first time we’ve seen the government send people from U.S. soil to an overseas camp, and it’s been unclear exactly what role the military is playing,” said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union immigrant rights lawyer. “All of this potentially raises legal issues we’ve never seen before.” Spokespeople for the Homeland Security and Defense Departments have been unwilling or unable to answer detailed questions about what is happening to the migrants at the base. The Trump administration has also not released the migrants’ names, although at least two have been identified by their relatives through pictures released of the first flight. By not disclosing the migrants’ identities, the government has prevented their relatives from learning where they are being held and complicated lawyers’ efforts to challenge their detention. But New York Times has obtained the names of 53 men who are being held in Camp 6, a prison building where until recently the military held Qaeda suspects. The Times has published the list.

VOA News [2/13/2025 3:30 PM, Jeff Seldin, 2717K] reports the U.S. military is now housing about 68 detainees at its prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of an effort to assist the Department of Homeland Security with mass deportations. The commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, shared the updated figure with lawmakers Wednesday, but said he could not yet provide details on how much it will cost to house the growing number of individuals. Admiral Alvin Holsey said those efforts include both the detention of individuals described by DHS officials as "high-threat criminal aliens" and eventually holding up to 30,000 non-violent migrants slated for deportation. U.S. Transportation Command told VOA on Monday that there have been at least five flights of migrants to Guantanamo Bay, each aboard a C-17 or C-130 military cargo plane. Most of the flights, according to multiple officials, have carried between 10 and 15 detainees. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who visited the prison facility last Friday and oversaw the transfer of the third flight of detainees to the detention center, has repeatedly described the men as "murderers and vicious gang members" from Venezuela and as "the worst of the worst."

Texas Tribune [2/13/2025 2:20 PM, Perla Trevizo, 1609K] reports that the military planes departed from Texas in quick succession, eight flights in as many days. Each one carried more than a dozen immigrants that the U.S. alleged are the “worst of the worst” kinds of criminals, including members of a violent Venezuelan street gang. Since Feb. 4, the Trump administration has flown about 100 immigrant detainees to the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a facility better known for having held those suspected of plotting the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Officials have widely touted the flights as a demonstration of President Donald Trump’s commitment to one of the central promises of his campaign, and they’ve distributed photos of some of the immigrants at both takeoff and landing. But they have not released the names of those they’re holding or provided details about their alleged crimes. In recent days, however, information about the flights and the people on them has emerged that calls the government’s narrative into question. ProPublica and The Texas Tribune have identified nearly a dozen Venezuelan immigrants who have been transferred to Guantanamo. The New York Times published a larger list with some, but not all, of the same names. For three of the Guantanamo detainees who had been held at an immigration detention center in El Paso, ProPublica and the Tribune obtained records about their criminal histories and spoke to their families. The three men are all Venezuelan. Each had been detained by immigration authorities soon after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and was being held in custody, awaiting deportation.

CNN [2/13/2025 6:00 AM, Priscilla Alvarez and Haley Britzky, 987K] reports officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Department are racing to set up multiple tent facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house thousands of migrants, but the scattered efforts have prompted questions internally about who’s in charge and what will happen once people arrive on site. The unprecedented move to transfer migrants from the United States to Guantanamo Bay has involved multiple federal agencies – including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection – each with their own set of expertise and responsibilities. While DHS and DOD have worked together on border security missions before, doing so at Guantanamo has been a steep challenge roiled by confusion, sources told CNN. "Nobody really knows what’s going on, between DOD, ICE, and CBP. We’ve got everybody pointing fingers, saying, ‘They’re in charge,’ ‘They’re paying for this,’ ‘They’re providing security.’ No one actually knows," one source with knowledge of the planning said. Last week, the Trump administration began transporting migrants to Guantanamo Bay on US military aircraft, a move that has sparked backlash from immigrant advocates and a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union over migrants’ lack of access to legal representation. As of Wednesday, there had been seven military flights transferring 98 migrants from the United States to Guantanamo Bay, according to federal data shared with CNN. "There should have been a greater degree of planning before the execution. Now execution has begun, and everyone is trying to back into planning," another source with knowledge of the situation told CNN. "Everybody is fighting for command and control and direction," the source added. It’s unclear how the administration is choosing people to be transferred. So far, all have been men and all deemed to have what was described as "criminality," one source familiar said, ranging from being alleged members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang to more basic immigration law violations. "In addition to holding violent gang members and other high-threat illegal aliens, Guantanamo Bay is also holding other illegal aliens with final deportation orders. Every single alien at Guantanamo Bay has a final deportation order," a senior Homeland Security official said in a statement to CNN, adding: "All these individuals committed a crime by entering the United States illegally.”

USA Today [2/13/2025 12:21 PM, Taylor Wilson, 89965K] reports that
On Thursday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: USA TODAY National Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran breaks down the ACLU’s lawsuit over immigrants sent to Guantanamo Bay, and tells us about one mother’s anguish. The Trump administration sues New York state over immigration. 75,000 federal workers take President Donald Trump’s buyouts as the offer expires. Plus, in other news out of Washington, Tulsi Gabbard has been confirmed by the Senate as national intelligence director. And - Trump says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to meet in Saudi Arabia. Grocery prices in January were up 0.5% from December, and up 1.9% from the same month last year. USA TODAY TV Reporter Erin Jensen stops by with her Valentine’s Day date Casey Johnson after a nationwide search. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

VOA News [2/13/2025 9:35 PM, Yu Yao and Jiu Dao, 2717K] Video: HERE reports President Donald Trump’s immigration policy has mainly been focused on migrants trying to cross into the US at its border with Mexico, some having made the perilous trek from as far as South America. Out in the western Pacific Ocean, some Chinese are taking an equally dangerous route into the US VOA’s Yu Yao and Jiu Dao have their story, narrated by Elizabeth Lee.

FOX News [2/13/2025 9:37 AM, Simon Hankinson, 49889K] reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is doing some digital archeology into the dark closet of federal spending, and the skeletons they’re turning up aren’t pretty. I’ve been writing for over two years about the Biden administration’s use of taxpayer money to facilitate illegal immigration. But I won’t complain about headlines like "Elon Musk said DOGE uncovered $59 million in payments for luxury hotels" — even if Musk’s work was more to "publicize" than to "uncover." Thanks to Biden’s open border and mass parole programs, millions of aliens entered the U.S. border illegally over the past four years. Over the same timeframe, Congress granted $31 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services to provide housing, medical and legal services to these aliens. But the Biden administration also actively worked to facilitate mass migration using the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — whose mission is to help disaster-stricken Americans, not aid illegal aliens. Via the Department of Homeland Security, the Biden administration channeled billions to FEMA, which in turn granted states, cities and nonprofits money to transport, house and care for illegal aliens.

The Hill [2/13/2025 2:00 PM, Peter Navarro, 16346K] reports that steel is the backbone of America’s national security, essential for military defense, infrastructure resilience and industrial independence. Yet, in the intricate strategic game of the global steel trade, America’s steel industry finds itself constantly under attack. It’s not just strategic competitors like China and Russia flooding our markets with cheap steel. Some of America’s closest allies, including Canada, Japan, Mexico and the European Union are gaming the system, exploiting loopholes and strategically offloading their excess capacity and production onto U.S. shores. This is hardly a new playbook. Foreign nations around the world universally recognize the importance of their steel industries to both jobs and national security. That’s why for decades, these nations have relied on massive state subsidies, intricate market manipulations, and preferential trade agreements to prop up their own industries — often at the expense of American workers and U.S. national security. As long as foreign producers maintain their state-supported playbooks, the U.S. steel industry will always require a president who will be vigilant in its protection. That description fits Donald Trump to a tee, and his Steel Tariffs 2.0 represent a necessary step towards ensuring that American steel remains a pillar of industrial strength and a fountainhead of American prosperity.

CNN [2/14/2025 12:09 AM, Stephen Collinson, 987K] reports call it the Thursday afternoon massacre. The Justice Department is in crisis after the stunning resignation of the top prosecutor in Manhattan and five other senior officials over the DOJ’s decision to halt the prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams on corruption charges. It took less than a month for Donald Trump’s new DOJ to be engulfed by a controversy that supercharges concerns the president’s political aims are compromising the application of the law. The drama — which recalls the Saturday Night Massacre of Watergate fame — represents the most high-profile effort yet by Justice Department officials to push back against Trump’s DOJ leadership, which is tasked with ending the “weaponization” of justice but which critics fear is perpetuating it. Danielle Sassoon, who quit as the acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, laid out stunning allegations of political interference in a letter to new Attorney General Pam Bondi. And she said that the New York City mayor’s attorneys had repeatedly urged a quid pro quo under which Adams would help Trump’s hardline immigration policy if the case were dropped. Sassoon wrote that the DOJ’s order for her to dismiss the case against the Democratic mayor was “inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.” An attorney for Adams on Thursday said the idea that there was quid pro quo is “a total lie” and said that the mayor’s legal team was asked by prosecutors whether the case had any bearing on national security and immigration enforcement “and we truthfully answered it did.”

Yahoo! News [2/13/2025 9:57 PM, Lili Zheng, 57114K] reports the director of ICE’s Baltimore field office serving Maryland said when it comes to immigration enforcement, "the worst go first" but there is a new sense of mission. "Under the new administration, we are going 100 miles per hour," director Matt Ellison said. "We are out to make the biggest difference to public safety we can possibly make. Anything about, ‘Oh, you can’t arrest this person, you can’t arrest this person.’ If you’re a criminal, we’re coming for you.” Ellison has been with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 17 years, with two years spent at the Baltimore office. They’re still targeting the most dangerous criminals but now, Ellison said they have more support from the DOJ, FBI, DEA, and other agencies to arrest more criminals. People who are considered a threat to public safety and national security are still considered the top priority, Ellison said. That is no different from the past administration under former President Joe Biden but now, ICE agents are allowed to make "collateral arrests". This means they are allowed to take immigrants who are living in the United States illegally into custody, even if they were not the initial targets of the search. Those kinds of arrests were previously banned. "We’re looking for the gang members, sex offenders, but if you’re illegally here and you’re living with that sex offender, gang member, we’re going to take you too, if we come to that house," he said. "If you don’t want to come across ICE, I would say don’t let criminals live with you. That’s who we’re targeting first and foremost. It’s those national security threats and threats to public safety and if they’re next to that person, we’re going to start asking questions [02] at the end of the day, they broke the law being here.” The Immigrant & Refugee Outreach Center has been serving immigrant and refugee families in the DMV since 2019. According to IROC, refugee families typically only receive 90-days of assistance from the government-appointed resettlement agencies and very limited financial assistance. IROC was created to help address the gaps in the resettlement process, according to the organization. Bita Golshan Lotfi serves as a board member and said the organization serves about 1,500 people a year through their programs. Most of their clients are documented through visas, but some are not. "They’re concerned their visa’s will not be eligible for renewal, and then they will have to be deported back to their home countries," Golshan Lotfi said. "I think everybody is scared that they will not be allowed to renew their visas and be deported, or there will be immigration raids.” She added, many are fearful despite being in the country legally.

USA Today [2/13/2025 1:06 PM, Trevor Hughes, 89965K] reports that kids afraid to go to school. Parishioners scared to attend church. Fathers unexpectedly swept into ICE custody at local courthouses. The Trump administration’s aggressive new immigration-detention policy has sparked a wave of concern and fear among immigrant communities, and now teachers and religious leaders are asking federal courts to intervene. Multiple religious groups have sued the Trump administration over the policy change, including Quakers, Jewish congregations and Mennonites. President Donald Trump ran on a platform of tougher immigration enforcement, and has promised the largest deportation effort in history. But educators and religious leaders say those efforts have already gone too far, and are also violating the rights of American citizens. Quaker congregations late last month said having ICE agents waiting outside their meeting houses ready to "interrupt the service and drag a congregant out during the middle of worship is anathema. "Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest," Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman said in a Jan. 21 statement. "The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense."

FOX News [2/13/2025 2:23 PM, Michael Dorgan Fox, 49889K] reports that the office of Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., hosted a live webinar on Wednesday advising migrants in her district about their rights if they come face to face with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents looking to deport them. The "Know Your Rights With ICE" virtual event was broadcast live on Ocasio-Cortez’s Facebook page, where migrant viewers were informed of how to deal with ICE search requests if officers come calling to their homes or place of work. Migrants were also warned of "ruses" they allege ICE agents employ to get people to comply with searches, while the hosts also touted "trends" in how ICE conducts its searches, which have ramped up in recent weeks under the Trump administration. People were also recommended to record such searches and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry. "Just because someone ends up on ICE radar and ICE believes that they can deport someone, it doesn’t mean that under the law the person can be deported or that they don’t have the option to fight their case to remain in the U.S.," said Genia Blaser, of the Immigrant Defense Project a Manhattan-based non-profit. The group’s stated mission is to combat the targeting of immigrants for mass imprisonment and deportation. "And even if during an encounter with ICE, what they’re doing doesn’t feel legal, or it doesn’t feel fair, it’s important to know that everyone has rights during their encounters with ICE," Blaser said. "Everyone has rights regardless of their immigration status in the United States." Newsweek [2/14/2025 4:54 AM, Billal Rahman, 56005K] reports border czar Tom Homan suggested Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for potentially impeding immigration enforcement law. Ocasio-Cortez hosted a live webinar on Wednesday advising migrants in her congressional district about their rights if they come into contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents looking to deport them. "Impediment is impediment in my opinion," Homan told Fox News, as he questioned whether her behavior was "crossing the line.” Newsweek contacted the office of Ocasio-Cortez and the DOJ for comment via email outside of normal office hours. Homan criticized the event and questioned whether it constituted obstruction of immigration enforcement. He claimed to have contacted the DOJ for clarification on whether Ocasio-Cortez’s actions could be considered unlawful interference. "I sent an email to the Deputy AG today...at what level is that impediment," Homan said. "Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts. If so, what are we going to do about it? Is she crossing the line, I’m working with the DOJ to find out. Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now," he added. AOC fired back and told the nation’s top immigration official to read the U.S. Constitution. "MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw" Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start," she wrote on X.

Newsweek [2/13/2025 1:03 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested an illegal immigrant accused of six child rape offenses in Massachusetts last week—after their request to local law enforcement to hand him over on release was ignored. Jose Fernando-Perez, 49, was charged over two years ago in Essex County, and ICE lodged an immigration detainer, but that was not honored and the suspect was let out on pre-trial release, ICE said Wednesday. Massachusetts’ handling of immigration detainers became a key point of tension between ICE and the state last year, as operations to round up known criminals and suspects were ramped up by federal agents. The state’s sanctuary policies mean that courts and law enforcement do not have to comply with ICE orders. Under President Donald Trump, sanctuary policies are coming under scrutiny, with the administration arguing that these get in the way of mass deportation and other enforcement efforts which have proven popular in polling both before and after the election. Fernando-Perez, a Guatemalan national who entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location, had his first run-in with Massachusetts law enforcement in 2005, according to ICE. Lynn District Court arraigned him on December 6 that year for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and for attaching inaccurate license plates. He was later convicted of those charges in October 2012.

CBS Austin [2/13/2025 9:39 AM, Sana Azem, 581K] reports that seven immigrants were arrested in Northern Virginia last week as a part of a massive crackdown on people unlawfully present in the United States, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE, with the assistance of the FBI, arrested seven immigrants in Annandale, Virginia, who were allegedly violating U.S. immigration laws. "These seven individuals were in the Northern Virginia area in violation of U.S. immigration laws," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. acting Field Office Director Patrick Divver. President Trump’s crackdown on immigration has led to fear among various groups living across the country. 7News previously spoke to Alexander Juarez Cabrera, a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), who is among those fearful of what is to come. "I moved into the U.S. when I was 15 years old," Cabrera told 7News’ Lianna Golden outside his Arlington apartment complex. Cabrera said he was approved for DACA in 2014, which was something that changed his life. "I was approved in 2014, so 11 years now. It changed my life," Cabrera said. "I was able to buy a car, get a driver’s license, and start a company. Just a tiny one.” Cabrera is a landscaper, and he is proud of his work and journey. He fears it won’t be home for much longer as President Trump has threatened to end DACA and already increased immigration enforcement nationwide.

Yahoo! News [2/13/2025 10:03 AM, London Bishop, 57114K] reports that awoman who was arrested in Greene County by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in January had a previous felony conviction related to entering the United States illegally, court records show. Melania Franco Rios, a citizen of Mexico, had previously been removed from the United States in 2022, per an affidavit filed in the Southern District Court of Ohio by a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations. Rios and a man were arrested Jan. 26 in Greene County and taken into custody by ICE. They were originally pulled over by Sugarcreek Twp. police for a fictitious license plate, police records show. Franco Rios pleaded guilty in October 2022 to a felony of using a false birth certificate to enter the United States, according to the court affidavit. That June, Franco Rios presented an Alabama birth certificate belonging to her sister, telling Texas border agents that she was traveling to the United States to work. Rios was sentenced to 81 days in prison, but was instead returned to Mexico in late October 2022. According to the Homeland Security court affidavit, the group that responded included Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers (DOs). Using a mobile fingerprinting device, the officers scanned Franco Rios, ran the prints against an immigration database, and identified her and her previous offense.

Univision [2/13/2025 2:25 PM, Patricia Clarembaux, 7281K] reports that a form filled out by a Border Patrol agent after a brief interview in English with an immigrant who does not speak the language. A random tattoo on the arm, such as a rose or a crown. With this evidence, two Venezuelans were accused by the federal government of belonging to the criminal organization Tren de Aragua. This has left them in detention for more than a year. Two lawyers who defend these immigrants say that they were labeled "with statements without evidence or verification." One of them is Rebecca Sheff, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New Mexico. She condemns the fact that there is no established and neutral process for the United States authorities to determine a person’s ties to a gang and, in addition, to allow the accused to defend himself. "These are administrative decisions without giving the person who is being identified as a gang member a real opportunity to find out the basis of that accusation, so that they can have the opportunity to review whether there is evidence against them and whether they can fight it (...) These are decisions taken lightly by ICE (the Immigration and Customs Service) without there being a significant path to challenge it," she explains.

Washington Examiner [2/13/2025 2:03 PM, Annabella Rosciglione, 2365K] reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said he plans to veto a bill in California that would limit state prison officials’ cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Newsom said California’s "sanctuary" law is the right course of action to balance the state building trust with immigrant communities while giving the federal government the room to deport undocumented criminals in prison, according to a Politico report. His action comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Department of Justice was suing Illinois and New York for their sanctuary laws. A Newsom spokesperson confirmed that he plans to reject Assembly Bill 15 if it passes. Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year. Assembly Bill 15, which was introduced by a Democrat, would expand the "sanctuary" law, SB 54, to include the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The current law allows the state prison system to work with ICE to take custody of people convicted of a felony who have finished their terms. According to state records, since Newsom took office in 2019, California’s correctional system has coordinated with ICE on transferring around 10,600 inmates into federal custody. Newsom has stressed that California’s prison system should still limit its communication with federal immigration enforcement to make sure ICE agents only come into contact with undocumented immigrants when they enter prison and are approaching the end of their sentence.

Los Angeles Times [2/13/2025 11:10 AM, Rachel Uranga, 17996K] reports that a band of largely left-leaning organizations has vowed to disrupt immigration enforcement operations in Southern California, as fear grows that officials will execute large-scale raids. Leaked documents provided to The Times last week showed law enforcement planned to carry out operations before the end of February focusing on people that do not have legal status in the country or already have pending orders of removal. "If it’s an apartment, a church, or building whatever it may be, we will call people to surround the place and stop them," said Ron Gochez, spokesperson for the Union del Barrio, a political group that has built a coalition of 60 organizations "united on the issue of defending migrants and immigrants." The group calling itself "the Community Self Defense Coalition" announced its intentions at a press conference in front of federal immigration offices Wednesday evening in downtown L.A. and said it will bring bullhorns to enforcement actions and patrol neighborhoods. "We are putting them on alert," he said. "They are not the only ones working right now. We are working our community for self-defense." Advocates have been ratcheting up their efforts to counter potential sweeps. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have not commented on the documents, but Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tweeted on X the FBI is "so corrupt" in relation to the leak.

Reported similarly:
Miami Herald [2/13/2025 1:03 PM, Rachel Uranga, 6595K]

Yahoo! News [2/13/2025 6:53 PM, Lisa Fernandez, 57114K] reports immigration officials toured the now-shuttered Federal Correctional Institution at Dublin on Thursday, a prison union source confirmed. The visit from ICE comes as union officials worry the closed prison might be turned into an immigration detention center under the Trump administration. John Kostelnik, the Western region vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees Council of Prison Locals No. 33, which represents federal prison workers, said multiple facilities around the U.S. have already been slated for immigration detainees. "Facilities like Dublin and Morgantown are closed and being looked at for purposes outside the BOP, like ICE taking over or even an ICE contractor taking over," he said. As first reported by the Los Angeles Times, the prison union sent a request to the Bureau of Prisons asking for information relating to facility closures. A few paragraphs into the four-page request, union leaders said they have learned that one of the assessments of FCI Dublin "provided to ICE for what appears to be the potential of ICE taking over the facility.” "My fear is that the bureau is just going to become a branch of ICE — but that’s not what we do," Kostelnik told The Times. "Our primary focus should be and always has been keeping the community safe from convicted murderers and rapists and our staff do a tremendous job of that, even while dealing with the staffing crisis. "But now we’re having an additional mission thrown at us," he said, "that could cripple our ability to do what we’re supposed to do.” KTVU has been reaching out to the BOP, ICE and the Department of Defense since January, trying to find out the same question: Will FCI Dublin become an ICE detention center? None of the agencies had confirmed that. Kostelnik confirmed to KTVU late Thursday that ICE officials had, in fact, toured the closed prison earlier in the day. Last week, the Associated Press reported that three sources told them federal jails in Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia and federal prisons in Atlanta, Leavenworth, Kansas, and Berlin, New Hampshire, are among the facilities being used. The sources were not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The Miami jail alone is set to receive up to 500 detainees, the sources said. The sources cited by the Associated Press did not mention FCI Dublin as one of the facilities.

Newsweek [2/13/2025 5:06 PM, Dan Gooding, 56005K] reports House Republicans introduced a bill Thursday aimed at barring immigrants from being granted asylum in the United States if they have criminal histories. The No Asylum for Criminals Act was introduced by newly elected North Carolina Representative Mark Harris, who said that the U.S. asylum system had been abused in recent years and allowed "foreign criminals" into the country. Harris said that his bill would make it so that those convicted of a crime in a foreign country would be prohibited from gaining asylum. The bill’s text calls for amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act, so that it states that both felony convictions and crimes which count as misdemeanors would be reasons for cases to be denied.

New York Times [2/13/2025 3:59 PM, Robert Jimison, 161405K] reports that the House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would increase criminal penalties for people who try to evade law enforcement in vehicles near the nation’s borders, including subjecting any noncitizen involved in such an incident to detention and deportation. The legislation was the latest move by the Republican majority to make it easier to deport immigrants, in line with President Trump’s call for a more punitive approach to enforcement. Under the measure, any person who intentionally flees U.S. Border Patrol or other law enforcement officers while operating a vehicle within 100 miles of the border would face imprisonment and hefty fines. Those penalties would increase if the chase resulted in injury or death, and if the person was not a citizen, they would be subject to deportation. Like other legislation Republicans have brought up in recent weeks to target immigrants, the bill drew dozens of Democratic votes; it passed 264-155, with 50 Democrats joining all Republicans in favor. It next goes to the Senate. The bill is named for Raul Gonzalez, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent who died in 2022 during a high-speed chase of migrants in Texas. Representative Juan Ciscomani, Republican of Arizona and one of the bill’s sponsors, said such dangerous chases involving law enforcement and migrants attempting to enter the country illegally happen regularly in his district, which is along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [2/13/2025 10:49 AM, David Sivak and Anna Giaritelli, 2365K]

NPR [2/13/2025 5:19 PM, Manuela López Restrepo, 21K] reports return to sender! (But make sure you do it legally.). This reminder comes after Customs and Border Protection agents in Chicago seized nearly 162,000 counterfeit U.S. Forever stamps this past week, shipped from China. The stamps were spread over eight different shipments, and had they been real, would have been worth over $118,000, according to CBP. The government agency says there has been an uptick in fraudulent stamps, especially around holidays like Valentine’s Day. And officials say the fakes have gotten better. Authentic stamps are produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the United States. According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the most frequently encountered counterfeit stamp is the flag stamp.

Yahoo! News [2/13/2025 10:26 PM, Mark Moran, 57114K] reports Customs and Border Protection agents seized nearly 162,000 counterfeit U.S. Forever Stamps at the Chicago International Mail Branch, the agency announced Thursday. The eight shipments of the counterfeit stamps, seized over the weekend, would have had a value of $118,000 if they had been authentic. According to CBP, agents have seen an increase in counterfeit postage stamps, especially around the holiday’s including high-volume card holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, which falls on Friday. "Counterfeiters only care about making a profit. They don’t care about the effect that fake postage has on your ability to send important mail and overall impacts the U.S. economy," LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of Field Operations-Chicago, said in a statement. "Our officers and specialists are some of the most highly trained in the nation, and their level of expertise is evident with these seizures." The Forever Stamp is a special non-denominated stamp that represents the current price of a 1 ounce First-Class Mail postage. All commemorative stamps, which celebrate artists, athletes, history, natural wonders and more, are issued as Forever Stamps, according to the USPS. Though Forever Stamps are commemorative, the flag stamp, which features the American flag, is the most frequently counterfeited, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said as it warned consumers to be careful where they buy their postage stamps. "Purchasing stamps from a third-party wholesaler or online websites can be unpredictable. You have no way to verify whether they are genuine or not," the USPIS said. "The Postal Inspection Service recommends purchasing from Approved Postal Providers. Approved vendors can include legitimate "big box" or warehouse retailers who do provide very small discounts on postage stamps, but this is through resale agreements with the Postal Service. Authentic stamps are made at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing. Counterfeits are typically produced in China, the agency said, but the release noted that the fakes are becoming increasingly difficult to detect.

Newsweek [2/13/2025 12:35 PM, Billal Rahman, 56005K] reports that Border Patrol agents in Texas have been placed on high alert after a memo warned of potential attacks from the Mexican side of the border. A memo obtained by NewsNation from the Rio Grande Valley Sector Operations Center warns agents in the sector about an alleged plan by an organized group based in Matamoros, Mexico, to deploy a shooter targeting U.S. law enforcement or military personnel from across the border. Newsweek has contacted Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for comment. President Donald Trump made immigration a central theme of his campaign. Americans largely support immigration reform overall but disagree about how policies such as deportations should be carried out. Trump signed an executive order on Day 1 designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups like the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) as terrorist organizations. Trump’s order states that these groups, "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere." The memo also indicates that the group allegedly attempted to create the illusion of U.S. government involvement in the shooting. Agents have been advised to wear ballistic armor and travel in groups because of the increasing likelihood of attacks.

Border Report [2/13/2025 6:04 PM, Veronica Salinas, 153K] reports a U.S. Border Patrol agent was involved in a use-of-force incident on Wednesday evening. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at approximately 7 p.m., an agent from the Fort Brown Station was responding to suspected smuggling activity where the agent discharged his service-issued weapon. One person sustained a gunshot wound and received medical attention. CBP says the agent was not injured. The incident is under investigation.

CBS Austin [2/13/2025 11:55 AM, Harrison Parker, 581K] reports that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested and charged with human smuggling and drug trafficking, according to court documents obtained by KFOX. The charges against Manuel Perez, who served at El Paso’s Paso del Norte port of entry, could result in decades of imprisonment if he’s convicted. Prosecutors allege that Perez abused his position as a CBP officer, with his criminal activities dating back to 2019. The timeline of alleged offenses begins in December 2023, when Perez is accused of allowing a gray Nissan Pathfinder to carry an undocumented individual into the United States. The same vehicle reportedly passed through the entry point again in January, May, and August of 2024, each time with undocumented migrants. In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said, "To traffic drugs and smuggle humans while wearing the badge is not only a disgusting betrayal of our patriotic Customs and Border Protection officers but of our nation and the American people. Manuel Perez will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” A defense attorney and former Army prosecutor, Matthew James Kozik, commented on the severity of the charges. "That’s why I think this case is a little bit more alarming than why he’s charged with so many different crimes is because it looked like it was ongoing and ongoing and ongoing, and this Department of Justice has an opportunity to make an example of it," Kozik said.

Yahoo! News [2/13/2025 1:35 PM, Daniel Borunda, 57114K] reports that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer allegedly involved in migrant smuggling on the El Paso border was allegedly a member of a Mexican drug cartel, a federal agent testified. A federal magistrate judge ordered CBP Officer Manuel Perez Jr., 32, of El Paso, to remain jailed without bond at a detention hearing Thursday, Feb. 13, in federal court in Downtown El Paso. Perez is allegedly a member of the La Linea drug cartel. "Multiple witnesses said he belonged to La Linea cartel in Mexico," a special agent with the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility testified at the hearing. Perez allegedly told investigators that he was being paid $2,500 for each undocumented person he was allowed to pass at his inspection lane at the Paso Del Norte international bridge in El Paso, the special agent testified. Smugglers in intercepted phone calls spoke of "100% guaranteed" crossings because they had "the officer in their pocket," the agent testified.

Yahoo! News [2/13/2025 12:36 PM, Brandi D. Addison, 57114K] reports that have you received a bag of mystery seeds? Texas officials are warning that they’ve come from vendors in China. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced in a release Wednesday that 17 unsolicited seed packets have been received in Texas, with similar reports coming from Florida and Washington. According to the release, the Texas Department of Agriculture is working with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Homeland Security to collect the packages safely for inspection and destroy the seeds, in order to "protect the state’s biosecurity." According to Fox 7, Miller said initial tests found that some of the seeds are water lilies, an aggressive invasive plant that can rapidly cover small lakes or ponds, threatening native plants and aquaculture. The first mystery seed package was reported in 2020. "Thanks to Texans reporting these packages, we can monitor the situation closely and take swift action to protect our agriculture and natural resources," the commissioner said in a news release.

CBS News [2/13/2025 6:55 AM, Staff, 52225K] Video: HERE reports for the second consecutive week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott returned to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to advocate for federal reimbursement of the state’s border security efforts under Operation Lone Star.

AZCentral [2/13/2025 8:03 AM, Raphael Romero Ruiz, 6018K] reports U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector seized nearly 140 pounds of methamphetamine in two separate incidents. The combined street value of the recovered drugs was estimated at $127,000, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol agents in the Tucson sector have reported confiscating fewer pounds of drugs so far this fiscal year than the previous one. Between October and December 2024, agents seized 712 pounds of illicit pharmaceuticals: 339 pounds less than they impounded in the same three months the year prior. Motorcycle units from the Casa Grande station on Monday searched an area near the Sierra Blanca Mountains in Arizona’s southwestern desert where a mobile surveillance operator had observed suspected drug smugglers. Agents did not find anybody in their search, but three abandoned backpacks containing nearly 106 pounds of meth were recovered. That followed a seizure of the same drug by Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station. Agents searched an area a mile north of the U.S.-Mexico border for an individual suspected of crossing between the ports of entry. They found a man who had crossed the border illegally and a backpack containing roughly 34 pounds of meth. The individual is in custody pending drug smuggling charges, according to CBP. The individual is in custody pending drug smuggling charges.

VOA News [2/13/2025 3:06 PM, Carolyn Presutti, 2717K] reports the Trump administration is seeking Mexico’s assistance in stemming the flow of fentanyl across the border into the U.S. Last year, high-tech scanners were installed at a port of entry in Arizona to detect the illegal drug. VOA Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti reports from that port. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Newsweek [2/13/2025 1:32 PM, Matthew Impelli, 56005K] reports that thousands of knives and multi-tools confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at airports across the United States are now available for public auction. The collection, hosted on GovDeals, includes everything from Swiss Army knives to high-end Leatherman multi-tools. TSA confiscates thousands of prohibited items from travelers every year. While firearms and explosives are typically handed over to law enforcement, items such as pocket knives, multitools, and other everyday carry (EDC) gear are sold through state-run surplus programs. These auctions provide an opportunity for the public to purchase these items at discounted prices while allowing state governments to recoup some of their disposal costs. The GovDeals auction site currently lists 67 different lots of confiscated knives and multi-tools. Bidding starts as low as $20 for some items, with premium multitool collections reaching upwards of $341. Buyers should be aware that these items are sold as-is, with no guarantees of condition or authenticity. Many of the knives are bulk lots, meaning customers receive multiple items per purchase.

CBS Pittsburgh [2/13/2025 4:49 PM, Patrick Damp, 52225K] reports yet another firearm has been confiscated at Pittsburgh International Airport, making it the fourth confiscated by TSA officers at the airport so far this year. On Wednesday, TSA officers intercepted a pink, .380 caliber handgun that was loaded with six bullets. The woman who had the gun said she forgot it was on her person. "This is an instance in which the traveler told us that she typically has the firearm with her on any given day and that she forgot to remove it from her carry-on before heading to the airport," explained Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Pennsylvania. Last year, officers confiscated 42 firearms at the Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoints, the most of any airport in Pennsylvania, and in 2023, 44 were confiscated, a record-high.

NBC News [2/13/2025 7:00 AM, Jane C. Timm and Ben Kamisar, 50804K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced yesterday that she had clawed back a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant given to New York City to help it pay for the massive influx of migrants in the city, slamming the funds as money “that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels.” Her post echoed a claim made earlier in the day at a congressional hearing, where the FEMA funding was condemned. “All of these insane projects have one thing in common: They were all approved and funded by unelected bureaucrats,” said Stewart Whitson, senior director at Foundation for Government Accountability. It’s true that FEMA officials awarded the grant to New York City; it’s also true that hundreds of elected lawmakers approved funding designed for that very purpose. Congress approved FEMA funding that DOGE allies have criticized, continued

In an appropriations bill that became law last spring, 350 House members — 158 Republicans and all voting Democrats — approved a funding bill that included $650 million to be spent on helping nonfederal entities pay for sheltering migrants. “$650,000,000 shall be transferred to ‘Federal Emergency Management Agency—Federal Assistance’ to support sheltering and related activities provided by non-Federal entities, in support of relieving overcrowding in short-term holding facilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, of which not to exceed $9,100,000 shall be for the administrative costs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” the bill text said. At the time, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle discussed and debated the funding source. Prominent Democrats in the Senate tried to more than double the funding. After passage, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, touted the funding, while Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., boasted in a release of reducing funding for the program. The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for stricter immigration rules, slammed the funding, saying it would go to “sanctuary jurisdictions which facilitate illegal immigration.”

AP [2/13/2025 5:36 PM, Claire Rush, Matthew Brown and Chris Megerian, 47097K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration is holding up money for wildfire mitigation projects funded through legislation championed by his Democratic predecessor, threatening efforts to prevent catastrophic blazes like the ones that recently ripped through Southern California. The decision undermines Trump’s repeated insistence that communities need to clear combustible materials like fallen branches and undergrowth - "it’s called management of the floor," he said while visiting Los Angeles last month - to guard against wildfires. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, said via email that mitigation work is "currently undergoing review to ensure consistency" with Trump’s executive orders. The scrutiny is being applied only to projects using money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, two centerpieces of former President Joe Biden’s administration. They included roughly $3 billion for wildfire mitigation efforts, often known as hazardous fuels reduction programs.

Washington Examiner [2/13/2025 1:23 PM, Peter Cordi, 2365K] reports that the Office of Special Counsel found Marn’i Washington, the former Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisor who told her team to "avoid" homes "advertising Trump" during Hurricane Milton response, violated the Hatch Act through her "bias[ed]" conduct. Washington is charged with two counts of violating the Hatch Act, one for engaging in political activity while on duty and another for using her authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of an election. The complaint filed on Tuesday recommends disciplinary action against Washington. "OSC brings this Complaint because Washington showed bias against supporters of a candidate for partisan political office while Washington was overseeing federal government personnel performing disaster relief work," the complaint states. "Specifically, Washington instructed subordinate government employees to ‘avoid homes advertising Trump’ when canvassing neighborhoods to assist survivors of Hurricane Milton." Several of OSC’s findings in the complaint contradict the statements Washington made to the Washington Examiner in her first interview after her anti-Trump directive was exposed to the public. Her testimony in that interview was cited in then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s lawsuit against Washington and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

Newsweek [2/13/2025 3:07 PM, Anna Skinner, 56005K] reports that officials in Johnson County, Texas, declared a state of disaster on Tuesday after extensive testing revealed dangerous levels of "forever chemicals" in agricultural land, groundwater and animal tissue. Newsweek reached out to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s press office by email for comment. The disaster declaration comes as concerns rise nationwide about the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in products and waterways. PFAS encompass thousands of human-made chemicals found in everyday items like nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, grease-resistant food wrappers, water-resistant clothing and a multitude of other items. PFAS, known as "forever chemicals" because of the long time they take to break down, can cause harm in large amounts. In a town-hall meeting on Tuesday night, Johnson County environmental crime investigator Dana Ames presented the situation to concerned citizens, calling the test results "absolutely shocking." County officials called on Abbott to declare an emergency in Johnson County after extensive testing revealed dangerous levels of PFAS throughout the county. Testing revealed that PFAS have contaminated local agricultural land and groundwater, resulting in the "reported deaths of fish and cattle.” The PFAS contamination stems from the application of biosolids used as fertilizer in the area, a county press release said. Dangerous levels of the chemicals were also found in biosolids from the City of Fort Worth’s wastewater treatment plant.

USA Today [2/13/2025 1:42 AM, Christopher Cann, Minnah Arshad, Terry Collins, Thao Nguyen, 57114K] reports an atmospheric river was pummeling Southern California with heavy rain on Thursday, prompting evacuations and school closures as heavy mudslides and flooding hit areas charred by the wildfires that broke out across the region last month. The evacuation warnings and orders were active in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange counties, as well as in several communities along the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in San Bernardino County. In Santa Barbara, people living in at-risk areas were told to leave by 3 p.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said on X around 5 p.m. local time that the storm was "rapidly intensifying" over Los Angeles County. By 8 p.m., the weather service said all flood products were canceled for southwest California after heavy rain moved out of the region. "However, please keep in mind that mud and rock slides can still happen well after the rain has ended," the weather service warned. "Also continue to obey all road closures.” The Pacific Coast Highway will remain closed between Chautauqua Boulevard and Carbon Beach Terrace until further notice due to the heavy flooding and mudslides, according to the California Department of Transportation. Shortly after 5 p.m., a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department had his vehicle "swept off the road and into the ocean by a large debris flow" while driving in Malibu, said spokesperson Erik Scott. He was able to exit his vehicle and was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to Scott. Residents were urged to monitor emergency updates, prepare to evacuate by collecting important documents and medicine, and promptly flee their homes if they are told to do so. "When you’re given an evacuation order, heed the order and leave as soon as you can. Nothing that you have back home is worth your life," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna at a news conference Wednesday. "If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads and we may not be able to reach you.” Intense fires can cause soil to develop a layer that repels water, "like rain on pavement," according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Rain that would normally be absorbed into the ground instead runs off, increasing the risk of flash floods, mudslides and debris flows. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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Wall Street Journal [2/13/2025 10:18 PM, Alyssa Lukpat]
Newsweek [2/13/2025 10:56 PM, Anna Commander, 56005K]

Federal News Network [2/13/2025 11:54 AM, Tom Temin, 470K] reports that Judging from the firing of the commandant of the Coast Guard, the Trump administration apparently feels the need for reform. Sean Pribyl, former Coast Guard attorney and now a Holland and Knight partner, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss why and how that might happen. Interview transcript: Tom Temin: Just out of curiosity, what is a law firm’s interest in Coast Guard reform? Sean Pribyl: Well, I would say that our general interest is monitoring developments within the broader maritime sector. I’ve been engaged with the maritime industry since 1994 when I went off to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I sailed on ships for eight years and then was a Coast Guard JAG myself, working both on policy as well as international law and in other maritime matters. I’ve been working in this space in private practice since around 2016. And within our firm, I lead our Coast Guard efforts. So if it’s Coast Guard related for clients, it usually crosses my desk. Sean Pribyl: I think what’s interesting is what people may not be aware of is the multi-mission focus of the U.S. Coast Guard. So there’s generally 11 missions. Some say it’s more than that. But what’s interesting is that it serves three functions. It’s always a military service member of the armed forces. It is always a regulator of the maritime industry. And then it also engages in maritime law enforcement. So it has unique capabilities that under that the Department of Defense entities don’t have. They don’t have the ability in Department of Defense, generally speaking, to engage in domestic law enforcement. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Yahoo! News [2/14/2025 12:04 AM, Andrew Wulfeck, 57114K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued three people Thursday after their fishing vessel capsized 40 miles offshore of Louisiana. Rescue efforts were initiated after the agency’s command center received a satellite distress signal from the fishing vessel ANTHONY following an apparent mechanical problem aboard the ship. The Coast Guard said it dispatched numerous resources, and an aircraft was able to spot a life raft near the partially submerged vessel. Video of the search efforts showed one of the fishermen waving in an effort to draw the attention of rescuers as their vessel appeared to be at the mercy of the seas. Eventually, a Coast Guard cutter was able to pry the fishermen from the Gulf without any apparent significant injuries. The agency did not say what caused the fishing boat to become inoperable and start taking on water. The three men were reported to have been safely transported back to shore, all while leaving the ANTHONY at the mercy of the ocean. "This rescue highlights how preparedness and a rapid response save lives. The vessel’s properly registered EPIRB provided accurate coordinates, enabling our crews to pinpoint and reach these fishermen quickly," said Scott Talbot, a search and rescue mission coordinator for the Coast Guard said in a statement. "Our crews train to respond swiftly, but preparedness on both ends saves lives." Social media users commended the Coast Guard members on their rescue operations by saying, "Good case, these wins make it worth doing the job. Awesome job by the watch and the operators," while another one wrote, "Nice work everyone. This looks like some solid work." A cold front was traversing the Gulf, which likely led to rougher conditions, but the agency did not state if weather played a role in the incident.

MeriTalk [2/13/2025 2:09 PM, Weslan Hansen, 31K] reports that President Donald Trump has nominated Sean Cairncross, who is chief counsel at the Republican National Committee (RNC), to become the next national cyber director (NCD), the White House announced on Wednesday. Cairncross, if confirmed to the position by the Senate, would lead the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), which is responsible for advising the president on cybersecurity policy and strategy. ONCD was established in 2021 under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) following a recommendation from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) for Congress to create an NCD position. The nominee lacks some of the experience that the first two national cyber directors brought to the job – both came to the role after serving at the National Security Agency (NSA). Chris Inglis, the first NCD, served as deputy director of NSA, and Harry Coker who followed Inglis was the NSA executive director. It appears that Cairncross has not held cybersecurity-related positions. He was chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a foreign aid agency that works on economic growth in developing countries. Other prior roles include a stint as a deputy assistant and senior White House advisor for the Trump administration during its first term.

CyberScoop [2/13/2025 12:00 PM, Sophia Fox-Sowell] reports the Virginia attorney general’s office suffered a cyberattack Wednesday, prompting officials to shut down computer systems and direct employees to return to paper court filings, Washington Post reported. The Post reported that Chief Deputy Attorney General Steven Popps emailed employees Wednesday night with a notice that most of the office’s IT systems — including email, VPN and internet access, and website — were offline. “Unfortunately our agency has been the victim of what appears to be a sophisticated cyberattack,” Popps wrote. The agency shut down its computer systems after noticing suspicious activity early Wednesday morning, then notified the Virginia State Police, the FBI and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, the Post reported. Both law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident. The Office of Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares did not respond to requests for comment. VITA declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the primary statistical agency within the Department of Justice, state attorneys general collect data on crime, consumer debt and other areas. In 2021, the office of Illinois Attorney General suffered a cyberattack, resulting in the theft and publication of agency files. According to the Post, it’s unclear whether the cyberattack on the Virginia attorney general’s office is a ransomware attack.

ABC News [2/13/2025 11:50 PM, Mark Guarino, 33392K] reports a teenage girl was arrested on Thursday for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at her high school on Valentine’s Day. Trinity Shockley, 18, was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, intimidation and conspiracy to commit intimidation. She is being held without bond in the Morgan County Jail in Martinsville, Indiana. According to a probable cause filing submitted to the court, the FBI’s Sandy Hook Promise Say Something Anonymous Reporting System contacted the local sheriff after a tipster said their friend was planning an attack, had access to an AR-15 rifle and had just ordered a bulletproof vest. It said the tip revealed that the person in question was obsessed with Nikolas Cruz, the mass murderer who opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018. He killed 14 students and three staff members. The tipster described their friend as "Jamie," a 12th grader who identified as transgender, according to court documents. Snapchat messages sent to the tip line included one where "Jamie" characterized her plans as "Parkland part two," records showed. "I’ve been planning this for a YEAR," she said in one of the cited messages. Court documents showed that Shockley sought mental health counseling on Tuesday at Mooresville High School, where she was a senior. She disclosed being sexually attracted to Cruz and said that "she has already named the children" she planned to have with him, according to the documents. They also claimed that she showed the counselor a heart locket necklace with Cruz’s photo inside and said she had written to him several times.

The Hill [2/13/2025 1:55 PM, Alex Gangitano, 16346K] reports that President Trump on Thursday signed a presidential memorandum proposing reciprocal tariffs that he maintains will crack down on unfair and discriminatory tariffs from both adversaries and allies. The reciprocal tariffs will be customized for each foreign trading partner, based on five different areas: tariffs the nation imposes on U.S. products, unfair taxes imposed, cost to U.S. businesses and consumers from another country’s policies, exchange rates, and any other practices the trade representative’s office determines is unfair. The tariffs will not be immediately imposed but the signing of the memo allows his administration to begin a review process to get them started. White House officials said that Trump wants to move rapidly on imposing the tariffs, suggesting it would be "weeks" and no longer than "a few months" until they are in place. The president in the memo directs Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and U.S. trade representative nominee Jamieson Greer to consult with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, among others, so they can "quickly" submit a report detailing their proposals for each country. Office of Management and Budget head Russell Vought would then submit a report within 180 days to assess the fiscal impact of the tariffs.

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The Hill [2/13/2025 11:07 AM, Rebecca Beitsch and Al Weaver, 16346K] reports that the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday advanced the nomination of Kash Patel in a strict party-line vote, clearing the way for President Trump’s pick to lead the FBI to get a vote on the full Senate floor. The 12-10 vote will allow Patel to be considered by the Senate as early as next week. Patel advanced amid controversy, both about his truthfulness during his confirmation hearing and a series of firings of top FBI leadership shortly thereafter. Patel is also dogged by a series of controversial past comments, many of which he dodged questions about during a hearing earlier this month. Still, none of those questions appear to have stuck with Republicans, who are expected to almost universally back Patel on the Senate floor. "We are inviting a political disaster if we put Kash Patel into this job," said Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the panel. "Mr. Patel’s directives have already thrown the girl into chaos. Senior executives who collectively have hundreds of years of experience have been forced out. Thousands of line agents across the country are living in fear of losing their jobs simply because they did the job they were assigned to do. How does any of this make America safer? The American people need an FBI director focused on keeping the public safe from terrorism, drug trafficking and violent crime, not petty personal grievances."

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Reuters [2/13/2025 12:52 PM, Sarah N. Lynch, 30936K]
AP [2/13/2025 11:39 AM, Eric Tucker, 30936K]
Washington Examiner [2/13/2025 11:40 AM, Ashley Oliver, 2365K]

Wall Street Journal [2/13/2025 10:03 PM, Liz Essley Whyte, Kristina Peterson and Lindsay Wise] reports the Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary on Thursday, putting a longtime critic of vaccines and the medical establishment in charge of the nation’s vast and powerful health apparatus. Every Democrat voted against Kennedy on Thursday, while Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), a polio survivor who had criticized the nominee’s questioning of vaccines, was the lone Republican “no” vote. Now, following the 52-to-48 vote and his subsequent swearing-in at the White House’s Oval Office, Kennedy is in position to apply his unconventional views to U.S. health policy. On vaccines, he could create a new panel to review their safety, appoint allies to the federal panel that oversees vaccine recommendations and even expand the vaccines or injuries covered by a federal program compensating victims. Speaking in a Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham on Thursday following his confirmation, Kennedy said: “I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccine. If people are happy with their vaccines, they ought to be able to get them. What we’re going to do is give people good science. We don’t have good safety studies on almost any of the vaccines.” Kennedy is also expected to pursue measures that fight obesity by eliminating certain chemicals from food, step up research on chronic disease and implement other elements of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. Kennedy was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, surrounded by supporters including his wife, actor Cheryl Hines, Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) and TV personality Phil McGraw. President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order creating a “MAHA commission,” chaired by Kennedy, tasked with coming up with a strategy within 180 days to improve children’s health.

FOX News [2/14/2025 1:49 AM, Christina Shaw, 10861K] reports Apple and Google have restored access to the TikTok app after removing it briefly last month. The app was removed from mobile stores to comply with a ban on the social media platform following a requirement for the Chinese technology company ByteDance to sell or shut it down. At issue was the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law passed by Congress last April with wide bipartisan support. The law gave TikTok nine months to either divest from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or be removed from U.S.-based app stores and hosting services. Use of the app was restored shortly after it was removed from the app stores due to promises from President Trump to save it, but the ability to download it remained unavailable until Thursday. Trump indicated prior to his election that he was going to extend the time before the law would be in effect so that he could effectively procure a deal that would also protect national security. "The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order," Trump posted on Truth Social. In a statement from the company, they thanked President Trump and said they will work with the administration to find a long-term solution. "We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive," TikTok stated. Although access to the app has been restored, the status of the law is unresolved and there is still no solution. The app’s ownership also has still not been decided.

FOX News [2/14/2025 4:00 AM, Greg Wehner, 49889K] Video: HERE reports a senior U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) official told members of the Senate that some of the 350 drones that flew over military installations and sensitive areas last year may have been conducting surveillance. U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot, who is commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), was questioned about the drones during a Senate Armed Services Committee Budget hearing on Thursday. Drones were spotted flying all over the country last year, though most notably in New Jersey. They were also flying over military installations, including Joint Base Langley, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Vandenberg Space Force Base. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., asked Guillot about the threat the unmanned aircraft pose to military operations, facilities and personnel. "Senator, the primary threat I see for them in the way they’ve been operating is detection and perhaps surveillance of sensitive capabilities on our installations," Guillot said. "There were 350 detections reported last year on military installations, and that was 350 over a total of 100 different installations of all types and levels of security.” He confirmed that base commanders at sensitive sites like nuclear bases have the authority to protect their airspace from drone incursions, adding that those particular military sites account for about half of what the U.S. operates. Cotton was flabbergasted that only about half of the bases have the ability to protect themselves from drones. He said base commanders at every base in the U.S. have the ability to protect their ground if a terrorist drove a dump truck though the front gate of a military facility, which Guillot agreed.

VOA News [2/13/2025 1:26 PM, Ken Bredemeier, 2717K] reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his country would not accept any agreement on its fate decided bilaterally by Russia and the United States on how to end Moscow’s three-year war on Ukraine without Kyiv’s involvement. "We, as an independent country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us," Zelenskyy told reporters as he visited a nuclear plant on his way to the Munich Security Conference, where he plans to meet Friday with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and they agreed that negotiations to end the war should start immediately, with Trump suggesting the two of them might soon hold a summit in Saudi Arabia. Trump later talked with Zelenskyy and informed him of his discussions with Putin. On Thursday, Zelenskyy said, "Today it’s important that everything does not go according to Putin’s plan, in which he wants to do everything to make his negotiations bilateral" with the U.S. Still, on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said after talking with Trump, "We discussed many nuances, diplomatic, military, economic, and President Trump informed me of what Putin told him. We believe that America’s power is enough to, together with us, together with all partners, pressure Russia and Putin toward peace."

Wall Street Journal [2/14/2025 12:01 AM, Bojan Pancevski and Alexander Ward] reports Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the U.S. would hit Moscow with sanctions and potentially military action if Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t agree to a peace deal with Ukraine that guarantees Kyiv’s long-term independence. Vance said the option of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine if Moscow failed to negotiate in good faith remained “on the table,” striking a far tougher tone than did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who on Wednesday suggested the U.S. wouldn’t commit forces. “There are economic tools of leverage, there are of course military tools of leverage” the U.S. could use against Putin, Vance said. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal hours after President Trump said he would start negotiating with Putin to end the war in Ukraine, Vance said: “I think there is a deal that is going to come out of this that’s going to shock a lot of people.” The vice president’s remarks, coming a day before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, offered the Trump administration’s strongest-yet support for Kyiv in the face of Russian demands that it disarm and replace the current government. “The president is not going to go in this with blinders on,” Vance said. “He’s going to say, ‘Everything is on the table, let’s make a deal.’” On Thursday, Trump told reporters that Ukraine would be a party to talks with Russia, a key demand of Zelensky’s. But Trump also said that Russia should be allowed back into the Group of Seven club of wealthy countries and that membership for Ukraine in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was something Russia couldn’t allow. Vance is scheduled to speak Friday at the Munich Security Conference, a gathering of global leaders to discuss shared threats. He said he intends to tell allied European leaders that they are stifling free speech and democracy by not working with populist parties. European officials jostling to secure bilateral meetings with Vance hoped that the first top-level visit from the Trump administration would initiate a new level of cooperation with the U.S. at a time of global turmoil, and would offer details on the plan to end the war in Ukraine.

AP [2/13/2025 8:34 AM, Barry Hatton, Illia Novikov, and Dasha Litvinova, 33392K] reports that Russian officials and state media took a triumphant tone Thursday after President Donald Trump jettisoned three years of U.S. policy and announced he would likely meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace deal in the almost three-year war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said he would not accept any negotiations about Ukraine that do not include his country in the talks. European governments also demanded a seat at the table. Trump’s change of tack seemed to identify Putin as the only player that matters in ending the fighting and looked set to sideline Zelenskyy, as well as European governments, in any peace talks. The Ukrainian leader recently described that prospect as “very dangerous.” Putin has been ostracized by the West since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of its neighbor, and in 2023 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader alleging war crimes. Trump’s announcement created a major diplomatic upheaval that could herald a watershed moment for Ukraine and Europe. Russian officials and state-backed media sounded triumphant after Wednesday’s call between Trump and Putin that lasted more than an hour. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the “position of the current (U.S.) administration is much more appealing.”

Reuters [2/13/2025 2:51 PM, Staff, 48128K] reports that a Russian citizen will be returned within days from the United States as part of an exchange deal with the U.S. administration, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday without specifying the name. The United States is freeing a Russian cybercrime boss, Alexander Vinnik, from prison in return for Moscow’s release of American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, U.S. administration officials said on Wednesday. A U.S.-based lawyer for Vinnik confirmed on Thursday that Vinnik had landed in Turkey and was expected back in Russia within hours. The lawyer, Arkady Bukh, credited Vinnik’s release to a successful lobbying effort and the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency. Vinnik pleaded guilty last year to U.S. money laundering charges involving his role overseeing the BTC-e cryptocurrency exchange.

Reuters [2/14/2025 4:28 AM, Felix Light, 48128K] reports authorities in Russia have detained a U.S. citizen at a Moscow airport on drug smuggling charges, Mash, a Telegram channel which has sources in Russia’s security services reported on Friday. News of the arrest comes days after Moscow freed Marc Fogel, a U.S. schoolteacher who had been jailed for 14 years for bringing marijuana into Russia. Fogel was freed in exchange for Alexander Vinnik, a Russian citizen jailed for money laundering in the U.S. Mash reported that the U.S. citizen, who it named only as K. Byers, had been detained on arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport and faced up to seven years in jail if found guilty of drugs charges by a court. It said that half a kilo of marijuana had been found in his luggage. Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Moscow told Reuters: "Due to privacy restrictions we have nothing to share at this point.” U.S. citizens have repeatedly been detained under Russia’s tough drug laws. In 2022, basketball player Brittney Griner was detained and sentenced to nine years in prison for bringing hash oil into Russia. She was freed in a prisoner exchange later that year.

Reuters [2/13/2025 11:59 AM, Staff, 48128K] reports that a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier collided with a merchant vessel near Egypt, the U.S. military said on Thursday, though the nuclear-powered carrier was stable and there were no injuries. The United States military currently has 11 aircraft carriers and any damage requiring one of them to be sidelined could strain the Navy. In a statement, the U.S. Navy said the carrier Harry Truman collided with the Besiktas-M late Wednesday night while operating near Port Said in Egypt. "The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman as there are no reports of flooding or injuries. The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition," the Navy added. While collisions involving U.S. Navy vessels are extremely rare, two warships in the Asia-Pacific were involved in crashes in 2017. The accidents, in which 17 sailors were killed, raised questions about Navy training and the pace of operations, prompted a Congressional hearing and the removal of a number of officers. At 1,096-feet (333 metres), the Truman carrier is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall – a city on the water for its 5,000-member crew. The 4.5-acre flight deck can hold 90 aircraft, including F/A-18F Super Hornet striker jets. Missiles are carried onto parked jets and sailors run on treadmills in the hangar.

Chicago Tribune [2/13/2025 10:07 PM, Will Weissert, 4917K] reports President Donald Trump greeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House with a bear hug on Thursday and called him "a great friend of mine," but nonetheless warned that India won’t be spared from higher tariffs he’s begun imposing on U.S. trade partners around the world. Trump, who had previously derided India as the "tariff king," called the import levies imposed by Modi’s country "very unfair and strong.” "Whatever India charges, we charge them," Trump said at a joint news conference where he stood next to Modi. "So, frankly, it no longer matters to us that much what they charge.” As he has while recently hosting other foreign leaders, Trump talked about ensuring that the U.S. erases its trade deficit with India. He suggested that could be done by increasing U.S. energy exports to India but also promised to restore "fairness and reciprocity" to the economic relationship and said he and Modi had begun working on a major trade deal that could be completed later this year. The U.S. and India have a trade deficit of $50 billion in India’s favor. The Indo-U.S. goods and services trade totaled around $190.1 billion in 2023. According to India’s External Affairs Ministry, the U.S. exports to India were worth nearly $70 billion and imports $120 billion. Modi, meanwhile, continued his personal trend of heaping praise on Trump. The prime minister said that he’s determined to "Make India Great Again," or "MIGA" — a play on the president’s "MAGA" or "Make America Great Again" catchphrase and movement. Trump also said he’d back extraditing one of the plotters of the 2008 Mumbai attacks — appearing to referencing Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who was convicted in 2011 in the U.S. for plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper. "He’s going to be going back to India to face justice," Trump said. The president later added, "We’re giving him back to India immediately" and that more such extraditions could be coming. Trump also said the U.S. would soon increase military sales to India by "many millions of dollars," paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighter planes — something the country has long sought.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [2/13/2025 9:44 PM, Maggie Haberman and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, 161405K]

Reuters [2/13/2025 10:13 PM, Nandita Bose, Mike Stone, 48128K] reports the United States will increase military sales to India starting in 2025 and will eventually provide F-35 fighter jets, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday. "We’ll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We’re also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," Trump told reporters. Trump did not provide a timeline, but foreign military sales, especially for cutting-edge technology like the stealthy F-35 jet, typically take years to work through. Addressing a joint news conference after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump also said the countries had struck an agreement that includes India importing more U.S. oil and gas to shrink the trade deficit between the two countries. Trump also said that Washington and New Delhi will be working together to confront what he called "the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.” Foreign military sales like those of the F-35 are considered government-to-government deals where the Pentagon acts as an intermediary between the defense contractor and a foreign government. India has agreed to buy more than $20 billion of U.S. defense products since 2008. Last year, India agreed to buy 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian and SkyGuardian drones after deliberations that lasted more than six years. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, New Delhi is expected to spend more than $200 billion over the next decade to modernize its military.

FOX News [2/13/2025 9:16 AM, Rachel Wolf, 57114K] reports that China may be out of ways to evade U.S. trade laws as President Donald Trump’s tariffs and border crackdowns come into effect. Daniel Pickard, an international trade expert and attorney at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, believes Trump’s return to the Oval Office could bring an end to shady Chinese trade practices. "What we have seen repeatedly with a lot of the Chinese products is that they choose not to pass along that duty, but they actually absorb that cost and keep their price the same in the United States in attempts to continue to buy market share," Pickard told FOX Business. "I think what we’re going to see is that the Chinese are going to continue to attempt to absorb those duties and export their way out of economic doldrums." Pickard says that while there is a lack of consensus about the rate at which China’s economy is slowing, there is an agreement among experts like himself that it is "considerably cooling," and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sees exports as a way out. On Feb. 1, Trump signed an executive order implementing an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports, something he spoke about throughout his 2024 campaign. "Chinese officials have failed to take the actions necessary to stem the flow of precursor chemicals to known criminal cartels and shut down money laundering by transnational criminal organizations," the White House wrote, citing the flow of fentanyl and other "contraband drugs" into the U.S. as a reason for the heightened tariffs.

Newsweek [2/13/2025 12:21 PM, Micah McCartney, 6595K] reports that the Philippines is weighing a submarine purchase as China increases its presence in the U.S. ally’s maritime zone. Newsweek reached out to the Philippine Department of Defense and the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email out of regular working hours with a request for comment. Manila plans to spend $35 billion over the next decade to modernize its military and strengthen security ties with Washington and regional allies like Japan and Australia. Driving this push is China, which claims over 90 percent of the South China Sea and has in recent years dramatically ramped up its coast guard, naval, and paramilitary presence within the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone (EEZ), citing alleged historical rights. General Romeo Brawner Jr., head of the Philippines’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there are now an average of 286 Chinese vessels tracked within the EEZ each day, up from 190 in 2021, Reuters reported. Brawner stressed that submarines are needed to augment the country’s naval capabilities as it steps up efforts to patrol its waters. "Hopefully, it’s a dream for us, to get at least two submarines," he said. "We are an archipelago, so we have to have this type of capability. Because it’s really difficult to defend the entire archipelago without submarines."

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