Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Editorial Note: The DHS Daily Briefing is a collection of news articles related to Department’s mission. The inclusion of particular stories is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse the political viewpoints or affiliations included in news coverage.

The New York Times [2/28/2025 4:20 AM, Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Tracey Tully, 330K] reports the Trump administration announced plans this week to reopen an immigration detention facility in Newark, just a short drive from New York City, greatly expanding its capacity to hold detained immigrants in the Northeast as federal authorities seek to ramp up arrests and deportations. Known as Delaney Hall, the 1,000-bed, privately operated facility will be the first new detention center to open during President Trump’s second term, according to Caleb Vitello, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who was recently reassigned. The center’s reopening is poised to place New Jersey and New York, two liberal strongholds that have long relished their reputations as safe havens for immigrants, at the center of the president’s efforts to enact mass deportations. The move, weeks after ICE began publicizing immigration arrests in both states, coincides with emerging plans to use two military bases — in Niagara Falls and in a rural part of New Jersey — as deportation staging areas. The Newark center will dwarf the only other detention site in New Jersey, a facility in Elizabeth that has about 200 beds. The new center’s location — near major airports and on the outskirts of immigrant-rich New York City — could play a pivotal role in the agency’s ability to increase the number of detainees it can hold and to quickly arrange deportation flights. “The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump’s mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities,” Mr. Vitello said in a statement late Wednesday. One of the major obstacles facing Mr. Trump as he aims to deport millions of undocumented immigrants is securing enough detention beds to hold the people federal agents are arresting. The administration has already turned to military bases, including Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. The plan to reopen the Newark detention center was the first concrete indication that the Trump administration intends to also rely on more traditional facilities to expand its detention capacity. ICE has been running low on beds in recent weeks as it holds about 40,000 people in jails and centers nationwide, a number that federal officials are scrambling to increase. CBS New York [2/27/2025 11:19 PM, Naveen Dhaliwal, 51661K] reports that a spokesperson for Gov. Phil Murphy said, "We are extremely disappointed by the Trump Administration’s new contract with a for-profit prison company to open an ICE detention center in Newark, one of New Jersey’s most populous and diverse cities. Our Administration has previously fought to limit such entities opening in our state and will continue to do so.” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement, "Without satisfying city property-use requirements, inspections, and permits, Delaney Hall cannot lawfully open in Newark at this time. Regardless of the process, an immigrant detention center is not welcomed here. ICE’s stated intention to round up ‘criminals’ is a thin veil that does not conceal their scheme to violate people’s rights, desecrate the Constitution, and disassemble our democracy." NPR [2/27/2025 4:11 PM, Joel Rose] reports that its location — a short drive from Manhattan and close to Newark Liberty International Airport — will dramatically increase the amount of detention space available for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the New York area. Immigrant advocates fear it will have a significant impact in New Jersey and beyond. ICE arrests are up compared with the pace of arrests during the previous administration — but not enough to satisfy the White House. Limited detention space has been one of the key obstacles facing the Trump administration as it tries to ramp up immigration enforcement. ICE has been running short of beds in its current detention network, with more than 41,000 immigrants in custody, according to the most recent data released by the Department of Homeland Security. In addition to reopening the New Jersey facility, ICE is moving to expand its detention capacity at a handful of other privately operated detention centers. The private detention company CoreCivic announced this week that it has modified contracts with ICE to add more than 780 beds at existing detention facilities in Ohio, Nevada and Oklahoma, and will allow ICE to use an additional 250 beds at a county jail in Mississippi.

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NBC News [2/27/2025 2:08 PM, Rob Wile, 44742K] reports that President Donald Trump said Thursday that 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico would go into effect Tuesday, alongside yet another 10% layer of duties on China following one that came into effect earlier this month. In a post on his Truth Social app, Trump said the tariffs were needed to combat the continued flow of illicit drugs into the United States. "We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA," he wrote, adding that the tariffs would be imposed "until it stops, or is seriously limited." Trump also said reciprocal tariffs on major trading partners, which he threatened earlier this month, were slated to take effect April 2. Major stock indexes retreated on the news after notching earlier gains Thursday morning. Trump has continued to keep markets off balance as he has advanced, then withdrawn, various tariff proposals in recent weeks. He has also offered conflicting rationales for imposing them, with a long-running fixation on closing the U.S. trade deficit giving way to ongoing concerns about drug flows — even though interdiction data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show trafficking is already in retreat. The New York Times [2/27/2025 3:21 PM, Ana Swanson, 145325K] reports “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” he said. “A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China.” He added that the levies were necessary until the flow of drugs “stops, or is seriously limited.” In the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump said progress had been made on reducing the flow of migrants, but said he hadn’t seen that same progress on drugs, particularly fentanyl. “The drugs continue to pour into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. Mr. Trump threatened to impose tariffs on all products from Canada, Mexico and China in early February, an effort he said was aimed at stemming the flow of both migrants and drugs.

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NPR [2/27/2025 5:18 PM, Brian Mann] Audio: HERE reports President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that new 25 percent tariffs will go into effect March 4th against two of the U.S.’s largest trading partners. Trump also threatened to add an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods and services on the same date. But federal data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection show Canada plays almost no role in the smuggling of fentanyl or other deadly street drugs into the U.S. Despite that fact, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in December to step up efforts to secure the northern border. Asked on Thursday about data showing Canada isn’t a significant player in the U.S. addiction crisis, Trump argued that drugs are coming across the northern border without being detected. Meanwhile, fentanyl smuggling across the southern border from Mexico has plunged over the last year with seizures in January 2025 down 50 percent compared with a year earlier. Street drug experts say in many parts of the U.S., the availability and potency of fentanyl has dropped significantly. The number of total overdose deaths from street drugs has also fallen at an unprecedented pace, down by nearly a quarter over the last year. Many states have seen a decline in fatal overdoses of between 30 and 50 percent, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CNN [2/27/2025 7:30 AM, Elisabeth Buchwald, 908K] reports that, if you have an upcoming deadline for a package delivery — even if it’s several weeks away — you may want to consider placing your order as soon as possible. That’s because in this new age of on-again, off-again tariffs, there’s no saying when your package will be delivered — if at all. I learned this the hard way. I was sure a jewelry gift I ordered online on February 2 that I needed to be delivered to a friend by February 13 would arrive by then, given it was the last possible estimated delivery date. But, as of the time of writing, it has yet to be delivered, despite the company’s initial 6-9 business day delivery estimate. It turns out my timing was horrendously bad. The day my order arrived in the US, February 4, was the very day President Donald Trump’s new 10% tariff on imported goods from China took effect, impacting goods worth less than $800, which previously were exempt from tariffs. That meant that my order, along with many, many others coming from China, had to undergo a more rigorous inspection with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Additionally, to comply with the new laws, the US Postal Service briefly stopped delivering packages from China. After chaos and confusion ensued, the Trump administration paused the so-called de minimis provision on February 7, allowing shipments worth less than $800 to come to the US tariff-free again — at least until until "adequate systems are in place" for the Commerce Department "to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue," according to the executive order Trump signed. It’s a small taste of the headaches that Americans could experience as Trump mulls more tariffs to "get even" with other countries. White House officials said last week that the administration would be levying reciprocal taxes as soon as April 2. Additionally, a 25% tariff across all goods coming from Mexico and Canada could go into effect on March 4. Ultimately, the administration’s temporary U-turn on the de minimis exemptions may have come too late for me. The company I had ordered from informed me on February 10 that my package was still being held at customs "due to unexpected US customs delays following the recently enacted trade laws and tariffs." (The company declined to comment to CNN.). My experience is hardly unique. The tariff chaos ensnared Americans across the country, from online shoppers like me to a Broadway show waiting on a shipment of yellow LED lights from China for its marquee sign, Trump’s tariff changes are leaving many people frustrated, with little information on when their orders will arrive. Longer delivery times and customs processing delays.

Reuters [2/27/2025 1:26 PM, Nate Raymond, 41523K] reports that the head of a U.S. judiciary panel tasked with addressing criminal justice issues is raising concerns about the Trump administration’s decision to empower the U.S. Marshals Service to carry out immigration arrests. The marshals’ new authority, which could include detaining defendants making court appearances or who were granted bail, raises important questions that the judiciary needs further clarity on, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang, the chair of the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Criminal Law, said in an internal Wednesday memo sent to federal judges nationally. "Generally speaking, it is important for the federal judiciary to understand how these new responsibilities might impact the USMS’s role in providing pretrial-detainee management and judicial security," he wrote. The Marshals Service did not respond to a request for comment. The new authority was granted to the agency on January 22, when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security authorized law enforcement agencies under the U.S. Justice Department, including the Marshals Service, to act as immigration officers as the Trump administration pushes to ramp up deportations. In a memo shared on Wednesday with judges nationally, Acting U.S. Marshals Service Director Mark Pittella made clear that the new authority permitted it to hold, detain and arrest migrants who are in prison, jail or have been recently released from custody.

AP [2/27/2025 8:15 PM, Gene Johnson, 1769K] reports refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle had determined on Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he cannot nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Trump’s actions amounted to an "effective nullification of congressional will," and from the bench, he granted the aid groups’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. He promised a written ruling in the next few days. But Wednesday, aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their "cooperative agreements" with the State Department had been canceled. The groups on Thursday asked Whitehead for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that his ruling also applies to those newly issued notices. The groups called the administration’s actions a "flagrant attempt" to evade the court’s ruling. "Defendants are continuing to implement their defunding of the USRAP, and an emergency hearing is necessary to ensure that Defendants are not permitted to evade this Court’s bench ruling and the forthcoming written order with antics designed to confuse the state of play," the motion said. Whitehead set a hearing for Monday.

FOX News [2/27/2025 11:12 AM, Michael Lee Fox, 46189K] reports that Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is introducing legislation that will require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report any crimes committed by individuals who were admitted into the U.S. under a controversial Biden-era immigration policy. "If we’re serious about securing our country, we need to know exactly what we’re up against," Luttrell told Fox News Digital. The bill, dubbed the Criminal Illegal Alien Report act, will require DHS to provide Congress with a report on crimes committed by anyone who was admitted into the U.S. under the Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program. The controversial CHNV program, which was implemented under the Biden administration in 2022, initially allowed for asylum seekers in Venezuela to be paroled into the United States for up to two years if they had a person in the country who agreed to financially support them. Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua were added to the list of countries the program supported in 2023, with the program allowing for 30,000 people per month from the four countries to enter the United States. While the Biden administration touted the program’s success for reducing the numbers of individuals attempting to illegally cross the U.S. southern border by land, it did not slow the number of total migrants entering the country, with CHNV program beneficiaries instead being mandated to travel by air to a U.S. airport before being paroled into the country.

AP [2/28/2025 3:03 AM, Megan Janetsky, Matías Delacroix and Joshua Goodman, 48304K] reports officials in Costa Rica and Panama are confiscating migrants’ passports and cellphones, denying them access to legal services and moving them between remote outposts as they wrestle with the logistics of a suddenly reversed migration flow. The restrictions and lack of transparency are drawing criticism from human rights observers and generating increasingly testy responses from officials, who say their actions are aimed at protecting the migrants from human traffickers. Both countries have received hundreds of deportees from various nations sent by the United States as President Donald Trump’s administration tries to accelerate deportations. At the same time, thousands of migrants shut out of the U.S. have started moving south through Central America – Panama recorded 2,200 so far in February. "We’re a reflection of current United States immigration policy," said Harold Villegas-Román, a political science professor and refugee expert at the University of Costa Rica. "There is no focus on human rights, there is only focus on control and security. Everything is very murky, and not transparent.”

Washington Post [2/27/2025 6:23 PM, Salvador Rizzo, 31735K] reports "Congress has given the authority to hire and fire to the agencies themselves. The Department of Defense, for example, has statutory authority to hire and fire," Alsup said from the bench as he handed down the ruling Thursday evening in federal court in San Francisco. "The Office of Personnel Management does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe, to hire and fire employees at another agency. They can hire and fire their own employees.” It was unclear how soon and whether the ruling might result in tangible benefits for federal workers who already have been let go. An OPM spokesperson said the agency had no immediate comment. In his remarks from the bench, the judge specifically blocked the Defense Department from proceeding with an effort to fire civilian employees on Friday. But he did not say what he expected to happen in detail at other agencies. A written order is expected later, and the judge said he would hold more court proceedings in the coming days. A group of union plaintiffs and advocacy organizations led by the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents about 800,000 federal workers nationwide, argued in legal filings that OPM broke the law when it ordered government agencies in mid-February to fire all probationary employees, defined as those who are in the first or second year on the job. "This ruling by Judge Alsup is an important initial victory for patriotic Americans across this country who were illegally fired from their jobs by an agency that had no authority to do so," said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "These are rank-and-file workers who joined the federal government to make a difference in their communities, only to be suddenly terminated due to this administration’s disdain for federal employees and desire to privatize their work.”

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New York Times [2/27/2025 6:57 PM, Chris Cameron, 145325K] reports a federal judge in Washington ruled on Thursday that Trump administration officials connected to Elon Musk’s expansive effort to reshape the federal government, including a member of his team, must testify in one of the court fights over those activities. The ruling, by Judge John D. Bates, appears to be the first to require a member of Mr. Musk’s task force, the Department of Government Efficiency, to testify in one of the many court cases triggered by its actions. DOGE, as the task force is known, was empowered by President Trump to slash government agencies and scrutinize their spending. Under the direction of Mr. Musk, the group’s members have gained access to a number of agency computer systems and databases, many of which contain vast troves of federal employees’ and taxpayers’ personal information and other sensitive records. Unions and nonprofit groups have fought back in federal court against Mr. Musk’s team, arguing that its entry into government databases violated federal law. In the case in which Judge Bates ruled on Thursday, unions representing federal workers, including the American Federation of Government Employees, are seeking to bar DOGE from records systems containing Americans’ personal information at the Departments of Labor and Health and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In his order on Thursday, Judge Bates said that requests for documents and depositions of DOGE officials was “necessary to determine the contours of the agency actions that plaintiffs challenge” and “will not overly burden defendants.”

The Hill [2/27/2025 8:56 AM, Brett Samuels, 52868K] reports that President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday directing agency leaders to work with staff from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut costs through contracts, employee travel and other means. The order calls for the head of government agencies to work with DOGE staffers at their department to build a centralized system to record every payment and contract. The system will be used for departments to review and justify the spending, or they will be terminated. The order also directs agency heads, with assistance from DOGE, to build a system that records approved federally funded travel "for conferences and other non-essential purposes." The order does not apply to law enforcement officers or agencies working on immigration, a top priority for the Trump administration. It excludes Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Wednesday’s order codifies more of a working relationship between DOGE officials and other government departments, further solidifying the power and reach of senior Trump adviser Elon Musk. The tech billionaire has led DOGE’s efforts to make sweeping cuts to government spending and the federal workforce, largely by identifying and halting contracts the advisory group has determined do not align with Trump’s policies.

Newsweek [2/28/2025 4:00 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports a former federal immigration judge who was recently laid off said that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has significantly worsened the immigration backlog by dismissing dozens of judges. The judge, who requested anonymity due to legal appeals, told Newsweek she believes the firings of immigration judges have added years of delays to asylum cases, with some hearings now postponed until 2028. The Trump administration fired 20 immigration judges across the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review on February 27. The recently established DOGE, led by President Donald Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk, is focused on slashing federal spending and has dissected multiple federal agencies. Immigration courts are overwhelmed, with a backlog exceeding 3.7 million cases, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Asylum-seekers often wait years for a decision. There’s broad political support for adding judges and staff to ease the burden. "I already had a backlog where I was filled for 2027. So my hearing dates are probably going to go back to 2028, and then you have to take all those cases and add them to the other judges. I mean, you’re looking at years of delay of cases because you’re removing judges from the courtroom," the judge told Newsweek. "We’re on the bench nonstop. It’s even hard to find time to write decisions. And so you’re working cases day in and day out; there’s no room for the schedules for my 5,000 cases to go on to other judges. "It’s very inefficient. I mean, you’re putting years into somebody’s case now. They’re going to be waiting a lot longer. And the money you invested in hiring staff and then firing them so quickly, that’s a huge waste," she added. Fewer judges mean longer wait times for migrants awaiting decisions on their cases.

USA Today [2/27/2025 9:58 PM, Dinah Voyles Pulver, 75858K] reports more than 880 probationary employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – which forecasts the nation’s weather and protects ocean species – began falling victim to the federal firings on Thursday. "The hammer came down," said Craig McLean, a former chief scientist and former assistant administrator for research at NOAA. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, confirmed that about 880 employees were being terminated, about 7% of the agency’s 12,000 staff members. Employees of the agency – which monitors violent weather and tracks hurricanes – had waited on pins and needles for days as tens of thousands of their federal colleagues who had been hired or promoted within the last year, or in some cases two years, were terminated from other agencies. Like the others, NOAA officials were told to fire "everyone on probationary status," said Andrew Rosenberg, a marine scientist who is co-editor of the SciLight newsletter on Substack, and a former deputy director of NOAA’s Fisheries Service. Estimates of those considered probationary either because of their hire dates or promotion dates had ranged as high as 1,300. The terminations were ordered as part of the ongoing effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to slash the size of the federal bureaucracy and budget. The agency was mum on the planned changes. Spokesman Scott Smullen told USA TODAY this week that "per long standing practice, we are not discussing internal personnel and management matters.” "NOAA remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic resilience," Smullen said.

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Washington Post [2/27/2025 6:17 PM, Lisa Rein and John Hudson, 31735K] reports the watchdog for the U.S. Agency for International Development has yet to release two critical reports on the consequences of President Donald Trump’s funding freeze on crucial services in Africa and the Middle East, amid fears of retaliation from the White House, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Post. One of the unreleased reports says the cutbacks threaten the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, jeopardizing more than $300 million in humanitarian aid for the devastated Palestinian enclave, according to three people familiar with the situation, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive matters. And an unpublished global audit found security dangers, risks of widespread looting and disease, and tens of millions of dollars in new costs brought about by the withdrawal of foreign aid and mass relocation of USAID staff, according to documents and interviews. Conditions are particularly dire across southern Africa, South Sudan and Senegal, where initial findings by auditors in the field predict heightened hunger and desperation caused by the ongoing dismantling of USAID, documents show. The reports were both planned for release about two weeks ago, but remain in draft form in the email inboxes of acting deputy inspector general Marc Meyer — the de facto inspector general — and his top staff out of fear that the critical findings will prompt the White House to come after the agency in retaliation, according to an official familiar with their thinking. The USAID watchdog office, with 275 investigators and auditors, has operated without a permanent leader since Inspector General Paul K. Martin was fired one day after issuing a critical report on the chaos created by the USAID retreat. Trump has also fired 17 other inspectors general across the government.

CBS Boston [2/27/2025 7:55 AM, JT Moodee Lockman, 51661K] reports three people were airlifted to a hospital after a flight that took off from a Baltimore County airport crash-landed on a mountain in Vermont Wednesday, according to first responders. The plane took off from Martin State Airport. Nearly 100 first responders were called to Mount Equinox after a 911 call from the pilot around 8:30 a.m. All three people on board had non-life-threatening injuries. Heavy snow and open terrain near the summit likely helped prevent serious injuries, officials said. Local fire officials said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be onsite to investigate the crash Friday. Martin State Airport, located in Middle River, is open to the public and is also used by corporate, private, law enforcement and military aircraft. On Wednesday, airport officials said Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved a $22.2 million contract to replace the aging air traffic control tower at Martin State Airport. The current air traffic control tower has been in use for more than 80 years. Officials said the new tower will increase safety and efficiency. The new location and design of the tower will use the latest tech and safety features to provide air traffic controllers with better visibility and improved communication. The plane crash in Vermont comes after a recent series of crashes raised concerns about the safety of flying for many Americans. In January, 67 people died after an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air over Washington, D.C. Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, prompting recovery efforts. A young figure skater, a coach, a Howard University professor, some friends on a hunting trip and members of a local union were among the Marylanders who died in the crash. Two days later, a plane crash in Philadelphia killed seven people. A few weeks after the crashes, the Trump administration began firing several hundred FAA employees, including safety inspectors, maintenance mechanics and administrative staff. In mid-February, a Delta Air Lines jet made a crash landing and flipped upside down on the runway at an airport in Canada. 21 people were injured and no deaths were reported. The flight took off from Minnesota. Two days later, two people died after two small planes crashed midair in Arizona. Despite the recent aviation incidents, experts told WJZ that flying remains safe due in part to strict FAA guidelines and rigorous crew training. "They go through exhaustive scenarios to, to protect passengers. I think that you can have the confidence when you step on a plane," said Sean Cudahy, aviation reporter with "The Points Guy.”

ABC News [2/27/2025 5:51 PM, Luke Barr, 52868K] Video: HERE reports when people visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year, there will be additional tactical teams and overall a larger police presence than in years past, according to the lead federal coordinator for Mardi Gras. After the terrorist attack in New Orleans on Jan. 1 that killed 14 on Bourbon Street, then-President Joe Biden granted the city’s request to give Mardi Gras the top "Special Event Assessment Rating," or SEAR 1. That designation comes with an enhanced federal presence. New Orleans is no stranger to a SEAR 1 event. Eric DeLaune, the lead federal coordinator for Mardi Gras and the special agent in charge of the New Orleans Field Office, served as federal coordinator for the Super Bowl in New Orleans earlier this month. "With Super Bowl, we had a downtown area, the French Quarter, Marigny and the Warehouse District of the city. And with Mardi Gras, we’re talking about events that are going on throughout the city and parades that traverse routes that are as long as six miles in some cases, and there are approximately 32 of them that roll during that 12-day period," he said, noting that compared to the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras is a bigger footprint to secure. DeLaune said everyone worked together to come up with a "logical" and "effective" security plan. "That enhanced security zone that was put in place by the city and the state [for the Super Bowl] still exists," DeLaune told ABC News on Thursday. "It’s going to continue to exist through the Mardi Gras Carnival season. But for the parade routes, the city and the state worked together to put up barriers and barricades that would provide safe standing areas for people along the parade route, and we have additional law enforcement resources that have been placed along the route."

FOX News [2/28/2025 4:00 AM, Jamie Joseph, 46189K] reports Illinois taxpayers paid out $1.6 billion for healthcare programs for illegal immigrants since 2020, well above the spending projections estimated by Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration, per a new state audit released this week at the request of GOP legislators. The audit also found that, in many cases, state money was spent on people who were actually U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for federal programs. "This audit shows that the governor, that the program was rampant in overspending. It spent well in excess of 200% more than what was estimated in budgets and in appropriations," state Senate Republican leader John Curran told Fox News Digital in an interview. "And it also showed that the governor was unable to manage this program," he said. "Thousands of people were allowed to sign up for free healthcare for years on the state taxpayer dime that should not have been eligible under the parameters laid out for this program, and the governor failed to even seek federal reimbursement when eligible on certain services for years, leaving federal dollars on the table.” Illinois Auditor General Frank J. Mautino flagged more than 6,000 people listed as "undocumented" in the programs but who had Social Security numbers, and some of those individuals may actually be legal permanent residents who are eligible for Medicaid, meaning the state could get federal funding for them. The state reviewed 94 cases and found that 19 should have been classified as legal residents instead of noncitizens. There were also nearly 700 people in the senior health program who were under 65. A review confirmed that many of the errors were due to incorrect birth dates, which were corrected later.

The Texas Tribune [2/27/2025 3:04 PM, Alejandro Serrano] reports the Trump administration fired five judges from federal immigration courts in Texas, according to a union representing them, raising concerns that existing case backlogs will worsen and the administration will expand its reliance on fast-track deportations that avoid courts altogether. The judges worked in courts located in Houston, Laredo and El Paso, according to the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. Three of them were associate chief judges who managed courts and implemented policy. The five are among 28 employees of the U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review who have been removed in recent weeks, according to the union. There are about 700 immigration judges in the country’s 71 immigration courts.

AP [2/27/2025 8:05 PM, Fabiola Sánchez and Joshua Goodman, 44742K] reports Mexico has sent 29 drug cartel figures, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985, to the United States as the Trump administration turns up the pressure on drug trafficking organizations. The unprecedented show of security cooperation comes as top Mexican officials are in Washington trying to head off the Trump administration’s threat of imposing 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports starting Tuesday. Those sent to the U.S. Thursday were brought from prisons across Mexico to board planes at an airport north of Mexico City that took them to eight U.S. cities, according to the Mexican government. Among them were members of five of the six Mexican organized crime groups designated earlier this month by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration as “foreign terrorist organizations.” Besides Caro Quintero were cartel leaders, security chiefs from both factions of the Sinaloa cartel, cartel finance operatives and a man wanted in connection with the killing of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy in 2022. Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, a former leader of the Juarez drug cartel, based in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, and brother of drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as “The Lord of The Skies,” who died in a botched plastic surgery in 1997, was among those turned over to the U.S. According to prosecutors in both countries, the prisoners sent to the U.S. Thursday faced charges related to drug trafficking and in some cases homicide among other crimes. “We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

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Univision [2/27/2025 4:08 PM, Isaiah Alvarado, 5325K]

Reuters [2/27/2025 1:31 PM, Staff, 41523K] reports that Mexico extradited two suspected former leaders of the violent Los Zetas cartel to the United States on Thursday, according to a Facebook post by the Webb County Sheriff’s office in Texas. Miguel Angel and Oscar Omar Trevino-Morales, both suspected high-ranking members of the cartel, were extradited, the sheriff’s office said while urging the public to be cautious of a violent response from the cartel in the Mexican city of Nuevo Laredo, south of the border from Laredo, Texas.

Reuters [2/27/2025 5:47 PM, Lizbeth Diaz and Sarah Morland, 41523K] reports Mexico’s foreign ministry said on Thursday its top security officials had a cordial, productive meeting with U.S. counterparts in Washington, and agreed to take joint actions to fight organized crime in both countries. Officials from Mexico’s security cabinet traveled to the U.S. capital to discuss security as its northern neighbor threatens to impose blanket tariffs if Mexico does not do more to stop migrants and the opioid fentanyl from reaching the border. The coordinated actions should be taken in the coming weeks and months, the ministry said, adding they aimed to tamp down on deaths due to fentanyl and illegally trafficked weapons.

Washington Examiner [2/27/2025 1:55 PM, Asher Notheis, 2296K] reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against accusations made against the Trump administration about its use of Guantanamo Bay, including those from the American Civil Liberties Union and its "agenda.” Hegseth visited the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base this week to visit the migrant detention center that the Trump administration has started using to temporarily house illegal immigrants, which he called an "incredibly professional operation." In a one-on-one exclusive with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, Hegseth suggested the detention center sends a "clear" message to illegal immigrants that those who break the law could head to Guantanamo Bay. The defense secretary was also asked about claims by an ACLU group regarding Guantanamo Bay confinement being "tantamount" to solitary confinement, which goes against the United Nations rules on detaining illegal immigrants. Hegseth called "bulls***" on these accusations.

Miami Herald [2/27/2025 7:13 PM, Jason Marczak and Martin Cassinelli, 3973K] reports the path to American economic security runs through Central America President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, which is unequivocal about making America stronger abroad. This is why new Secretary of State Marco Rubio made history by traveling to Central America and the Dominican Republic for his first foreign trip – a welcome break from the status quo as these countries have often struggled to compete for Washington’s attention. Headlines from Rubio’s trip focused on migration agreements and the Panama Canal. Still, the trip also focused on accelerating U.S. investment and strengthening supply chains, including a major announcement for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help Guatemala expand its port facilities. This agreement might not have captured mass media coverage, but it followed well the vision laid out by Secretary Rubio in advance of his trip: "Relocating our critical supply chains to the Western Hemisphere would clear a path for our neighbors’ economic growth and safeguard Americans’ own economic security.” In fact, Secretary Rubio’s choice to visit these five countries laid clear an emerging playbook of U.S. economic security that is also Americas economic security. This new vision is incredibly timely— many U.S. partners are keen to deepen their economic ties with the U.S., while grappling with the challenge that Chinese money regularly flows in rather than more trusted U.S. investment. Both the U.S. and many of its hemispheric partners see the urgent need to capture more U.S. investment, especially in sectors that are vital to the American economy, but where it’s highly improbable to restore that investment outright due to production costs, labor force gaps, or other factors.

San Diego Union Tribune [2/27/2025 9:20 AM, Alan Bersin and Diego Marroquin Bitar, 1682K] reports that President Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada triggered last-minute negotiations, leading to a 30-day reprieve. In Mexico’s case, deploying 10,000 troops to the border helped secure the delay. Some believe Mexico can continue sidestepping tariffs with symbolic gestures. That would be a mistake — not only a gamble but a missed opportunity. When Trump first attacked NAFTA, many feared disaster. Instead, the result was a renegotiated trade deal that expanded North American commerce to $2 trillion annually. Today presents a similar moment. Rather than merely avoiding tariffs, Mexico should seize the initiative with bold proposals on security, narcotics, migration, and trade — issues that have long strained relations but remain unresolved. The fentanyl and opioid crisis: It has killed over 720,000 Americans since 1999 — more than U.S. casualties in both World Wars combined. It has also devastated Mexico, fueling organized crime, corruption and lawlessness. Both nations have a clear, shared interest in tackling this together.

Wall Street Journal [2/27/2025 9:08 PM, Tarini Parti and Michelle Hackman] reports that, just a few minutes after he had left home for work, Lucas Dos Santos Amaral was stopped by immigration officers near his home in Marlborough, Mass. The officers told him the name of someone they were looking for, and said the man looked like him. The Brazilian doesn’t have a criminal history or orders for removal from a judge, his lawyer said, meaning he doesn’t have the type of background the Trump administration laid out as its priority for deportation. Dos Santos Amaral, 29, identified himself to assure officers he wasn’t who they were looking for. The officers looked him up and learned that he was overstaying a tourist visa from 2017, according to his lawyer, his wife and a state legislator helping with his case. Dos Santos Amaral was arrested and detained on the spot and eventually was moved to a detention center in Texas—without the knowledge of his lawyer or family. Immigration officers are under immense pressure to ramp up arrest numbers as the administration tries to fulfill President Trump’s campaign promise of a mass deportation. The result is the administration, despite largely promoting arrests of criminals, has been detaining a number of migrants, like Dos Santos Amaral, who don’t have criminal backgrounds or orders for removal, according to interviews with immigration lawyers, activists, state and local officials and families of migrants arrested. Living in the U.S. illegally is a civil violation subject to deportation but it isn’t a criminal offense. Overall, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested more than 20,000 migrants living in the U.S. illegally in the first month of the Trump administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Arrests are on pace to more than double the 113,000 arrests ICE made under President Joe Biden in fiscal year 2024. Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for DHS, didn’t provide a detailed breakdown of how many of the more than 20,000 arrested had a criminal background. She said of those arrested, 22 were known suspected terrorists and 640 were suspected gang members.

Politico [2/27/2025 4:22 PM, Myah Ward] reports President Donald Trump said Thursday he had not read former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince’s mass deportations proposal, but he "wouldn’t be opposed" to using private forces to help carry out his vow to remove millions of undocumented immigrants. Trump’s response comes days after POLITICO published an exclusive report detailing a proposal from Prince and other prominent military contractors, offering the White a blueprint for carrying out mass deportations through a network of "processing camps" on military bases, a private fleet of 100 planes, and a "small army" of private citizens empowered to make arrests. The 26-page proposal carries an estimated price tag of $25 million and recommends a range of aggressive tactics to rapidly deport 12 million people before the 2026 midterms, according to a copy of the document obtained by POLITICO. Top White House officials are having multiple conversations with military contractors, and the emergence of the proposal is indicative of the major hurdles the administration faces as it struggles to find the resources to fulfill the president’s ambitious deportation agenda.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 5:44 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports that more immigrant detention space is being created across the United States as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeks to ramp up operations under President Donald Trump. A previously-closed facility in New Jersey will be brought back into use with 1,000 beds, ICE said Wednesday. Then on Thursday morning, one of its main contractors, CoreCivic, announced additional space would be created at its detention facilities in Ohio, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. The move comes as U.S. military bases are also being looked at for use as temporary facilities. The announcements come after the acting head of ICE, Caleb Vitello, was fired by President Donald Trump, who was reportedly unhappy with the pace of arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants, which he promised during his election campaign. The administration has come under pressure from voters on social media who are unhappy with the numbers ICE has touted so far. ICE has limited capacity, noting in its 2024 annual report that it only had funding for 41,000 beds while over 7 million immigrants were on its docket at any one time. The report stated that Congress needed to provide extra funding in order to expand capacity and increase staffing levels moving forward.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 1:11 PM, Bryan Lambert, 52868K] reports that the New Hampshire State Police is looking to enter a partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would give its troopers the authority to detain and arrest individuals based on their immigration status. NH State Police has a pending application for the 287(g) program with ICE which would allow troopers to be deputized through the "task force model" - giving them the authority to perform immigration officer functions, according to ICE’s online database of participating agencies. Several other law enforcement agencies, including several in Georgia and Texas, have also applied with ICE to join the program under the re-instated model, according to ICE’s database. The Gorham Police Department also applied for the task force, according to the online database. The task-force model was unavailable under Biden but on his first day back in office, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to maximize 287(g) agreements for local law officers to investigate, apprehend and detain immigrants. In recent years, ICE has offered two types of 287(g) agreements to law enforcement agencies. As of December, ICE had 135 agreements with sheriff’s offices, police departments and prison systems in 21 states, with requests pending from 35 others. Two-thirds of the agreements were in just three states — Florida, Texas and North Carolina. But no agreements had been signed during Biden’s four years as president, according to ICE data.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 8:16 AM, Aidan Joly, 52868K] reports that ICE Buffalo has arrested a man from Mexico who was convicted of rape in 2012, they said Wednesday. Alejandro Salazar, 44, who was convicted over 12 years ago and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, was arrested on Feb. 21 upon his release from Clinton Correctional Facility in Clinton County. In 2013 an immigration judge ordered Salazar removed from the United States, and the correctional facility honored the detainer and transferred Salazar to ICE. He remains in custody at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia while awaiting a removal flight. A crackdown on illegal immigration was a major part of President Donald Trump’s campaign. The White House said on Wednesday that more than 20,000 have been arrested since Trump took office in January. Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 11:21 AM, Dan Mount, 52868K] reports that New York State Police have arrested a 30-year-old Theresa man for alleged sex offense charges. On Tuesday, February 25, State Troopers arrested Christopher Faircloth on five counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child. The arrest was a result of an on-going joint investigation by members of the State Police Troop D Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Alexandria Bay, Computer Crime Unit – Troop D, and Homeland Security Investigations. Faircloth was arraigned at Jefferson County CAP Court and was remanded to the Jefferson County Public Safety Building on $10,000 cash bail/ $50,000 secured bond/ $100,000 partially secured bond.

CBS Philadelphia [2/27/2025 5:35 PM, Staff, 51661K] Video: HERE reports community members and leaders in Camden County, New Jersey, are speaking out after they say restaurant owners were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this week.

DC News Now [2/27/2025 5:27 PM, Gabby Allen] reports Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order Thursday that directs Virginia State Police (VSP) to help with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removal and enforcement operations. VSP and the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) were directed to sign agreements with ICE, deputizing officials to support the federal effort. As part of the order, a task force within VSP would be dedicated to the identification and apprehension of illegal immigrants and VADOC correction officers would be trained and assigned as Designated Immigration Officers (DIOs). As of Feb. 27, just under 950 inmates in the VADOC had an open immigration detainer, according to Younkin’s order. The executive order will turn officials’ reactionary cooperation into more proactive measures. The Staunton News Leader [2/27/2025 3:44 PM, Monique Calello] reports that opponents of the order argue that it promotes racial profiling and undermines community trust in law enforcement. The order also requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to contact every director, sheriff, or other official in charge of a local or regional jail in the Commonwealth of Virginia to certify their full cooperation with ICE in all Enforcement and Removal Operations and stating that they will cooperate with the Section 287(g) VSP Task Force.

Washington Post [2/27/2025 7:03 PM, Tom Jackman, 31735K] reports Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Thursday signed an executive order instructing state police and prison officers to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, and to sign agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allow the state officers to be deputized as federal immigration agents — a policy shift that aligns Virginia more closely with the aggressive immigration enforcement policies of President Donald Trump. Some local police and sheriffs, in Virginia and nationwide, have been reluctant to enforce federal immigration law, while others have willingly enrolled in the federal “287(g)” program, which allows local authorities to take immigration actions. Youngkin’s order also creates a “Section 287(g) Task Force” of federally deputized state troops to assist in “the identification and apprehension of criminal illegal immigrants who pose a risk to public safety throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.” “This order will allow Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to partner with President Trump’s administration on federal immigration enforcement,” Youngkin said in a statement accompanying the order. “Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder. They should be sent back where they came from.” People with criminal histories accounted for only 8 percent of the immigrants that ICE was tracking for possible removal, the agency reported last year. Youngkin’s order also calls on the state Department of Corrections to enter into an agreement with ICE to allow the use of “multiple detention and processing facilities” in Virginia for holding detainees, and for the training of state officers to become designated immigration officers. “This order,” Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares (R) said in a statement, “will allow Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to partner with President Trump’s administration on federal immigration enforcement.”

WNCT [2/27/2025 4:51 PM, Alex Harper] reports a Richlands man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for production of child pornography Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Additionally, $74,000 in restitution was ordered to nine victims and he was fined $5,000. On Sept. 17, 2024, Albert Suniga, 37, pled guilty to the charge. Suniga was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations after receiving two cybertips related in which Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. One of its users had uploaded nine images and videos of child pornography to their Google Drive account. Agents got the IP address associated with the Google Drive account and then took out search warrants for the email accounts associated with the IP address and determined they belonged to Suniga. When questioned by agents, Suniga admitted to taking images constituting child sexual abuse images of a child in his residence, as well as, possessing images of child sexual abuse unrelated to that child. A digital forensic examination of his email account and his digital devices revealed numerous images and videos.

Washington Examiner [2/27/2025 7:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 2296K] reports Florida has become the first state to enter into an agreement with the Trump administration that allows all local and state law enforcement to carry out federal immigration duties. All 67 county sheriff’s departments across the state have signed what are known as 287(g) agreements with the federal government that permit nonfederal law enforcement in the Sunshine State to perform some immigration responsibilities. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), joined by Keith Pearson, Department of Homeland Security senior counselor, announced that the partnerships would go well beyond turning over illegal immigrants in local jails. "This is not just saying, ‘Oh, if there’s an illegal alien in our jail, then we’ll like let [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] pick them up.’ Obviously you got to do that," DeSantis said during a press conference in South Florida’s Homestead on Wednesday evening. "It’s also not saying that, ‘Oh, we’ll honor a detainer or a warrant.’ Of course you have to do that.” "This is a task force model which will lead to street-level enforcement operations," DeSantis added. Under Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, ICE may delegate limited authority to state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration functions under ICE oversight. Under the Florida 287(g) agreements, local and state police will conduct street operations targeting suspected illegal immigrants. Officers who do not cooperate could face penalties, DeSantis added. "In Florida, we have an enforceable duty to help and to be a part of the solution. And this task force model means we’re not just going to say, ‘OK, you know, if you’re here illegally, unless you end up in jail, we’re not going to do anything," said DeSantis. "There will be operations on the street. That’s how we’re getting these illegals.” The move further expands the number of police and military in the country able to arrest illegal immigrants in the United States, a day-one promise of President Donald Trump. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had been scheduled to speak at the press conference but was redirected to Kentucky at the last minute. Pearson, who attended in her place, noted that each Florida sheriff’s willingness to sign the agreement was voluntary and further explained how the agreements would be carried out through a three-pronged approach. "The warrant service officer model program allows ICE to train and authorize state and local law enforcement officers to serve executive administrative warrants on aliens in their custody," Pearson said. "The jail enforcement model is designed to identify and process removed … aliens with pending criminal charges who are arrested by state and local law enforcement, and then the task force model serves as a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies, enabling them

Miami Herald [2/27/2025 12:54 PM, Milena Malaver, 3973K] reports that ICE Homeland Security Investigation agents in Miami detained 11 people in Broward County Wednesday afternoon during a criminal investigation. Agents stopped a box truck in Oakland Park as part of their operation, leading to the "administrative arrests" of 11 "criminal aliens," according to ICE spokesman Nestor Yglesias. Yglesias did not say what they were investigating nor say what country the people came from. Administrative arrests "do not always lead to the alien being detained in ICE Custody," according to the Department of Homeland Security. The people are described by ICE as "criminal aliens," a term used by the agency for non-citizens who have been convicted of crimes. All 11 are being processed by immigration authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing, said Yglesias.

Reported similarly:
Telemundo [2/27/2025 6:41 PM, Miguel Santiesteban, 171K]

Miami Herald [2/27/2025 10:55 AM, Charles Rabin, 3973K] reports that the arrest last week of a Hungarian national in Miami for a pair of murders that police believe he tried to cover up may have stopped a potential serial killer from striking again. But the strangulation deaths of the two older men — one on South Beach, the other in Little Havana — could have been avoided had the accused killer been sent home several months before the murders, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement realized he’d overstayed his 90-day visa waiver by more than two years and ordered him deported. Instead, Zsolt Zsolyomi, 26, was fitted with an ankle monitor that he somehow managed to disable. And over the next five months he became a ghost to immigration and police, before his capture last week. "Zsolyomi is an illegal alien from Hungary who overstayed his visa," said ICE spokesman Nestor Yglesias. The day after Zsolyomi’s arrest last week, ICE asked Miami-Dade Corrections to hold him an extra 48 hours for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, should he be released. But a spokesman for Miami-Dade Corrections said a release is not likely to happen. "He’s not leaving our jail anytime soon," said corrections spokesman Juan Diasgranados. "He has to satisfy our local charges. He will be prosecuted here."

CBS Miami [2/27/2025 6:26 AM, Staff, 51661K] Video: HERE reports Morgan Rynor reports Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday a statewide expansion of immigration enforcement, granting all 67 county sheriffs the authority to act as federal immigration agents.

Alexandria Town Talk [2/27/2025 4:06 PM, Melissa Gregory] reports a Pineville man arrested on drug charges three times in recent years was arrested again by the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement Unit but now is facing deportation. Guangyi He, 38, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after his arrest in a Feb. 13 operation by RADE that recovered about 170 pounds of marijuana, according to a Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office news release. Law enforcement was familiar with He, who had been stopped in December 2023 for minor traffic violations. The stop eventually found 51 pounds of marijuana inside the Nissan Titan He was driving, the sheriff’s office reported at the time. That kicked off an investigation that resulted in He’s arrest about a month later, along with two others, in a Pineville parking lot. Agents seized about 66 pounds of marijuana and about $35,000 in cash. He had a January trial set in the 9th Judicial District Court on felony charges of racketeering, possession of more than 2.5 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute and two counts of illegally carrying a weapon with drugs, but that was continued without a new date because of the deportation proceedings. About 170 pounds of marijuana was recovered, mostly from the Betty Street home, along with approximately $40,000 in cash, two firearms, body armor and drug paraphernalia, it reads. In addition to He, five others were arrested on various charges. Four of those were arrested, while one remains in jail on a probation violation charge. The investigation is continuing.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 6:31 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports the Gainesville Independent School District (ISD) has released an update following the investigation into the death of student Jocelynn Rojo Carranza. The 11-year-old died by suicide on February 8, five days after her mother discovered her unresponsive at their home in Gainesville, Texas. Carranza had reportedly faced months of bullying from her sixth-grade classmates, who targeted her over her family’s immigration status and threatened to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to have her deported. The school district said that the principal visited Carranza’s class on January 30 while the students were discussing ICE, which has been conducting arrests across the county. Superintendent DesMontes Stewart did not specify why the topic was being discussed. Stewart said that Carranza told her principal a student on her school bus had made remarks about ICE and deportation to a group of Hispanic students. The following day, a bus driver confirmed the incident, reporting to administrators that the remarks were directed at a group of Hispanic students. According to the school, Carranza was not the direct target but she was close enough to hear the comments. The school’s investigation later revealed that similar incidents had occurred multiple times. The district added that the student responsible was identified, interviewed, and received disciplinary action, adding that Carranza appeared to be in good spirits throughout the week. The school said they were informed by a family member on February 4 that Carranza had been hospitalized due to an accident. She died just days later. Students reported Carranza and her brother had been bullied. The district says that it immediately launched an internal investigation after reports emerged. The report also said that Carranza told classmates that she had been "inappropriately touched by a family member," however the claims were denied by the mother. "Nothing about that is true," Carranza’s mother, Marbella Carranza, told NBC 5. "I don’t know why they committed, like, why he said that, because I talk with my daughter about that, always. I ask. Nobody can touch your body, nobody," she added.

Houston Chronicle [2/27/2025 6:36 PM, Tanya Babbar, 1769K] reports a former ICE deportation officer from Spring who transported more than $700,000 in what he believed was drug money may face 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to money laundering in federal court Thursday, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge, Douglas Williams, said Christopher Toral, 48, chose "greed over duty" when he transported the money while working for ICE. "His crimes — frequently conducted under the guise of a righteous law enforcement officer — betrayed all the men and women who tirelessly protect and serve their communities with integrity everyday," Williams said. Toral started working for ICE in 2008 and was assigned to a processing center in Conroe, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was first indicted for money laundering last April. As part of a sting operation by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Toral agreed to transport a black bag containing $200,000 in cash from Dallas to Houston in February 2023. He repeated the same trip later that month, transporting an additional $200,000. Toral said he believed the money was revenue from illegal drug sales, according to the indictment. A law enforcement officer actually gave Toral the money.

Oklahoma Voice [2/27/2025 5:25 PM, Emma Murphy] reports as immigration remains a priority of Republicans statewide and nationally, a bill headed to the floor of the Oklahoma House would create a new felony for being in the country illegally. House Bill 1362, authored by Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, would allow an undocumented immigrant to be arrested and charged with a felony punishable by five years in prison, or in lieu of imprisonment, they could agree to be returned to their country of origin if they have no other felony charges or previous convictions for a violent offense. The measure passed through the House Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee Thursday with an 8-3 vote along party lines. The legislation would also repeal a highly controversial immigration bill signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2024 that created a misdemeanor crime of "impermissible occupation." Hardin’s bill allows an arrested person to bond out of jail for a minimum of $35,000 and gives the Department of Corrections seven days to arrange transportation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation. The Republican governor Friday unveiled an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that grants three state law enforcement agencies the authority to enforce federal immigration laws. This agreement gives specially trained officers from each agency the power to interrogate people over immigration status, serve and execute arrest warrants for immigration violations.

AZCentral.com [2/27/2025 5:56 PM, Jimmy Jenkins] reports an Iraq War veteran detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside his Laveen neighborhood earlier this year will remain in custody for at least another month while his immigration case proceeds. Marlon Parris, a U.S. Army veteran who served for six years, was arrested by ICE near his home on the morning of Jan. 22, just two days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who promised tough treatment for immigrants who had committed crimes. In 2011, Parris pleaded guilty to a nonviolent drug offense, but before he was released from prison, he was told by ICE that he would not be deported because of the crime. He got out of prison in 2016 and his probation ended in 2021. At a hearing in immigration court in Florence on Thursday, Judge Frank Travieso asked the government to "clean up the charging document" against Parris and more clearly specify its allegations. If the judge determines Parris is deportable, he would have an opportunity to defend himself at another hearing. Parris’ green card was taken away by customs officials when he was reentering the country after a vacation with his wife in 2023. He was working with an immigration attorney to try and get it back and had been in regular communication with immigration authorities when he was unexpectedly taken by ICE.

Los Angeles Times [2/27/2025 9:55 PM, Clara Harter, 52868K] reports two Fresno men are of accused of carrying out a social media stunt where they posed as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and filmed themselves harassing local businesses, weeks after actual ICE raids in the Central Valley put the region’s undocumented community on edge. The pair donned wigs and black tactical vests with letters deliberately covered up so they read "Police" and "ICE," and were reported confronting community members at 11 businesses, according to the Fresno Police Department. At one store, they told employees they were conducting an investigation and demanded to see specific business documents, police said. Police arrested the men Wednesday on suspicion of impersonating a police officer, a misdemeanor. They were cited and later released. "As their actions were done simply to gain attention on their personal social media pages, we will not be releasing their names or other information," the department stated. The department learned about the social media stunt Wednesday morning when it began receiving numerous calls complaining of harassment. Officers then located the suspects wearing fake vests outside of a business in the River Park shopping center. The men’s fake interrogations come on the heels of several recent ICE operations in California, following President Trump’s vow to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history. In January, ICE officers conducted a three-day raid in rural areas of Kern County, resulting in the detention and deportation of scores of undocumented farmworkers. Undercover ICE operations have also been recently reported in Madera and San Jose. The Fresno impersonators’ social media stunt comes two weeks after apparent YouTube pranksters pulled off a fake raid of their own at San Francisco City Hall by pretending to be Department of Government Efficiency workers. On Feb. 14, the men roamed the building in DOGE T-shirts, telling workers they would audit their computer systems, asking for sensitive data and calling one employee’s work "lists of stupid s—.”

San Diego Union Tribune [2/27/2025 1:25 PM, Jackie Fortier, 1682K] reports that the lobby at this St. John’s Community Health clinic in South Los Angeles bustles with patients. But community health worker Ana Ruth Varela is worried that it’s about to get a lot quieter. Many patients, she said, are afraid to leave their homes. "The other day I spoke with one of the patients. She said: ‘I don’t know. Should I go to my appointment? Should I cancel? I don’t know what to do.’ And I said, ‘Just come.’" Since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, fear of mass deportations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gripped immigrant communities. For years, a long-standing policy prevented federal immigration agents from making arrests at or near sensitive locations, including schools, places of worship, hospitals, and health centers. It was one of the first policies Trump rolled back in January, just hours after his inauguration. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman revoked the directive on Jan. 21. In an accompanying press release, a DHS spokesperson said the action would assist agents searching for immigrants who have committed crimes. "The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense," the statement said.

San Diego Union Tribune [2/27/2025 1:21 PM, Megan Ulu Lani Boyanton, 1682K] reports that recent large-scale immigration raids in Colorado — and the potential for more under the new Trump administration — have left Coloradans with questions about how such raids work and what their rights are. Immigrant rights advocates and lawyers have sounded alarms about potential legal violations in the aftermath of Feb. 5, when federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies descended on Denver and Aurora to conduct immigration raids in the early morning hours at apartment complexes. Reports put the number of detained people at around 30, far short of their publicly stated goals. But ICE hasn’t confirmed the size and scope of those operations. It also hasn’t responded to questions about where detainees are being held and whether they had criminal records or ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Since then, smaller enforcement actions have occurred locally, including near a downtown courthouse, an incident that raised additional legal concerns. John Fabbricatore, a former ICE Denver field office director, described the agency’s intensive training process on immigration law, which takes about 20 weeks. Officers learn constitutional, immigration, visa, removal and naturalization law, he said. Like other law enforcement agencies, ICE is bound by the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth and Fifth Amendments: the right to protection from unreasonable searches and seizures and the right to remain silent, respectively.

Univision [2/27/2025 2:33 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports a Russian-born man is facing federal charges after biting and injuring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during his arrest on Feb. 25. The suspect was Maksim Zaitsev, 35, of Costa Mesa, who was being taken into custody pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after handcuffing Zaitsev, officers attempted to escort him to arraignment, but he began to become agitated as officers led him down a hallway. It was then that he began to resist, and as officers attempted to regain control, Zaitsev bit an officer on the left pinky finger, breaking the skin, drawing blood and causing a fracture. If convicted, Zaitsev would face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service is continuing to investigate the matter.

Desert Sun [2/27/2025 6:34 PM, Brian Day] reports a California man convicted of operating four dark websites that used to distribute, advertise, and exchange images depicting child sex abuse received a sentence of 24 years and four months in federal prison on Thursday, authorities said. Louis Donald Mendonsa, 62, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty in April to seven counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He "assisted with managing and maintaining" four separate websites on the dark web between at least December of 2021 and November of 2022, when he was arrested, the DOJ said in a written statement. A search of Mendonsa’s electronic devices revealed thousands of illicit images of children, "approximately 6,500 of which depicted identified victims of his conduct," the statement said. The investigation was spearheaded by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department, and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 6:16 PM, Staff, 52868K] reports a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment on Feb. 13 charging a Red Bluff resident with two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, said acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. In April 2024, Ricardo Gutierrez, 27, reportedly used four children to create at least two videos of the children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to federal court document, additionally, between November 2023 and July 2024, the he allegedly distributed several videos and images of prepubescent children, including infants, involved in sexually explicit conduct to others. Beckwith reported, if convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, Gutierrez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a $250,000 fine, and if convicted of distribution of visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, restitution, and a fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables, she explained. This case is the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Whitnee Goins is prosecuting the case.

CBS San Francisco [2/27/2025 7:14 PM, Carlos Castañeda, 51661K] reports a protest was planned this weekend at a former Dublin women’s federal prison over a possible plan by the Trump administration to house immigration detainees at the facility. The protest was scheduled for Saturday at the former Federal Correctional Institution Dublin from noon to 2 p.m., organized by several activist groups. While the prison is closed, there are still about 100 people working at the facility, and the union that represents them confirmed that officials with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement toured the facility earlier this month. The Federal Bureau of Prisons closed FCI Dublin last year following years of rampant sexual abuse of female inmates. Since 2021, at least eight employees have been charged with sexually abusing inmates at the prison which became known as the "rape club." Five employees pleaded guilty, and two were convicted at trial, including former warden Ray Garcia. The eighth employee’s trial was pending. In December, the BOP agreed to pay nearly $116 million to resolve lawsuits brought by more than 100 women who said they were abused or mistreated at the prison. The protest will take place on the same week that Bay Area Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (D-Walnut Creek) and Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) sent a letter voicing their opposition to reopening the prison. The letter, addressed to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons William Lothrop, and Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Caleb Vitello - outlined "the unsafe and hazardous conditions at the facility that necessitated its closure just months ago" as well as its "history of abuse of incarcerated immigrants" and "insufficient infrastructure for this population.”

The AP [2/27/2025 12:01 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports that a newly proposed U.S. investment visa, referred to as the ‘ Gold Card ‘ visa, is generating widespread discussions within the investment immigration industry. The initiative, introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump, is designed to attract high-net-worth individuals by offering a fast-track route to U.S. residency and eventual citizenship in exchange for a $5 million investment. If implemented, the program is expected to replace the long-standing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which has been in place since 1990. Unlike the EB-5 visa, which requires investors to contribute to U.S. businesses and create at least 10 full-time jobs for American workers, the ‘Gold Card’ visa is structured around a one-time financial contribution to the U.S. government. This marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, aligning it more closely with residency-by-investment programs in other countries. The proposal has prompted a mix of reactions, with some viewing it as a more efficient approach to attracting foreign capital, while others question whether the program can compete with established investment visas globally. If the ‘Gold Card’ visa replaces EB-5, it would eliminate the job creation mandate, making it a more passive investment model. While this could simplify the residency process for investors, it also raises questions about long-term economic contributions. The AP [2/27/2025 1:47 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports that according to the announcement made from the Oval Office alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the Gold Card would require a direct $5 million payment to the U.S. government and provide immediate Green Card privileges and a pathway to citizenship. The new program would also exempt holders from taxes on income earned outside the United States, but while the card would provide a pathway to citizenship, it would not automatically grant it. "While the significantly higher investment threshold will undoubtedly limit access, the Gold Card represents a unique offering in the global mobility market", explains Patricia Casaburi, CEO of Global Citizen Solutions, an investment migration consultancy based in London. "The $5 million threshold is substantially higher than current EB-5 requirements, but the potential benefits of expedited processing, tax advantages on foreign income, and a clearer pathway to citizenship could make this an attractive option for ultra-high-net-worth individuals seeking U.S. residency." concludes Casaburi.

CBS Austin [2/27/2025 12:15 PM, Ray Lewis, 602K] reports that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday 250,000 people are waiting for the new "gold card" visa presented by President Donald Trump. He said in an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier the U.S. could earn more than $1 trillion if those people are willing to pay a $5 million price for a visa program originally meant for investors. Lutnick also said before a Cabinet meeting Wednesday that 250,000 people were waiting for the EB-5 visa program, which allows applicants to obtain a Green Card if they make a "necessary investment" in a commercial "enterprise" within the U.S. and plan to create or preserve 10 jobs for American workers. Lutnick noted he, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will work on an "EB-5 investment model," since they are "the best people together to do that.” "So, the idea is we will have a proper business. We will modify the EB-5 agreement. Kristi and I are working on it together," Lutnick explained. "For $5 million, they’ll get a license from the Department of Commerce. Then, they’ll make a proper investment on the EB-5, right?" Recipients of what Trump called the new "gold card" visa will help grow the country, the commerce secretary added in the Fox News interview.

FOX News [2/27/2025 6:54 AM, Michael Lee, 52868K] reports President Donald Trump’s plan to offer a "gold card" visa to those willing to shell out $5 million could raise new fraud and national security risks, according to one expert. "Any immigration benefit draws fraud … people are willing to do anything and say just about anything to come to the U.S.," Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital. The comments come after Trump announced Tuesday a plan that would give those willing to pay $5 million for a "gold card" lawful permanent U.S. residency status and a pathway to citizenship, which the president argued would lead to several economic benefits. "They’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday. "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.” Trump doubled down on those comments Wednesday while also telling reporters that the program would be a way to pay down some of the national debt. "Companies can go and buy a gold card, and they can use it as a matter of recruitment," Trump said. "At the same time, the company is using that money to pay down debt. We’re going to pay down a lot of debt with that.” But while Ries acknowledged that she understands the goals behind the program, she expressed skepticism that applicants could be vetted well enough to prevent the kind of fraud currently seen in the similar EB-5 visa program, which Trump’s gold card would replace. "Fraud is rarely detected, let alone enforced … so it’s low risk, high reward to commit immigration benefit fraud," Ries said, adding that even Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted to the widespread fraud plaguing the EB-5 program. "So the question is: How is this going to be different," Ries said. "It raised the price from a million to 5 million, but how are we going to prevent the fraud? Are you just inviting wealthier fraudsters and corrupt people to exploit this?". Ries also raised concerns about the potential national security implications of the program, arguing that many of the applications are likely to originate from countries that are not exactly friendly to the United States. "Who can afford this? What countries have many people who can afford this," Ries said. "Russia, China … you’re going to get Gulf countries, but China is not exactly our ally – some Russians, the same boat.”

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 6:21 PM, Alex Woodward, 52868K] reports Donald Trump’s administration abruptly terminated contracts with refugee resettlement and assistance groups 24 hours after a judge ordered the government to restore a federal refugee program and funding to aid organizations. Lawyers for aid groups argue the administration is trying to circumvent court orders by cancelling their contracts altogether. On Wednesday, brief messages from State Department officials told refugee groups that their contracts were "terminated for the convenience of the U.S. Government pursuant to a directive" from Secretary of State Marco Rubio for "alignment with agency priorities and National Interest.” Other messages told aid groups that funding is "immediately terminated" because it "no longer effectuates agency priorities.” The cancellation of those contracts follows global chaos and humanitarian emergencies as Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency deliberately gut foreign assistance and face legal challenges over allegedly unconstitutional and illegal attempts to dissolve entire agencies. "Simply put, termination of funding based on purported ‘alignment with agency priorities’ cannot be justified if agency action is unlawful," attorneys for aid groups told a court on Thursday. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Washington state will hold a hearing on March 3.

CBS New York [2/27/2025 6:46 PM, Jennifer Bisram, 51661K] Video: HERE reports elected officials in New York City are standing alongside the local Haitian community to push back on the Trump administration’s rollback of Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. The administration is ending the deportation protection extension for over 500,000 Haitian Americans as the island nation faces a humanitarian crisis. "For decades the TPS system has been exploited and abused. For example, Haiti has been designated for TPS since 2010. The data shows each extension of the country’s TPS designation allowed more Haitian nationals, even those who entered the U.S. illegally, to qualify for legal protected status," the Department of Homeland Security said when they announced the rollback of TPS status. Homeland Security said an estimated 57,000 Haitians were eligible for TPS protections as of 2011 but by July 2024, that number had climbed to 520,694. According to New York City’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, there are about 15,000 New Yorkers who have TPS, and 5,400 of them – more than one-third – are Haitian. Data shows TPS holders generate $260 million to the city’s economy every year. "This is not about policy, it’s about cruelty". City leaders are calling on Congress and the Trump administration to reverse the decision. Immigration advocates and elected officials, several of whom are Haitian New Yorkers, stood together at City Hall on Thursday.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 10:57 AM, Billal Rahman, 3973K] reports that the Trump administration has moved to prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins directed the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately clarify and enforce all rules restricting its beneficiaries to U.S. citizens and legal residents. "The days in which taxpayer dollars are used to subsidize illegal immigration are over," Rollins said in a statement. Commonly known as "food stamps," SNAP benefits are distributed nationwide to low- and no-income households that might otherwise struggle to afford groceries. In 2023, the program served an average of 42.1 million people per month, accounting for 12.6 percent of the U.S. population. In 2022, nearly 40 percent of SNAP beneficiaries were children, with 11.6 percent under the age of 5 and 28 percent between the ages of 5 and 17. Cuts to the program could affect millions of people. The percentage of Americans receiving benefits varies by state, but in 2023, the highest rates were found in Oregon, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Illinois, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Immigrants without legal status typically do not qualify for federal benefits. However, Republican critics say there has been widespread fraud in the system.

Northern Public Radio [2/27/2025 12:58 PM, Hannah Meisel, 29K] reports that a pair of health care programs that benefit noncitizens – one of which is already on Gov. JB Pritzker’s budgetary chopping block – far outstripped its original estimated price tag and cost the state of Illinois $1.6 billion through last summer, according to a new audit of the programs published Wednesday. The report also found more than 6,000 people enrolled in the state-funded programs were classified as "undocumented" despite actually having social security numbers. Some of those people were green card holders who would have instead qualified for health coverage like Medicaid or traditional insurance. The audit, which lawmakers requested in late 2023, comes one week after Pritzker delivered his annual budget proposal to the General Assembly. The governor’s plan would defund the newer of the two programs, which is aimed at noncitizens aged 44 to 64, while leaving in place the smaller program for noncitizen seniors aged 65 and older. "It’s some evidence, anyway, that there are an awful lot of people out there who need coverage, who aren’t getting it, or who will do anything to get it," Pritzker said after reiterating his support for universal health care coverage. "And I think that’s a sad state of affairs in our society.”

NBC News [2/27/2025 8:55 PM, Gabe Gutierrez and Olympia Sonnier, 44742K] reports a messy fight over President Donald Trump’s policies is exploding into public view here as members of the Republican Party argue among themselves over how far is too far in helping the federal government enforce immigration laws. Last month, the state Board of Education approved a proposal that would require public school districts in Oklahoma to ask parents for proof of citizenship before they enroll their kids. The proposal now heads to the Republican-led Legislature, but if lawmakers sign off, the governor has said he’ll veto it. Ryan Walters, the state school superintendent, is a staunch supporter of Trump who has been outspoken nationally about working with the federal government to further the administration’s agenda. "To be clear, I will always stand with President Trump and enforce his executive orders, especially when it comes to illegal immigration and the cost to our schools," he said Thursday at the beginning of a contentious board meeting. Later, Walters blasted his critics in an interview. "The position that they are taking is we can’t ask questions on how much taxpayers are spending on folks that are in the country illegally," he said. "That’s absurd. This is about transparency. It’s about being a watchdog for taxpayer dollars, and it’s about ensuring that our schools have the resources and personnel to make sure every kid gets a great education.” Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt ousted three board members weeks before, replacing them with his own allies. He said the board was involved in "needless political drama." Stitt insisted he supports Trump’s immigration policies but thinks Walters is going too far. "I’ve never heard President Trump say, ‘I’m going to go pick on kids, and I’m going to go into a school,’" Stitt said in an interview. "I’ve heard him talk about criminal elements and getting them out of our country.”

Reuters [2/27/2025 9:18 AM, Staff, 24727K] reports that the United States on Thursday deported a Russian man wanted by Moscow on charges of armed robbery, Russian authorities said, amid intensifying diplomacy between the two sides. In a statement published on Telegram, Russia’s prosecutor general said that Dmitry Koshelev had been deported from the U.S. and would arrive in Moscow via Cairo. Koshelev, it said, had been part of a group who had stolen $1.5 million at gunpoint from a courier at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport in 2014, while dressed as members of Russian special forces. It said he later surfaced in the U.S., where he was convicted of immigration violations and deported at Russia’s initiative. The move comes amid warming ties between the U.S. and Russia, whose diplomats met in Turkey on Thursday as part of a wider dialogue aimed at mending relations and seeking an end to the war in Ukraine. The thaw in ties also led to a prisoner swap earlier this month, with the U.S. freeing a Russian cryptocurrency tycoon in exchange for a U.S. schoolteacher who had been jailed in Russia on drugs charges.

Axios [2/27/2025 7:19 AM, Staff, 13163K] reports federal authorities are warning of scammers swindling money from immigrants who may be concerned about their legal status in the U.S. President Trump’s promises to limit immigration and deport "millions and millions" of unauthorized immigrants have also heightened fear among legal immigrants. The Federal Trade Commission has received reports nationwide of scammers trying to capitalize on immigrants’ fears by impersonating immigration attorneys, border patrol agents and immigration enforcement. Government impersonation scams cost Americans consumers around $618 million in 2023. Data for 2024 isn’t available yet. Scammers contact immigrants and tell them a drug shipment with their name has been intercepted or that they are in danger of being deported. Individuals are then encouraged to send money to resolve the issue. The FTC also suggests being wary of social media posts offering work permits, green cards or citizenship. "The elaborate scam often starts with an offer to help you with immigration paperwork. Next, they ask you to send them money using Western Union or Zelle," the commission says. Law enforcement officials don’t call people to warn them about outstanding warrants, and they don’t ask for money to close an investigation. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website is the best way to get case updates. Don’t fall for people claiming you have unpaid tolls, owed taxes or bank account issues. Those are usually scams. Any type of fraud, including immigration scams, can be reported to the FTC.

Reuters [2/27/2025 4:37 PM, Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke, 41523K] reports the number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in February is on pace to be near a record monthly low, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson and two other sources told Reuters. U.S. Border Patrol is on pace to have arrested around 11,000 migrants at the border in February with less than two days left in the month, the sources told Reuters. The agency has arrested a daily average of about 400 people per day over the last three weeks, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and a source said.

Miami Herald [2/27/2025 8:40 AM, Julia Marnin, 3973K] reports a man with 16 "bricks" of cocaine inside his carry-on bags traveled to Atlanta in his official capacity as a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer, federal prosecutors said. When Ivan Van Beverhoudt arrived at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport from the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2020, a CBP canine alerted its handler to Beverhoudt and his bags, according to court documents. This led officers to escort Van Beverhoudt to a CBP interview room, where they discovered cocaine packed inside his red roller bag and black hand bag, court documents say. Now, more than five years later, a federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against Van Beverhoudt in connection with the discovery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said in a Feb. 26 news release. Van Beverhoudt, 45, of St. Thomas, was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., importation of cocaine into the U.S., conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His defense attorneys didn’t respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Feb. 26. Before Van Beverhoudt boarded his flight to Atlanta in January 2020, he bypassed a TSA security screening because he checked in with his CBP credentials at an airport in St. Thomas, according to court documents. As a result, he traveled from St. Thomas to Georgia as an armed law enforcement officer, with his CBP-issued firearm, prosecutors said. Van Beverhoudt planned to smuggle the cocaine he carried with him to Baltimore, where he was supposed to fly to after arriving in Atlanta, according to prosecutors. His plans changed when he was caught with the narcotics at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, prosecutors said. "Van Beverhoudt used his trusted position as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer to circumvent the law and smuggle dangerous drugs into our community," U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. said in a statement. "Thanks to the diligent efforts of our law enforcement partners, Van Beverhoudt is now being held accountable and faces time in federal prison," Moultrie said. Van Beverhoudt’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 29, court records show.

Miami Herald [2/27/2025 1:21 PM, Mitchell Willetts, 3973K] reports that a bus full of men posing as musicians on the way to a gig in Texas was stopped at the southern border, and a search revealed a $2.7 million drug smuggling attempt, officials say. A Volvo passenger bus tried to cross into the U.S. through the McAllen Port of Entry, in Hidalgo, on Monday, Feb. 24, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Southern Texas. There were seven people on board, including the driver, who told border agents he was driving the men to Houston to perform and record music, records show. McClatchy News on Feb. 27 reached out for comment from attorneys listed for the men, but didn’t immediately hear back. Whether agents bought the story is unclear, but the bus was "flagged for secondary inspection," documents read. A "CBP officer selected the vehicle for inspection which included utilizing nonintrusive inspection equipment and screening by a canine team," a Feb. 26 CBP news release said. However, an X-ray showed "an anomaly in the gas tank area," court documents read. It was 208 pounds of cocaine, packed into 80 bundles hidden in the tank. The total value of the cocaine was $2.7 million, CBP officials said in the news release. The driver and passengers were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations, according to CBP.

Border Report [2/27/2025 5:36 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports a woman from North Texas has been sentenced to federal prison for attempting to smuggle two children from Mexico into Laredo, Texas, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Genjei said Thursday. Sandra Perez, 36, of Fort Worth, pleaded guilty on Nov. 19 to trying to drive two Mexican children along with her own three children, who are U.S. citizens, in an SUV from Mexico on Aug. 8. Officials say Perez falsely claimed the Mexican children were her children and attempted to present fake Texas birth certificates and Social Security cards, Ganjei said. Border officers questioned the Mexican children and after they failed to answer, Perez admitted to attempting to smuggle them into the United States. She also told officials she would be paid $5,000 per child upon delivery. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña ordered Perez to serve three years in federal prison.

FOX News [2/28/2025 4:00 AM, Madison Colombo, 46189K] reports a Texas family is in mourning after a father was killed by an explosive device on his ranch in Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas. Now his son is speaking out, calling the attack an act of terrorism by the cartels. "These are the same tactics that the terrorist groups were using in Iraq," U.S. Army veteran Ramiro Céspedes told "Fox & Friends" on Thursday. "I believe the cartels have more sophisticated equipment than the Mexican army has. Also, the training. They need some training on how to combat terrorism.” Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, a rancher who worked on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated as he drove on his property last month. Two other people were also in the car at the time of the blast, killing one man and sending a woman to the hospital. Antonio immigrated to the United States in the 1970s in pursuit of the American dream, according to his son. After retiring over a decade ago, he bought property in Mexico, where he raised cattle and farmed. Ramiro recalled the moment he received the devastating news. "They wouldn’t tell me what had happened," he said. "They told me he’d hit a landmine of some sort, and he was trapped in his vehicle.” Ramiro, who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was wounded by an explosive device during deployment and was awarded a Purple Heart. He never imagined his father would fall victim to the same tactics he faced in the Middle East. "The people get used to these kinds of [cartel] actions, but the IEDs and drones, that’s something new," he said.

Reuters [2/27/2025 10:54 AM, Staff, 24727K] reports that the progress Canada has made on tightening security along the border with the United States and combating drug smuggling should satisfy the Trump administration, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said on Thursday. At the same time he spoke, President Donald Trump said his proposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada would go into effect on March 4 as scheduled on the grounds that drugs were still pouring into the United States from those countries. "We are quite convinced that the efforts we’ve made thus far should satisfy the U.S. administration," McGuinty said in televised remarks to reporters in Washington ahead of two days of talks with senior U.S. officials. "The evidence is irrefutable - progress is being made. In my view, any test that was put on Canada in terms of showing progress and meeting standards for the border - I believe those have been met," he said. Official data shows the vast majority of the drugs intercepted in the United States comes from Mexico. The Canada Border Services Agency said on Thursday it was launching a targeted, cross-country initiative to intercept illegal contraband arriving and leaving the country, with a focus on fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [2/27/2025 12:24 PM, Judy Trinh and Stephanie Ha, 1492K]

Border Report [2/27/2025 7:46 PM, Julian Resendiz, 117K] reports Mexico has honored an extradition request from U.S. prosecutors for an alleged smuggler who was part of a group that charged migrants tens of thousands of dollars and robbed them as they arrived on the border. Mexican officials on Feb. 21 surrendered to American authorities Raul Saucedo Huipio in connection to a 2021 indictment on conspiracy and alien smuggling charges filed in a federal courtroom in Arizona. Saucedo, 49, and Ofelia Hernandez Salas, 62, allegedly held key positions in a global human smuggling business that brought to the United States "large numbers" of migrants from Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Eritrea, India, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Egypt, among others. Saucedo and Hernandez, who were based in the Mexican border city of Mexicali, "often allegedly robbed the migrants of personal belongings while armed with guns and knives," according to a 2021 indictment unsealed two years ago. Later, they would provide the migrants with a makeshift ladder to climb over the border wall in designated places in California and Arizona, and a plank for them to walk over a waterway in California, court records allege. The indictment documents at least 16 specific smuggling incidents attributed to the Hernandez Salas Transnational Criminal Organization from May 2020 to June 2021. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has also imposed sanctions on the pair believed to have pocketed tens of thousands of dollars from each migrant they helped cross into the U.S.

Univision [2/27/2025 3:56 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports Mexican authorities arrested a U.S. citizen in Tijuana as he attempted to cross the El Chaparral International Bridge with a tactical arsenal and ammunition inside a vehicle. The suspect, identified as Scott Harvey Daniel Lee Thompson, 41, of California, was subjected to a random inspection because his vehicle had tinted windows that impeded visibility inside. Upon inspecting the unit, security agents located three long weapons, two handguns, 19 magazines, more than 2,000 live cartridges of different calibers, three telescopic sights for weapons and a telescope. The subject was immediately placed at the disposal of the corresponding Public Ministry agent along with the confiscated cargo, where his legal situation will be determined and the relevant investigations will continue. Mexico’s Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection reported that after an investigation it was found that Thompson would be linked to a criminal cell known as ‘Los Rusos’, associated with the Sinaloa Cartel.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 12:58 PM, Jesus Mesa, 52220K] reports that Elon Musk recently took to his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to warn that a critical air traffic control system is on the verge of collapse, as reports emerged that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering canceling a $2.4 billion contract and awarding the work to the billionaire’s own Starlink. Newsweek reached out to the FAA, Elon Musk’s Tesla and Starlink for comment on Thursday. Musk, who leads SpaceX and Tesla, has been reshaping the FAA under his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, which aims to streamline federal agencies. This overhaul has led to significant staff reductions at the FAA, including key positions and pilot certification and aviation safety enforcement. The debate over aviation safety has intensified following the deadliest U.S. air disaster in decades—a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., which killed 64 people on January 29. Some analysts warn that continued deregulation and workforce cuts could increase the likelihood of similar tragedies. The Washington Post recently reported that the FAA is "close to canceling" its contract for a communications system that serves as the backbone of U.S. air traffic control. This move is raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 6:38 PM, David Hurst, 52868K] reports a Portage man could face up to a $15,000 civil penalty for carrying a loaded handgun through an airport checkpoint in Pittsburgh, federal officials said. U.S. Transportation Security Administration officials said a .380 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets was intercepted Monday by screening agents at Pittsburgh International Airport – the fifth firearm seized this month. "I commend our officers for staying vigilant and focusing on the mission," said Gerardo Spero, TSA’s Federal Security Director for Pennsylvania. "Our team has intercepted five guns at our checkpoints so far this month. It is extremely concerning that so many individuals are coming to our checkpoints with their loaded guns.” Carrying a gun to a checkpoint is a security threat because TSA officials don’t know the intent of the person with the gun. "Now this man faces a potential federal financial penalty that can run into the thousands of dollars," Spero said. Federal officials did not identify the man. They noted federal guidelines prohibit passengers from carrying firearms onto airplanes, regardless of whether they have a concealed carry permit or are enrolled in the TSA PreCheck program.

New York Times [2/27/2025 3:23 PM, Christopher Flavelle, 145325K] reports more than a dozen of the senior leaders at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including those with the most experience in leading disaster recovery, have either been fired or have resigned, thinning its management ranks weeks ahead of hurricane season. The departures in the senior ranks are in addition to job cuts and resignations of about 1,000 of the agency’s roughly 17,000 employees. Those changes represent a significant loss at an agency that was already struggling with personnel shortages as it tried to help communities recover from catastrophic storms and wildfires in western North Carolina and Los Angeles, among other missions. Soon after his return to the White House, President Trump mused about formally disbanding FEMA. The departures suggest that the agency is already being thinned out. Under the Trump administration’s so-called deferred resignation offer, more than 800 FEMA employees are leaving, according to several people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. They include the agency’s top lawyer and his deputy, as well as senior officials in charge of human resources, information technology and reducing the risk communities face from future disasters. The administration fired FEMA’s chief financial officer, as well as a senior official responsible for the federal flood insurance program, along with more than 200 probationary employees. In addition, the administration has indicated it will eliminate the jobs of an unknown number of other FEMA employees who work on issues related to climate change or equity. Before Mr. Trump’s return, the agency was already struggling to fill its positions.

West Virginia Watch [2/27/2025 5:17 PM, Caity Coyne] reports individuals in four West Virginia counties were approved Wednesday to receive federal grants to help them recover from devastating flooding that hit the state’s southern coalfields earlier this month, according to multiple announcements. The aid — managed and disbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its Individual Assistance Program — will provide federal funding to individuals affected by the floods in McDowell, Mercer, Mingo and Wyoming counties. Statewide, only 1.2% of residential structures in West Virginia were insured for flood damage through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program in 2024, according to data from the federal agency. While the individual assistance was approved, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a news release that his request for aid through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program was still under review. Wednesday’s approval of the federal disaster declaration came more than a week after Morrisey officially requested aid from the federal government.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 6:20 AM, Allie Root, 52868K] reports loss, pain, heartbreak—those are some of the words used to describe last week’s devastating severe weather that took the lives of several Kentuckians and changed the lives of countless others. Recovery efforts across the state have been in full swing since the flooding, which was soon followed by snowstorms. On Wednesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited Kentucky and briefly met with Gov. Andy Beshear after surveying flood damage. Noem and other government leaders discussed how they would provide short- and long-term support for Kentuckians in need. February’s devastating floods claimed the lives of at least 23 people and destroyed homes and businesses across several counties in Eastern Kentucky. Now in the stabilization phase, Beshear said the state is making progress with the help of federal assistance from President Trump and Noem. Individual assistance is now available for Kentuckians in 11 counties. "It means that they can apply for up to about $42,000 to help get their life back on track," said Beshear. "I heard it from the acting administrator of FEMA yesterday. A desire by this administration to help our people to rebuild, and I absolutely believe it.” As of Wednesday afternoon, the number of road closures was down to 66, and the team Kentucky storm relief fund has raised more than $400,000. Beshear said he is grateful for the secretary and her efforts to help Kentuckians in need. "You’re seeing unified support for them," said Beshear. "Today we stand united. Local, state, and federal officials working together. They are showing up today, and we’re all going to keep showing up for our people.” Noem saw some of the flood damage firsthand and commended Kentuckians for their resilience. "There’s events that happen in people’s lives that something changes it forever, and forever now their lives will be well; that was before we lost that loved one, or that was after, or that was before we lost our home, or this was after the flood of 2025," said Noem. "And that’s what this event was for so many Kentuckians.” Noem noted that equipping more Kentucky families with flood insurance will be crucial for future floods, but she said that she and the Trump administration will also stand by Kentuckians in need in the long term. "The ten counties that were impacted and the communities will continue to walk this path towards restoration, but we’ll do what we can to help them and make sure that the resources are there.” Residents and business owners impacted by the floods in eligible counties can start applying for assistance at disasterassistance.gov.

Kentucky Lantern [2/27/2025 4:38 PM, McKenna Horsley] reports Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said "productive conversations" between his administration and lawmakers in the Republican-controlled General Assembly about flood relief aid "are going on right now." Last week, widespread floods and bitter winter weather killed 23 people in Kentucky. The state is no stranger to natural disasters. Since Beshear has been in office, Kentucky has been granted 13 federal declarations for aid. The governor said he’s hoping to work with lawmakers on a new SAFE fund, or State Aid for Emergencies. Beshear said the new fund will be similar to the past SAFE funds, but he would like to see some differences. Particularly, he wants it to be easier to move money between pots of dollars to get it where it’s needed quickly. Debris removal efforts will also be different this time around, as the need is statewide and not localized to just one region. Beshear met with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler Wednesday evening in Frankfort after they surveyed flood damage in Eastern Kentucky by helicopter. Loeffler announced SBA disaster loans in counties affected by floods, including 11 Kentucky counties included in the disaster declaration. Republican President Donald Trump approved expedited disaster assistance for individuals and local governments in 11 Kentucky counties — Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike. The approval FEMA announced Monday was for 10 counties and subsequently expanded to include Floyd County. The president approved an emergency declaration shortly after the flooding began on Feb. 14.

Reuters [2/27/2025 6:03 AM, Matt Mcknight, 41523K] reports scientists at a federal laboratory in Montana that has focused on fire for decades are increasingly concerned about wildfires that spread to population centers as Americans build communities ever closer to forests. Mark Finney, senior scientist at the U.S. Forest Service’s Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, noted a pattern in January fires in California -- which killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of homes -- and recent fires elsewhere. "They start in a nearby wildland vegetation, find fuel material where it ignites and spreads very rapidly and under very dry and windy conditions. It spreads quickly from a wildland situation into a more urban situation," he said during a tour for Reuters of his lab in late January. Finney andhis team, set fires in a controlled environment for study and modeling. What they learn from such experiments about, for example, how far and fast fires can move is shared across the country and the world to help wildland fire managers make decisions when responding to fires. Finney’s was one of three labs founded in the years after a 1949 fire in a remote area of the Helena National Forest in Montana killed 13 firefighters. The goal was to better understand how fire behaves to avoid such tragedies. Over the decades, one of the other labs, in California, has shifted focus to soil research and other areas. The third, in Georgia, closed in 1989. "This is really the last lab left devoted to studying wildland fire behavior," Finney said. "It is kind of an irony that we rely more on fire science now than we ever had. We have bigger and bigger questions and more consequences to society, our ecosystems and our communities from fire, and yet we have less and less resources to devote to scientific study of the subject.” Work at the lab also has helped researchers identifyareas of extreme wildfire risk, in California and elsewhere, information the U.S. Forest Service makes available to the public. Communities in areas where wildfire risk is high can apply for funds to use to help brace for disaster under the federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program, that was part of a $1 trillion, five-year bipartisan infrastructure law President Joe Biden signed in 2021. "I think what’s important about those kind of programs is that, you know, some of the larger communities that maybe have the financial resources and the staffing to implement wildfire planning and mitigation work are getting that work done without that additional funding," said Greg Dillon, who directs the Missoula lab’s Fire Modeling Institute. "But it’s a lot of the rural communities where the wildfire risk is, is really high, but they just simply don’t have the local capacity and resources to get that mitigation work done," Dillon added.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 1:30 PM, Anna Skinner, 52220K] reports that parts of Southern California continue to battle extreme drought as wind advisories remain in place amid Santa Ana winds that could spur wildfires should they erupt. Newsweek spoke with experts about the Golden State’s drought levels as well as current and future weather conditions. Santa Ana winds are strong, dangerous winds that blow from the mountains to the coast of Southern California. At the beginning of January, Santa Ana winds spurred multiple large wildfires in Los Angeles and other cities, destroying thousands of structures and killing at least 29 people. Santa Ana winds can cause fires to spread quickly, and extreme drought conditions mean the presence of dry fuels. Meteorologists warned of Santa Ana winds for parts of Southern California earlier this week. Most wind advisories will expire by Thursday night. On Thursday morning, the U.S. Drought Monitor issued its weekly updated map revealing the severity of drought across the nation. The drought severity has stayed the same across California, with nearly 15 percent of the state battling extreme drought conditions. Nearly 25 percent of the state is facing severe drought. More than 41 percent of the state, mostly Northern California, is free from drought. Meanwhile, another wind advisory was issued for southwestern California on Thursday morning. Similar advisories have been issued throughout the week.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 10:54 AM, Ewan Palmer, 3973K] reports that newly appointed Secret Service Director Sean Curran said he is "confident" the agency will get to the bottom of the security failures that resulted in two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump last year. The Secret Service faced scrutiny after the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, and another alleged would-be shooting at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15. Trump recently said he is ordering the Secret Service to provide him with "every bit of information" about the two would-be assassins, telling the New York Post that the information has been withheld "long enough." Trump announced on January 22 that he had appointed Curran as the director of the Secret Service. Curran previously led Trump’s personal security detail during the 2024 campaign and was pictured next to the Republican as he raised one arm in the air in the aftermath of the Butler shooting. Curran discussed the Secret Service’s investigations into the Butler assassination attempt and the potential shooting at Trump’s golf course in a Wednesday interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Curran did not delve into details of the investigations but said he is "confident in the process." The Secret Service had "no updates to provide" when contacted by Newsweek. The Washington Examiner [2/27/2025 10:34 AM, Jenny Goldsberry, 2296K] reports "I’m confident in the men and women at Secret Service, our partners on the Hill. The [homeland security] secretary and the cooperation from everyone else. We’ve really come together, and I’m confident in the process." His comments come on the heels of a recruitment ad for the Secret Service that aired during the Super Bowl. Michael Bay, of Transformers fame, directed the ad as a "friend" to Curran. "I brought in an outside expert from the intelligence community to take a look at our intelligence apparatus," Curran said. "I feel that strongly about what we are doing and where I want to take our intelligence divisions to — and that’s why I brought a true pro from the intelligence community to take a look at that and advise me on how we can do things differently and build more relationships with the ICE community. It’s that important."

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 12:10 PM, Matthew Duckworth, 52868K] reports that a bank in Laurel County reportedly found counterfeit $50 bills Thursday in a bank bag from a Barbourville Road business. The sheriff’s office announced in a news release that an investigation is underway after the counterfeit bills were found. According to an update from Sheriff John Root, a pair of individuals have been identified as persons of interest, alleging the two passed off the counterfeit bills at a business on Tuesday near Keavy Road. Person of interest in connection with counterfeit money investigation (Laurel County Sheriff’s Office). Deputies shared the following tips to help detect counterfeit bills: A security thread with the denomination of the bill is embedded in the bill. A watermark containing the portrait image of the portrait on the bill can be found to the right that’s able to be detected from the front and back of the bill. Closely examine the micro printing for sharpness in the fine print. The texture of the paper is different from ordinary paper. Root said that if even one of the following security features isn’t found on the bill, then it’s counterfeit money. The money will also have the same serial number on each bill. Please report counterfeit bills to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 10:09 AM, Bobbi-Jean Misick, 52868K] reports that in late January, Liv Thomas received an alert from someone concerned that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had possibly shown up at Bonnabel High School in Kenner looking for students who were undocumented immigrants. The week before, the Trump administration had authorized immigration enforcement agencies to target schools, hospitals and churches – areas previously deemed off-limits. Thomas had just gone through training from a group called Ojos, or "eyes" in Spanish, on looking out for and documenting ICE and police interactions with immigrants. She and her sister drove to the school to find out whether or not ICE agents had been present on campus. She learned it was Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies that had shown up, not federal immigration agents. She recorded herself letting people know: "Despejado, all clear." Then she posted it to local immigrant rights group Unión Migrante’s Facebook page. "As an ally, we want you here, you are loved and we will do everything to keep you safe," Thomas said in the video. "I also have a message for ICE. You do not get to move in the shadows. We see you, we know what you’re up to and we will record you."

CBS Minnesota [2/27/2025 12:56 PM, Mackenzie Lofgren, 51661K] reports that the founder of a Minneapolis nonprofit and marketing company pleaded guilty to fraud for his role in a pandemic funding scheme. Court documents show Tezzaree El-Amin Champion pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering and one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. The 28-year-old founder of the nonprofit Encouraging Leaders and marketing company Futuristic Management LLC submitted 42 grants and public-contract applications for federal funding between 2020 and 2024, according to court documents. According to court documents, these applications contained material false misrepresentations in order to obtain funding, including false rosters of Encouraging Leaders’ board of directors, a falsified independent third party audit for the nonprofit, falsified claims of community partner connections, which included local governments, requests for payment based on overstated hours, and false claims of events that never occurred or were organized by other organizations. Champion pled guilty on Wednesday to one count of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of illegally possessing a firearm as a felon. Champion also agreed to pay restitution of at least $3,479,575 to the victims of his offense, court documents say. A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled yet. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 11:02 AM, Erica Garner, 52868K] reports that counterfeit money that passes the "pen test" is circulating in Abilene. The Abilene Police Department is warning business owners about a "dramatic increase" in these counterfeit money cases over the past 3 years. The department now sees an average of 600 cases a year. These cases often involve businesses that are less prepared to spot fake money, so police are encouraging business owners to invest in digital currency scanners. "They range from $20 up to $100 or more. This simple investment can help stores to dramatically decrease their chances of being scammed," the press release states. Police say scammers get the bills to pass the "pen test" by washing legitimate bills and printing larger denominations on them. Anyone caught trying to pass any kind of counterfeit money is subject to criminal charges on both the state and federal level.

Miami Herald [2/27/2025 12:33 PM, Sara Schilling, 3973K] reports that a man accused of embezzling about $389,000 from the credit union where he worked by replacing real money with movie money was sentenced to prison, federal prosecutors in Montana said. The 35-year-old Missoula man was sentenced to six months behind bars and six months of home confinement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana said in a news release. He’ll be on supervised release for five years once he’s out of prison and must complete 600 hours of community service and pay restitution, prosecutors said in the Feb. 26 release. The man pleaded guilty in October to theft from a credit union, prosecutors said. McClatchy News reached out to his attorney Feb. 27 and was awaiting a response. The man’s attorney said in a court filing that his client struggled with a gambling addiction, depression and anxiety, and that he had no prior criminal history. He’s a "productive member of his community" and has a supportive family, the attorney said in the filing. The theft happened between July 2023 and June 2024 in Missoula, prosecutors said. The man "used his position as ‘team lead’ for the vault to swap the credit union’s cash with fake money he purchased specifically for this purpose," according to prosecutors. The fake money came from a company that supplies movies and other productions, prosecutors said.

CNN [2/27/2025 6:35 PM, Marnie Hunter and Forrest Brown] reports the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas rescued 11 people adrift in the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba and Mexico on Wednesday, according to VACAYA, an LGBT+ vacation company that chartered the ship. The Royal Caribbean cruise line ship departed New Orleans on Saturday for a seven-night cruise. On Wednesday, the captain spotted a boat in the distance "that appeared to be in distress," said Randle Roper, the CEO of VACAYA, who was onboard the ship. Roper said the 11 people were refugees, but he didn’t know where they were from. He said they later learned that they were out there between one and two days. Regarding the refugees’ immediate future, Roper said the US Coast Guard was involved in determining next steps. He said that the 11 refugees disembarked in Mexico on Thursday.

FOX News [2/27/2025 5:39 PM, Adam Shaw, Bill Melugin, 46189K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard was unable to "consistently" stop drug smugglers during the Biden administration, with vessels unavailable for a combined total of 2,000 days over a three-year period, according to a new report. The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report found that the Coast Guard "was not able to consistently interdict non-commercial vessels smuggling drugs into the U.S." from fiscal years 2021 through 2023. The audit looked at the Coast Guard’s ability to stop drug trafficking across 95,000 miles of coastal waters and more than 300 ports. The agency focuses primarily on cocaine because it is the primary drug smuggled across water. The report found the Coast Guard did not have enough cutter vessels to conduct the antidrug mission and "did not have a contingency plan to address the cutters’ unavailability." Reasons for 39 of 90 cutters being unavailable included reallocation to migrant interdiction, unscheduled maintenance or being inoperable due to COVID-19 protocols. The report did find that the number of days the cutters were unavailable increased each year and correlated with a decline in seized cocaine. It said that between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023, which included a few months of the Trump administration but was predominantly during the Biden administration, the Coast Guard intercepted around 421 metric tons of cocaine, short of its goal of 690 metric tons. It also found that the Coast Guard did not accurately record all interdictions, with 58% of counter drug case files not containing seizure results and 68% not containing required documentation. It recommended that the Coast Guard develop a drug interdiction contingency plan to prioritize the availability of cutters and also update systems to ensure data accuracy, including a centralized database. The Coast Guard agreed with the recommendations except for the contingency plan, which it said would be "redundant and not effective to resolve the documented issue of asset availability."

MeriTalk [2/27/2025 3:00 PM, Andrew Rice, 45K] reports long-time Federal government IT and cybersecurity leader Karen Evans has been named executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a CISA official confirmed to MeriTalk. Evans was named a senior advisor at CISA – which is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – in January. In her new role, "she guides CISA’s cybersecurity efforts as the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience," the agency’s website says.

CyberScoop [2/27/2025 12:00 PM, Derek B. Johnson] reports Microsoft has identified individuals from Iran, China, Vietnam and the United Kingdom as primary players in an alleged international scheme to hijack and sell Microsoft accounts that could bypass safety guidelines for generative AI tools. In December, Microsoft petitioned a Virginia court to seize infrastructure and software from 10 unnamed individuals who the company claims ran a hacking-as-a-service operation that used stolen Microsoft API keys to sell access to accounts with Azure OpenAI to parties overseas. Those accounts were then used to generate “harmful content,” including thousands of images that violate Microsoft and OpenAI safety guidelines. Previously, Microsoft said it did not know the names or identities of the 10 individuals or where they lived, only identifying them by specific websites and tooling they used and claiming that at least three appeared to be providers of the service who were living outside the United States. In an amended complaint made public Thursday, the company identified four people — Arian Yadegarnia (aka “Fiz”) of Iran, Ricky Yuen (aka “cg-dot”) of Hong Kong, Phát Phùng Tấn (aka “Asakuri”) of Vietnam and Alan Krysiak (aka “Drago”) of the United Kingdom — as key players “at the center of a global cybercrime network” that Microsoft tracks as Storm-2139. Microsoft also said it had identified one actor in Illinois and another in Florida as being part of the scheme, but declined to name them “to avoid interfering with potential criminal investigations.” The company said it is preparing criminal referrals to the United States and foreign law enforcement representatives. The company did not specify how the generated images violated safety guidelines, but Steven Masada, assistant general counsel at Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, indicated in a blog post that at least some were attempts to create false imagery of celebrities and public figures.

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.

Reported similalry:
Washington Times [2/27/2025 5:44 AM, Ryan Lovelace, 1814K]

AP [2/27/2025 7:38 AM, Staff, 1492K] reports the FBI has accused North Korean-linked hackers of conducting one of the largest thefts of cryptocurrency publicly known, seizing some US$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. North Korean thefts reportedly fund nuclear weapons program. 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.

FOX News [2/27/2025 4:55 PM, Louis Casiano, 46189K] reports a Tajik man living in the United States illegally was charged with trying to provide support to the Islamic State and affiliated terror groups, including providing money to the families of terrorists killed on the battlefield, the Justice Department said Wednesday. Mansuri Manuchekhri, 33, who lived in Brooklyn, New York, appeared before a federal judge Wednesday and was ordered to be detained, authorities said. He also faces charges of possessing guns while unlawfully in the U.S. and immigration fraud, according to court documents. Manuchekhri allegedly facilitated $70,000 in payments to individuals affiliated with ISIS in Turkey and Syria, including to someone arrested for his alleged role in an attack on a church in Istanbul last year during a morning mass. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the attack. Manuchekhri traveled to the U.S. from Tajikistan in June 2016 on a non-immigrant tourist visa and remained in the country after his visa expired in December 2016. In March 2017, Manuchekhri allegedly paid an American citizen to enter into a sham marriage so he could obtain legal status. However, his petition was denied after he failed to provide certain supporting documentation, the Justice Department said. The FBI was alerted to Manuchekhri, a truck driver who frequently traveled throughout the U.S., in August 2024 after a family member contacted the New York State Terrorism Tips Hotline and expressed concern Manuchekhri might commit acts of violence. The family member said Manuchekhri had threatened to kill them multiple times. Between December 2021 and April 2023, Manuchekhri sent around $70,000 to people connected to ISIS in Turkey and Syria, federal prosecutors said. He also communicated with someone in Turkey who said the money would be given to ISIS or ISIS-K members and their family members, the court documents state.

USA Today [2/27/2025 8:55 AM, Christopher Cann, 75858K] reports a federal grandy jury indicted a Pennsylvania man with possession of child sexual abuse material and heard evidence that he holds a "racially-motivated violent extremist ideology" that saw him praise mass shooters, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Aidan Harding, 20, of Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, was indicted on a charge of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the Justice Department. He was first arrested on the possession charge in late January and was ordered to be held without bond pending a trial in mid-February. Prosecutors presented evidence that Harding had over 20 firearms and made antisemitic fliers targeting Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, according to the Department of Justice. He also allegedly made statements online "about his interest in ‘political and revenge driven’ mass casualty events," including several about the gunmen who carried out the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 congregants in 2018. Harding was previously charged in juvenile court with making "terroristic threats" that expressed a desire to carry out an attack with a "high kill count," prosecutors said. He allegedly had videos of mass shootings that took place in the U.S. and around the globe and had previously filmed himself "re-enacting the Columbine mass shooting at a memorial honoring the victims of that attack," prosecutors said. In a court filing, his attorneys argued for Harding’s release, saying he is not a flight risk or a danger to the community. They said Harding has deep roots in the Pittsburgh area, works on a family farm, does not own a passport and has never failed to appear for a court hearing. They noted Harding is accused of one count of possessing child sexual abuse material on his phone, but is not accused of distributing or creating such material. He is also not charged with attempting to meet a child, they noted. Regarding the allegation from prosecutors that Harding adheres to a violent, racist ideology, his attorneys said "it may be deplorable but it is not criminal." They added that those allegations and his possession of lawful firearms are not related to the case but are protected by the First and Second Amendments of the Constitution. The judge ultimately decided Harding should be held without bail. If Harding is found guilty of the child sexual abuse material charge, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Washington Post [2/27/2025 6:09 AM, Daniel Wu, 31735K] reports that, for weeks, men carrying rifles have guarded the roads leading into Lincoln Heights, Ohio, stopping and questioning those who approach the Cincinnati suburb. The men, some of whom wear masks and body armor, are residents of this small, majority-Black town. They say they’re protecting their own. And they’re on edge. In early February, a truck of neo-Nazis came to Lincoln Heights’s doorstep. Masked demonstrators — some carrying rifles — hurled racist slurs and waved flags with red swastikas on a highway overpass leading into town. Two weeks later, on Sunday, another agitator struck, spreading racist pamphlets from the Ku Klux Klan across Lincoln Heights. "You get punched," said Alandes Powell, 62, a nonprofit director who lives near the town. "And someone comes and punches you again.” The people of Lincoln Heights are used to fighting for themselves. The town originated as a self-governing Black community — the oldest north of the Mason-Dixon Line, it proclaims on its website — that lacked public services. For years, residents have complained of underinvestment and neglect. But the past few weeks have been different. Residents say they are distraught after being surrounded by hate and suspicious of police officers whom county officials criticized for not cracking down on the neo-Nazi march. Many of the town’s residents are adamant that taking up arms is the only solution, even as some have questioned whether they want their neighbors taking advantage of Ohio’s open-carry law to begin an armed watch program. "An American individual protecting his homeland with a firearm — I thought that was the most American thing that we [could] do," said Daronce Daniels, a spokesman for the newly formed Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch Program, which coordinates the guards. Lincoln Heights originated in the 1920s as a Black enclave for laborers blocked from Cincinnati and surrounding towns because of their race, according to the Cincinnati Preservation Association. The new village lacked adequate street lighting and fire and police departments. A nearby city pushed back when Lincoln Heights attempted to incorporate and establish municipal services; by the time it did in 1946, it had lost much of its tax base to neighboring communities. Residents are proud of their history. And they say Lincoln Heights, now a town of about 3,000, continues to be neglected. Its police department was disbanded in 2014; the area is served by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office. It took a years-long campaign to get the county to relocate a nearby Cincinnati Police Department gun range that regularly sent the crack of gunshots echoing through the streets. But the community never imagined staring down a neo-Nazi march. Around 2 p.m. on Feb. 7, a U-Haul van brought a group of at least a dozen neo-Nazi demonstrators to a highway overpass near the village border. The agitators wore body armor, carried AR-15 rifles and waved swastika flags. They arrived as children were being let out from class at Lincoln Heights Elementary School and marched just blocks away.

Chicago Tribune [2/27/2025 5:26 PM, Jason Meisner, 5269K] reports that a then-U.S. Navy sailor living at Naval Station Great Lakes in Chicago’s north suburbs met in October 2022 with someone he thought was an Iranian terrorist to discuss locations for an attack that would cause the maximum amount of carnage, federal investigators say. During their conversation at the Lake Bluff train station, the sailor, Xuanyu Harry Pang, allegedly referenced surveillance photos he’d taken of Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago on a busy afternoon. “Remember, like you told me, like, you guys are looking for max damage, right?” Pang asked his accomplice, who was actually working undercover for the FBI. “You saw the street. It was packed. So think about it, like, if you have one guy just walking down the street, all of a sudden (rapid firing sound).” That chilling conversation, secretly video recorded by the undercover operative, was included in court records unsealed Thursday showing that Pang helped plan a terrorist attack in the Chicago area in 2022 on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, purportedly to avenge the death of an Iranian general killed by U.S. forces.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 6:42 AM, Natasha Keicher, 52868K] reports that a Perry Middle School student has been charged for allegedly making threats to shoot up the school. On Tuesday evening, the police department received a report from a parent who said his child overheard a classmate, identified as a 6th grade student, making threats to shoot up the school while at the Perry Elementary playground after class had been dismissed, according to a joint press release between the Perry Police Department and Perry School District. Perry police interviewed the 6th grade student about the alleged threats. Police said the student did admit to making the threats but was only joking about it. During the investigation, police also learned that the 6th grade student had made similar threats in December 2024, but the incident was deemed not credible at the time. Police said the student didn’t have access to any weapons. The 6th grade student has been charged with one count of threat of terrorism and has been referred to juvenile court. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [2/27/2025 12:52 PM, Julia Shapero, 12829K] reports that a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday to ban Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek’s products from government devices and networks. The bill, introduced by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), comes as DeepSeek’s rapid rise in popularity has sparked data privacy and national security concerns. "As the artificial intelligence landscape continues to rapidly expand, the U.S. must take steps to ensure Americans’ data and government systems remain protected against platforms — like DeepSeek — that are linked to our adversaries," Rosen said in a statement. DeepSeek exploded onto the scene last month with its new R1 model, which it claims can perform on par with OpenAI’s latest models. Its app quickly surged to the top of Apple’s App Store. However, the AI startup is based in China, raising questions about whether the Chinese government could potentially access or manipulate U.S. user data. A bipartisan pair of lawmakers introduced similar legislation on the House side earlier this month, and several states, including Texas, New York and Virginia, have banned DeepSeek from state devices and networks. DeepSeek’s emergence has also threatened to upend the current consensus on AI development.

Washington Post [2/27/2025 12:48 PM, Salvador Rizzo and Tom Jackman, 31735K] reports that a federal judge on Thursday refused to stop the CIA and director of national intelligence from firing 51 officers who had been assigned to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility roles that were scrapped last month by President Donald Trump. The officers may not appeal to civil service boards, and they may not transfer to other jobs in the intelligence community because agency rules allow the director to fire employees without any recourse. In three court hearings this month, U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga questioned why the Trump administration decided to fire all of the officials instead of reassigning them, as had been recommended by career-services officials at the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. "These are talented, experienced assets, if you will, that would be in the interests of the United States to be reassigned elsewhere, if that need existed," Trenga said at a hearing Monday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. But government lawyers said CIA Director John Ratcliffe relied on a regulation particular to the intelligence community stating that "any employee may be terminated from the Agency at any time without regard to any procedural steps … when the [director], in his discretion, deems it necessary or advisable in the interest of the United States." Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Barghaan said that prevented the employees from being reassigned.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [2/27/2025 12:37 PM, Gary Grumbach and Dan De Luce, 44742K]

The Hill [2/27/2025 12:35 PM, Brooke Migdon, 12829K] reports that transgender service members will be removed from the military within 60 days unless they are granted a waiver demonstrating their support of "warfighting capabilities," according to a policy memo issued late Wednesday by the Pentagon. The memo specifies how the Defense Department will carry out one of President Trump’s executive orders to prevent transgender troops from serving openly. Trump’s Jan. 27 order, the subject of two federal lawsuits, claims that allowing transgender people to serve in the armed forces threatens its readiness and undermines unit cohesion. A 2016 RAND Corp. study commissioned by the Pentagon found that allowing trans individuals to serve had no negative impact on unit cohesion, operational effectiveness or readiness. "Service by these individuals is not in the best interests of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security," Wednesday’s policy memo states. The memo suggests a history of gender dysphoria — severe distress that stems from a mismatch between a person’s gender identity and sex at birth — is incompatible with military service.

New York Times [2/28/2025 2:38 AM, Chris Buckley and Damien Cave, 145325K] reports China has in recent weeks staged military drills off Australia and Vietnam, sending pointed warnings near and far. Neither was a full-fledged exercise. But taken together, China’s recent shows of force, experts said, conveyed a message: the region must not ignore Beijing’s power and claims. Three Chinese naval ships, including a cruiser with 112 missile tubes, showed up in the waters near Australia this month, only announcing plans to fire artillery for practice after the exercise had started. A few days later, on Monday, Chinese forces held live-fire drills in the Gulf of Tonkin, after Vietnam pressed its territorial claims in the gulf. Meanwhile, Chinese military aircraft buzz the skies near Taiwan almost daily. While Washington is consumed with other matters, from Ukraine and the Middle East to budget cuts at the Pentagon, China keeps pressing. The exercises, while relatively brief, highlight that China’s military reach is likely to keep growing, regardless of whether the Trump administration ultimately tries to confront China or pull it into some kind of deal. The series of drills aimed to show scale and scope, “showcasing China’s expanding naval capabilities and ability to project power across multiple theaters simultaneously,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow with the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. “The timing, with many in the Indo-Pacific region concerned about the U.S. commitments under President Donald Trump, is just perfect.” The People’s Liberation Army had been growing more active long before Mr. Trump took office, and China held far larger exercises near Taiwan last year. In its own sometimes ominous way, experts said, China is trying to persuade governments in the Asia-Pacific region that, like it or not, their future lies in accommodating Beijing. And that includes its claims to democratically governed Taiwan and over much of the South China Sea, which is disputed by Vietnam and other countries.

Yahoo! News [2/27/2025 4:30 PM, Jeff McClain, 52868K] reports top brass with the Tennessee National Guard confirmed Wednesday that drones were spotted near military installations in four incidents during the fall of 2024. Adjutant General for the Tennessee National Guard, Maj. Gen. Warner A. Ross II told lawmakers during a budget hearing for the Tennessee Department of Military that two of the sightings happened at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base near Knoxville. Two others, Ross said, were reported near unspecified guard armories in the state. The encounters happened around the time of a rash of similar reports around U.S. military bases at home and overseas. Ross told state lawmakers, "It seemed like the more that we saw it on TV. The more we saw it in Tennessee.” Those sightings, and the release of a trove of in-flight recordings by the Department of Defense, prompted a first-of-its-kind congressional hearing on unexplained aerial phenomena, the new term for what were once popularly described as UFOs. Few concrete answers were offered from official channels amid a swirl of public speculation ranging from espionage to terrorism to aliens. Ross during Wednesday’s hearing supplied more innocent explanations saying the people responsible were, "our fellow citizens and our fellow neighbors with a new toy and not recognizing that they were operating over restricted airspace especially at McGhee Tyson.” As for responding directly to these drones, Ross noted that guardsmen, "don’t have the authority to engage targets or threats. We’re restricted by multiple laws and policies from both DOD and local agencies.”

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CyberScoop [2/27/2025 12:00 PM, Matt Kapko] reports U.S. authorities say a 21-year-old U.S. Army soldier attempted to sell stolen sensitive information to a foreign intelligence service as part of a broader effort to extort victims and leak call records of high-ranking public officials. In November while on active duty, Cameron Wagenius made multiple attempts to extort $500,000 from a major telecommunications company while threatening to leak additional phone records belonging to the same high-ranking officials, according to court documents filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Authorities did not name Wagenius’ alleged victims in court filings, but Allison Nixon, chief research officer at Unit 221B, confirmed to CyberScoop that AT&T is the telecom company he tried to extort for ransom. Wagenius previously filed a notice of intent to plead guilty to unlawfully posting and transferring confidential phone records. The criminal activities alleged against Wagenius underscore the bold actions cybercriminals will take to extort victims and evade capture. Throughout most of November, Wagenius communicated with an email address he believed belonged to a foreign intelligence service in an attempt to sell stolen data, prosecutors allege. Soon after this communication stopped, he allegedly queried a search engine for “can hacking be treason.” Wagenius conducted multiple online searches in October, indicating a desire to flee the United States and defect to Russia, according to court documents. Wagnenius is also accused of searching for “where can I defect the U.S. government military which country will not hand me over.” Authorities didn’t identify the nation in the court filing, but said Wagenius searched for information about defecting to the same country he attempted to sell stolen information to in November. “While financially motivated cybercriminals have always been opportunistic and sought to evade capture, this case shows potential crossover into national security threats,” Austin Larsen, principal threat analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, said in an email. “The alleged attempt to sell data to a foreign intelligence service isn’t just about financial gain — it indicates a willingness to engage with state-level actors, blurring the lines with espionage.” Wagenius’ alleged actions “reveals how financially motivated cybercrime can directly intersect with and undermine national security interests,” Larsen said.

Washington Examiner [2/27/2025 7:44 AM, Jamie McIntyre, 2296K] reports that, three days after French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to find common ground on Ukraine with President Donald Trump in a White House visit, it’s U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s turn to give it a go. Starmer, who is expected to draw on the "special relationship" between the two nations, will be pressing the case that "there can be no negotiations about Ukraine, without Ukraine" and will recognize the need for Europe to "step up for the good of collective European security" according to remarks released by his office. "The world is becoming ever more dangerous, and it is more important than ever that we are united with our allies," Starmer said. While recognizing the need for Europe to provide security guarantees for any potential ceasefire or peace deal, Starmer told reporters on his plane en route to Washington that U.S. support is still required as a backstop, according to the BBC. "The security guarantee has to be sufficient to deter Putin from coming again," Starmer said. But in yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump appeared to flatly rule that out, telling reporters, "I’m not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We’re going to have Europe do that because it’s — we’re talking about Europe — their next-door neighbor.” Starmer will also be underscoring his Tuesday announcement that the U.K. plans to increase defense spending by the largest amount since the Cold War, with an increase to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, with an ultimate goal of 3%. Trump has stated he believes European nations need to spend at least 5% of their GDP on defense, a level of spending no ally, not even the United States, is currently meeting. Starmer and Trump are scheduled to meet at 12:15 p.m., discuss the issue over lunch, and hold a joint news conference at 2 p.m.

New York Times [2/28/2025 4:20 AM, Michael D. Shear and Shawn McCreesh, 330K] reports President Trump said Thursday that he trusted President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia not to violate the terms of a potential peace deal with Ukraine, even as he refused to pledge U.S. military support for a peacekeeping force. “I think he’ll keep his word,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Putin as he hosted Britain’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, at the White House. Of Mr. Putin, the president said, “I’ve known him for a long time now.” Mr. Trump’s comments underscored his embrace of Mr. Putin just a day before Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is scheduled to arrive in Washington to finalize a deal to share revenue from mineral sources with the United States. Mr. Trump has pushed for access to Ukraine’s minerals to make up for billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid the United States has delivered to Ukraine over three years. In the opening weeks of his presidency, Mr. Trump has ended the diplomatic isolation of Russia, falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia and repeatedly disparaged Mr. Zelensky, including by calling him a “dictator.” He appeared to change his tune on Thursday, however, predicting that the two of them would have a good in-person meeting. “I have a lot of respect for him,” Mr. Trump said, although he dodged a question about whether he would apologize to Mr. Zelensky on Friday for the “dictator” comment. Earlier in the news conference, when asked if he still thought Mr. Zelensky was a dictator, Mr. Trump deadpanned: “Uh, did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.” Mr. Starmer was the latest in a series of European leaders to come to Washington hoping to reason with Mr. Trump as he pushes for negotiations with the Russians to end the war. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, visited earlier this week. “History must be on the side of the peacemaker, not the invader,” Mr. Starmer said as he stood next to Mr. Trump in the East Room of the White House. The comments were sharper than those by Mr. Macron and other leaders, who have been hesitant to even subtly push back against Mr. Trump when visiting the White House. “The U.K. is ready to put boots on the ground and planes in the air to support a deal, working closely with our allies,” Mr. Starmer said. “Because that is the only way that peace will last.”

Reuters [2/28/2025 4:54 AM, Steve Holland, 24727K] reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and sign a critical minerals deal on Friday as Kyiv works to regain U.S. support to fight off the Russian invasion as Washington reverses its punitive policy towards Moscow. Zelenskiy, who gained billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. weaponry and moral support from the Biden administration, is facing a sharply different attitude from Trump. The Republican president has said he wants to quickly wind down the three-year war, improve relations with Moscow and recoup U.S. money spent to support Ukraine. Trump has also adopted a much less committed stance toward European security, to which the U.S. has been an indispensable partner since World War Two. The change in tone from the United States, Ukraine’s most important backer, has sent shockwaves across Europe and stoked fears that Kyiv could be forced into a peace deal that favors Russia. The minerals agreement negotiated in recent days would open up Ukraine’s vast mineral wealth to the United States but does not include American security guarantees, a disappointment for Ukraine. It gives Washington the right to recoup some of the billions of dollars in costs of the U.S. weaponry supplied to Kyiv through a reconstruction investment fund tied to the sale of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. A Center for Strategic and International Studies report last year found that about two-thirds of the money Congress appropriated for Ukraine was spent in the United States. Ukraine hopes the agreement will spur Trump to support Kyiv’s efforts to recapture territory seized by Russia. The deal also could win support from Republicans in Congress for a new round of aid to the war-torn country. Trump has engaged in a long-distance feud with Zelenskiy in recent weeks, criticizing his handling of the war, calling him a dictator and urging him to agree to the minerals deal. But during a joint news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump said: "Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that.” Trump also noted he was looking forward to meeting Zelenskiy and praised the Ukrainian military for its bravery. "We’re working very hard to get that war brought to an end. I think we’ve made a lot of progress, and I think it’s moving along pretty rapidly," Trump said.

Reported similarly:
USA Today [2/28/2025 5:12 AM, Francesca Chambers, 75858K]

CBS Austin [2/27/2025 2:31 PM, Austin Denean, 602K] reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in Washington this week to sign a framework to a deal granting the U.S. access to some of the countries reserves of critical minerals that are critical to national security and the future of the economy. Many of the details of the deal are still being ironed out as Zelenskyy tries to persuade President Donald Trump to provide some security guarantees in exchange for access to the minerals in an agreement the White House sees as a financial boon for the United States. Trump has positioned the deal as a way for America to recoup some of the costs taxpayers have taken on from supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion. "The previous administration put us in a very bad position, but we’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get the money back and a lot of money in the future," Trump said on Wednesday. But access to critical minerals has also become an increasingly important initiative for the U.S. government that has sought to increase cooperation with other countries that have large reserves to increase production and refining in an industry that is dominated by China.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 5:39 PM, Gabe Whisnant and Katherine Fung, 52220K] reports that President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the continuation of the national emergency concerning Ukraine amid the country’s ongoing war against Russia. By designating something a "national emergency," the president can enhance his authority and resources to deal with a crisis, harnessing the special powers written into federal laws and regulations for such situations. Trump’s decision maintains the measures initially established by Barack Obama in an executive order on March 6, 2014, following Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Biden extended the same state of emergency in 2024. When Obama announced the order in 2014, he said that it "authorizes sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or for stealing the assets of the Ukrainian people." The order was signed as part of a global effort to "condemn [Russia’s] violation of international law and to support the people and government of Ukraine." Trump’s continuation of the order comes as the war in Ukraine remains ongoing. Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its western neighbor in February 2022. Trump and Zelensky are expected to meet in Washington on Friday.

CNN [2/28/2025 4:00 AM, Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen, 22131K] reports Russia is eyeing talks with the Trump administration about re-establishing a significant diplomatic presence in the US as an opening to rebuild its spy network in the West, current and former US officials say. The US and Russia agreed to begin talks on restoring the regular operations of their respective embassies and consulates following a call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin and a subsequent high-level meeting in Riyadh earlier this month. On Thursday, US and Russian delegations met in Turkey to discuss more granular details like staffing levels, visas, diplomatic banking, and other operational issues. The US State Department said the two countries had "constructive" talks and agreed to follow up on their discussions at another meeting "in the near term.” Though Secretary of State Marco Rubio has highlighted the importance of restoring regular diplomatic services and communications, current and former US and Western officials say the talks also represent a significant concession to Moscow, which is eager to reinstall intelligence operatives under diplomatic cover at its embassies and consulates in Washington, New York, and Houston. Russia’s espionage capabilities have been significantly eroded over the last decade as the US and Europe routinely expelled Russian spies operating out of embassies under diplomatic cover, particularly as tensions escalated following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The issue is such a priority, two US officials said, that the Russians are refraining from putting another high-level meeting on the books until substantial progress is made on restoring Russia’s presence in the US. "We will know soon if Russia is really willing to engage in good faith," a State Department spokesperson said. If there is progress at the Istanbul meeting, "we would expect to convene again on these issues at a higher level," they added.

New York Times [2/27/2025 12:31 PM, Nataliya Vasilyeva, 145325K] reports that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia lauded the Trump administration on Thursday for its efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin. Speaking in Moscow at the annual meeting of Russia’s intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, Mr. Putin praised the new U.S. administration for “pragmatism, a realistic worldview” and “discarding many stereotypes, so-called ‘rules’ and messianic, ideological clichés of their predecessors.” And he blamed Joe Biden, the former president, for causing a crisis in the “entire system of international relations.” “The first contacts with the new American administration give us some hope,” he said in televised comments. “There is a mutual willingness to work on restoring the relations and gradually tackle the colossal amount of the systemic and strategic problems in the global architecture that had piled up.” Later on Thursday, Valentina I. Matvienko, chairwoman of Russia’s upper house of Parliament, met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to relay a “verbal message” from President Putin on “global issues” and Turkish-Russian ties, her office said.

The Hill [2/27/2025 5:07 PM, Miranda Nazzaro, 12829K] reports China’s cyber espionage operations continue to become more aggressive amid the increasing use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to help carry out attacks, according to a report published Thursday. CrowdStrike’s 2025 Global Threat Report, released Thursday, found China-linked cyber operations surged by 150 percent last year. Attacks targeting the financial services, media, manufacturing and industrial sectors increased by 200 percent to 300 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, the report added. Current and former government officials have increasingly warned of China-backed efforts targeting American intellectual property, but also the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day. The cybersecurity firm also found adversaries are increasingly using AI to carry out these attacks, especially those involving phishing or impersonation tactics.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 11:47 AM, Ryan Chan, 3973K] reports that France, which is a NATO member, and China have sent their aircraft carriers to the hotly contested South China Sea earlier this week, where territorial disputes remain unsolved. The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment. Newsweek has contacted the French Armed Forces for comment via email. The sovereignty claims of China over most of the South China Sea overlap with those of neighboring countries. Beijing has maintained a strong, persistent presence of ships from its navy, coast guard, and the maritime militia in the region to safeguard its core interests. China has the largest navy in the world by hull count with over 370 vessels, including two aircraft carriers in service. Last November, France sent its only aircraft carrier, which is nuclear-powered, for a five-month mission to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Marie Fontanel, who is the French ambassador to the Philippines, wrote on Monday in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that FS Charles de Gaulle, France’s aircraft carrier, left the Southeast Asian country and returned to the South China Sea after a three-day visit.

Newsweek [2/27/2025 6:17 AM, Ryan Chan, 52220K] reports a Chinese navy flotilla, which included warships specialized in projecting military power onto shore, was spotted in the waters off the southeast and southwest coastlines of Taiwan. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment. The People’s Republic of China, though it has never governed Taiwan, continues to claim the self-ruled island as part of its territory. Beijing has said it "reserves all options" against Taiwan, a U.S. security partner, and refused to renounce the use of force. China has reportedly been preparing for a potential amphibious invasion of Taiwan. Last year, Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region, warned that the Chinese military had executed the largest invasion rehearsal around Taiwan in his career. Five Chinese naval ships—including two Type 052D destroyers, one Type 075 amphibious assault ship, one Type 071 amphibious transport dock and one Type 903 replenishment ship—were 134 nautical miles southeast of Taiwan on Tuesday, a satellite image showed. Newsweek could not independently verify the authenticity of the satellite photograph, which also showed three Taiwanese warships monitoring the Chinese naval ships. The Taiwanese military announced the following day that the Chinese military had designated a live-fire drill zone 40 nautical miles off Taiwan’s southwest coast—outside the island’s territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles from its shore—without advance warning. A total of seven Chinese warships were inside the drill zone, according to a map provided by the Taiwanese military. The CNS Siming Shan, a Type 071 amphibious warship with a hull number of 986, was among them, as seen in a video published by the Taiwanese military. The suspected laser-armed Siming Shan sailed from the East China Sea to the Philippine Sea near Japan’s southwestern islands with six other Chinese warships in mid-February. During an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had existing commitments that it had made to prevent China from taking Taiwan and to react to it, which "the Chinese are aware of.” The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act requires that the U.S. provide Taiwan with defensive weapons while resisting any attempt to resolve differences across the Taiwan Strait by other than peaceful means.

Reuters [2/27/2025 2:05 PM, Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom, 41523K] reports that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday condemned Thailand’s return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where Washington says members of the Muslim group have faced genocide. The move by Thailand, a U.S. ally, came despite urging by United Nations human rights experts not to return the Uyghurs the Thai government has held in detention for a decade, warning they were at risk of torture, ill-treatment and "irreparable harm" if returned. Rights groups and some Western governments accuse Beijing of widespread abuse of Uyghurs, an ethnic minority numbering about 10 million in China’s western region of Xinjiang. Beijing denies any wrongdoing. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms Thailand’s forced return of at least 40 Uyghurs to China, where they lack due process rights and where Uyghurs have faced persecution, forced labor, and torture," Rubio said in a statement. The top U.S. diplomat said Thailand risked "running afoul of its international obligations" under the U.N. Convention Against Torture and other global conventions, and called on Thai officials to "fully verify continuously" that Chinese authorities protect Uyghurs’ human rights.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [2/27/2025 7:56 AM, Nat Sumon, 44742K]

Reuters [2/27/2025 10:59 PM, Francesco Guarascio, 41523K] reports Vietnam has pledged to support the repatriation of a few dozen Vietnamese nationals detained in the U.S. and to quickly handle new requests for deportations after U.S. threats of trade tariffs and visa sanctions, a lawyer briefed on the matter said. The move is part of a broader set of concessions the Communist-run country is considering to avoid duties that could cripple its economy, which is the most reliant on exports to the United States among all top U.S. trade partners. Vietnam has agreed to respond to U.S. deportation requests in 30 days, "which is a lot faster than they have ever done in the past," said Tin Thanh Nguyen, a U.S.-based immigration attorney. Relaying information he obtained from a Vietnamese official, he said Hanoi had also agreed during the first month of the second Trump presidency to issue travel documents for 30 detained Vietnamese nationals, paving the way for their deportation. He said that was unusual because Vietnam "historically denied issuing them and dragged out the process," effectively preventing many deportations. When asked about Vietnam, Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said: "We expect all countries to take back their citizens in the U.S. illegally, or face consequences such as visa sanctions or tariffs.” Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not reply to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Vietnamese ministry had said earlier in February that Vietnam would "continue to cooperate closely with the U.S. on the repatriation of citizens in accordance with signed agreements". During the first month of the second Trump administration, 37,660 people were deported, official data show, mostly to Latin American countries. It is unclear how many Vietnamese have been deported but some have been sent to Panama. The Vietnamese official told Tin that Vietnam changed tack after U.S. authorities threatened trade tariffs and unspecified visa sanctions if they did not take back illegal migrants.

Reuters [2/28/2025 7:57 PM, Jack Kim, 44742K] reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles and ordered full readiness to use nuclear attack capability, which would ensure the most effective defense for the country, state media said Friday. The test was designed to warn "enemies, who are seriously violating the security environment of the (country) and fostering and escalating the confrontation environment" and to demonstrate "readiness of its various nuke operation means," the KCNA news agency said. "What is guaranteed by powerful striking ability is the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity," KCNA quoted Kim as saying. "It is the responsible mission and duty of the DPRK’s nuclear armed forces to permanently defend the national sovereignty and security with the reliable nuclear shield by getting more thorough battle readiness of nuclear force and full preparedness for their use.” DPRK is short for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The missile launch was conducted on Wednesday over the sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, it said. South Korea’s military said Friday it had detected signs of missile launch preparations on Wednesday and tracked several cruise missiles after they were launched around 8 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Tuesday ET) over the sea. North Korea has pursued the development of strategic cruise missiles over several years, intended to deliver nuclear warheads. The type of missile tends to bring less alarm and condemnation from the international community than ballistic missiles because they are not formally banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions.

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