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.

Newsweek [2/26/2025 10:35 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports that the Trump administration is moving to enforce a federal registry for immigrants who have no permission to be in the U.S, warning that those who fail to comply could face fines, prison time, and deportation. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem explained on Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters Primetime how the process works for immigrants without legal status. "The Alien Registration Act says that within 30 days of being in this country illegally, someone must register with the federal government. They will be fingerprinted. They must announce that they are here. And if they do so, they can avoid criminal charges and fines, and we will help them relocate right back to their home country," Noem said. The policy marks a shift in immigration enforcement, aiming to track and remove individuals with no legal status more aggressively. The announcement aligns with the administration’s efforts to fulfill campaign promises of mass deportations of undocumented individuals and tightening the border to block future asylum-seekers. Failure to register would be classified as a crime, and the administration has stated that its primary deportation target is individuals who have committed crimes in the U.S. Foreign nationals aged 14 or older who have not been previously fingerprinted or registered must enroll and keep their addresses updated if they have stayed beyond 30 days. A DHS spokesperson said in a statement shared with Newsweek: "President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now. If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream. The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws—we will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans." The Hill [2/26/2025 9:53 AM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12829K] reports Kristi Noem said the platform would be used to help migrants "relocate" to their home country. "The Alien Registration Act says that within 30 days of being in this country illegally, someone must register with the federal government. They will be fingerprinted. They must announce that they are here. And if they do so, they can avoid criminal charges and fines and we will help them relocate right back to their home country," she said during an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime.” The move will still need to be published as an interim rule before it takes effect. Those in the U.S. on visas and other legal pathways already are fingerprinted and coordinate with immigration agencies. The Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 10:43 AM, Asher Notheis, 2296K] reports that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem detailed how the Trump administration is enforcing the Alien Registration Act as part of its plan to remove illegal immigrants, saying it uses "every single tool" available to the administration to secure the nation. Noem explained that the act, signed into law by former President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940, requires illegal immigrants to notify the United States government that they are in the country. This allows them to avoid criminal charges and receive help returning to their home country, Noem said. The Department of Homeland Security secretary added that a page is already live on the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website for illegal immigrants to use to "self-register" and inform the government of their arrival to the United States within 30 days. "They can avoid the criminal charges, they can avoid the fines, and we will help them go home," Noem said on Fox News’s Jesse Watters Primetime. "And what that provides for them is a safer environment. It’s safer for our communities, it saves us taxpayer dollars, and it allows them an opportunity to come back to the country and to be an American and to live the American dream, which is truly what our history is all about." Noem said that while the Alien Registration Act is not a new law, she will "enforce" it going forward, providing illegal immigrants an opportunity to be part of the country "the right way" in the future. ABC News [2/26/2025 7:51 PM, Staff, 34586K] reports immigrant rights groups and immigration law experts are raising concerns after the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is creating an online database designed to keep track of migrants over the age of 14 who are living in the country illegally. Migrants who are in the United States without authorization must register their information in a database that tracks them in an effort to "compel" self-deportation, the DHS said in a press release on Tuesday. However, the registry had not been set up as of Wednesday. A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services webpage instructed migrants who are required to register to create an online account with the agency.

Reported similarly:
AP [2/26/2025 4:46 PM, Tim Sullivan, 48304K]
Telemundo [2/26/2025 5:14 PM, Staff, 2454K] Video: HERE

Newsweek [2/27/2025 5:11 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports President Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, claimed the "Gold Card" visa program already has 250,000 applicants. However, applications on the website appear to have not been launched yet. Newsweek has contacted the Commerce Department, DHS, and the White House for further comment via email outside of normal office hours. Trump’s proposed "gold card" program would grant U.S. residency to those who invest $5 million in the United States. The "gold card" announcement followed a series of actions by the president aimed at limiting other immigration pathways for those unable to meet the high costs. In the past, Trump has supported work-based visas, particularly the H-1B visa. In an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier on Special Report, Lutnick said, "There are 250,000 people waiting in line now," and they are willing to pay the huge fee. Lutnick told Baier that applicants would be "deeply vetted," after the veteran Fox News host asked about Russian oligarchs applying for the program. On Tuesday, Trump announced his plan to replace the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa program with the new "gold card" initiative. This plan would grant U.S. citizenship to foreigners who commit to investing in American businesses. The EB-5 program requires applicants to pay between $100,000 and $200,000 in fees to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Additionally, investors must commit between $800,000 and $1 million and create at least 10 jobs for American workers. Trump promoted the gold card as a "green card plus," implying it would offer more benefits than those given to regular permanent residents. However, critics argue that this policy prioritizes wealth over merit and may not effectively address economic concerns, especially as the administration seeks to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. Critics contend that this approach prioritizes wealth over merit and may fail to address economic concerns, particularly as the administration seeks to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. CBS Austin [2/26/2025 11:19 AM, Jackson Walker, 602K] reports that President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the United States would soon begin selling a $5 million citizenship "Gold Card," which could generate funds needed to pay down the national deficit. In a press conference from the Oval Office, Trump said the card could become available in as soon as two weeks. The card seeks to replace the current EB-5 visa program which lays out a path to citizenship for wealthy foreign investors. It’s going to give you green card privileges plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship and wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card," he said. " The AP [2/26/2025 5:48 PM, Elliot Spagat and Will Weissert, 13342K] reports “I happen to think it’ll sell like crazy. It’s a market,” Trump said. “But we’ll know very soon.” During the first meeting of his second-term Cabinet, Trump suggested that the new revenue generated from the program could be used to pay off the country’s debt. “If we sell a million, that’s $5 trillion dollars,” he said. Of the demand from the business community to participate, he said “I think we will sell a lot because I think there’s really a thirst.” NBC News [2/26/2025 12:57 PM, Nicole Acevedo, Laura Strickler, and Garrett Haake, 44742K] reports that President Donald Trump said he wants to replace a long-standing visa program for foreign investors with a "gold card" that would provide them legal permanent residency and a path to citizenship for $5 million. Trump floated the idea during an impromptu question-and-answer session at the Oval Office on Tuesday as he signed a series of executive orders. "Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card," he said. "They’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was with Trump at the Oval Office, said the "Trump gold card" would replace the immigrant investor program. The EB-5 visa provides foreign nationals who invest in projects that create or sustain U.S. jobs with legal permanent residency and a path to citizenship. "You have a green card. This is a ‘gold card.’ We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that’s going to give you green card privileges," Trump said. Green cards, or lawful permanent resident cards, allow eligible immigrants to live and work permanently in the United States. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [2/26/2025 6:56 AM, Tahar Rajab, 52220K]

The New York Times [2/26/2025 2:31 PM, Jonathan Wolfe, 145325K] reports that President Trump has proposed a new visa program that could lead to permanent residency for those willing to pay a fee of about $5 million. Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, said on Tuesday that a “gold card” visa would replace the EB-5 visa, which was designed to encourage foreigners to invest in economically deprived areas. But some lawmakers say the EB-5 visa, which also offers a pathway to citizenship, has become a risk to national security and an avenue for fraud. Officials did not reveal details on who would be eligible for a gold card, though Mr. Trump said that Russian oligarchs might be. The program could mirror the “golden visas” that have existed for years elsewhere. European visas have been especially desirable, said Dominic Volek, global head of sales for Henley and Partners, an advisory firm that helps clients use investments to obtain residency or citizenship, because often you don’t have to reside in the country to get one. Recently, however, some European countries have begun to reverse course on these types of visas amid backlash from local populations and worries that they were being used for criminal purposes. The Washington Post [2/26/2025 11:41 AM, Annabelle Timsit, 31735K] reports that about 30 countries have successfully set up similar programs, according to Henley & Partners, an investment migration consulting firm. Most offer residence rights in exchange for investment, but some offer citizenship. The idea of any wealthy person buying a passport has been controversial in the countries with investment migration programs, said Dimitry Kochenov, a professor at the Central European University Democracy Institute. Spain, for example, is ending its golden-visa program in April.

FOX News [2/26/2025 6:00 AM, Ashley Carnahan, 46189K] reports Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the enforcement of a longstanding piece of legislation that seeks to encourage illegal migrants in the United States to register with the federal government — something she says was ignored for decades. Noem said the Trump administration would implement the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA) and could impose criminal and financial penalties on those who choose not to leave the United States, register, get fingerprinted or update their address with the federal government. A description of the INA on the DHS’ website states the act requires illegal migrants 14 years or older in the country to register with the federal government and be fingerprinted within 30 days of being in the country illegally. "If they don’t register, they’re breaking the federal law, which has always been in place," Noem said Tuesday on "Jesse Watters Primetime." "We’re just going to start enforcing it to make sure that these aliens go back home, and when they want to be an American, then they can come and visit us again.” The former South Dakota governor said the registry is part of a tool her agency has to "do exactly what President Trump promised the American people.” Noem called on those in the country illegally to self-register on a government website so they can avoid criminal charges and fines. "It’s safer for our communities. It saves us taxpayer dollars, and it allows them an opportunity to come back to this country and to be an American and to live the American dream, which is truly what our history is all about," she said about illegal migrants self-deporting. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/26/2025 7:21 AM, Adam Shaw, 46189K] reports a number of states are stepping up to aid the Trump administration in its efforts to arrest and deport millions of illegal immigrants, with Republican states countering the pushback against the operation from "sanctuary" jurisdictions. The Florida Sheriff’s Association announced last week that jails in all of Florida’s 67 counties have now entered into 287(g) agreements, which originate from a Clinton-era immigration law and allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate immigration functions to state and local law enforcement. Additionally, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month that the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida State Guard had also entered into agreements. "With the head of steam that President Trump has, being swept into office with this as the centerpiece of his agenda, now is the final time, final opportunity to end the illegal immigration crisis in this country once and for all, we need to be willing partners with the federal administration," he said at a press conference. ICE said the agreements allow state and local authorities to "to act as a force multiplier in the identification, arrest, and service of warrants and detainers on foreign-born individuals arrested on local criminal charges.” A number of state and local law enforcement agencies entered into 287(g) agreements during the first Trump administration, but there were no new additions during the Biden administration, which largely limited interior enforcement. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January green-lighting new 287(g) agreements. The agreements come in three forms: a jail enforcement model to identify removal of immigrants with charges or convictions arrested by state or local law enforcement; a task force model that allows agencies to enforce immigration law during police duties; and a warrant service officer program that allows ICE to train agencies to execute warrants in their jails. ICE now says that as of this week, they have jail agreements with 60 law enforcement agencies in 16 states, warrant agreements with 80 law enforcement agencies in 12 states and task force agreements with 15 agencies in six states.

FOX News Radio [2/26/2025 6:00 PM, Dylan Rolfsen, 46189K] Audio: HERE reports Tom Homan, Border Czar for President Donald Trump, joined The Guy Benson Show today to discuss the administration’s remarkable success in reducing border crossings since taking office and the surge in morale among Border Patrol officers under Trump’s leadership. He also detailed his recent conversation with AG Pam Bondi on the legal possibilities of jailing those who dox and interfere with ICE investigations. Plus, Homan explained how ICE and DHS are pushing back against sanctuary cities that continue to resist their enforcement efforts.

New York Times [2/27/2025 5:04 AM, Alan Feuer and Maria Abi-Habib, 145325K] reports that, inside the White House, Trump officials are embroiled in a debate over whether to carry out military strikes against Mexican drug cartels or instead to collaborate with Mexican authorities to jointly dismantle criminal organizations. On one side, several people familiar with the matter say, some U.S. officials are advocating for unilateral military action against cartel figures and infrastructure to stem the flow of drugs across the border. On the other side, those people say, some officials are arguing for increased partnership with the Mexican government to ensure, among other things, continued cooperation on the issue of migration. Amid this split, a high-level delegation from Mexico is set to arrive in Washington on Thursday to meet with senior U.S. officials to hammer out a security agreement, a draft of which was crafted last week and will likely anchor the talks. In discussions so far, American officials have delivered vague ultimatums and unclear policy demands that Mexico dismantle the cartels or face the full force of Washington’s power, according to three people familiar with the preliminary negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly, leading to confusion among Mexican officials. Much of the confusion stems from the division inside the Trump administration on dealing with the drug cartels, several of which were recently designated by the State Department as foreign terrorist organizations. Sebastian Gorka, wearing a dark suit and tie, points with his right index finger. One camp is being led by Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s senior director for counterterrorism within the White House National Security Council, according to three current and former U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly. Mr. Gorka, a combative defender of Mr. Trump, has been working with a former officer in the Joint Special Operations Command, which oversees highly secretive U.S. military special operations, in an effort to push toward using American military power to take down Mexican drug lords and their operations on the ground, the current and former officials said. A more cautious stance has been staked out by the White House’s Homeland Security Council, which is led by Stephen Miller. Mr. Miller has staffed his group with federal law enforcement officials who have deep experience in investigating, prosecuting and running capture operations in Mexico against cartel leaders with local counterparts.

Reuters [2/26/2025 6:39 AM, Luc Cohen, 41523K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump’s designation of drug cartels as terrorist organizations heightens the risk of U.S. criminal prosecutions for American companies operating in parts of Latin America and migrants to the United States, legal experts said. On February 19, the State Department designated the Sinaloa Cartel, Tren de Aragua, and six other Latin American criminal groups as global terrorist organizations, part of the Republican administration’s crackdown on gangs it says are flooding the U.S. with drugs and helping migrants cross illegally. In a memo on February 5 - after Trump had signaled his intent to label the cartels as terrorist groups, but before the designations were formally made - Attorney General Pam Bondi said the move would enable Justice Department prosecutors to charge cartel leaders with terrorism. Six legal experts consulted by Reuters said the designations could also potentially leave U.S. companies and migrants who pay cartels for help crossing the border subject to prosecution for material support of a terrorist group under the U.S. criminal code. The Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment. To be sure, Reuters could not identify any prosecutions of companies under the statute in the week since the designations were implemented. But former prosecutors said companies operating in parts of Mexico, where many companies have reported receiving demands for protection payments from organized crime groups, could be at risk of being charged if they make payments to groups now labeled terrorists. A 2024 study from the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico of 218 companies showed 45% had received demands for protection payments. "Companies need to know who they’re dealing with and reassess that in light of these designations," said Brendan Quigley, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan and current partner at law firm Baker Botts. The risk of criminal prosecution also applies to non-U.S. companies with American operations, said Stephen Reynolds, a former federal prosecutor and current partner at law firm Day Pitney.

CNN [2/26/2025 12:05 PM, Priscilla Alvarez and Alayna Treene, 908K] reports that the Trump administration is preparing to invoke a sweeping wartime authority to speed up the president’s mass deportation pledge, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions. In his inaugural address, President Donald Trump said that he planned to invoke a little-known, 18th-century law, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, as part of his sweeping slate of immigration crackdowns. The measure gives the president tremendous authority to target and remove undocumented immigrants, though legal experts have argued it would face an uphill battle in court. The move is being widely discussed at several agencies as administration officials look at how they could implement the law, three sources told CNN, though details are still being finalized and it’s unclear when the administration would move to invoke it. The primary target as of now, according to three sources, is the Tren de Aragua gang, which was also recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization. "Labeling Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization was the first step," a senior White House official told CNN.

NPR [2/26/2025 5:05 PM, Joel Rose, 29983K] Audio: HERE reports the White House is touting its crackdown on illegal immigration. But critics worry it’s putting optics ahead of substance, and reinforcing widely held misperceptions about immigrants and crime.

FOX News [2/26/2025 1:34 PM, Anders Hagstrom , Bill Mears, and Jake Gibson, 46189K] reports that a federal judge hinted Wednesday that she may extend a temporary restraining order which has kept Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, in his job after President Donald Trump announced his termination earlier this month. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson called the matter "an extraordinarily difficult constitutional issue" during a Wednesday hearing before telling lawyers for Dellinger and the government that she will take the matter under advisement. Jackson issued the temporary restraining order 14 days ago, meaning she must act by Wednesday evening to extend the order. Earlier this month, liberal Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright deny the administration’s request to approve the firing. Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the lower court overstepped. They also cast doubt on whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote in his opinion that "those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement."

Newsweek [2/26/2025 3:52 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports on Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s shutdown of the refugee program, the latest legal challenge to the president’s sweeping immigration orders. Advocacy groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) vowed to fight the promised changes from day one and, so far, at least three policies have been halted or paused completely, while exceptions have been granted elsewhere. The President’s declaration to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to non-citizen parents was challenged almost immediately. Along with restrictions on asylum, Trump ordered the suspension of the Refugee Resettlement Program on January 20 for at least 90 days, while officials weighed the benefits of allowing refugees into the U.S. With the scrapping of the CBP One app, and the proclamation of an "invasion" at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Trump effectively ended what remained of asylum processing. Two lawsuits were filed after the Trump administration said it would give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents more powers to enter schools, churches and other sensitive locations. At the end of January, Trump said ICE detention would be expanded with the creation of 30,000 beds at the U.S. military facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The first flights left the U.S. a few days later. The Trump administration began with intentions to end sanctuary policies in cities, counties and states across the U.S.

Yahoo! News [2/26/2025 6:32 PM, Kyle Wiggers, 52868K] reports in a newly issued executive order (EO), the Trump administration has instructed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the Elon Musk-advised initiative to reduce federal spending, to create a "centralized technological system" in every agency to record contract and grant awards. As part of the ramp-up of these systems, agency employees who approved individual contract and grant payments will have to submit a written justification for their approvals. Agency heads will be able to "pause and rapidly review" any payment for which approving employees haven’t submitted a justification, per the EO. The EO also instructs agency heads, with assistance from DOGE, to build systems that "centrally record" approval for federally funded travel for conferences and other "non-essential" purposes. Once the systems are in place, agency employees will have to submit written justifications for "non-essential" and conference travel expenses, according to the text of the order. The move is the latest expansion of DOGE’s already extensive powers to review federal spending activities. Earlier this month, DOGE sent an email to federal employees asking them to outline what they accomplished at work last week or face termination. Reportedly, DOGE plans to feed the contents into an AI algorithm to determine whether someone’s work is mission-critical or not.

Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 1:46 PM, Christian Datoc, 2296K] reports that the White House directed all federal departments and agencies on Wednesday to prepare for widespread workforce cuts, continuing President Donald Trump’s overarching goal of shrinking the federal bureaucracy. The Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management sent a memo Wednesday morning, obtained by the Washington Examiner, saying to "take preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs)" and submit two separate "Agency Reorganization Plans" to the White House by March 13 and April 14, respectively. The memo also sets an implementation date of Sept. 30, 2025, for the "Phase 2" plan. Trump amplified his desire to slash the federal civil service later Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting. "We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to. We’re bloated. We’re sloppy," Trump said. "We have a lot of people that don’t exist." The memo justified the effort to cut federal jobs by portraying the 2.4 million-strong federal workforce as a drain on taxpayers. "The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens," the memo reads.

CNN [2/26/2025 3:14 PM, Tami Luhby, 22131K] reports that the Trump administration moved forward Wednesday with its plans to conduct large-scale layoffs across agencies, the latest move to downsize the federal workforce. The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo to agency leaders with guidance on how to conduct their reductions in force, known as RIFs, and the reorganizations plans, as per President Donald Trump’s executive order entitled "Implementing The President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative." The principles to guide the agencies include conducting "a significant reduction" in the number of federal workers by eliminating positions that are not needed and reducing federal property holdings and budget, as well as providing better service to Americans and increasing productivity, according to the memo. The first phase includes submitting lists of agency divisions and employees performing functions not mandated by law or regulation who are not considered essential employees during government shutdowns. The plans should also include lists of all jobs categorized as essential, of agency divisions that provide direct service to Americans and of any statutes that establish the agency, as well as the tools the agencies plan to use to reduce their staffs.

FOX News [2/26/2025 8:00 AM, Julia Bonavita, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 46189K] reports a Mexican drug cartel leader is facing federal charges following years of allegedly trafficking narcotics into the country to sell to American citizens. Jesus Ricardo Patron Sanchez, 39, was extradited from Mexico to face charges relating to drug trafficking in New York City, according to federal prosecutors. Sanchez went by the nicknames "Diobolical," "Xmen" and "James Bond" while allegedly working as the head of the "brutally violent" H-2 drug cartel. The H-2 drug trafficking organization operated out of Nayarit and Sinaloa, Mexico and originated from the Sinaloa drug cartel. The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said last year that the U.S. is facing the "most dangerous and deadly drug crisis" in its history with fentanyl and methamphetamine flowing across the border — and that the "Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels are at the heart of this crisis.” Prosecutors allege that under the direction of Sanchez, H-2 transported cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into the U.S. on a monthly basis from June 2013 to December 2016. The cartel used multiple distribution cells throughout the country, including New York, Las Vegas, North Carolina, Ohio and Los Angeles, to traffic "large quantities" of drugs, officials said. "As alleged in the indictment and court filings, Sanchez was one of the principal leaders of the H-2 Drug Trafficking Organization, a brutally violent transnational criminal organization that flooded American streets with dangerous drugs and protected its operations through murder and corruption," United States Attorney John Durham said. Sanchez also directed members of the cartel to kill members of other drug trafficking organizations and additional perceived rivals, according to prosecutors. To ensure the profits from their sales made their way back into Sanchez and other leaders’ pockets, Sanchez allegedly worked to orchestrate a money-laundering operation to transfer funds back to Mexico from the U.S. The DEA estimates that H-2 distributed hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs to American citizens, earning millions of dollars in revenue while committing numerous homicides from 2013 to 2017. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/26/2025 2:05 PM, Michael Dorgan Fox, 46189K] reports that New York City Mayor Eric Adams has lauded his administration’s handling of the Big Apple’s migrant crisis days after a new 2,200-capacity all-male shelter opened in the Bronx. Adams, in an interview with WNYM/Fox 5 NY, said his administration had done a "great job" catering to the 230,000 migrants who have arrived in the city seeking shelter and other services since the crisis began in 2022. He said the Monday announcement that the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan would be closing marked a significant milestone for the city and that 53 other shelters had been shuttered over the past year. Adams said his administration used "smart policies" to cater to the migrants despite communities not being receptive to having shelters in their neighborhoods. "Show me one who raise[s] their hand and say[s], ‘bring it here,’" Adams, a Democrat, said. "We have to use smart policies. How do we bring people into locations so we could get the services and move them out?" "When you think about it, out of those 230,000 that we’ve had, 70% are out of our care on to the next step. Great job on the part of this administration handling the largest humanitarian crisis we’ve had in this city’s history."

Reuters [2/25/2025 7:00 PM, Luc Cohen, 24727K] reports that New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday asked a U.S. judge to permanently dismiss corruption charges against him, opening a schism with President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. In an unusual move earlier this month, a Trump-appointed Justice Department official ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop their case accusing Adams of taking bribes from Turkish officials, arguing it was distracting the mayor from helping the Republican president crack down on immigration. Danielle Sassoon, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney at the time, resigned rather than follow the directive from Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove. Seven other federal prosecutors also resigned, sparking concern among congressional Democrats and former officials about politicization of federal criminal cases. Bove, Trump’s former personal criminal defense lawyer, ended up signing a motion himself asking U.S. District Judge Dale Ho in Manhattan to dismiss the case against Adams, a Democrat, without prejudice, meaning the charges could be brought again. Adams, who pleaded not guilty, initially consented to that condition. Some senior Democrats in the most populous U.S. city argued that made the mayor beholden to Trump’s Republican administration, contributing to calls among New York Democratic politicians for Adams to resign or for Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul to remove him. The AP [2/26/2025 6:35 PM, Larry Neumeister, 10355K] reports that New York City Mayor Eric Adams pulled out of a candidates forum Wednesday that featured many of his opponents in the Democratic primary, saying his lawyer had advised him to stay away from such events until a judge decides whether to dismiss his public corruption case. “Let’s allow the court to do this process,” Adams told reporters as he left an earlier event, adding that there was plenty of time left in the mayoral campaign for other debates and public forums. At least a half-dozen candidates are challenging Adams in June’s Democratic primary.

FOX News [2/26/2025 1:45 PM, Charles Creitz, 46189K] reports that as federal officials renew their focus on strict enforcement of immigration laws and deportations, Alabama lawmakers are advancing their own sweeping changes to the legal landscape. "The previous presidential administration’s open border policies have been absolutely disastrous for the state of Alabama," Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said in a statement announcing the House’s legislative entries. Enhanced penalties for illegal immigrants who commit crimes against minors would become law under a bill from state Rep. Chip Brown, R-Bayou la Batre. Across the bay in Baldwin County, GOP state Rep. Jennifer Fidler introduced another bill that keys into efforts made in other states, like Pennsylvania, where lawmakers have attempted to levy wire-transfer remittances for migrants and illegal immigrants to their home countries. If approved, a 4% fee would be attached to any Western Union or other outbound international money transfer – with the proceeds going to help communities affected by the illegal immigration crisis. "These individuals often come to our state to work in various jobs, some of which are not subject to state income tax," Fidler said in a statement. "Many send their earnings out of the country and, in some cases, to the cartels that facilitated their crossing."

Miami Herald [2/26/2025 6:09 PM, Olivia Lloyd, 3973K] reports a man flashed a gun at a Florida apartment complex and identified himself as an officer looking for undocumented immigrants, deputies said. But 47-year-old Steven Donovan wasn’t a law enforcement officer, and now he’s charged with falsely impersonating an officer, according to an arrest affidavit filed in Orange County. When deputies arrived, they said Donovan described himself as a "homeland security officer" and showed a card from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that said he had applied for a class D security officer license. Deputies said they found a gun on him and issued him a trespass warning, in addition to arresting him.

Border Report [2/26/2025 7:54 PM, Fernie Ortiz, 117K] reports federal prosecutors say a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel who was indicted along with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been extradited to El Paso from Mexico. According to a news release from the Justice Department, Daniel Franco Lopez is accused of coordinating murders and kidnappings and the shipments of tons of cocaine and marijuana into the U.S. Also known as "Micha," "Neon," and "Fer," Lopez was indicted along with Guzman and alleged Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, as well as over a dozen co-defendants. Although he was arrested on Aug. 14, 2012, he has been in Mexican custody since. The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in El Paso said Lopez was defendant No. 16 in the indictment. Prosecutors say he appeared in federal court on Monday and noted that his extradition is one of many "significant pieces in a very large cartel case that spans more than a decade.” "Not only are we grateful for the enduring and successful efforts of our federal law enforcement partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), but I want to emphasize our goal to put an end to these organizations is shared by this U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Justice Department, and our counterparts in Mexico," said Margaret Leachman, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.

Reported similarly:
Telemundo 48 El Paso [2/26/2025 5:07 PM, Staff, 11K]

Chicago Tribune [2/26/2025 7:20 PM, Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella, 5269K] reports Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration vastly underestimated the cost and popularity of a pair of health insurance programs for immigrants who are not citizens that has ended up costing the state $1.6 billion since the initiative began in 2020, according to an audit report released Wednesday. Aside from inaccurate projections of the programs’ cost and the number of people who would enroll, the audit uncovered more than 6,000 people enrolled in the programs who were listed as "undocumented" despite having Social Security numbers, and nearly 700 who were enrolled in the program for people 65 and older despite being younger than that. In addition, almost 400 people were enrolled in the programs but appeared to have been in the country long enough to qualify for Medicaid, which is jointly funded by the federal government. The report from Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino’s office was published a week after Pritzker proposed eliminating funding for the program that provides Medicaid-style insurance coverage for people younger than 65 who are in the country without legal permission or are in the U.S. legally but have not yet qualified for a green card. The cut, estimated to save $330 million, was part of Pritzker’s plan to close a budget hole once pegged at more than $3 billion. The cost overruns were particularly pronounced in the program for younger recipients, with the actual expenditure of $485 million through the three years ending June 30, 2023, coming in at nearly four times the estimated cost of $126 million, according to the audit. At a news conference in Chicago on Wednesday to announce another round of medical debt relief for Illinois residents, Pritzker did not answer directly when asked why the estimates his administration used for the programs were so far off. Instead, he said some individuals were at times kept on the programs’ rolls for a period before the state determined they were no longer eligible, either because of a change in immigration or employment status or some other factor.

Newsweek [2/26/2025 8:51 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed an executive order on Tuesday instructing state and local law enforcement to collaborate with Customs and Border Protection in combating border crimes like drug and human trafficking. This move positions Hobbs as one of the first major Democratic governors to align with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement efforts. Immigration and border security are top concerns for voters in the key border state that President Trump won in the 2024 election. Donald Trump has already signed an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American groups like the Venezuelan crime syndicate 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 executive order, titled Operation Desert Guardian, instructs the State Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, the Department of Public Safety, and the Department of Homeland Security to enhance border security efforts. This will be achieved through collaboration with local law enforcement, county sheriffs, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz, and Cochise—the four Arizona counties bordering Mexico. Hobbs, who narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in the 2022 election, is expected to face another tight race in 2026, in a state where Trump won in 2024. The Arizona Legislature is reviewing the Arizona ICE Act, a proposed immigration measure that would mandate deputizing 10 percent of local and state law enforcement officers to ICE. The bill cleared a state Senate committee last week, but Hobbs is unlikely to sign it into law if it passes. Meanwhile, Arizona Republicans have introduced a bill that would let local law enforcement agencies shoot down cartel drones suspected of trafficking narcotics across the southern border. Republican lawmaker David Marshall’s proposal has garnered bipartisan support, and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, and the state’s top prosecutor, is backing the measure. The bill would grant authorities immunity from any potential injuries resulting from taking down unmanned drones within 30 miles of the southern border. Governor Hobbs said in a statement: "My administration has been in contact with the federal government and local sheriffs about the Operation, its critical objectives, and our shared commitment to keeping criminals and drugs out of Arizona’s communities. I have worked productively with the federal government on Task Force SAFE and partnered with local law enforcement to deliver critical border security support, and I look forward to continued partnership on our shared border security priorities. With Operation Desert Guardian, I’m confident we can take an important next step in our ongoing work to secure the border.”

Reported similarly:

Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 4:32 PM, Jack Birle, 2296K]

FOX News [2/26/2025 7:57 AM, Peter Pinedo, 46189K] reports that, as most leaders in deep blue Washington state double down on sanctuary policies and refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Sheriff Bob Songer of Klickitat County is pledging to support federal immigration enforcement in any way he can, telling Tom Homan to "put me on speed dial.” In December, Songer published a video through the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office’s official Facebook page in which he said the Biden administration had "allowed our country to be invaded" and publicly vowed to help ICE enforce immigration law. Songer’s stance flies directly in the face of Washington’s migrant sanctuary laws, which prohibit law enforcement from assisting federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws. It also puts him at odds with other law enforcement authorities in the state and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who has vowed to "protect law-abiding Washington families" including the "overwhelming majority of undocumented residents" who he said are "decent, hard-working, law-abiding residents.” Uncowed by this, Songer - who, after serving in law enforcement for 56 years, is currently serving his third term as sheriff - said, "I will cooperate with ICE 100 percent because they’re doing the right thing.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, he explained that, despite being a small, rural county in Washington, illegal immigrants regularly pass through the county and very often receive government benefits paid for by the taxpayers. "When people have invaded our country across the southern border and even the northern border, Canada, our government, it’s their job to protect our American citizens by preventing that invasion," he said. "Why would any governor, any mayor, any county commissioner, or any sheriff or police chief knowingly allow criminals, serious criminals for murder, rape, whatever, protect them from immigration, protect them from ICE?". "So why am I standing up against that?" he continued. "You bet I’m saying that Tom Homan, if you wish to contact me, I’ll give you my phone number, he can have me on speed dial.”

Bloomberg [2/26/2025 5:11 PM, Brennan MacDonald, 1492K] reports that U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian trade products is moving ahead as scheduled on March 4, but a White House official says that could change "pending ongoing negotiations." "But as of now, we don’t have any developments or progress to share, so they are still moving ahead as the president indicated," a White House official told CTV News in an email Wednesday. Canada secured a 30-day pause on those likely economically devastating tariffs earlier this month, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — over two phone calls directly with the U.S. president — pitched Canada’s plan to address border security and combat the fentanyl crisis. Trump has said other levies are also on the way, such as new tariffs on steel and aluminum as of March 12, and "the big one," reciprocal tariffs, in early April. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump appeared to mix up his proposed tariffs and respective timelines, indicating the punishing 25 per cent tariffs would be imposed on Canada and Mexico on April 2. Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, however, appeared to suggest the original March 4 date still holds, characterizing them as "fentanyl-related" tariffs. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] Reuters [2/26/2025 12:54 PM, David Lawder and Andrea Shalal, 41523K] reports that U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised hopes for another month-long pause on steep new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, saying they could take effect on April 2, and floated a 25% "reciprocal" tariff on European cars and other goods. A White House official, however, said the March 4 deadline for the tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods remained in effect "as of this moment," pending Trump’s review of Mexican and Canadian actions to secure their borders and halt the flow of the opioid fentanyl and migrants into the U.S. Trump sowed confusion during his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, when he was asked about the timing of the 25% duties and replied, "April 2nd." "I have to tell you that, you know, on April 2, I was going to do it on April 1," Trump said. "But I’m a little bit superstitious, I made it April 2, the tariffs go on. Not all of them but a lot of them." Trump’s comments prompted jumps in the value of the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso versus the greenback.

FOX News [2/26/2025 9:41 PM, Madeline Coggins, 52868K] reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Fox News host Laura Ingraham an exclusive look at Guantánamo Bay, where some illegal migrants are being held as part of the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown. Beginning the trip early out of Joint Base Andrews, Ingraham shared highlights of her travels to the 45-square-mile military base in southeastern Cuba during "The Ingraham Angle" Wednesday. The base is best known for detaining terrorism suspects, including those behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. President Donald Trump authorized the detention of certain illegal immigrants at the facility shortly after taking office on Jan. 20. In January, Trump said he wanted to expand immigrant detention centers at Guantánamo to hold as many as 30,000 people. "We’re here aboard the Department of Defense government plane on the way to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, where everybody knows there are flights of illegal immigrants arriving on a regular basis. That is the administration’s decision as a way station before they are returned home," Ingraham said. Hegseth arrived at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Tuesday, his first trip to the naval installation since being confirmed to his post in January. Hegseth, who served as a U.S. Army lieutenant at Guantánamo from 2004–05 with the New Jersey National Guard, was expected to receive briefings on all mission operations at the base, including the detention facility where illegal migrants deported from the United States are housed before being flown back to their native countries. The Trump defense secretary addressed reports circulating in the media about alleged mistreatment and inhumane conditions at Gitmo. He said the claims, like one article from Washington Post, were "B.S." and added, "this idea that people are being mistreated is absolute garbage.” Hegseth described the living conditions for migrants held in Gitmo as "austere" and "basic, but it’s every basic amenity that you could need is provided.” He added that detainees receive different kinds of amenities and care, including "medical checks, dental checks, health care checks, welfare checks [and] recreational opportunities.” "This is about temporarily holding high-profile, high-threat individuals who, then, we send home." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

PBS [2/26/2025 6:25 PM, Amna Nawaz and Dan Sagalyn, 10355K] Video: HERE reports Panama is serving as a stopover for unauthorized migrants being removed from the U.S. by the Trump administration. To discuss the country’s role in receiving hundreds of migrants, Amna Nawaz spoke with Carlos Ruiz-Hernández, Panama’s vice minister for foreign affairs.

Miami Herald [2/26/2025 3:09 PM, Antonio Maria Delgado, 3973K] reports while portrayed by the Trump administration as hardened criminals, the Venezuelans returning to their home country in the deportation flights from the United States and Mexico are being welcomed back with open arms as prodigal sons and daughters — ironically, by the man in charge of the repressive apparatus that initially forced many of them to flee. For the most part, the hundreds of migrants arriving have been allowed to reunite with their families after officials confirmed that they are not wanted criminals. In fact, the Venezuelans arriving on deportation flights out of Texas and out of the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have received a warm welcome from Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who has reiterated on state television that those deported have been falsely labeled as dangerous criminals or being members of the nefarious Tren de Aragua gang. Experts in Venezuela said that deportees returning home have so far been allowed to move freely inside Venezuela, except for the few that were actually sought by the police.

AZ Central [2/26/2025 9:41 AM, Elvia Diaz, 4457K] reports that President Donald Trump’s price for U.S. citizenship is $5 million each? “El Chapo” Guzman or any wealthy terrorist would like a word. This isn’t some sort of nasty joke from a deranged social media influencer. It’s a real proposal that Trump unveiled on Tuesday, saying he knows “some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people” who could “possibly” be eligible. His retort to a question in the Oval Office crystalizes the absurdity and danger of selling citizenship to the highest bidder. Trump’s proposal is to sell U.S. residency “gold cards” for $5 million each with a path to citizenship, presumably depending on the investment made in America. Anyone with loads of cash and bad intentions could get their hands on Trump’s ‘gold cards’ and do us a lot of harm. President Trump proposed selling ‘gold cards’ for $5 million each, granting U.S. residency with a path to citizenship. Trump argues the program would boost the economy by attracting wealthy individuals who would invest and create jobs. But there are consequences for essentially selling American citizenship to the highest bidder. President Donald Trump’s price for U.S. citizenship is $5 million each? “El Chapo” Guzman or any wealthy terrorist would like a word. It’s a real proposal that Trump unveiled on Tuesday, saying he knows “some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people” who could “possibly” be eligible. His retort to a question in the Oval Office crystalizes the absurdity and danger of selling citizenship to the highest bidder. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [2/26/2025 9:30 AM, Y. Tony Yang, 12829K] reports that hospitals are meant to be sanctuaries of healing, yet immigration enforcement policies are turning them into sites of surveillance, fear and exclusion. Health care workers today face a stark mandate: comply with federal policies that permit Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to operate within medical settings, or resist participation in a system that undermines patient trust and public health. This dilemma is not merely an ethical concern; it is a profound threat to health care access, professional integrity and the moral foundation of medicine itself. The Trump administration’s rollback of protections barring ICE from hospitals and clinics has opened the door for enforcement actions that deter individuals living in the country illegally from seeking care. Reports from across the country show that fear of deportation has led pregnant women to avoid prenatal visits, individuals with chronic illnesses to skip necessary treatments and families to forgo emergency care. These effects ripple beyond the undocumented population, increasing the spread of infectious diseases, exacerbating health disparities and weakening trust in health care institutions.

Federal News Network [2/26/2025 5:14 PM, Ferhat Dikbiyik, 1089K] reports organizations providing critical infrastructure are the lifelines that keep society functioning. Unfortunately, due to their importance, they have become prime targets for ransomware attacks. In fact, of the ransomware attacks that occurred in the past year, a staggering 88% were attacks on organizations in critical sectors. The infiltration of ransomware into America’s essential industries is a pressing concern because these systems can’t afford to be offline for prolonged periods. As a result, ransomware groups know they will likely be successful in getting paid a ransom if they attack these industries. Recent trends indicate a shift toward sectors essential to daily life and national stability, with government functions, health care and critical manufacturing leading the list. Critical sector agencies must adopt proactive security strategies to adequately protect themselves and their stakeholders.

San Francisco Chronicle [2/26/2025 7:00 AM, Staff, 5046K] reports it was 2018 when I received the ambulance radio call that haunts me to this day. I had just started my career as an emergency doctor in Los Angeles. A 21-year-old man had been pinned between a cement truck and a concrete wall. When he tried to walk, all he felt was immense pain. An ambulance was called, but he refused to go to an emergency department. It was part of my job to advise the paramedics by his side what to do. I feared that he might have broken his hip or leg or had internal bleeding. He could have died. But despite my pleading with him on the radio, he refused all help. When I asked him why, he told me he was afraid that he would be deported. I could not convince him otherwise. Paramedics were forced to watch as his family carried him away to a destination unknown. I wanted to see this man get the care I thought he needed. But his fear of being detained at the hospital was warranted. And for people in similar positions, it is once more under President Donald Trump’s new administration. While hospitals were once considered sensitive locations to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials — where they are not allowed to conduct their business, including arrests — the Trump administration has already done away with this federal policy. An immigration crackdown is unfolding across the country. Thousands of military troops have been sent to our southern border. Raids on farm workers in the Central Valley have been executed. A Los Angeles father was detained in front of his son going to school. Military and commercial planes have begun deporting people to Guatemala and Mexico. The fear among migrants and their families is pervasive and at an all-time high. As an emergency medicine doctor working in a public, safety-net hospital in San Francisco, I am also afraid. I am afraid for my patients.

Washington Post [2/26/2025 5:23 PM, Staff, 31735K] reports the first batch of nearly 200 migrant detainees shipped there were Venezuelans, described by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem as “the worst of the worst.” After they were sent back to Venezuela last Thursday, reports of their treatment at Guantánamo began to emerge. A detailed report in The Post described how some were kept shackled in windowless cages, deprived of sunlight and allowed outdoors for only one hour each week. They were subjected to humiliating, invasive strip searches and denied access to lawyers and phone calls to loved ones. Some screamed during long hours in isolation; others threatened or attempted suicide. Some legal experts, human rights groups and the United Nations consider prolonged solitary confinement a form of cruel and unusual punishment, but the U.S. Supreme Court has not definitively ruled on it. Denying the detainees access to lawyers would seem to violate the right to due process. But again, in Cuba, the prisoners are in what lawyers have called a “legal black hole.” Also, Noem’s claim that the first group of detainees included “the worst of the worst” criminals has not been verified and seems, at best, a wild exaggeration. A separate article in The Post, based on court records and conversations with detainees’ relatives, found that some of the prisoners did not have violent criminal records. Their only crime seems to have been illegally crossing the border to enter the United States. By using Guantánamo to house migrants rounded up in enforcement raids, the Trump administration seems to want to create the public impression that undocumented immigrants are a particularly dangerous category of criminal — on a par with the 9/11 plotters and other suspected terrorists.

Roll Call [2/26/2025 1:48 PM, Ryan Tarinelli, 503K] reports an agency official told House lawmakers the federal prison system was holding about 700 immigration detainees at four facilities as of Wednesday morning, part of a Trump administration strategy that has drawn objections from a group of Senate Democrats. Kathleen Toomey, associate deputy director of the federal Bureau of Prisons, disclosed that figure during a hearing of the House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, giving new insight into the scope of the agency’s role in implementing President Donald Trump’s tough-on-immigration approach. Under questioning from Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Toomey said the BOP has entered into an interagency agreement allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to place detainees at five BOP facilities — Miami; Atlanta; Philadelphia; Leavenworth, Kan.; and Berlin, N.H. There were no detainees at the New Hampshire facility, she reported, and the agreement allows for the Department of Homeland Security to fully reimburse the prison agency for the costs of housing those individuals. Her appearance comes a day after a group of Senate Democrats urged Attorney General Pamela Bondi to reconsider the strategy, arguing that detained immigrants during the first Trump administration described alleged mistreatment and detention conditions that were unconstitutional in federal prisons. "Due to BOP already suffering from years of understaffing, inadequate resources, and crumbling infrastructure, the Administration’s decision to revive immigration detention in BOP facilities seriously threatens the safety and well-being of BOP staff, incarcerated individuals, and immigrant detainees," the Democrats said in a letter. Understaffed prisons already face deep challenges in making sure the current inmate population is safe, they argued. "BOP already grapples with considerable resource deficiencies in discharging its primary mandate, and simply does not have adequate resources to take on the additional challenge of safely and humanely accommodating immigration detainees," the Democrats wrote.

Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 10:57 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 2296K] reports that White House border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration has uncovered who was behind a leak that sabotaged what was supposed to be a significant raid by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting Tren de Aragua gang members in Aurora, Colorado. Fox News host Sean Hannity asked Homan Tuesday evening if the White House had made progress in its search for who tipped off the Venezuelan gang before ICE arrived on the scene on Feb. 5. "Yes, made progress. We know who leaked the Aurora, Colorado, operation that is under investigation as we speak," Homan said. Homan did not offer further details about who was behind it or what kind of consequences that individual or individuals may face. Homan disclosed that he was meeting Wednesday morning with Department of Justice officials to discuss the recent doxxing of ICE officers in Los Angeles after flyers were posted showing four officers’ faces and names and warning the community to be on the lookout for them. "These armed agents work in Southern California. ICE and HSI racially terrorize and criminalize entire communities with their policies. They kidnap people from their homes and from the streets, separating families and fracturing communities. Many people have died while locked up in jails, prisons, and detention centers," the flyer continued. Hannity said he anticipated Attorney General Pam Bondi would take up the doxxing as a "major legal issue." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced late Monday that she had fired DHS employees who leaked information to the press, though not specifically the Aurora leak.

Yahoo! News [2/26/2025 10:56 PM, Allen Cone, 52868K] reports more than 20,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested during the first month Donald Trump was president, according to the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. Under President Joe Biden, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted around 33,000 at-large arrests, which averages 2,700 per month. "President Trump and this Administration are saving lives every day because of the actions we are taking to secure the border and deport illegal alien criminals," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement Wednesday. "Hundreds of thousands of criminals were let into this country illegally. We are sending them home, and they will never be allowed to return.” Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Caleb Vitello was removed from his role at the agency. Trump selected Vitello to fill the post, but he has complained privately about it to his top immigration aides, several people familiar with the matter told CNN and CBS on Friday. Protestors rally at Dallas City Hall before staging a march throughout downtown on Feb. 2 to show opposition to arrests and raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "The Acting Director of ICE is not being fired -- he is no longer in an Administrative role, but is overseeing all field and enforcement operations: finding, arresting, and deporting illegal aliens, which is a major priority of the President and Secretary," said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle on Tuesday halted Trump’s order to suspend refugee admissions and funding. He was appointed by Biden. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland blocked agents from carrying out immigration enforcement actions at places of worship for Quakers, Cooperative Baptists and Sikhs. He was appointed by President Barack Obama. Deportation figures since Trump became president haven’t been announced. In fiscal year 2014, ICE deported more than 271,000 unauthorized immigrants, the highest tally recorded by the agency since fiscal year 2014, when the Obama administration carried out 316,000 deportations. The most when Trump was president the first time was 267,000 in 2019. In 2023, there were an estimated 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, according to the Center for Migration Studies of New York. On Tuesday, Customs and Border Protection encountered only 200 undocumented migrants at the U.S. Southern border, the fewest apprehensions in a single day in over 15 years. Noem launched a multimillion-dollar nationwide and international ad campaign warning illegal aliens to not cross the border.

FOX News [2/26/2025 10:39 AM, Staff, 46189K] reports that the Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration, something the president promised throughout his campaign. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Yahoo! News [2/26/2025 4:40 PM, Brooke Shafer, 52868K] reports President Donald Trump’s deportation plan has involved federal immigration officials, local law enforcement and military troops but private military contractors could be next. There are multiple reports that firms like Blackwater have proposed their own mass deportation plans to the White House. Blackwater’s plan reportedly includes using private aircraft for deportation flights and civilian-managed processing camps on military bases. Blackwater founder Erik Prince pushed back on reporting suggesting the group was advocating for a private army. Prince told NewsNation that what he put together was a memo and logistics plan to help the Trump administration deport millions of people. He said that if the Trump administration wants to do deportations on that kind of scale, they will need help from private citizens. "What that memo describes is how to do it in a legal, ethical manner to get people the due process they need before they’re deported," Prince told Leland Vittert. He said while the government is trying to exhaust the internal government capacity first, eventually they will need additional private sector help. The plan submitted reportedly included the use of private aircraft, processing camps on military bases and deputizing private citizens to make arrests and reportedly carries a $25 billion price tag. Prince told NewsNation it is not an idea for a "private army" but a plan to help the administration reach its goal of deporting 12 million people by next year.

CBS Boston [2/26/2025 6:13 PM, Tiffany Chan, 51661K] reports a Marlboro man was reunited with his wife and daughter after a month at an ICE detention center at the Texas border. The 29-year-old from Brazil described that fear after being pulled over by ICE agents on his way to work in January. His lawyer said Amaral was mistaken for another man, but because he overstayed his visa, officers arrested him. He ended up at an ICE detention center with hundreds of others. Celedon argued that Amaral has no criminal record and was able to get him out on bond and reunited with his family.

Univision [2/26/2025 4:47 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports a 55-year-old man from Astoria, Queens, was arrested for sex trafficking and promoting prostitution crimes in Nassau County, following an investigation that revealed illicit activities between July 2024 and February 2025. Jorge J. Ramos was arrested without incident by the Nassau County Police Department’s Narcotics/Vice Squad. Specific charges include sex trafficking, promoting prostitution in the second degree and promoting prostitution in the third degree. The case gained further prominence by involving federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI’s Human Trafficking Task Force. During the course of the investigation, federal authorities established that Ramos remained in the country as an undocumented immigrant, adding an additional dimension to the case in terms of jurisdiction and legal prosecution.

Telemundo 47 [2/26/2025 11:39 AM, Rita Portela, 164K] reports that a Turkish immigrant couple was arrested while working at their Mediterranean restaurant in New Jersey by immigration authorities, ICE for its acronym in English. The operation took place on February 25, 2025 at the facilities of Jersey Kebab Mediterranean Grill located at 150 Haddon Avenue right in front of a police station and a government building. They are Celal and Emine Emanet who since 2016 have a request for immigration relief for their legal status in the United States. So far, their residency or Green Card has not been approved. The couple runs the restaurant daily from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. And according to relatives, there is a sign in front that reads as follows: "free food for anyone who is disabled, homeless or simply cannot pay." Celal, the husband, was released with an electronic shackle, while Emine, the matriarch, was transferred to the immigration detention center in Elizabeth, NJ. The family appointed a close person to prepare a page of funds to be able to pay for the legal process. They have a pot of $66,000.

FOX News [2/26/2025 1:45 PM, Adam Shaw, 46189K] reports that a Pennsylvania resident has pleaded guilty to harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain in a town that drew national attention last year over an influx of Haitian migrants, the Department of Justice announced this week. Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Andy Ha has pleaded guilty to charges of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and failing to pay more than $3 million in employment taxes. The DOJ announced that Ha owned a staffing agency that provided workers to companies in the area of Charleroi, Pennsylvania. As part of that, he paid over 25 workers who were not legally authorized to be in the U.S. to stay in a former hotel and paid for them to be transported to and from work. The nationality of those workers was not stated. Additionally, he is accused of providing the individual who prepared the business’ tax returns with spreadsheets listing only workers in the U.S. legally, which authorities said led to a tax loss of at least $3.1 million. "The defendant broke the law by harboring and employing individuals not authorized to be in the United States," Rivetti said. "In addition, defendant Ha cost the U.S. government millions of dollars through his failure to pay taxes related to his business." "This investigation highlights the commitment of HSI Pittsburgh to protecting our communities from those who seek to exploit undocumented workers for their personal gain," said Edward Owens, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia.

CBS Miami [2/26/2025 11:11 PM, Nikiya Carrero, 51661K] reports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced a statewide expansion of immigration enforcement, granting all 67 county sheriffs the authority to act as federal immigration agents under the 287(g) program. Speaking at Homestead Air Reserve Base alongside Department of Homeland Security Senior Counselor Keith Pearson, DeSantis called the move a major step in strengthening immigration enforcement and aligning Florida with former President Donald Trump’s policies. "If all the states did this, this problem would go away much quicker," DeSantis said. "Your communities will be safer. The taxpayers will have less burdens placed on them.” The 287(g) program allows state and local law enforcement to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Miami-Dade and Broward counties are among those participating, though Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony was absent from the announcement. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz attended but declined to comment. The program, divided into three enforcement models, expands the role of local officers in immigration operations: Jail Enforcement Model: Identifies and processes undocumented individuals with criminal charges who are already in custody. Task Force Model: Authorizes law enforcement officers to enforce immigration laws during their regular police duties. Warrant Service Officer Program: Trains officers to execute ICE administrative warrants in local jails. "This is not just about honoring detainers or warrants," DeSantis said. "This is a task force model that will lead to street-level enforcement operations.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The Miami Herald [2/26/2025 8:31 PM, Angie DiMichele, 3973K] reports that under the 287(g) program, ICE operates three different models that give local law enforcement the ability to act in some capacity as immigration officers: the Jail Enforcement Model, the Warrant Service Officer model and the Task Force Model. The last model is what each of Florida’s county sheriffs have now agreed to as of Wednesday and is an arm of the program that DeSantis said was "dormant" under former President Joe Biden’s administration. The Task Force Model gives local law enforcement agencies the ability to "enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties," according to ICE. The other two agreements give local law enforcement authority to act with immigration duties only inside jails. But there have previously been concerns with the Task Force Model, according to a January overview of 287(g) by the American Immigration Council. It was "discontinued" in 2012 after ICE said other enforcements were a "more efficient use of resources," according to the overview. The nonprofit cited research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that determined the Task Force Models in that state more than a decade ago "were primarily used to target offenders who posed no threat to public safety or individuals with no criminal record.” The Task Force Model was, in part, discontinued over concerns about how it was impacting local police’s community relations with immigrants, the American Immigration Council said. ICE’s updated data as of Wednesday shows that the Task Force Model is the type of program with the fewest agreements, with only seven states that have them. Nationally, at least 239 law enforcement agencies have entered into agreements for one of the three models, the data updated Wednesday afternoon shows

Reported similarly:
Miami Herald [2/26/2025 7:35 PM, Verónica Egui Brito and Syra Ortiz Blanes, 3973K]

FOX News [2/26/2025 9:06 PM, Louis Casiano, 52868K] reports federal immigration agents arrested 16 illegal immigrants caught trying to flee a Mississippi business during a workplace raid, authorities said. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Border Patrol and other agencies were at Gulf Coast Prestress Partners, in Pass Christian on the Gulf Coast to conduct a worksite raid, ICE said. Federal immigration authorities arrested 16 illegal immigrants at a Mississippi business during a raid. "While serving the paperwork and interviewing employees, agents observed a large group of individuals running from the back of the business property," an ICE news release states. Agents caught 18 people from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. Two of those caught had immigration court dates and work authorization and were released. Immigration agents after a worksite raid in Mississippi where 16 illegal immigrants were arrested as they were trying to flee the business, authorities said. One of the 18 was a 16-year-old Mexican citizen who was taken into custody by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all their workers, ICE said. The worksite raids were nonexistent during the Biden administration. Under President Donald Trump, border and immigration authorities have tamped up operations targeting illegal immigrants, particularly those with criminal records. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Chicago Tribune [2/26/2025 7:10 PM, Nell Salzman and Ikram Mohamed, 5269K] reports a parent dropping off two students at an Acero charter school on the Southwest Side was detained Wednesday morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, according to a letter from the charter network’s leadership sent to parents. In a letter Wednesday, Acero officials said "Community Wellness Protocols" were immediately implemented at two schools, Victoria Soto High School and Jovita Idar Elementary, which share a campus, to "maintain the safety and security" of the schools’ community. Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Safety and Security was also engaged, according to the letter signed by the schools’ principals, Elizabeth Obrzut and Nicolle Macias. ICE agents did not attempt to enter either school, according to the letter. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The network of 15 charter elementary and high schools, said focused support will be made available for those impacted by the event, due to how "stressful and upsetting" the situation may have been on the school’s community, both schools will have additional social work support available for students, Helena Stangle, chief culture officer at Acero Schools said in an emailed statement to the Tribune. Acero "has and will continue to share the Civil Rights Resource Hub with all of our school communities and regularly distributes information about stand-alone Know Your Rights opportunities.” The school network’s online information center, known as the "Civil Rights Resource Hub," is updated weekly and includes direct contact information for Acero staff members "positioned to support our school community," Stangle said. Three officers were spotted outside the school Wednesday morning in normal-looking cars and clothes, said Evelyn Aguayo, a member of the rapid response team for the community organizing group Increase the Peace Chicago. Aguayo said photos of the agents circulated among response groups later in the afternoon.

Newsweek [2/26/2025 7:33 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports an alleged member of the MS-13 gang, who was removed from the United States six times, has been arrested in Texas, accused of killing a man just hours earlier. Luis Miguel Perez-Miranda, 34, was detained Monday and charged with murder in the deadly stabbing of a man in a small community just outside Houston. Originating in Los Angeles, MS-13 is a criminal gang made up of immigrants and was recently designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the administration of President Donald Trump. Groups like MS-13 became a focal point of anti-immigration discourse during the presidential election campaign last year after several high-profile crimes involving gang members. Julian Salas Lopez, age unknown, was stabbed to death with "an unknown object" in the Colony Ridge subdivision of Plum Grove, a majority Latino community, on Monday, a criminal complaint obtained by Newsweek showed. In a joint operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Perez-Miranda was detained following a manhunt in Dayton, around 20 miles from the killing. The Salvadoran first entered the U.S. illegally at least 15 years ago, according to ICE. He was deported to El Salvador in September 2009, August 2014, July 2016, March 2019, and March 2023. Perez-Miranda has also been convicted of drug trafficking, drug possession and two counts of illegal entry while he was illegally present in the U.S. ICE said Perez-Miranda was a known member of MS-13, but this was not completely clear Wednesday afternoon. Newsweek reached out to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, which was holding the suspect, for further comment. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford praised his agents in a news release: "Without their incredible sacrifice and commitment to execute their mission at the highest level, this dangerous MS-13 gang member who allegedly butchered an innocent man earlier in the day would still be at-large in the community posing a potential threat to every Houstonian he encountered.” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz, in a news release: "The residents in Southeast Texas can rest easier knowing this dangerous transnational gang member has been removed from the community and is safely in custody. Thanks to the close relationships we have with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we were able to quickly apprehend him within a matter of hours before he could endanger anyone else in the area.”

Reported similarly:
Univision [2/26/2025 8:53 PM, Staff, 5325K]

CBS Austin [2/26/2025 11:34 AM, Alexx Altman-Devilbiss, 602K] reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 100 people in a Houston neighborhood Tuesday during a multi-agency enforcement operation. ICE said the Colony Ridge development is known for its "cartel activity" and "illegal alien population." The charges and convictions among the 118 arrests include criminal sexual conduct, homicide, theft, negligent manslaughter, child sexual abuse, crimes of moral turpitude, weapons offenses and drug offenses. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced on X Monday that Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers and special agents were assisting Homeland Security Investigations with the operation after speaking with border czar Tom Homan for months. "They are targeting criminals and illegal immigrants," Abbott said. Homan told Fox News after the joint operation that it was part of a "larger criminal investigation" and referred to it as "phase one.” ICE confirmed to the news outlet that Florentin Chevez-Luna, 39, from El Salvador who had been deported three times was among those taken into custody. According to ICE, he had a criminal arrest warrant for alleged repeated sexual abuse of a minor between November 2008 to November 2016. The arrests were made at multiple locations including worksites and during traffic stops.

Axios [2/26/2025 7:18 AM, Russell Contreras, Megan Stringer, 13163K] reports no state is holding more immigrant detainees than Texas, and many are in facilities near San Antonio, according to newly released federal data. The data sheds light on the housing arrangements federal officials have made for detainees at a time when the U.S. government’s immigration centers are at near capacity — and the Trump administration is pushing for dramatically more arrests. The South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, about 55 miles southwest of San Antonio, has the second-most detainees (1,680 a day), according to the data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) and reviewed by Axios. The Adams County Detention Center in Natchez, Miss., is holding the largest number of detainees, averaging 2,154 a day. The Karnes County Immigration Processing Center, about 55 miles southeast of San Antonio, is holding about 1,130 people a day. Eight detention centers in Texas were among the nation’s top 20 facilities that each are holding at least 800 people for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to an Axios review of the data, which runs through Feb. 8. Overall, ICE was holding 41,169 in detention at the various locations. Nearly 55% of those have no criminal record, and many more have committed minor offenses such as traffic violations, TRAC found. TRAC said the ICE detention statistics update has missing and incorrect data. It did not report the number of detainees at the U.S. naval facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Holding immigrants in detention is by far the largest cost of the deportation process.

Univision [2/26/2025 12:20 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports that Mexican Omar Lopez (a fictitious name to protect his identity) has been a permanent resident of the United States since 2008, but was arrested on February 5 by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) southwest of Houston. "It’s an experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone," Lopez says. He shares it, he says, seeking to "bring a message to my community; to get their legal situation in order. To educate themselves and know which laws protect them." According to the Mexican’s account, that Wednesday, around 5:00 p.m., he was leaving his house with a friend and his daughter, who is a minor. Just then, four trucks blocked his car, near the intersection of Misty Park Dr and Crest Park Dr. "They told me ‘get out of the vehicle, get out of the vehicle.’ At no time did they show me any order," recalls the 41-year-old Hispanic. Several agents with weapons got out of the trucks and took them out of their vehicle, without consent. They only took him. "They violated all of my due process rights," says defense attorney Raed Gonzalez. He adds: "They ignored every time he told them he was a resident." The Mexican immigrant says that the minor was recording, but upon hearing the agents’ threats, she decided to keep her cell phone. Finally, already in ICE custody, he describes that the agents placed a black belt and chains with handcuffs on him.

Yahoo! News [2/26/2025 6:52 PM, Jonathan Mejia, 52868K] reports a Honduran woman and her five children have decided to voluntarily leave the United States after her husband was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston, despite having no criminal record. Angelica Castillo, who arrived in the U.S. seven months ago with her family, faced a turning point when her husband was arrested last month. "I’m a bit nervous and scared because of the situation with my two youngest daughters’ documentation," Castillo said, expressing her concerns ahead of her immigration court hearing. "But I’m trusting in God, and with his help, we’re going to get through this.” Before the hearing, Castillo was able to speak with her husband, who remains detained. "I’m happy because I was able to see him and see that he is doing well," she said. "He says others have been deported, but he is still detained. He gets impatient because he wants to be with his family and see his daughters.” Accompanied by her attorney, Silvia Mintz, Castillo stood before an immigration judge, having already decided to self-deport. The judge granted her request for voluntary departure. "Today was a very important day because we were asking the judge to give us pre-conclusion for voluntary departure," Mintz explained. "This means before we even have a hearing on the matter, she wants to leave.” Just before her court appearance, Castillo received a call from her husband, who informed her that he had signed documents for his deportation and would be flown to Honduras in two weeks. The judge gave Castillo until June 26 to leave the country. "Soon we will be reunited and give each other a big hug after going through all of this," she said. "I do not want to be here in this country if it’s not with him and all of our kids.” Despite the challenges, Castillo has no regrets but would not undertake the journey again. Her attorney advises undocumented immigrants to attend their court hearings. "Don’t be afraid to show up to the court hearings," Mintz urged. "There might be options. It’s worse if they don’t show up and there is an order of deportation in absentia because then they would be in more legal trouble.”

AZCentral [2/26/2025 6:22 PM, Jimmy Jenkins, 4457K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 12 people and seized more than $500,000 during the execution of more than a dozen search warrants at metro Phoenix businesses on Tuesday. The people arrested face "criminal or administrative immigration charges," said ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe. Pitts O’Keefe declined to provide the names of those arrested, citing the Department of Homeland Security’s privacy policy. ICE executed 19 search warrants simultaneously "on illicit money services businesses operating in and around Phoenix," Pitts O’Keefe said. In addition to money, electronic devices, ledgers and other documents were seized, she said. The probe was led by Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE.

FOX News [2/26/2025 3:00 PM, Staff, 46189K] reports border czar Tom Homan is threatening legal action after anti-ICE activists posted the photos, names and addresses of ICE agents operating in Southern California. Homan told "Fox & Friends" Wednesday that the fliers "crossed the line" and he will be seeking action by the Department of Justice. He also disclosed that he requires 24-7 police protection due to death threats. Multiple federal law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin that anti-ICE activists, who have been interfering with ICE operations in the Los Angeles area in recent days, have now started putting up posters featuring the personal information of ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers working in the Los Angeles and Southern California area. It is unclear which activist group is putting up these posters, but ICE officials said they are aware and are investigating.

CBS Los Angeles [2/26/2025 11:30 PM, Matthew Rodriguez, 51661K] reports a Russian national faces a federal assault charge after he allegedly bit an ICE officer’s pinky finger Tuesday. "The men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are critical to protecting national security and public safety and upholding the rule law," Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally said. "As alleged in the felony criminal complaint, the defendant attacked a deportation officer. He will be held accountable for his actions.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 35-year-old Maksim Zaitsev of Costa Mesa with assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury. He’s expected to make his initial court appearance on Wednesday. If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. According to the affidavit accompanying the complaint, ICE issued a G-56 letter requesting Zaitsev visit the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 25. A G-56 letter is a common form issued to someone during immigration procedures. Officers from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security detained Zaitsev at the Federal Building after receiving an administrative arrest warrant, the complaint states. Investigators said Zaitsev became agitated after being placed in handcuffs, screaming towards a woman officers believed to be his wife.

The Hill [2/26/2025 11:00 AM, Staff, 12829K] reports that group of House Democrats are set to reintroduce legislation on Wednesday afternoon that would provide recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program a pathway to become permanent U.S. residents. The recurring bill, known as the “American Dream and Promise Act,” did not make it out of committee during the 118th Congress. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass), Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) will lead the 2025 charge. The move comes as concerns mount over President Trump’s fervent immigration agenda as well as his push to rescind DACA in the past. The press conference is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. EST. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Univision [2/26/2025 4:27 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports a Democratic lawmaker in alliance with another Republican reintroduced a bill that opens a path to citizenship for thousands of beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, also known as ‘dreamers’. The initiative, called the Dream and Promise Act, which had failed in 2023, was reintroduced by Texas Democrat Sylvia Garcia and Florida Republican Maria Elvira Salazar. The proposal opens the door for DACA beneficiaries, a program created in 2012 during the administration of President Barack Obama, to obtain a permanent residence permit and subsequently qualify for citizenship. The initiative also provides a path to permanent residency and citizenship for some Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and children of certain undocumented immigrants.

Yahoo! News [2/26/2025 7:00 AM, Juan Carlos Chavez, 52868K] reports that Biko Joseph fled his native Haiti for Chile to escape danger. A radio journalist, he became a target after exposing government corruption in 2016. From Chile, he was able to bring his family from Haiti. Four years later, they moved to the United States and applied for temporary protected status, a designation afforded to refugees who cannot return home safely. Peace and stability seemed possible until President Donald Trump’s administration moved to revoke protections for approximately 500,000 Haitians this month. Now, they could face deportation by August. "It’s very disappointing," said Joseph, 34. "We came here to start a new life." Haiti has had temporary protected status since 2010, following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people. By last year, 521,000 Haitians had this type of status, making them the second-largest number of temporary protected status beneficiaries after Venezuelans. Federal officials now say the system had been exploited and abused for decades. Three weeks ago, the Trump’s administration revoked protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans. "President Trump and I are returning (temporary protected status) to its original status: temporary," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

Public Radio Tulsa [2/26/2025 3:32 PM, Zach Boblitt, 30K] reports faith communities came together over the weekend to pray for Ukraine. The unknown is temporary protected status for Ukrainians. The designation gave refugees an opportunity to stay and work in the U.S. due to urgent humanitarian reasons. The length of the stay is between six months and two years. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced last month they aren’t currently accepting re-parole applications through the streamlined process known as Ukrainian Humanitarian Parole due to an executive order from President Donald Trump. Re-parole applications, if approved, extend the temporary protected status of refugees. Now Ukrainians will have to wait through a slower "case-by-case" process. Ukrainians delicate temporary legal status—along with recent rhetoric from Trump and a U.S. vote against a U.N. resolution urging Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine—has led to much fear.

US News & World Report [2/26/2025 3:56 PM, Elliott Davis Jr., 24727K] reports January marked the lowest number of monthly apprehensions at the southern border since May 2020. The Trump administration has taken credit for the drop, but activity had already decreased sharply in the months leading up to the president’s inauguration. Analysts clarify that Trump’s restrictive policies are having their intended effect but note the lower numbers might not be sustainable and the potential for repercussions. But an expert, citing early data from Mexico, says the numbers are likely to fall even further in February – Trump’s first full month in office. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hinted at this in a recent post on social media where she noted only 200 people were encountered at the border on Feb. 22, the "single lowest apprehension day in over 15 years."

Miami Herald [2/26/2025 5:13 PM, Milena Malaver, 3973K] reports an U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent landed behinds bars after hitting his daughter multiple times in the head and strangling her boyfriend — who deputies say stepped in to stop the assault — after she was involved in a car crash, according to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say the boyfriend had several injuries, including scratches on his neck and face, a cut on his lip and a bruise on his shoulder. Perez’s daughter was not visibly injured. He’s charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery and one count of battery by strangulation. Court records indicate Perez has been released from jail after posting a thousand-dollar bond.

Miami Herald [2/26/2025 5:50 PM, Syra Ortiz Blanes and Claire Healy, 3973K] reports a 44-year-old Ukrainian man died in a local hospital while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami’s Krome Detention Center, the federal government said. A physician at HCA Kendall Hospital reported that Maksym Chernyak died from "bleeding from the brain" on Feb. 20, two days after he had been hospitalized with vomiting and seizures, according to an ICE press statement. It is the latest in a series of deaths from medical causes at the facility. Of the six reported deaths in ICE custody since October 2024, half have been at Krome, according to official death reports from the agency. Since December, a person has died each month while in ICE custody at Krome. On Wednesday, ICE referred the Miami Herald to the death reports the agency has released of the previous two deaths. The death of the Ukrainian national is still under active investigation under Department of Homeland Security protocols.

Border Report [2/26/2025 9:33 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports that, on these windswept South Texas brushlands, there is a trail of wristbands that tell so many stories. Leading from the Rio Grande, each wristband represents a different cost or code that migrant smugglers give their human cargo before they’re illegally brought across the border. Officials with the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector took Border Report to the spot early Wednesday. They say the wristbands are proof that although migrant encounters are down, cartel activities aren’t. "Each wristband represents some type of illegal entry," said Agent Christina Smallwood, a spokeswoman for the sector. "Each color symbolizes something – the wording, the symbolism on them, the imagery.” Some read "entregas," or deliveries, others say "llegadas," which means arrivals. Some say "Mexicans" and all indicate in code which cartel is trafficking the person, how much they paid, and how many times they have tried to cross. Smallwood says migrants have told Border Patrol agents that they are told not to remove the wristbands because if they do and fail to make it to the U.S., then they cannot try again. But if they are sent back, wristbands on, then the cartel often gives them so many tries before they charge them again. The average price to cross the Rio Grande has typically been about $8,000 per person. But officials say that has gone up as the new Trump administration is cracking down on border security and has cut off asylum entries altogether. When President Donald Trump took office he did away with the CBP One app, which allowed up to 1,450 migrants to make asylum appointments at one of eight U.S. ports of entry every day. Agents are enforcing Title 8 laws, which means that anyone who crosses illegally between U.S. ports of entry can be arrested and deported. Those who try to re-enter face jail time. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week said daily border apprehensions have hit a 15year low. She said daily border encounters have dropped 95% since Trump took office. "President Trump and this Administration are saving lives every day because of the actions we are taking to secure the border and deport illegal alien criminals," Noem said.

Telemundo 48 El Paso [2/26/2025 3:43 PM, Staff, 11K] reports a Jamaican national with multiple felony convictions was arrested at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal reentry. According to court documents, Dwight Donovan Moulton, 43, allegedly presented a Texas identification card to a Customs and Border Protection officer and claimed he was a U.S. citizen traveling to El Paso after visiting his girlfriend in Mexico. The customs officer recognized facial discrepancies between Moulton and the photo identification he presented, and escorted Moulton to the Secondary Passport Control office for further inspection. During the inspection, Moulton allegedly stated his true identity and admitted to being a citizen of Jamaica. A criminal complaint also alleges that Moulton admitted to finding the identification card he had presented and intended to use it to travel to El Paso. Further investigation revealed that Moulton had previously been removed to Jamaica from Houston. Additionally, his criminal record included three felonies, including a firearm offense and sale of a controlled substance.

AZCentral [2/26/2025 4:59 PM, Raphael Romero Ruiz, 4457K] reports the Border Patrol and Nogales Fire Department rescued an immigrant who fell from the border wall. A 29-year-old Mexican woman earlier this month attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales and was hurt "after smugglers dropped her," according to Sean McGoffin, Chief Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol in Tucson, who posted on social media platform X about the Feb. 14 incident. A CBP official said the woman sustained a back injury. The woman was transported to Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales and subsequently to Banner-University Medical Center in Tucson.

Los Angeles Times [2/26/2025 9:35 PM, Rebecca Plevin, 3973K] reports ACLU attorneys representing the United Farm Workers and five Kern County, California, residents have sued the head of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol officials, alleging the Border Patrol’s three-day raid in the southern San Joaquin Valley in early January amounted to a "fishing expedition" that indiscriminately targeted people of color who appeared to be farmworkers or day laborers. The complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in the Eastern District of California, alleges that agents from the Border Patrol’s El Centro sector violated protections afforded by federal law and the U.S. Constitution when they rounded up and deported scores of laborers in the country without legal authorization. It seeks class-action relief for everyone subjected to the tactics, which the lawsuit describes as "lawless sweeps, indiscriminate arrests, and coercive expulsions.” "It’s clear that this was a coordinated operation intended to sweep up as many people as possible, not based on any individualized reason, but based on their apparent race, ethnicity or occupation; arrest them and expel as many of them from the country as possible, regardless of whether they knew their rights or the consequences," said Bree Bernwanger, an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California, one of three ACLU affiliates representing plaintiffs in the case. Asked to comment on the allegations, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol enforcement actions are "highly targeted." Any alleged or potential misconduct by agents would be referred for investigation, the agency said. A spokesperson for the Border Patrol’s El Centro sector said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. The El Centro sector - headquartered more than 300 miles from Kern County’s sprawling farm fields and orchards - led the unusual January raid at the tail end of the Biden administration. Chief Agent Gregory Bovino, a 25-plus-year veteran who leads the Imperial County unit, headed up the operation without the involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Three former Biden administration officials, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to share operational details, told The Times that Bovino "went rogue" with the January raid. No higher-ups knew about the operation before watching it unspool in real time, two of the former officials said.

Reported similarly:
San Francisco Chronicle [2/26/2025 9:07 PM, Ko Lyn Cheang, 5046K]

Border Report [2/26/2025 9:37 PM, Salvador Rivera, 117K] reports that, when Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to send 10,000 troops to the border to keep tariffs on Mexican products from being implemented by the White House, more than 500 soldiers were deployed to the Tijuana area. Many of them have been placed at points where migrants and smugglers are known to cross the border, especially in the mountains east of the city. A Border Report crew was invited to tour areas where the soldiers have been working and where camps are being built to house them. Portable lights, beds, showers and bathrooms have been brought in at several locations between Tijuana and the city of Tecate, about 60 miles to the east. Border Report saw many of the soldiers with weapons standing at the base of the border barrier; others moved around on trucks along the fencing. Some were also at checkpoints located on a Highway 20, which runs parallel to the border. They were checking cars and trucks to make sure drugs and migrants were not being transported. "I think it’s good, really good," said resident Ricardo Monroy. "I think it’s good the soldiers are here, it should help make the area safer. It’s not the first time Mexico has sent national guard troops to the border to help fight crime, although many remain skeptical and have questioned their effectiveness in the past. But some, like Luis Alonso Cardenas, were willing to give the troops the benefit of the doubt. "I’m glad they’re inspecting everyone," he said. "I just hope they do it right, and I hope this works, that’s what I wish for, I’m sure others feel the same way.” But Cardenas also said, for residents like him, stopping the flow of migrants into the U.S. is not a priority nor as important as minimizing crime and keeping illicit drugs out of the region. Since most of the fentanyl that comes into the U.S. is hidden in cars and commercial trucks that cross the border through ports of entry, many national guard troops have also been posted at border crossings. They will be checking vehicles as they leave Mexico. Mexico has said the troops will remain in place for an indefinite period of time.

Houston Chronicle [2/26/2025 12:32 PM, John Lomax V,, 1769K] reports that people who cross the U.S.-Mexico border without permission could now find themselves on a terrorism watch list, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Eight drug cartels, six of which are based in Mexico, were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations Thursday, Feb. 20, according to an announcement made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Migrants who pay these cartels — which, according to a 2023 release from the House Committee on Homeland Security, often extort migrants in exchange for safe passage — could be prosecuted for aiding a terrorist organization, Daniel Comeaux, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Houston division, said during a Tuesday news conference. "So any business that’s doing work in any kind of way with the drug cartel can be added to the watch list," Comeaux said, adding that migrants who pay drug cartels for safe passage could also be placed on the list "because they’re knowingly helping a drug cartel." But border officials told lawmakers in 2023 that migrants — some of whom are seeking asylum — have no choice but to pay up.

AP [2/26/2025 12:45 PM, Josh Funk, 1682K] reports that all the recent aviation disasters and close calls have people worried about the safety of flying. Federal officials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements. President Donald Trump added to those concerns when he blamed the midair collision over Washington D.C. on the "obsolete" air traffic control system that airports rely on and promised to replace it. Even with all that, officials have tried to reassure travelers that flying is the safest mode of transportation. And statistics back that up. The National Safety Council estimates that Americans have a 1-in-93 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash, while deaths on airplanes are too rare to calculate the odds. Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation tell a similar story. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating these recent crashes and close calls to determine what caused them and look for ways to prevent recurrences. There have already been troubling revelations about the midair collision, but it will take more than a year to get the full report on what happened.

USA Today [2/26/2025 4:21 PM, Dinah Voyles Pulver, 75858K] reports with less than 100 days to go until the start of the 2025 Atlantic season, the National Hurricane Center is working to finish up its reports of the devastating and deadly 2024 season. In a triumph for research and forecast improvement efforts, the Center’s track forecast performance for 2024 – which saw five landfalls on the U.S. mainland – was the best in its history, the center stated in a preliminary review released this week of its forecasts for last year. Now is the time to start thinking about your personal disaster plans and go bags if you live in a hurricane prone region. Even if your region was affected last year, it could be affected again this year.

Yahoo! News [2/26/2025 8:52 PM, McKenna Horsley, 52868K] reports recently installed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear met Wednesday for a few minutes in Frankfort as Noem visited the state after widespread flooding. Beshear and Noem were originally slated to be part of a roundtable discussion in front of the press, but due to time constraints, that didn’t happen. They addressed reporters separately Wednesday evening. Joining Noem were Kelly Loeffler, who was on her sixth day of leading the Small Business Administration, and acting FEMA Director Cameron Hamilton. They received a briefing from state officials on the flooding and recovery efforts so far and toured Eastern Kentucky by helicopter for a couple of hours to survey damage. The visit comes as some state Republican lawmakers have said they are wary of FEMA’s response after other recent disasters in Kentucky. In response to reporters’ questions, Noem said President Donald Trump’s vision for FEMA is to focus on getting relief funds directly to survivors impacted by natural disasters. Trump had floated the idea of disbanding the federal agency while in North Carolina to survey damage from Hurricane Helene last month. He has established a 20-member committee to review the agency and propose ways to overhaul its work. "You’ve heard him talk about eliminating FEMA, and what he means by that is that the people that are closest to the individuals that were hurt or impacted by a disaster are the ones who know what they need more than people sitting in Washington, D.C.," Noem said. "So the ability for us to grant dollars to the state or to the local authorities so that they can decide how those monies and those resources get deployed is important.” Beshear briefly spoke with reporters, saying the roundtable discussion did not happen in front of the press due to another event in his schedule. He did not take questions Wednesday evening, but encouraged Kentucky journalists to join his weekly briefing scheduled for Thursday.

WKU Public Radio [2/26/2025 9:19 PM, Sylvia Goodman, 15K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited parts of Kentucky that were hit hardest by flooding and met with disaster management officials including Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday. Noem, who oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters that President Donald Trump’s plans might include cutting FEMA’s administration, but that would not necessarily affect the amount of money going to states. "That’s really President Trump’s vision," Noem said. "You’ve heard him talk about eliminating FEMA, and what he means by that is that the people that are closest to the individuals that were hurt or impacted by a disaster are the ones who know what they need more than people sitting in Washington, D.C. do.” Last month, after touring North Carolina’s flooding post-Hurricane Helene, Trump said FEMA is too bureaucratic and that state governments should handle disasters within their states. He also said he would issue an executive order to "begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA — or maybe getting rid of FEMA.” Trump has since signed an executive order creating the "Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council" to recommend structural changes to the agency. Only Congress has the authority to dismantle FEMA. Officials are still assessing the damage from severe weather earlier this month, which killed 23 Kentuckians. The rains, snow and freezing temperatures caused widespread damage particularly in eastern Kentucky. President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration Monday, freeing up a maximum of nearly $44,000 per household to help repair homes and up to more than $700 to buy food and supplies. Noem said FEMA has historically been too slow at handling applications for individual assistance and relief during a press conference Wednesday evening at the Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort.

The Hill [2/26/2025 5:28 PM, Lauren Irwin, 12829K] reports the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it has completed the first phase of the Los Angeles wildfire cleanup, ahead of its deadline. The multiple fires in the Hollywood area of California, the largest in state history, were finally contained on Jan. 31. The Palisades Fire broke out on Jan. 7 and burned over 23,000 acres, flattening thousands of homes. The Eaton Fire burned just over 14,000 acres and similarly destroyed thousands of structures. The fires ravaged entire neighborhoods and left thousands without homes. While the fires were still being extinguished, federal aid was being negotiated. President Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) exchanged in a back-and-forth as the president claimed aid would only be heading to the state with conditions. In its release, the EPA said it partnered with the military and Department of Homeland Security to develop a response plan to the fires. The EPA said the next phase of the recovery plan will be conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Miami Herald [2/26/2025 9:50 AM, Don Sweeney, 3973K] reports that a 3.5-magnitude earthquake shook the Salinas area in Northern California, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The 3-mile deep quake hit seven miles from Tres Pinos, about a 35-mile drive east from Salinas, at about 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, according to the USGS. More than 85 people from as far away as Santa Cruz and Vallejo reported feeling the tremor to the agency. Two more quakes, registering 2.5- and 2.9-magnitude, followed in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Feb. 26, the agency said. Salinas is about a 105-mile drive southeast from San Francisco, in the Monterey Bay area. Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale. Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech. Quakes below 2.5 magnitude are seldom felt by most people. Earthquakes’ sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. They can happen anywhere, but they’re most common in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

VOA News [2/26/2025 6:06 PM, Kane Farabaugh, 2913K] reports Special Agent Clint Hill, a member of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect President John F. Kennedy the day he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, has died at age 93. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh, who interviewed Hill several times over the years, has the story. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/26/2025 11:18 PM, Ashley Carnahan, 46189K] reports Secret Service Director Sean Curran said he’s confident the agency will get to the bottom of the security failures last year after two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump’s life. "I’m confident in the men and women in Secret Service, our partners on the Hill, the secretary and the cooperation from everyone else," he told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview Wednesday. "I’m confident in the process.” Curran was one of the Secret Service agents whose face became widely recognized after a July assassination attempt on then-candidate Trump’s life at a rally in Butler, Pa. Agents rushed to the stage after a gunman fired shots, killing one and seriously injuring two others. A bullet struck the 47th president’s ear after gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired several shots from the rooftop of a building roughly 130 yards away. Two months later, a Secret Service advance agent spotted what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line near Trump’s golf course and opened fire, causing a man to run away. Suspected would-be assassin Ryan Wesley Routh was charged in September with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and having a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Curran, who served as the special agent in charge of the Trump detail before he was appointed as director of the Secret Service, said Butler was a "life-changing" event for him, the agency and the country. "It’s often hard to express that," he acknowledged. The longtime law enforcement veteran explained that he takes the threats against protectees seriously and is working on coming up with new ways to deal with threats from the Iranian government. "It’s one of the reasons why I brought in an outside expert from the intelligence community to take a look at our intelligence apparatus. I feel that strongly about what we’re doing and where I want to take our intelligence divisions, too," Curran said on "Hannity.” The Secret Service rolled out a recruitment ad created by "Transformers" director Michael Bay earlier this month during the Super Bowl to boost hiring amid cuts to federal government jobs. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Austin [2/26/2025 10:19 PM, Geoff Harris, 602K] reports that, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing Wednesday, discussing how to stop deadly drugs from crossing U.S. maritime borders. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, discussing ways to better protect Americans and prosecute cartels. Republican Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) opened Wednesday’s hearing by saying open-border policies from the Biden Administration weakened the Coast Guard’s ability to stop deadly drugs from crossing U.S. borders. "That dereliction of basic sovereignty left the Coast Guard in an impossible position," said Cruz. Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) added the supply chain is clear. Mexican drug cartels hide precursor chemicals in ships, use it to make fentanyl, and then smuggle the drugs into the U.S. "They hide fentanyl in personal vehicles, commercial trucks, buses, trains, planes," said Cantwell. Among those testifying before the committee, was Jena Ehlinger, a Texas mother who lost her 20-year-old son to fentanyl poisoning. "On May 6, 2021, I received that horrific call. Jake had taken a counterfeit Xanax that had been laced with fentanyl," Ehlinger said. Also testifying, is Kevin Hall, Police Chief in Spokane, Washington where overdose deaths are up 14% statewide since last year. From marijuana to what you think is cocaine to what you think is a prescribed pill, is going to have fentanyl in it," said Hall. Madeline Summerville, an attorney at Georgia Trial Consulting tells us, that to help the Coast Guard, lawmakers discussed two bills. The ‘Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2025’ and the ‘Pay Our Coast Guard Act.’. "Protect being able to pay those folks so that they can continue to intercept drugs specifically being smuggled from Iran to a port of entry in America," Summerville said. Bills she believes will pass, especially since they have bipartisan support. "I think that this issue of drug smuggling and immigration is actually much more of a bipartisan issue than people realize," said Summerville. The ‘Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2025’ was filed earlier this month. Senator Cruz said during Wednesday’s hearing that he plans to reintroduce the ‘Pay Our Coast Guard Act ‘ sometime this week.

CBS Detroit [2/26/2025 10:24 AM, Paula Wethington, 51661K] reports that U.S. Coast Guard offices that handle calls on Lake Erie issued another request this week for people to stay off lake and river ice in the region, in response to warmer temperatures melting and cracking ice covers. "Due to warmer temperatures and wind conditions, ice in many popular areas on Lake Erie is unstable and hazardous for recreational use," the Coast Guard Sector Detroit posted on social media Monday. "Warmer air temperatures will cause frozen waters to melt at an alarming rate and may cause misperceptions about Great Lakes water temperatures, which will remain dangerously cold, posing safety concerns for anyone venturing onto the lakes," Monday’s press release from the Ninth Coast Guard District in Cleveland said. "Ice is unpredictable and the thickness can vary, even in small areas. Warm temperatures and currents, particularly around narrow spots, bridges, inlets and outlets, are always suspect for thin ice. Stay away from cracks, seams, pressure ridges, slushy areas and darker areas since these signify thinner ice. In addition, ice near shore of a frozen lake may be unsafe and weaker because of shifting, expansion, wind and sunlight reflecting from the bottom."

Newsweek [2/26/2025 4:15 PM, Micah McCartney, 52220K] reports that Taiwan has detained a Togo-flagged vessel and its Chinese crew members on suspicion of sabotage after an undersea communications cable was cut. Newsweek reached out to Taiwan’s coast guard with a request for comment by email. The incident is the latest in a string of Chinese-linked episodes that have highlighted the vulnerability of undersea cables, which form the backbone of global communications as they crisscross the ocean floor. Taiwanese authorities have not ruled out gray zone tactics—coercive actions that fall short of war. Tensions are running high in the Taiwan Strait as Beijing’s Chinese Communist Party government, which claims Taiwan despite never ruling it, continues its military, economic and political pressure campaign against the island. The Togolese-flagged ship was reportedly in the area since Saturday evening and during that time ignored seven radio warnings ordering it to leave, according to a statement released by the agency. Shortly after, the coast guard was alerted by Chunghwa Telecom, which operates Taiwan’s submarine cable network in the strait. The company reported that the cable linking Taiwan’s main island to the outlying Penghu County had been severed near where the Togolese-flagged ship had been lingering. Chunghwa Telecom said it had activated a redundant cable, preventing any disruption to communications.

CyberScoop [2/26/2025 12:00 PM, Sam Kinch] reports that, as autonomous agents increasingly enter organizations, nation-state actors are turning to these AI-powered technologies to undermine our national security and critical infrastructures. As a result, today’s security teams need to be able to fight AI with AI, and understand the technology’s implications from both a defensive and offensive perspective. Similarly, our national defenses have to be able to respond to these emerging, AI-enabled threats instantaneously to guarantee resiliency. To address the rise in AI cyber threats, earlier this year, the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) operating under DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency published a new AI playbook for reporting and trading details about ongoing security threats targeting AI models. Known as the JCDC AI Cybersecurity Collaboration Playbook, the plan was developed as a direct result of two tabletop exercises held last year across federal, industry, and international partners. This playbook is an important next step in the right direction and aligns with other key mandates — such as the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2023 — to address pivotal components, such as section 14 on automation and artificial intelligence and section 18 on federal cybersecurity. But as the industry continues to dissect and implement the playbook, it’s important to take a step back to better understand the resource and discuss some necessary additions for future iterations. The AI playbook is intended to foster operational collaboration across public and private sector partners, with regular updates to be announced throughout the year as AI continues to evolve and impact the threat landscape. But before any updates are made, one must get familiar with and implement some of the best practices within the resource. From my perspective, the most notable elements of the CISA playbook included: The comprehensive voluntary information-sharing checklist, which covers everything from initial detection to technical analysis: This checklist helps highlight actionable data to streamline the sharing process among CISA, JCDC, and its partners. This is the first step to getting a better understanding about new, emerging AI threats. The establishment of clear coordination mechanisms between federal, private sector, and international partners: Enhanced coordination is critical to foster greater information-sharing and better understanding of a complex cybersecurity issue. Incident response and remediation efforts will be largely enhanced through these newly defined coordination mechanisms between all relevant parties. The practical focus on operational collaboration rather than just policy guidance: While policy guidance is crucial, the true effectiveness of a playbook lies in the collaboration among various stakeholders. By sharing information, identifying threats, and working together to address them, the industry can achieve much more than by relying solely on policy. The enhanced coordination activity permitting cross-agency collaboration supporting our national defense: Cross-agency collaboration is fundamental to national security, particularly as the cybersecurity landscape evolves. State, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) entities, alongside commercial organizations, often serve as early indicators of emerging threats, frequently encountering sophisticated attacks before they reach federal systems.

CyberScoop [2/26/2025 12:00 PM, Tim Starks, 52868K] reports a push is gearing up to renew an expiring 10-year-old cybersecurity law that was viewed at its initial passage as the most significant cybersecurity legislation Congress had ever passed, and that advocates say now fosters several important threat-sharing initiatives. The 2015 Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act provides safeguards for companies that voluntarily share threat intelligence data with the government or each other, such as federal antitrust exemptions and shields against state and federal disclosure laws. Reauthorization of the law faces several hurdles, including uncertainty about who will take the lead on the bill in the House and Senate, potential privacy concerns, a tight timeline, and other competing priorities. There are also some who believe the law could use updates to fit today’s threats, potentially introducing further complications. But its renewal has some bipartisan support, including among leaders of committees important to its passage, and there is optimism among outside groups that it can win congressional approval. The push is in the very early stages, but there’s a “growing recognition” that it needs to be reauthorized, said Matthew Eggers, vice president of cybersecurity policy in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s cyber, intelligence and security division. “We’re in a little bit of spring training in the sense that we haven’t advocated for this legislation for about 10-plus years,” he said. “A number of organizations, over the last 10 years, have probably taken for granted the work that’s been done to get the legislation passed.” The 2015 law — often called “2015 CISA” to differentiate it from the agency with the same acronym, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — evolved from earlier bills, namely an effort that began in 2009 and culminated in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt in 2012 to pass “comprehensive, bipartisan cybersecurity legislation.” Lawmakers then turned their attention to an industry-supported element of the legislation: information sharing. It moved through the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2014, then again in 2015, before gaining passage on the Senate floor by a 74-21 vote. It was then inserted into an annual spending bill, which President Barack Obama signed into law that December.

CyberScoop [2/27/2025 12:00 PM, Matt Kapko] reports cyberattacks carried out by China-backed nation-state actors surged last year, showcasing technical advancements and specialized targeting in a broader escalation of the country’s ability to infiltrate global critical infrastructure, CrowdStrike said in an annual threat report released Thursday. “After decades of investment into China’s offensive capabilities, they’re now on par with other world powers,” Adam Meyers, senior vice president of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike, said during a media briefing. China-linked intrusions jumped a “terrifying” 150% across all sectors in 2024 compared to 2023, Meyers said. The most significant increases were in financial services, media, manufacturing, industrials and engineering, sectors that experienced triple or quadruple the amount of China-related intrusions compared to the previous year. CrowdStrike observed significant growth in China’s offensive cyber capabilities last year, with more nation-state-backed threat groups using specialized skills to target specific industries and technologies unique to those sectors. Out of the seven new China-linked threat groups CrowdStrike identified last year, five showed distinct specializations and advanced capabilities. Among them were three groups, tracked as Liminal Panda, Locksmith Panda and Operator Panda, which targeted specific tasks and tools related to telecom networks. Operator Panda, a Chinese threat group more commonly known as Salt Typhoon, was linked to a spree of attacks on U.S. and global telecom providers that started two years before U.S. officials discovered it last spring. The group remains active, found on five additional telecom networks as recently as January, Recorded Future’s Insikt Group said in a report earlier this month. The different specializations displayed by these groups marks a notable shift in the country’s offensive capabilities, brought on by the country’s yearslong effort to develop and maintain highly trained and readily available technical talent, the report found. The China-linked threat groups are also increasing efforts to stay undetected on the networks, Meyers said. Multiple threat groups established operational relay box (ORB) networks, which are botnets consisting of hundreds or thousands of compromised edge devices to route traffic during intrusions to obfuscate their operations. “What used to be smash-and-grab — they would come in, steal what they could and leave — now they want enduring and persistent access,” Meyers said.

AP [2/27/2025 2:26 AM, Jon Gambrell, 34586K] reports the FBI has accused North Korean-linked hackers of conducting one of the largest thefts of cryptocurrency publicly known, seizing some $1.5 billion worth of ethereum from a Dubai-based firm. The theft earlier this month targeting Bybit, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, represents yet another involving a team of hackers identified by the U.S. government by the names TraderTraitor and the Lazarus Group. The hackers steal cryptocurrency "through the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that were modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency," the FBI has said. In an online public service announcement late Wednesday, the FBI said it believed the North Korean-backed hackers were "responsible for the theft.” "TraderTraitor actors are proceeding rapidly and have converted some of the stolen assets to Bitcoin and other virtual assets dispersed across thousands of addresses on multiple blockchains," the FBI said in its announcement. "It is expected these assets will be further laundered and eventually converted to fiat currency.” North Korean state media has not acknowledged either the theft or the FBI accusation. Pyongyang’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. However, North Korea has stolen an estimated $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency and other virtual assets in the past five years, according to South Korea’s spy agency. It represents a rare source of badly needed foreign currency to support its fragile economy and fund its nuclear program in the face of intense U.N. sanctions and North Korea’s strict border closures during the coronavirus pandemic. A U.N. experts panel separately said it was investigating 58 suspected cyberattacks by North Korea between 2017 to 2023 that saw some $3 billion stolen to "reportedly help to fund the country’s development of weapons of mass destruction.”

ABC News [2/26/2025 5:22 PM, Aaron Katersky, 34586K] reports a Tajik national living in Brooklyn was arrested Wednesday on charges he conspired to support the Islamic State and its offshoot in Central Asia, ISIS-K, by providing tens of thousands of dollars to ISIS followers in Turkey and Syria. Mansuri Manuchekhri is also charged with possessing a firearm while unlawfully in the United States and immigration fraud. The FBI said he entered the United States in June 2016 on a nonimmigrant tourist visa and remained after his visa expired in December 2016. According to the criminal complaint, Manuchekhri facilitated $70,000 in payments to ISIS-affiliated individuals in Turkey and Syria, including to an individual who was later arrested by Turkish authorities for his alleged involvement in a January 2024 terrorist attack on a church in Istanbul for which ISIS-K publicly claimed responsibility. A close relative called the New York State Terrorism Tips Hotline to express concern Manuchekhri might commit acts of violence, the FBI said. In an arraignment in federal court in Brooklyn on Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy ordered Manuchekhri held pending trial.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [2/26/2025 4:12 PM, Jacob Rosen, Nicole Sganga, 51661K]

FOX News [2/26/2025 5:38 AM, Elizabeth Pritchett, 46189K] reports a man linked to a handful of recent deadly shootings in Birmingham, Alabama, was charged on Tuesday in three more murder investigations, including the line-of-duty death of a firefighter in 2023. Damien McDaniel, now 22, has been charged with capital murder of a first responder in the shooting death of Birmingham firefighter Jordan Melton, who was targeted while working at Fire Station #9 in the Norwood community on July 12, 2023, according to the Birmingham Police Department. Sgt. Jamal Jones was also shot during the incident, but survived, resulting in an attempted murder charge for McDaniel. Birmingham police announced on Tuesday that McDaniel, who has been in custody for months, is also charged with intentional murder in the January 2024 death of Mia Nickson and capital murder (murder-for-hire) in the April 2024 death of UPS driver Anthony Love, Jr. With Tuesday’s charges, McDaniel is allegedly connected to 14 murders in the Birmingham area and is accused of injuring at least 29 people. He is charged with capital murder in the July 13, 2024, mass shooting outside Trendsetters Lounge and Event Center that left four people dead and 10 others injured. He is also charged with capital murder and 17 counts of first-degree assault in the Sept. 21, 2024, mass shooting outside a hookah lounge in the popular Five Points South area, which resulted in four deaths and injured at least 17 others. Birmingham police said at the time of the shooting that they believed the suspects were paid to open fire on the area. On top of his connections to the two mass shootings, police also believe McDaniel was involved in three other deadly shootings that took place on separate days in August and September. McDaniel is currently behind bars at the Kilby Correctional Facility in Montgomery, Alabama, after his probation was revoked on attempted murder convictions stemming from a 2019 shooting in the Fairfield area. In the Fairfield case, he was sentenced in 2023 to 15 years in prison with two years to serve followed by three years probation, according to local outlet AL.com. McDaniel was arrested by Birmingham police in October 2024 and was placed in the Jefferson County Jail. When his probation was revoked on Dec. 12, 2024, he was transferred to the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections.

AP [2/26/2025 5:30 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports a Tennessee man has been charged with an act of terrorism after he threatened to burn down an xAI facility because he was upset with its founder, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump, authorities said. Ethan Paul Early, 25, of Ashland City, was arrested and charged on Feb. 20 after he spoke with a police officer about the threats, according to an affidavit. He was booked into jail on $500,000 bond, court records show. A police officer in Ashland City, located northwest of Nashville, said he received a call from a friend of Early’s who was concerned after Early said he wanted to burn down one of Musk’s data centers because he was upset with the tech billionaire and Trump, the affidavit says. The caller advised that Early said he intended to use thermite and had already begun buying the material to make the compound, which causes intense heat. The affidavit does not say what exactly Early was upset about. Early told the officer that he had thrown the material away.

Roll Call [2/26/2025 1:02 PM, Olivia M. Bridges, 503K] reports that the Senate voted 56-43 Wednesday to confirm Jamieson Greer to be the U.S. trade representative, a post where he’ll initially be tasked with developing a plan to impose reciprocal tariffs on trade partners on a case-by-case basis. Greer will carry out President Donald Trump’s trade agenda as the White House ramps up its efforts to impose levies on imports. He will work with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on how to levy the reciprocal tariffs — a tit-for-tat approach to U.S. trade relations. His confirmation also comes as Trump again threatens to place 25 percent tariffs on goods imports from Mexico and Canada on Saturday. "Trade policy can play an important role in ensuring that we have the economic security that leads to strong national security. I am convinced that we have a relatively short window of time to restructure the international trading system to better serve U.S. interests," Greer said in his opening statement at his Feb. 6 confirmation hearing with the Senate Finance Committee. Greer defended Trump’s trade agenda before the panel. He promised to work closely with the committee and Congress in general to "execute President Trump’s trade agenda."

Reported similarly:
The Hill [2/26/2025 1:20 PM, Tobias Burns, 12829K]

The Hill [2/26/2025 10:08 AM, Filip Timotija, 12829K] reports that Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has moved to fire more than 100 intelligence officers over explicit chats they allegedly sent around in an internal agency messaging board. Gabbard, who was confirmed as the nation’s top intelligence official earlier this month, stated that she spearheaded a directive Tuesday to oust the individuals who partook in the explicit conversations using the National Security Agency’s (NSA) "Intelink" platform. "There are over 100 people from across the intelligence community that contributed to and participated in… what is really just an egregious violation of trust," Gabbard told Fox News’s Jesse Watters on Tuesday. "When you see what these people were saying — they were brazen in using an NSA platform intended for professional use to conduct this kind of really, really horrific behavior," she said during her appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime." The messages were uncovered by conservative activist Christopher Rufo, who is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) sent also out a memo instructing all intelligence agencies to "identify the employees who participated in the NSA’s ‘obscene, pornographic, and sexually explicit’ chatrooms and to terminate their employment and revoke their security clearances," ODNI spokesperson Alexa Henning wrote Tuesday on social platform X. The deadline for sending the information is Feb. 28. Reuters [2/26/2025 11:02 AM, Staff, 24727K] reports that in an interview with Fox News Tuesday night, Gabbard described their use of the National Security Administration tool as "an egregious violation of trust" that went against "basic rules and standards around professionalism." "I put out a directive today that they will all be terminated and their security clearances will be revoked," Gabbard said. Conservative activist Chris Rufo, who writes for City Journal, first disclosed the news Tuesday. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said on X Tuesday that Gabbard had sent a memo directing all intelligence agencies to identify the employees who participated in the "‘obscene, pornographic, and sexually explicit’ chatrooms’" by Friday. In her Fox News interviews, Gabbard said that the administration would continue to "clean house."

Washington Post [2/26/2025 6:21 PM, Joseph Menn, 31735K] reports that the U.S. Justice Department told Congress in November there were no major disputes with the United Kingdom over how the two allies seek data from each other’s communication companies. But at that time, officials knew British authorities were preparing a demand that Apple build a back door to its users’ encrypted data, according to people familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal department matters. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday called that British demand an “egregious” violation of American rights, and on Wednesday lawmakers asked the Justice Department to investigate. November’s report to Congress was required by law to renew an agreement that lets the U.K. obtain electronic data from U.S. providers without going through U.S. courts. In it, the Biden Justice Department certified that U.K. laws and procedures provided “robust substantive and procedural protections for privacy and civil liberties.” Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, both California Democrats, asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to reexamine that finding, saying Britain’s threat to compromise encryption violated the information-sharing deal between the two countries under the 2018 CLOUD Act. The Justice Department official who conveyed that document to Congress referred questions Wednesday to a department spokeswoman, who said she had nothing to add to the report.

VOA News [2/26/2025 12:56 PM, Ken Bredemeier, 2913K] reports that President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a deal giving the United States substantial rights to Kyiv’s lucrative rare earth minerals and to compensate Washington for weapons sent to Ukraine to fight Russia’s three-year war of aggression. Trump, at the first Cabinet meeting of his new presidential term, said that Zelenskyy will be at the White House on Friday to sign the pact and for discussions about the state of the war. Trump said the deal “brings us great wealth,” but said his first goal is to end the war, which has killed or wounded several hundred thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainian civilians. “My No. 2 thing is to get paid back,” Trump said of the more than $100 billion in munitions Washington has shipped to Kyiv to support its fighters. “Without our equipment, that [war] would have been over very quickly,” with Russia overrunning Ukraine. As it is, Russia now controls about a fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory and has vowed to not give any of it back in a would-be peace settlement.

Newsweek [2/26/2025 8:53 AM, Daniel Orton, 52220K] reports Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braže has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attempt to achieve through peace negotiations what he has been unable to secure on the battlefield—undermining the United States and restoring control over Ukraine. Speaking to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Braže emphasized that Putin has failed to weaken NATO, oust Ukraine’s democratic government, or significantly expand Russian territory since launching a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Despite Russia’s population of 140 million, it has gained control of less than 20 percent of Ukraine, a country with 40 million people. Braže, whose country is a member of NATO, cautioned that any peace agreement must not overlook Putin’s strategic goals. "I think the difficulty is with the Russians, because Russians are the ones who want to weaken U.S. power, and who want to weaken the U.S. in the world overall," she said. Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department for comment via email outside of normal working hours. The warning comes amid a diplomatic shift following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to hold direct talks with Russia while excluding Ukraine and European allies. The move has raised concerns about U.S. commitment to NATO and European security. On Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. further roiled transatlantic relationships by siding with Russia in three United Nations resolution votes that blamed Moscow for the conflict. Braže stressed that Russia’s historical pattern of seeking territorial and political influence over neighboring nations must be taken into account, citing Moscow’s military intervention in Syria, which helped it secure strategic Mediterranean bases. Although only U.S. and Russian officials participated in initial peace discussions in Saudi Arabia last week, Braže asserted that "Europe is included" in ongoing negotiations through continuous communication with Ukraine and the U.S. The diplomatic efforts come as European nations ramp up military readiness. Latvia recently announced plans to increase its defense spending to four percent of GDP next year, with a long-term goal of reaching five percent. NATO members have committed to spending at least two percent of GDP on defense, but Braže urged European allies to do more. "We are investing in our own capability," she said. "We wish all Europeans would do that.”

Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 6:31 PM, Brady Knox, 2296K] reports in a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said that it had struck several military targets in southern Syria, including sites containing weapons and command centers. The airstrikes targeted a town just south of Damascus and the province of Daraa, security sources told the Jerusalem Post. "The presence of military forces and assets in the southern part of Syria pose a threat to the citizens of Israel. The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel," the IDF said in a statement. The U.K.-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that two soldiers and two civilians were killed in the strikes, a rarity among Israel’s strikes against Syria over the past few months. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the airstrikes were part of a new policy "pacifying" the south of the war-torn country, comparing it to Lebanon. "The air force is attacking strongly in southern Syria as part of the new policy we have defined of pacifying southern Syria — and the message is clear: We will not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon," Katz said. "We will not endanger the security of our citizens," he added. "Any attempt by Syrian regime forces and the country’s terrorist organizations to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria — will be met with fire.” The airstrikes were met with an angry response from Syrians, many of whom took to the streets to protest and demand attacks against Israel in retaliation. In a Monday speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that southern Syria will be "demilitarized" and that Israeli troops would remain in the buffer zone established after the fall of former President Bashar Assad’s regime "for the foreseeable future.”

Washington Post [2/26/2025 4:41 PM, Susannah George, Karen DeYoung, and Warren P. Strobel, 31735K] reports that Iran has substantially expanded production of highly enriched uranium since December, further increasing its stockpile of near-weapons-grade material, according to a person familiar with a report prepared for next week’s meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors. According to the IAEA report, the stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, just short of the level needed to produce a weapon, has grown by 92.5 kilograms, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the still-confidential report. The report comes amid growing concerns that Iran may pursue a nuclear weapon in response to the cascade of setbacks Tehran has suffered across the region in recent months. Iran is also under increasing pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last week promised to “finish the job” against Iran with U.S. support. President Donald Trump has promised a return to “maximum pressure” against Iran, and this week announced two new rounds of sanctions designed to increase pressure on Iran’s oil industry and exports connected to its unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic missile programs. The IAEA findings, first reported by the Associated Press and Reuters, were distributed to member states Wednesday.

Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 2:21 PM, Mike Brest, 2296K] reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is conducting "a complete review" of the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The U.S. military’s presence in Afghanistan ended in August 2021, 20 years after the war began in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, though the chaotic nature of the final weeks has been the subject of significant scrutiny. "We’re doing a complete review of every single aspect of what happened with the botched withdrawal of Afghanistan and plan to have full accountability," Hegseth said ahead of the president’s first complete Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. "We’re taking a very different view, obviously, than the previous administration, and there will be full accountability." He did not specify who was leading the review, the parameters they were dealing with, or if the investigators had a deadline for when to get a report to him. The Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General has not been asked to participate in this review, a spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. Steven Stebbins is currently serving as the acting inspector general after Trump fired Robert Storch when he fired more than a dozen inspectors general last month.

FOX News [2/26/2025 6:34 AM, Anders Hagstrom, 46189K] reports Taiwan dispatched naval, land and air forces on Wednesday after China launched a live-fire exercise zone just 40 nautical miles off of Taiwan’s coast. Taiwan’s defense ministry says it only became aware of the exercise when local Taiwanese vessels were warned to stay out of the area after the drills had begun. The drills are centered off the coast of the Taiwan port city of Kaohsiung. Taiwanese officials say China "blatantly violated international norms" by unilaterally designating the drill zone. "This move not only poses a high risk to the navigation safety of international flights and ships at sea, but is also a blatant provocation to regional security and stability," the defense ministry said in a statement. As part of the drill, Taiwan says it detected 32 Chinese military aircraft carrying out joint exercises with warships. Chinese officials have so far not acknowledged Taiwan’s complaints. The drills around Taiwan are only the latest example of Chinese aggression this month. The country’s military has also launched live-fire drills off the coast of Vietnam as well as between New Zealand and Australia, forcing commercial flights between the two countries to be diverted. Wednesday’s exercise came just days after the Chinese Communist Party’s fourth-ranked leader, Wang Huning, called for greater "reunification" efforts. China has long maintained that Taiwan is a rebel territory belonging to Beijing. China must "firmly grasp the right to dominate and take the initiative in cross-strait relations, and unswervingly push forward the cause of reunification of the motherland," Huning said, according to a translation by Chinese state media. Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly said in recent years that he is willing to take over Taiwan by force. China’s drills come one day after Taiwan’s coast guard (CGA) detained the Chinese crew of a Togolese-registered vessel suspected of severing an undersea fiber optic cable connecting the islands of Taiwan and Penghu on Tuesday. The CGA says the vessel, the Hong Tai 168, had been loitering within roughly 925 meters of the cable since 7 p.m. local time on Feb. 22. A coast guard vessel was dispatched to the ship at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, demanding that the vessel leave the area, Taiwan’s state-owned media said. Coast guard officials received confirmation that the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 undersea cable had been cut at 3 a.m. Tuesday, and they began efforts to detain the ship’s Chinese crew. All eight crew members were Chinese nationals, according to the coast guard. Taiwan split from mainland China in 1949, when pro-democratic forces fled to the island after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s Chinese Communist Party.

Reported similarly:

Washington Examiner [2/26/2025 12:44 PM, Mike Brest, 2296K]

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