• Top News
  • Wall Street Journal/New York Times/Newsweek: Los Angeles Wildfires Leave at Least Five Dead as Uncontained Blazes Intensify
  • Politico/CBS Los Angeles/VOA News/The Hill: President Biden approves major disaster declaration as multiple wildfires ravage Los Angeles County
  • FOX News/Reuters/The Hill: FEMA to pay for more firefighters as California blazes burn beyond capacity
  • AP/CNN: Fire hydrants ran dry in California, highlighting a major problem in firefighting; Urgent water advisory issued
  • The Hill/Washington Examiner: Pentagon sending assets to California to battle wildfires
  • Washington Examiner: Mayorkas says California wildfire situation is ‘quite dire’
  • Los Angeles: Newsom scraps trip to DC as wildfires burn across Los Angeles County
  • CNN: Los Angeles wildfires upend previously scheduled presidential visit
  • The Hill: Harris’s California neighborhood ordered to evacuate as wildfires blaze through area
  • Newsweek: California Looters Break Into Homes as Pacific Palisades Wildfire Burns
  • ABC News: Trump blames Newsom, Biden for California wildfires
  • Roll Call/USA Today: Senate appears poised to move forward on immigration bill
  • FOX News/Politico: Dem support of immigration bill latest sign of vanishing Trump resistance
  • Washington Examiner: Ruben Gallego joins Fetterman in sponsoring Laken Riley immigration bill
  • Washington Examiner: Mother of woman killed by illegal immigrant says Laken Riley Act is not enough
  • NBC News: With Trump taking office, some Democrats and pro-immigration groups ponder new ideas on issue
  • CNN: Trump is considering a national economic emergency declaration to allow for new tariff program, sources say
  • FOX News: 2 sons of Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ are negotiating plea deal with US prosecutors, attorneys say
  • MeriTalk: DHS Playbook Aims to Streamline Public Sector GenAI Adoption
  • FOX News: [Mexico] Tren de Aragua believed to be behind murder of immigration official near border
• Opinion – Op-Eds
  • New York Times: [CA] We Are Not Prepared for Fires Like This
  • The Hill: Reform the H-1B Program and America’s immigration system — now
  • Bloomberg: [China] US-China Tech Breakup Is a Race to the Bottom
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • FOX News: [MA] Boston authorities rejected all 15 immigration detainer requests ICE made in 2024, new report says
  • NBC News: [DC] Trump transition considering D.C.-area showcase immigration raid in first days of administration
  • CBS Austin: [TN] 5 in custody in alleged human trafficking ‘brothel’ at Tennessee property
  • Newsweek: [GA] Migrants Committing Fewer Crimes Than Americans in Georgia
  • CBS Austin: [WI] Wisconsin police department vows to resist Trump immigration enforcement
  • Border Report: [TX] ICE looking to expand migrant detention facilities across country, ACLU says
• Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • Newsweek: Nearly 100,000 Migrants to Get $580 Refund From US Government
  • Yahoo! News: [UT] Sen. Mike Lee will reintroduce the SAVE Act, on noncitizen voting
• Customs and Border Protection
  • Newsweek: [AZ] Border Patrol Agent Reveals Valiant Migrant Rescue—’We’re Human Too’
  • Yahoo! News: [CA] Border Patrol detains dozens of immigrants in Central Valley, advocates say. What we know
  • Yahoo! News: [CA] US Customs and Border Protection issues statement on Bakersfield-Kern County operation
  • Yahoo! News: [CA] Kern County lawmakers express concerns over Border Patrol operations
  • AZCentral: [Mexico] Migrant caravan heads to US before tougher immigration policy expected under Trump
  • FOX News: [Mexico] Mexico disperses migrant caravans heading to US ahead of Trump inauguration
• Transportation Security Administration
  • Washington Post: Extra TSA checks surprise fliers before Carter funeral, Trump inauguration
  • AP: [FL] Stowaways on planes and inside landing gear raise worries about aviation security
  • Yahoo! News: [FL] JetBlue stowaways’ bodies were badly decomposed raising possibility they were there for multiple flights: report
  • Newsweek: [MA] JetBlue Passenger Arrested for Allegedly Opening Door During Takeoff
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • WETM: [PA] Northern PA communities to receive federal funding for Hurricane Debby relief
  • Yahoo! News: [WV] FEMA assistance in Mercer County surpasses $1.1 million
  • Yahoo! News: [NC] Western North Carolina to receive $1.65B in federal disaster grants
  • CBS Austin: [NC] FEMA ends housing aid for some Helene survivors in Western NC amid bitter winter
  • Chicago Tribune: [IL] Federal government to deliver Chicago and Cook County millions in disaster relief funds for severe storms and flooding
  • AZ Central: [CA] California faces more evacuations amid wildfires: See map of Eaton Fire
  • Newsweek: [CA] California Wildfire Map for Pacific Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Woodley Fires
  • New York Times: [CA] A Dangerously Dry Southern California Was Ready to Burn
  • Miami Herald: [CA] ‘Flames on either side of us.’ Desperate evacuees flee apocalyptic California wildfires
  • CBS Los Angeles: [CA] Northern California, Arizona firefighters deployed to assist with trio of Southern California fires
  • Yahoo! News: [CA] Washington firefighters answer call for help in destructive SoCal wildfires
  • The Hill: [CA] DeSantis, longtime Newsom rival, offers help to California amid wildfires
  • Bloomberg: [CA] Los Angeles Fires and Winter Drought Likely Linked to Ocean Heat
  • AP: [PR] Puerto Rico’s new governor appoints an energy czar to tackle the island’s power crisis
• Federal Protective Service
  • Roll Call: [DC] Capitol Police arrest man with machete and knives
• Secret Service
  • Yahoo! News: [FL] Credit card skimmers found on ATMs at 7-Elevens in Tampa
  • Mitchell Daily Republic: [SD] Two men charged in attempted ATM theft in Mitchell
• Coast Guard
  • Government Executive: Coast Guard is resisting oversight of mishandled sexual misconduct cases, lawmakers say
  • Yahoo! News: [RI] Two new U.S. Coast Guard cutters coming to Naval Station Newport
• CISA/Cybersecurity
  • Bloomberg: White House Rushes to Finish Cyber Order After China Hacks
  • Reuters: Treasury Department hack shows no signs of broader impact, says US cyber watchdog
  • CBS Austin: US in cybersecurity arm race after Treasury Dept. hack
  • FedScoop: White House launches a cybersecurity label program for consumers; Biden signs the Government Service Delivery Improvement Act into law
  • Government Executive: US has ‘a lot of work to do’ on cyber defenses, departing cyber czar says
  • San Diego Union Tribune: [CA] San Diego Unified School District warns all students’ families of data breach
• Terrorism Investigations
  • Washington Examiner: Anti-Israel Jewish group denounced over ties to terrorism
  • AP: [GA] Another 14-year-old arrested with a gun at Georgia’s Apalachee High School after deadly shooting
  • NBC News: [LA] New Orleans attacker tried to use high explosive that could have killed hundreds
  • AP: [LA] New Orleans hires former New York police czar amid investigations into security after terror attack
  • CBS 58: [WI] 14-year-old arrested, accused of threatening to ‘shoot up’ Pulaski High School
• National Security News
  • Newsweek: TikTok Ban Remains Popular on Eve of Crucial Supreme Court Hearing
  • Yahoo! News: NATO reportedly sending ships to guard cables under Baltic Sea
  • AP: [Mexico] Mexico’s President Sheinbaum offers sarcastic response to Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ comment
  • FOX News: [Veneuela] 2 Americans arrested in Venezuela on eve of Maduro inauguration over ‘terrorism’ claims
  • CNN: [Ukraine] Biden administration announces its final military aid package for Ukraine before leaving office
  • Yahoo! News: [Russia] White House calls halt of Russian gas transit via Ukraine one of Moscow’s ‘most costly defeats’
  • Reuters: [Israel] U.S., Arab mediators make some progress in Gaza peace talks, no deal yet, sources say
  • NBC News: [Afghanistan] U.S. in talks with Taliban for release of Americans held in Afghanistan, source says
  • Reuters: [Taiwan] Taiwan, China trade barbs over undersea cable damage

DHS MORNING BRIEFING

DHS MORNING BRIEFING