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.

CBS News [6/22/2025 7:38 PM, Jennifer Jacobs and Nicole Sganga, 51860K] reports a bulletin from the National Terrorism Advisory System warns of a "heightened threat environment in the United States" following the U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. The bulletin, first obtained by CBS News on Sunday morning, June 22, does not note any current specific threats, but warns that "low-level cyber attacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks.” While there are no known threats, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, "It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict.” "The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crimes," Noem said in a statement Sunday. The bulletin notes that U.S. law enforcement "has disrupted multiple potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots in the United States since 2020," and warns "the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could also motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators seeking to attack targets.” The bulletin also warns, "The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against the United States.” The bulletin, which has now been officially shared with the public by the Department of Homeland Security, is the type of comprehensive threat assessment designed to communicate information directly to the public about threats and about "resources for how to stay safe during the heightened threat environment.” The Hill [6/22/2025 4:04 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 18649K] reports that the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crimes," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to The Hill. Trump announced Saturday evening that U.S. forces bombed three Iranian nuclear sites and said to Iran in a social media post, "NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!". The Washington Times [6/22/2025 5:52 PM, Stephen Dinan, 2106K] reports that some Iran-connected groups dubbed as terrorists by the U.S. had already issued calls for violence against the U.S. and Americans in the Middle East after Israel’s initial strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Homeland Security said Israel’s involvement increases the likelihood of antisemitic attacks, which have already been running at an elevated pace after Hamas’s murderous 2023 attack on Israel and that nation’s violent reprisals in Gaza. USA Today [6/22/2025 7:41 PM, Donovan Slack and Terry Collins, 75552K] reports that the United States struck three nuclear facilities in Iran in a stealth bombing raid that began on June 21. Using so-called bunker-buster bombs for the first time in such a military operation, B-2 bombers were used in the mission targeting Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. The attack, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," involved more than 125 warplanes, submarines, and surface warships, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. The Homeland Security advisory warning lasts for 90 days through Sept. 22.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [6/22/2025 1:17 PM, Ronny Reyes, 49956K]
Reuters [6/22/2025 12:47 PM, Kanishka Singh, 51390K]
FOX 10 News [6/22/2025 5:12 PM, Robert Ristaneo, 46878K
NewsMax [6/22/2025 11:30 AM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 4622K]

ABC News [6/22/2025 10:28 PM, Mike Levine, Katherine Faulders, and Luke Barr, 31733K] reports senior FBI and Homeland Security officials hosted conference calls with some of the nation’s governors and top law enforcement officials on Sunday to discuss how the U.S. missile strikes in Iran impact an already dangerous threat environment, sources told ABC News. The calls included one with hundreds of state and local law enforcement officials from around the country and another with state governors and their staff. An FBI official said on the call that the agency’s "posture is going to be enhanced" after the U.S. military action against Iran. The FBI is asking more personnel to be in the office, and continuing to "canvas sources" and monitor intelligence. Sources said there is currently no specific intelligence of a direct, credible threat against the U.S. homeland. The call with governors was meant to ensure that states are aware of the current threat environment and to encourage them to reach out to relevant state agencies, infrastructure partners and others who may be at risk, sources said. Federal officials specifically urged governors and their staff on the call to be vigilant for an uptick in cyber activity within their states and encouraged them to reach out to relevant state agencies, private sector infrastructure partners, and others who may be at risk, including Jewish institutions or groups associated with Israel. The call with law enforcement also included a representative from the Secure Community Network (SCN), a Chicago-based organization that helps protect Jewish institutions across the country and shares intelligence with the FBI and DHS. The calls come after Homeland Security issued a bulletin calling on the public to report anything suspicious to officials with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stating flatly that what’s happening in Iran brings the potential for increased threats to the homeland in the form of "possible cyberattacks, acts of violence and antisemitic hate crimes." All state governors were invited to the call, but not all were able to make it for various reasons, so for some only their staff members attended, sources said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [6/22/2025 11:30 AM, Damita Menezes and Marcus Espinoza, 5801K] reports major cities across the United States are on heightened security alert following Saturday night’s air strikes targeting nuclear facilities in Iran, with law enforcement agencies around the country deploying additional forces to protect potential targets from retaliatory attacks. The New York Police Department, the nation’s largest municipal police force, issued security advisories and increased patrols around religious, cultural and diplomatic sites Saturday night. The department coordinated with federal partners while monitoring for potential threats to the city. "Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites across NYC and coordinating with our federal partners. We’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC," the NYPD stated on social media. Law enforcement officials expressed particular concern about "soft targets" including churches, synagogues and tourist attractions that could be vulnerable to attack. Police departments in smaller cities across the country also increased security measures, citing concerns about potential threats during summer events and parades. National security experts warned that Iran’s cyber capabilities pose a significant threat to U.S. infrastructure. Former CIA spy and NewsNation’s national security contributor Tracy Walder said Iran has previously launched successful cyber attacks against major American banks, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. The Department of Homeland Security pledged to work with local authorities to protect American cities, with officials suggesting federal assistance may be necessary for smaller police departments lacking adequate resources.

NBC News [6/22/2025 7:11 PM, Staff, 44540K] reports major cities across the country are on high alert after the US strikes in Iran. Department of Homeland Security issuing a warning of possible cyber and physical attacks in response to the strikes over the weekend. NBC News’ Tom Winter on the sites officials say could be a major target. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [6/22/2025 10:46 PM, Staff, 21433K] reports the US Department of State issued a worldwide security alert on Sunday, advising US citizens to take caution and warning of “potential demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.” “The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution,” the alert reads. The advisory urges US citizens to review country-specific information and recent security alerts when planning travel on the department’s website. The alert comes after the Department of Homeland Security warned of a “heightened threat environment” in the US, citing the possibility of “low-level cyber attacks” and continued potential of lone-wolf attacks following the US strikes against Iran. FOX News [6/22/2025 8:34 PM, Greg Wehner, 46878K] reports "There is potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution." Last week, the State Department warned U.S. travelers to not travel to places like Israel, Gaza and the West Bank because of armed conflict, terrorism and civil unrest. The threat comes as terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue to plot possible attacks in those areas with little to no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets and local government facilities. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg Law [6/22/2025 12:47 PM, Myles Miller, 1707K] reports Major US cities are tightening security after President Donald Trump unleashed airstrikes on Iran, a direct military intervention that’s deepened Washington’s role in Israel’s war with Tehran and raised concerns about potential retaliation. Iran early Sunday warned that the US attack, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer" by the Pentagon, will trigger "everlasting consequences" and said it "reserves all options" to respond. Police in New York, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles have increased patrols at religious institutions, diplomatic facilities and public spaces. Officials cited no credible threats at this time but highlighted the need for vigilance.

ABC News [6/22/2025 7:50 PM, Staff, 31733K] reports ABC News’ chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas discusses how the U.S. missile strikes in Iran could impact the American people. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [6/22/2025 4:53 PM, David Morgan, 51390K] reports some Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Sunday called on Congress to rein in President Donald Trump’s use of military force in Iran and prevent U.S. involvement in a deepening Middle East conflict. With Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives strongly backing the U.S. attacks on key Iranian nuclear sites, it seemed unlikely any resolution that asserts the power of Congress to declare war and restricts Trump’s actions could pass both chambers. U.S. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he expects to force the Senate to vote this week on his measure requiring Trump to terminate hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war from Congress. Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California said they want a vote on similar legislation they introduced in the House. "This is the U.S. jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump’s urging, without any compelling national security interest for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress," Kaine told CBS’ "Face the Nation" program. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the criticism from lawmakers. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune were both notified of the U.S. military action ahead of time, according to sources familiar with the matter. Members of Congress are expected to be briefed on Tuesday. "I represent part of the coalition that elected President Trump. We were tired of endless wars," Massie told CBS. "We were promised that we would put our veterans, our immigration policies and our infrastructure first.” Massie and Kaine each said there was no urgency requiring Trump to act unilaterally. "There was no imminent threat to the United States," Massie said. "We haven’t been briefed.”

The Daily Wire [6/22/2025 3:45 PM, Daniel Chaitin, 3816K] reports the "biggest national security vulnerability this country’s ever seen" comes from Biden-era gotaways Trump Border Czar Tom Homan said on Sunday as he warned federal officials do not have a full accounting of all the people from Iran who illegally crossed the border during the last administration. Homan spoke about the situation after being asked by Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures" about the potential for Iranian sleeper cells after President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Terhan’s nuclear facilities this weekend. Citing data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homan explained that there were 1,272 nationals of Iran released into the United States by immigration officials under President Joe Biden, which is a stark contrast to "zero" releases under the Trump administration. "Right now, because of President Trump’s leadership, we have the most secure border in my lifetime, most secure border in the history of this nation. So we have a secure border. So that was President Trump’s big win on securing this nation," Homan said. "So we’re not releasing people into this country. Special interest aliens aren’t crossing that border undetected. But under Joe Biden, we had over 10 million people cross that border. But my biggest concern from day one, beyond the fentanyl, beyond the sex trafficking of women and children, were the 2 million known gotaways." Homan conceded the Trump administration does not know where all the gotaways have gone, but he expressed confidence in the leaders at the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and White House now compared to when Biden was president. "No, the intelligence community under President Trump has been on this since day one. What gives me any comfort at all is that you don’t have Christopher Wray there [leading the FBI]. You got Kash Patel there. You don’t have Alejandro Mayorkas there [leading DHS] anymore. You got Kristi Noem. And you certainly don’t have [former Vice President] Kamala Harris as the border czar," Homan said. FOX News [6/22/2025 1:13 PM, Benji Ferraro, 46878K] reports that “right now, because of President Trump’s leadership, we have the most secure border in my lifetime, the most secure border in the history of this nation. So we have a secure border, so that was President Trump’s big win in securing this nation. We’re not releasing people in this country, especially when there are aliens that aren’t crossing the border undetected. But under Joe Biden, we had over 10 million people cross that border. But my biggest concern from day one, beyond the fentanyl, beyond the sex trafficking women and children, were the two million known ‘gotaways’ — over two million people crossed that border. We don’t know who they are, where they came from, because they got away because border patrol is so overwhelmed with the humanitarian crisis that Biden created. Over two million people crossed the border and got away. That is my biggest concern. And that’s what created the biggest national security vulnerability this country’s ever seen.” The Washington Examiner [6/22/2025 2:28 PM, Asher Notheis, 1934K] reports " Homan went on to state that Trump’s intelligence community has been working "since day one" to figure out where the illegal gotaways are within the U.S. He also expressed gratitude that new leadership at the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are in place, namedropping FBI Director Kash Patel and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

FOX News [6/22/2025 12:32 PM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE reports Border czar Tom Homan discusses his national security concerns after the U.S.’ strikes on Iran and more on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

FOX News [6/22/2025 6:54 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports Fox News chief Washington correspondent Mike Emanuel breaks down the number of Iranian nationals let into the country under former President Joe Biden on ‘Special Report.’[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [6/22/2025 5:52 PM, Greg Wehner and Bill Melugin, 46878K] reports over 1,500 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border were arrested during the Biden administration, and nearly 50% of them were released back into the country, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source. More specifically, Border Patrol agents arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2024. Of the 1,504 individuals who were arrested, 729 were released into the U.S. The number of Iranian nationals arrested at the southern border increased year-to-year, with 48 being arrested in FY21; 197 in FY22; 462 in FY23 and 797 in FY24. Likewise, the number of Iranian nationals released also increased, with 12 in FY21; 40 in FY22; 229 in FY23; and 448 in FY24. It is unclear how many of the Iranians released into the U.S. were on the terrorism watchlist, as the Biden administration repeatedly denied Fox News’ Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals for the data. The Biden administration cited "privacy concerns" of the people on the list, as well as "minimal public interest" for denying the requests. Still, there were over 2 million known gotaways at the border during the Biden administration, and because they were never caught, there is no way of knowing where the individuals were from. All Iranians are considered "special interest aliens" because of national security concerns. Therefore, they are supposed to receive enhanced vetting from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [6/22/2025 10:15 PM, Damita Menezes and Tom Palmer, 5801K] reports anti-war activists took to the streets in multiple U.S. cities Sunday to protest President Donald Trump’s decision to use U.S. military might to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, as sign-waving crowds gathered as part of a coordinated nationwide protest that also included rallies in Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Portland and Washington, D.C. Demonstrators gathered in Times Square in New York City, carrying anti-war signs that read, "Trump is a War Criminal" and "No US-Israel War on Iran." The crowd was also chanting "No US War Crimes" as they marched through the popular tourist destination in Midtown Manhattan. Supporters of President Donald Trump were also at the scene in Times Square, holding pro-Trump flags. In Chicago, about 100-125 people showed up to protest the use of force in Iran. There was a Trump supporter at the scene wearing a MAGA hat. He did exchange some words with the protestors, saying they had incorrect information, and the president did not start a war with Iran because he’d been promising to get rid of their nuclear capabilities for over 10 years. Protesters also assembled outside the White House under the banner "No War on Iran! Trump is a War Criminal!" The demonstration was organized by several activist groups, including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, ANSWER Coalition and the National Iranian American Council.

Washington Post [6/22/2025 10:19 PM, Maria Sacchetti and Jeremy Roebuck, 32099K] reports a federal judge on Sunday ruled that Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland resident wrongly deported to El Salvador, is eligible for release from criminal custody, saying the government’s allegations that he is a flight risk or a danger to the community are based on problematic testimony and scenarios that “defy common sense.” U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara D. Holmes said the government "failed" to prove the Trump administration’s allegations that Abrego poses enough of a danger to society that he should be held while he awaits trial on charges that he participated in a migrant smuggling ring for nearly a decade. She issued her 51-page decision more than a week after a highly unusual, hours-long hearing in U.S. District Court in Nashville earlier this month. U.S. officials returned Abrego, who is married to a U.S. citizen, to the country in early June after forcibly deporting him and more than 200 others to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador in March. Multiple federal judges and the Supreme Court have ruled that his removal was unlawful because an immigration judge in 2019 granted him protection from being deported to his native country after finding that he could face persecution from gangs there. Holmes scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to arrange the conditions for his release while also acknowledging that Abrego is unlikely to be freed from federal custody. U.S. immigration officials have said they will likely detain him for civil deportation proceedings, she wrote. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said on X in response to the ruling that "he will never go free on American soil.”

Reuters [6/22/2025 8:54 PM, Luc Cohen, 51390K] reports a U.S. judge on Sunday ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant returned to the U.S. in early June after being wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador, released on bail pending his criminal trial on migrant smuggling charges. But the decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee does not necessarily mean Abrego, as he prefers to be known, will go home to his family. The judge had acknowledged at a June 13 court hearing that Abrego was likely to be placed in immigration detention even if he is released. Abrego, a Maryland resident whose wife and young child are U.S. citizens, was deported on March 15 to El Salvador, despite a 2019 immigration court ruling that he not be sent there because he could be persecuted by gangs. Officials called his removal an "administrative error," but for months said they could not bring him back. Critics of President Donald Trump pointed to Abrego’s case as evidence his administration was prioritizing increased deportations over due process, the bedrock principle that people in the U.S., whether citizens or not, can contest governmental actions against them in the courts. Trump, who has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration, has said Abrego belongs to the MS-13 gang - an accusation that his lawyers deny. The Justice Department brought Abrego back to the U.S. on June 6 after earlier securing an indictment charging him with working with at least five co-conspirators as part of a smuggling ring to bring immigrants to the United States illegally. Prosecutors say Abrego, 29, picked up migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border more than 100 times, and also transported firearms and drugs. Abrego has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers say the Trump administration brought the charges to cover up their violations of Abrego’s rights, and say the alleged co-conspirators cooperating with prosecutors should not be trusted because they are seeking relief from deportation and criminal charges of their own. In her ruling Sunday, Holmes said the government failed to show that Abrego posed a danger to the community or was unlikely to appear in court, scheduling a hearing for Wednesday. In a separate civil case, Greenbelt, Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis is investigating whether the Trump administration violated her order to facilitate Abrego’s return from El Salvador. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld that order.

CNN [6/22/2025 9:32 PM, Katelyn Polantz, 875K] reports a judge in Tennessee said the Justice Department hasn’t made a convincing case that Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be kept in pretrial detention, though the mistakenly deported man who was returned to the US is likely to remain in federal immigration custody regardless. Abrego Garcia is being held in Tennessee as he faces a federal indictment of smuggling undocumented immigrants across state lines in 2022. The US returned him from El Salvador this month after the indictment was unsealed, ending a political standoff over his due process rights. His court proceedings have become a vessel for the Trump Justice Department’s hardball approach to immigration enforcement in which it has sought to portray Abrego Garcia as part of a gang operation in Maryland. But as she ruled in Abrego Garcia’s favor, Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes of the federal court in Nashville said Sunday that "the government failed to prove" so far that he endangered any minor victim, might try to flee from the law or might attempt to obstruct justice, as the Justice Department had argued. She noted that under federal criminal law, the Justice Department hadn’t even shown it had enough evidence to hold a hearing seeking his pretrial detention. Still, Abrego Garcia is likely to remain in federal custody, because immigration authorities will be able to keep him detained separate from his criminal case. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said Sunday on X that "Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a dangerous criminal illegal alien. We have said it for months and it remains true to this day: he will never go free on American soil."

Reported similarly:
FOX News [6/22/2025 9:38 PM, Greg Wehner and Bill Mears, 46878K]

CBS News [6/22/2025 8:25 PM, Staff, 51860K] Video HERE reports a Tennessee judge on Sunday ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in President Trump’s immigration crackdown, while he awaits a federal trial on human smuggling charges. But he is not expected to be allowed to go free. At his June 13 detention hearing, prosecutors said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would take Abrego Garcia into custody if he were released on the criminal charges, and he could be deported before he has a chance to stand trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to discuss the conditions of Abrego Garcia’s release. The U.S. government has already filed a motion to appeal the judge’s release order. Holmes acknowledged in her ruling Sunday that determining whether Abrego Garcia should be released is "little more than an academic exercise" because ICE will likely detain him. But the judge wrote that everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence and "a full and fair determination of whether he must remain in federal custody pending trial." The acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, Rob McGuire, argued on June 13 that the likely attempt by ICE to try to deport him was one reason to keep him in jail. But Holmes said then that she had no intention of "getting in the middle of any ICE hold." "If I elect to release Mr. Abrego, I will impose conditions of release, and the U.S. Marshal will release him." If he is released into ICE custody, that is "above my pay grade," she said. The judge suggested that the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security could work out between themselves whether the government’s priority is to try him on the criminal charges or deport him. No date has been set for the trial.

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The Hill [6/22/2025 8:27 PM, Staff, 18649K]
AP [6/22/2025 8:25 PM, Travis Loller and Ben Finley, 56000K]

NBC News [6/22/2025 7:51 PM, Gary Grumbach, 44540K] reports the government on Sunday appealed a federal judge’s order to release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia pending trial on human smuggling charges, another chapter in the saga of the Maryland father who had been erroneously deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration admitted having mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia in March, and the Supreme Court ordered it to facilitate his return. Upon his return this month, though, Abrego Garcia was hit with federal charges of conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal immigrants for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal immigrants for monetary gain. He pleaded not guilty. "Abrego, like every person arrested on federal criminal charges, is entitled to a full and fair determination of whether he must remain in federal custody pending trial," U.S. Magistrate Barbara D. Holmes of the Middle District of Tennessee wrote in her opinion Sunday. "The Court will give Abrego the due process that he is guaranteed." The government quickly filed a request to stay the order and keep Abrego Garcia in custody, a filing that made it clear it would again subject him to deportation proceedings. The government argued that a stay, or pause, would allow the court "to conduct meaningful review" of custody ahead of the judge’s ruling on a separate court filing. Holmes set a hearing for Wednesday to discuss terms of Abrego Garcia’s release and ordered federal authorities to produce him for the event. She held out little hope that Abrego Garcia would actually be free, however, noting that immigration authorities were likely to detain him upon release because he is alleged to be in the United States without permission. "Either Abrego will remain in the custody of the Attorney General or her designee pending trial if detained under the Bail Reform Act or he will likely remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (‘ICE’) custody subject to anticipated removal proceedings that are outside the jurisdiction of this Court," she wrote in her decision.

ABC News [6/22/2025 6:00 PM, Armando Garcia, Deena Zaru, Jon Schlosberg, and Osej Serratos, 31733K] reports Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist who was detained by ICE for more than three months, spoke with ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis in the first on-camera interview since his release. In the interview, which is set to air on Monday at 7 p.m. ET, Khalil pushed back against the Trump administration’s claim that he is a threat to U.S. national security. "The White House has said that you distributed pro-Hamas fliers. Secretary Rubio said that you created an environment of harassment toward Jewish students. President Trump said we got to get him the hell out of our country. Why do you think that you are perceived as such a threat?" Davis asked Khalil in the exclusive interview. "Because I represent a movement that goes against what this administration is trying to do," Khalil responded. "They try to portray me as a violent person. They try to portray me as a terrorist, as some lunatic, but not presenting any evidence, not presenting any shred of credibility to their claims." Khalil was released Friday evening from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Jena, Louisiana, after U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz issued an order granting his release on bail. The judge said the government made no attempt to prove that Khalil’s release would irreparably harm them in some way and that Khalil represented a flight risk. "What all that evidence adds up to is a lack of violence, a lack of property destruction, a lack of anything that might be characterized as incitement to violence," Farbiarz said of Khalil. The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized the judge’s decision to release Khalil, claiming in a statement on Friday that the ruling is "yet another example of how out-of-control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security," and arguing "an immigration judge, not a district judge, has the authority to decide if Mr. Khalil should be released or detained." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [6/22/2025 3:01 PM, Jonah E. Bromwich, 153395K] reports Mahmoud Khalil sat in a Manhattan apartment dotted with posters and signs calling for his freedom and described the moment 105 days before when plainclothes immigration agents had handcuffed him in the building lobby. “All the ‘Know Your Rights’ information and fliers I read and familiarized myself with were useless,” Mr. Khalil said. “There are no rights in such situations.” “It felt like kidnapping,” he said. Mr. Khalil, a 30-year-old Columbia University graduate and U.S. permanent resident, was the first student protester targeted and detained by the Trump administration. On Friday, after having spent more than three months in detention in Jena, La., he was released on bail. He traveled most of the night to return to New York City, and on Saturday evening turned off a television newscast on America’s attack on Iran to speak publicly for the first time about his arrest, his detention and his plans now that he is free. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that Mr. Khalil should “self-deport” by using a government app to schedule his departure from the United States. Mr. Khalil was never accused of a crime. Instead, Secretary of State Marco Rubio invoked a rarely cited law from the mid-20th century to deport him on the grounds that he had undermined American foreign policy. The administration argued that he had contributed to the spread of antisemitism through his role in the protests at the university. But Mr. Khalil, a Palestinian born in a Syrian refugee camp, rejected the idea that protesting against Israel is inherently antisemitic.

Breitbart [6/22/2025 10:19 PM, Neil Munro, 3077K] reports federal agencies have arrested more than 700 people amid the riots against the enforcement of the nation’s popular immigration laws, according to Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI. "We warned those violently acting out in the recent riots that we would not tolerate it, and we would not forget," Bongino tweeted June 21, adding: Over 700 arrests have been made in coordination with our federal and state partners. Many of those arrests are members of organized groups, and we are pouring through data in pursuit of more bad actors. We are not done. We are in the process of identifying and moving in on those who threw rocks at law enforcement officers and damaged property. I told you we would not forget. I wasn’t kidding. Bongino provided no details about the charges — or the jail sentences — facing the rioters.

Washington Examiner [6/22/2025 12:50 PM, Asher Notheis, 1934K] reports Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned Vice President JD Vance’s “insulting” visit to her city, claiming he was making statements on the city that are “not happening.” Vance visited the city on Friday to speak with law enforcement officers and Marines sent to the state, marking the vice president’s first visit to the city after riots began earlier this month. During his visit, Vance previewed a “simple proposal” from President Donald Trump, being that federal law enforcement would only be sent to cities and towns where “violent rioters” are allowed to “burn great American cities to the ground.” Bass, however, accused Vance of visiting the city for a fundraiser, deeming his press conference "a photo-op." She also dished criticism towards the vice president for misnaming Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) as "Jose Padilla.” "But he comes in, he makes all of these statements about what is not happening in LA at all and then insults the senator that he serves with now as president of the Senate," Bass said on MSNBC’s The Weekend. "So it was just disrespectful, but it was just tough listening to him saying what is going on in our city, and it being 100% lies.” The California senator went viral for interrupting a press conference Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was hosting. Vance equated Padilla’s actions as "political theater." He also accused Democrats of wanting to be "captured on camera doing something," and suggested that people "ought to laugh them out of the building" over this.

Washington Examiner [6/22/2025 4:30 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1934K] reports the Justice Department is throwing its weight behind a federal lawsuit led by the City of Huntington Beach and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, arguing that California’s 2017 "sanctuary" law violates the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution by blocking local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. In a 36-page statement of interest filed last week, the Trump administration’s DOJ called California’s law, known as the California Values Act, "unlawful" and asked a federal judge to rule in favor of Huntington Beach’s challenge. The Trump administration argues the law has actively undermined Immigration and Customs Enforcement by forcing ICE officers to arrest criminal noncitizens in public neighborhoods rather than in secure jails — putting agents, arrestees, and the public at greater risk. "By prohibiting law enforcement agencies from ensuring the safe transfer of criminals from state to federal custody in the secure environment of detention facilities, the CVA has left ICE no choice but to arrest those criminals in neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, putting agents and detainees alike at higher risk," DOJ attorneys wrote in the brief. The filing marks a rare instance of the DOJ inserting itself into a state versus local dispute. But DOJ lawyers said the federal government has a "substantial interest" in ensuring federal immigration laws are enforced without obstruction. Huntington Beach officials passed a resolution declaring the city a "non-sanctuary" jurisdiction in January before suing California over the CVA in March. America First Legal, a conservative legal group founded by President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, is representing both the city and Bianco. In a press release, AFL said the DOJ’s support reinforces its position that the CVA unlawfully discriminates against federal agents and prevents basic cooperation — including information sharing and ICE detainers. "We are grateful for the federal government’s support for America First Legal and the plaintiffs in this case in their fight against California’s illegal sanctuary laws," said James Rogers, senior counsel at AFL. The lawsuit also targets Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Attorney General Rob Bonta, claiming that California is illegally shielding criminal aliens in violation of both federal law and state penal codes.

New York Times [6/23/2025 3:16 AM, David W. Chen, 330K] reports a federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Transportation from withholding billions of dollars in funding to states unless they complied with the Trump administration’s demands on immigration enforcement. A coalition of 20 states, most led by Democrats, filed a lawsuit last month arguing that the administration was usurping Congress’s authority over spending and using that power of the purse to to force states to adopt its policies. Judge John J. McConnell Jr., the chief judge of the United States District Court for Rhode Island, agreed with the states. In a preliminary injunction issued Thursday, the judge said that their claims “are likely to succeed because the Defendants’ actions here violate the Constitution and statutes of the United States.” He also said that the states “face losing billions of dollars in federal funding, are being put in a position of relinquishing their sovereign right to decide how to use their own police officers, are at risk of losing the trust built between local law enforcement and immigrant communities, and will have to scale back, reconsider, or cancel ongoing transportation projects.” Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, who is spearheading the litigation, said in a statement that President Trump was acting in an “immoral — and more importantly, illegal” way by treating crucial funding as a “bargaining chip.” “I’m glad to see the District Court agrees,” he added, “while we continue to make our case in court.” In a statement posted on X, Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, said: “I directed states who want federal DOT money to comply with federal immigration laws. But, no surprise, an Obama-appointed judge has ruled that states can openly defy our federal immigration laws. This is judicial activism pure and simple and I will continue to fight in the courts.” Immigration law is enacted by Congress and enforced by the federal government. States rebuffing the Trump administration have said that they are limiting state or local cooperation with federal agents enforcing those laws. The lawsuit over transportation funding is one of several that states have filed seeking to block, or at least slow down, the Trump administration’s initiatives on everything from emergency preparedness to diversity programs in public schools. Other areas include tariffs and mass firings at agencies such as the Education and Health and Human Services Departments.

Wall Street Journal [6/22/2025 11:11 AM, Brad Lander, 646K] reports in your editorial “Another Democrat in Handcuffs” (June 18), you ask, “Why can’t America’s politicians model better behavior?” That is the question posed after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents aggressively arrested me for the heinous act of . . . walking alongside a frightened asylum seeker and asking to see the warrant law enforcement was using to justify his arrest. I agree: Our government should behave better. What’s on the line right now is whether we’ll go down the path of decency or not. In recent weeks I’ve joined a growing group of volunteers who show up as “Friends of the Court” to observe immigration hearings, to provide basic “know your rights” information to law-abiding asylum seekers who don’t have lawyers or speak English, and to escort them out of court peacefully so they can return to their families. That work is in the American tradition of nonviolent witness-bearing. As the video of my arrest clearly shows, I didn’t assault any law-enforcement officer, contrary to the Department of Homeland Security. I barely raised my voice. Meanwhile, on orders from President Trump and his Justice Department to ratchet up deportations and “liberate” American cities from their elected officials, DHS lawyers have started stripping people of their rights, under international law, to explain why they fear persecution if returned to their country. ICE agents wearing masks, without official uniforms, lurk in elevator lobbies and descend on people like gangs. People like Edgardo, whom I accompanied last week, are disappeared without their families knowing why or where they are. Those who ask questions, like Sen. Alex Padilla (D., Calif.), are detained. The government, far from modeling good manners, silences criticism. It isn’t merely due process for asylum seekers that’s at risk; it’s constitutional protections for all Americans. Those stakes are too high to dismiss. That’s why I returned to the courthouse on Friday—and you better believe I’ll be back again.

USA Today [6/23/2025 5:04 AM, Larry Strauss, 75552K] reports that, apparently, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Donald Trump, "California is burning." Here in Los Angeles, however, we know too well the smell of a serious conflagration ‒ and also the stench of political gas when politicians try to justify corrupt assertions of authoritarian power. We are protesting now not because we are lawless, but because what is happening is a racially selective application of immigration laws that should have been reformed years ago. We are protesting because we still believe in decency, human dignity and respect for hard work and family. Some protesting among us have succumbed to anger, while others have opportunistically caused mayhem the way some revelers do when the Lakers or the Dodgers win a championship. Meanwhile the president and his ministers of cruelty, hysteria and lies are opportunistically causing far more mayhem, disrupting businesses and communities and devastating families and insulting our brave troops by gratuitously deploying them to our streets, pitting them against American civilians, trying to use the selfless members of our military as an authoritarian flex. Rogue opportunists don’t represent all LA protesters. California is not burning. LA is not burning. Some cars and other objects have been set ablaze by a few individuals who are willing to go to jail for their outrage, nihilism, pyromania or whatever. Their conduct doesn’t represent me or most of the rest of us. They certainly do not represent my students now living with terror and dread, watching masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in armored vehicles occupying the parking lots of their supermarkets, scrolling the rumors that scream across social media about the next ICE raid at another Home Depot or factory or a school graduation. The threat of ICE raids on this spring’s commencement ceremonies was credible enough that our Los Angeles school district officials devised plans to protect parents, grandparents, and other friends and family members and the students themselves from being kidnapped as they receive their diplomas. My students didn’t talk much about it during their last days of the school year. They were trying to be happy about the impending summer vacation. They are exhausted. They spent more than a year of their childhood isolated from peers by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them trapped in chaotic circumstances, watching the parents who are now treated as expendable when they were essential workers compelled to risk their health and their family’s health to keep things going for the rest of us. Some watched those parents get sick and in some cases die or infect grandparents or aunts and uncles who died. My students saw those sacrifices of their parents rewarded with vicious slights and condemnations, heard them called criminals for their very presence in this country. Those adults now must wonder if it is safe to go to work anymore, if there is any other way to provide food and shelter.

CNN’s State of the Union With Jake Tapper and Dana Bash [6/22/2025 12:45 PM, Staff, 385K] reports last night the President of the United States announced that the U.S. completed a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites in Iran. President of Israel Isaac Herzog joins the show today to give his knowledge on the damage that was done. President Herzog says that President Trump needs to be commended for his bold decision, a historic one. Herzog says that Trumps outstanding decision can shift the direction of the Middle East to a much better future. When asked if the nuclear program in Iran has been eliminated Herzog had this to say: " I can’t say it’s been eliminated. I can say it’s been hit very hard, both by the Israeli attack and absolutely by the American attack overnight. This is a very important development. It has major repercussions."

ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos [6/22/2025 11:45 AM, Staff, 1824K] reports President Trump will speak with Russia’s Putin by phone on Monday. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is asked if he believes this phone call will lead to direct negotiations between President Trump, Putin and Zelensky. " We had direct negotiations in Istanbul. There were some good achievements made including the release of hostages. We have to get to a cease fire that’s the Presidents position and we all agree with that position. Most importantly we have to get to a final peace deal. The President has a force of a personality that is unmatched. I think its important that his sensibilities are that he’s got to get on the phone with President Putin and us to a place we need to get to.

CBS’ Face The Nation [6/22/2025 11:47 AM, Staff, 4201K] reports the U.S. is ready to meet with Iran following the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday, while warning Iran that closing the crucial Strait of Hormuz would be a "suicidal" move for the regime. Rubio, appearing on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," urged Iran to pursue diplomacy after the U.S. carried out what the Pentagon called the largest B-2 operation in U.S. history in an effort to cripple Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Rubio said the U.S. has no current plans for further attacks on Iran unless "they mess around." Rubio said the U.S. mission "was not an attack on Iran, it was not an attack on the Iranian people. This wasn’t a regime change move. This was designed to degrade and/or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions, and that was delivered on yesterday." "What happens next will now depend on what Iran chooses to do next," Rubio said. "If they choose the path of diplomacy, we’re ready. We can do a deal that’s good for them, the Iranian people, and good for the world. If they choose another route, then there will be consequences for that." President Trump continues to prefer the path of diplomacy, Rubio said, noting that the U.S. pushed Iran to make a deal to give up its nuclear weapons ambitions before the strikes. "We’re prepared, right now, if they call right now and say, ‘We want to meet, let’s talk about this,’ we’re prepared to do that," Rubio said.

CBS’ Face The Nation [6/22/2025 11:47 AM, Staff, 4201K] reports the question of how Iran will respond has raised fears that the regime could seek to block ships from traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that is used to transport about 20% of oil used around the world. Rubio declined to say whether the U.S. would take military action if Iran closes the strait, or whether the U.S. would consider attacks on oil facilities by Iran’s proxy militias as direct acts by the regime: "I’m not going to take options away from the president, that’s not something we’re talking about right now in terms of being immediate." Rubio said closing the strait would affect the U.S., but it would have "a lot more impact on the rest of the world," particularly on China. "That would be a suicidal move on [Iran’s] part, because I think the whole world would come against them if they did that," Rubio said.

NBC’s Meet the Press [6/22/2025 12:54 PM, Staff] reports Vice President JD Vance was by Trump’s side in the White House Situation Room during the strikes, and at the televised address to announce them. The U.S., Vance asserted on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” was not at war with Iran, but rather with Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Diplomacy, Vance added, “was never given a real chance by the Iranians.” “I certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East,” Vance said on “Meet the Press.” “I understand the concern, but the difference is that back then, we had dumb presidents, and now we have a president who actually knows how to accomplish America’s national security objectives.” A clash with Iran, Vance added, “is not going to be some long, drawn-out thing. We’ve got in, we’ve done the job of setting their nuclear program back. We’re going to now work to permanently dismantle that nuclear program over the coming years, and that is what the president has set out to do. Simple principle: Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

NBC’s Meet the Press [6/22/2025 12:54 PM, Staff] reports Vance declined to confirm with 100% certainty that Iran’s nuclear sites were completely destroyed, saying instead that he believes the U.S. has “substantially delayed” Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. "Do you have 100% confidence that Iran’s nuclear sites were totally destroyed?" Welker asked. “I’m not going to get into sensitive intelligence about what we’ve seen on the ground there in Iran, but we’ve seen a lot, and I feel very confident that we’ve substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon, and that was the goal of this attack," Vance said. He separately said during the interview that the U.S. “destroyed the Iranian nuclear program,” adding, “I think we set that program back substantially.”

FOX News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo [6/22/2025 12:54 PM, Staff] reports border czar Tom Homan discusses his national security concerns after the U.S.’ strikes on Iran and more on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

FOX News Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo [6/22/2025 12:54 PM, Staff] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ following U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and why the Iranian regime underestimated President Trump.

AP [6/23/2025 2:07 AM, Jack Brook, 56000K] reports Marine Corps veteran Adrian Clouatre doesn’t know how to tell his children where their mother went after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained her last month. When his nearly 2-year-old son Noah asks for his mother before bed, Clouatre just tells him, “Mama will be back soon.” When his 3-month-old, breastfeeding daughter Lyn is hungry, he gives her a bottle of baby formula instead. He’s worried how his newborn will bond with her mother absent skin-to-skin contact. His wife, Paola, is one of tens of thousands of people in custody and facing deportation as the Trump administration pushes for immigration officers to arrest 3,000 people a day. Even as Marine Corps recruiters promote enlistment as protection for families lacking legal status, directives for strict immigrant enforcement have cast away practices of deference previously afforded to military families, immigration law experts say. The federal agency tasked with helping military family members gain legal status now refers them for deportation, government memos show. To visit his wife, Adrian Clouatre has to make an eight-hour round trip from their home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to a rural ICE detention center in Monroe. Clouatre, who qualifies as a service-disabled veteran, goes every chance he can get. Paola Clouatre, a 25-year-old Mexican national whose mother brought her into the country seeking asylum more than a decade ago, met Adrian Clouatre, 26, at a southern California nightclub during the final months of his five years of military service in 2022. Within a year, they had tattooed each other’s names on their arms. After they married in 2024, Paola Clouatre sought a green card to legally live and work in the U.S. Adrian Clouatre said he is “not a very political person” but believes his wife deserved to live legally in the U.S. “I’m all for ‘get the criminals out of the country,’ right?” he said. “But the people that are here working hard, especially the ones married to Americans — I mean, that’s always been a way to secure a green card.” The process to apply for Paola Clouatre’s green card went smoothly at first, but eventually she learned ICE had issued an order for her deportation in 2018 after her mother failed to appear at an immigration hearing. Adrian Clouatre recalled that a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services staffer asked about the deportation order during a May 27 appointment as part of her green card application. After Paola Clouatre explained that she was trying to reopen her case, the staffer asked her and her husband to wait in the lobby for paperwork regarding a follow-up appointment, which her husband said he believed was a “ploy.” Soon, officers arrived and handcuffed Paola Clouatre, who handed her wedding ring to her husband for safekeeping.

NewsNation [6/22/2025 6:27 PM, Spencer Kristensen, 5801K] reports Denver ICE agents said that a "criminal alien" was alerted by an immigrant advocacy group, resulting in him escaping arrest, according to a post on X from ICE Denver. ICE Denver said that Friday morning, ICE agents and FBI Denver were attempting to arrest Jose Reyes Leon-Deras, who they claim is a "criminal alien" from El Salvador convicted of and wanted for the rape of a child in Italy. The agency said that during their surveillance of Leon-Deras, members of the immigration advocacy group known as Colorado Rapid Response arrived at the scene and alerted the man to the presence of law enforcement. The alert they said, allowed him to escape being arrested. ICE Denver said that groups like this interfere with their ability to keep communities safe. FOX31 reached out to Colorado Rapid Response representative who said she had not seen the post by ICE Denver. FOX31 also reached out to the media relations spokesperson for Colorado Rapid Response by phone and email, but has yet to hear back as of Friday night.

Los Angeles Times [6/22/2025 11:41 PM, Kaitlyn Huamani, 14672K] reports video of a landscaper being taken down, pinned and repeatedly punched by masked federal agents in Orange County has gone viral online, and Alejandro Barranco finds it painful to watch. The Marine veteran says his father, Narciso Barranco, was working outside of a Santa Ana IHOP on Saturday when several masked men approached him. Frightened, he began to run away, his son said. Moments later, he was on the ground, held down by the men, who struck him. The younger Barranco said Sunday that his father was pepper sprayed and beaten, and that his shoulder was dislocated. After speaking with him Sunday at about 6 p.m., Barranco said his father had not received medical treatment, food or water after more than 24 hours in a detention facility in Los Angeles. "I don’t think it was just, I don’t think it was fair," Barranco said of the use of force against his father. "I don’t think they need four 200[-pound] plus guys to hold down a 5-6 or 5-7, 150-pound guy.” The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately return The Times’ request for comment.

Los Angeles Times [6/22/2025 1:37 PM, Karen Garcia, 14672K] reports immigration arrests in Los Angeles have been headline news and the subject of legal disputes for the past few weeks, but Angelenos watching the drama play out on television and in their communities may be confused about who exactly is putting people in handcuffs and hauling them off. After all, some of the federal agents involved in the raids are in unmarked vehicles, without visible badges, wearing street clothes and covering their faces. Are they U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or Homeland Security Investigations officials? What is the difference? All these federal agencies are branches of the Department of Homeland Security, which was created to combat terrorism in the United States in the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks. Its duties include responding to natural disasters, terrorism and homeland security threats, enforcing trade laws (by checking goods coming into and out of the U.S.), as well as managing the flow of people and products at U.S. borders. Three branches of Homeland Security carry out the enforcement of these missions: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Federal agents were most recently sighted without identifying clothing or badges, sporting face coverings and armed with pistols at Dodger Stadium’s entry gates on Thursday. When protesters learned of the officials’ presence and demonstrated outside the stadium, they held signs that read “ICE out of L.A.” But the officials outside the stadium were actually U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who “were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,” the agency said. Immigration officials’ way of identifying themselves when conducting operations is by verbally saying they’re ICE or Homeland Security agents, Homeland Security officials told The Times in a statement. The federal agency also said immigration agents wear vests that say “ICE/ERO” or “Homeland Security” on them, and the name of their respective department is on either one or both sides of their vehicles. “When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists,” said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of Homeland Security. So which immigration officials are in Los Angeles and what is their purpose here?

NPR [6/23/2025 5:00 AM, Sacha Pfeiffer, 37958K] reports it’s been several months since President Trump said he would send up to 30,000 migrants to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — a proposal that skeptics said would face major hurdles, including high costs, limited bed space, and the complicated logistics of flying all those people to a Caribbean island. So how many migrants have been sent to Guantánamo since that January announcement? The government is sharing few details publicly. When NPR sent the Trump administration a list of 13 questions asking how it’s using Guantánamo for its migrant removal efforts, the Department of Homeland Security emailed a brief reply saying, "This story is Fake News.” However, a congressional delegation that toured Guantánamo in March has supplied glimpses of what’s happening there. According to several delegates who made that trip, as well as recent court filings and government documents, here’s what we know: The U.S. spent more than $40 million on holding migrants at Guantánamo in about the first two months of that operation. That figure does not include transportation costs. The Trump administration has used both military cargo planes and more expensive charter flights to transport migrants to and from Guantánamo. Some of the charter flights can cost about $27,000 per hour to operate. As of March, about 400 migrants had been sent to and from Guantánamo, usually a few dozen at a time. By June that number had risen to about 500. At any given time, Guantánamo can only accommodate about 200 migrants. The average daily cost of holding a migrant at Guantánamo is about $100,000. For comparison, it costs about $165 a day to keep a migrant in ICE detention in the U.S. The U.S. military erected several hundred tents to house migrants at Guantánamo. So far, none of them have been used. "I think that’s kind of outrageous," said one of the delegates who toured Guantánamo, Democratic Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, speaking at a congressional hearing in May. "And we fly them down there, we keep them there a while, then we fly them back to the United States. Man, this is like ripe for DOGE. Why is DOGE not down there?". Peters also said that, "on the day that I visited, there were 87 people in custody, and my understanding is that’s a pretty normal number.”

Telemundo [6/22/2025 6:19 PM, Alexis Boentes, 177K] reports for Dayana Ruiz and Beatriz Sintero, winning the 2025 Visa Lottery was a moment of hope but what seemed like the beginning of a new life turned into frustration after earlier this month, President Trump suspended the issuance of visas for citizens of countries like Cuba, under the argument of national security. “Somebody help us... It’s a desperate call for someone to help us, because we have no other way out,” Dayana cries out from Cuba. She is one of the winners of the 2025 visa lottery. The program known as the Diversity Visa offers citizens of countries with low immigration to the United States the possibility of obtaining legal permanent residency. But for the Cuban case, the White House justified the measure by claiming that the government does not share enough law enforcement information about its citizens. “What is happening with this process is unprecedented,” said Dayana. The winners of the lottery denounce that the process is still technically active: they attend interviews, pay for the paperwork and medical checkups, but when they arrive before the consular officer, the visas are denied. Both claim to have turned in their criminal records and complied with the requirements of the U.S. State Department, but despite this, they are denied entry. Time is also against them. The program expires on September 30, and if they fail to immigrate before that date, they automatically lose their right to the visa. In addition, this is the last year in which Cuba participates in the diversity visa lottery.

San Diego Union Tribune [6/22/2025 6:15 AM, Lori Weisberg and Roxana Popescu, 1611K]
Hours after the surprise raid this month at South Park’s Buona Forchetta, where masked and armed U.S. immigration agents handcuffed employees and eventually took four workers into custody, a still rattled Matteo Cattaneo was trying to process what had happened to his business — and why. By any chance, had he used the federal government’s voluntary program, E-Verify, to authenticate the legal status of his workers, a reporter asked him. No, said Cattaneo, the owner of multiple Buona Forchetta restaurants in San Diego and Orange counties. "There’s a lot of concern with privacy.” So how did he know if all his employees are legally authorized to work? "We get presented with papers," he responded. "Nobody can know for sure if everyone is legal.” As raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers continue to intensify at workplaces across California, often exploding into confrontations between agents and the public, it’s a pressing question facing most employers, now more than ever. In places like San Diego County that rely increasingly on immigrant labor, how do businesses truly know for certain if their new hires are legal in the eyes of the law? And could they even survive, especially in sectors like leisure and hospitality, construction and farming, without using undocumented workers to staff restaurant kitchens, clean hotel rooms, mow lawns, and harvest fruits and vegetables? Even President Donald Trump, who in recent weeks has doubled down on ICE raids of businesses — from Home Depot parking lots to car washes — has acknowledged the urgent need for immigrant labor when he called for what turned out to be a temporary halt to an immigration crackdown on farms, hotels and restaurants. In a recent post on his social media platform, he declared, "Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.” While the government’s E-Verify system is regarded as an increasingly reliable — although not infallible — way of weeding out undocumented workers, few businesses use it, for a variety of reasons. For one, it’s not federally mandated. And it’s considered by many businesses to be more burdensome, vulnerable to error, and, as some suggest, probably too effective in removing the cheap and plentiful supply of undocumented workers on which the U.S. economy relies. "Why would employers use it if they know that the workers they are hiring are unauthorized, and the reason they’re hiring them is because there are not enough U.S. workers in the first place," said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow with the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. "In reality, unauthorized people are employed all the time. So E-Verify would defeat that purpose.” To review the documents and be sure the I-9 is filled out correctly, employers can do a manual check or they can submit copies of the documents to E-Verify, a free online government tool that cross-checks the information on an I-9 form against government databases, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records.

The Hill [6/22/2025 8:04 PM, Tara Suter, 18649K] reports the threat of sleeper cells in the U.S. has "never been higher," though there are no current specific threats, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A memo sent Saturday from CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, obtained by The Hill’s sister network NewsNation, said "thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways." "Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran has never been higher," Scott added. The memo urged CBP personnel to remain “vigilant.” On Saturday, President Trump announced that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, stepping into an ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations slammed the U.S.’s involvement in its conflict against Israel and said his nation’s military would figure out its response to the strikes. NewsNation correspondent Rich McHugh said Friday on the network that "experts that we’ve talked to said that should the U.S. join these strikes against Iran, they may try to activate these sleeper cells in the U.S. and the West." On Sunday, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, said that he believed U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria were "certainly vulnerable" to retaliatory attacks by Iran.

Univision [6/22/2025 7:56 AM, Jamiles Lartey and Shannon Heffernan, 4992K] reports this week, the Department of Homeland Security announced an improvement to its proposal to allow immigrants without legal status to leave the United States on their own: the forgiveness of fines that, according to the department, total nearly $3 billion. The offer of "self-deportation" sounds good in theory. The government has also said that those who accept it will be able to keep the money they have in the United States, receive a free flight, a $1,000 stipend, and the possibility of re-entering the country legally in the future. That sounds better than being arrested, held in indefinite detention, paying additional fines, or being released with an ankle bracelet and a ban on re-entry. And on top of that, the possibility of being deported to an unknown country. But very little of what DHS promises through a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign corresponds to what the Immigration and Nationality Act actually provides. The gap between promises and reality has led the American Immigration Lawyers Association to describe the announcements as "a deeply deceptive and unethical maneuver." Under the National Immigration Act, most undocumented immigrants who leave the country after a period of unlawful presence, whether on their own or through deportation, face a bar on reentry. For those who have been in the United States undocumented for more than a year, the bar is 10 years. DHS has not proposed any workaround for this reentry ban, nor is it clear that it can do so, as the restrictions were established by Congress. Those granted voluntary departure leave the country with an official order that does not expose them to the harshest penalties and preserves their eligibility for certain return pathways. In contrast, Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) self-deportation program uses an app to record a person’s departure and offers no such protection. Immigrants who leave through this process may unwittingly trigger barriers to reentry, a possibility that self-deportation announcements fail to mention. People may also face consequences for failing to appear for their immigration hearings after their departure, as there are no official, legal instructions on how to inform the court that they have left the country through self-deportation. In an interview with Fox News , DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said there would be “documentation” and that government officials promised that immigrants would not be arrested or detained when they attempted to self-deport. The Marshall Project sent a list of questions to DHS to understand its self-deportation proposal, but did not receive direct answers. Instead, the agency sent a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reiterating the offer of "financial support" for those who self-deport. Noem’s statement threatened immigrants who did not leave with fines, arrest, and deportation.

Breitbart [6/22/2025 12:54 PM, Randy Clark, 3077K] reports Border Patrol agents in the greater Los Angeles area came under attack by residents unhappy with the ongoing deportation operations in two separate incidents. In one attack, a motorist rammed a Border Patrol vehicle, and vehicles were vandalized. On Friday, significant damage to units occurred after rocks were thrown, and tires were slashed. The violent attacks occurred on Friday and began at approximately 3:00 P.M., in Bell, California on Atlantic Avenue. According to the Bell Police Department, a Jeep collided with an unmarked Border Patrol vehicle and became lodged underneath. Initial reports indicated a child may have been involved in the accident and emergency services might be required. As police officers arrived, Border Patrol agents came under attack after a crowd of citizens breached traffic safety barricades. In a statement issued by the Bell Police Department, the crowd attacked the agents and vandalized police vehicles. Bell Police officers summoned additional assistance from Bell Gardens, Vernon, Huntington Park, South Gate, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. A Department of Homeland Security post on X described a second incident that occurred on Friday on Slauson Avenue in Maywood, California, involving another collision that resulted in the total loss of a Border Patrol vehicle. In that incident, the driver of a civilian vehicle is suspected of purposely ramming the Border Patrol vehicle. Also, during the incident in Maywood, a mob formed and caused damage to agency vehicles by slashing tires. According to DHS, the driver, suspected of using their vehicle to ram into the Border Patrol vehicle, was arrested for suspicion of vehicular assault. The case has been referred to the United States Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution. As reported by Breitbart News, Department of Homeland Security data shows assaults on agency officers are increasing across the country as the Trump administration attempts to deliver on the promise to conduct mass deportations. Agency data exclusively obtained by Breitbart News shows ICE agents alone are facing a 500 percent increase in assaults. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on the increase in a DHS press release, saying, "The Department of Homeland Security released new data revealing ICE law enforcement is now facing a 500% increase in assaults against them while carrying out enforcement operations. Just this week, an ICE officer was dragged 50 yards by a car while arresting an illegal alien sex offender.”

Reuters [6/23/2025 3:13 AM, Emma Rumney, Kaylee Kang and Tom Polansek, 51390K] reports that, from an office a 15-minute drive from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one small firm helped import millions of unauthorized Chinese-made vapes last year alone, forming a key link in the supply chain feeding U.S. demand for illegal e-cigarettes. In a little over four years, the firm, a customs brokerage run by a man named Jay Kim, became a go-to broker for the Chinese vape industry. The firm worked on 60% of all shipments of vapes and vape parts from China to the U.S. in 2024 registered by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a Reuters analysis. "A lot of them have FDA authorization," Kim said in an interview in his office in April, referring to the vape shipments his firm handled. However, FDA data on imports into the U.S. of FDA-regulated goods such as tobacco products or medicines showed the products Kim’s firm helped bring into the United States included unauthorized brands like Lost Mary and Geek Bar. The FDA has declared those brands illegal to import or sell, warning their array of fruit and candy flavors may appeal to children. The agency says nicotine can harm developing brains, and impact attention, learning and mood in young people, who can get hooked more easily on the addictive chemical. A Lost Mary spokesperson said it had no connection or contact with Kim’s firm, and flavors play a key role in helping adult users quit smoking. The maker of Geek Bar did not respond to a request for comment. The Chinese city of Shenzhen is the biggest source of vapes, both legal and illegal, coming into the United States. In 2024, China exported more than 26 billion yuan ($3.6 billion) in vapes to the U.S., according to Chinese customs data. But U.S. customs figures show only $333 million in Chinese vapes were officially received in the U.S. that same year. Mismatches in custom data between the U.S. and its trading partners are not uncommon, but a 90% gap was unusual, two customs data specialists told Reuters. Unauthorized vapes often arrive in the U.S. disguised as other items like shoes and toys, according to the FDA, which leads efforts to control the vape market. Reuters used FDA and U.S. customs data, interviews with vape and tobacco industry insiders, and information from U.S. regulators and law enforcement to build a picture of how unauthorized vapes make their way onto U.S. shelves. It found a group of middlemen based on U.S. soil - including some customs brokers and distributors - who played key roles in the vape supply chain, and sometimes take steps to avoid detection. Trump Administration officials have promised a crackdown; FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has said the agency will stop illegal imports and distribution. "Our borders have been far too porous when it comes to challenges like illegal e-cigarette products coming from other countries," an FDA spokesperson said, adding that the agency is planning to use artificial intelligence to "stem the flow of products that are appealing to our nation’s children.”

NewsNation [6/22/2025 11:38 PM, Safia Samee Ali, 5801K] reports that, three people, including 6-year-old twins, died after severe thunderstorms and a tornado pushed through Central New York on Sunday. The National Weather Service confirmed through a storm survey that winds from an EF-1 tornado caused trees to fall on homes that resulted in deaths in Oneida County, reported NewsNation local affiliate WSYR. Oneida is about 45 miles east of Syracuse. An EF1 tornado has wind speeds ranging from 86 to 110 mph, according to the Weather Service. Six-year-old twin girls, Emily and Kenni Bisson, were killed when a tree fell on their home, the outlet reported. Miles away, Shelly Johnson, 50, was also killed after a tree fell on her mobile home. Local authorities said the deaths occurred around 4 a.m. ET. “Our hearts break for the tragic loss of life during last night’s storms, and my administration has been in touch with local elected officials offering support,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. Holchul declared a state of emergency in 32 counties in response to severe weather. “State emergency response personnel are already on the ground providing resources and support as we work to recover from this severe weather and restore power quickly. I urge all New Yorkers to stay weather aware and take precautions to stay vigilant and safe as extreme heat and severe weather are expected to continue impacting the State over the next couple of days,” she said. Severe weather has gripped much of the nation, which is also grappling with extreme heat. Dangerous storms have spread in Minnesota as well as North Dakota. A tornado in the southeast part of North Dakota on Saturday caused three deaths, reported NewsNation local affiliate WXNET. “Our hearts and sympathies go out to the family and friends of the three North Dakotans who tragically lost their lives in Friday’s tornado, and to the close-knit community in Enderlin, which suffered widespread damage,” South Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong said in a statement. Armstrong has declared a statewide disaster.

NewsNation [6/22/2025 6:53 PM, Magee Hickey, 5801K] reports hundreds of passengers had a frightening moment Saturday as the mega yacht they were sailing aboard on the Hudson River in New York City collided with a pier. Officials said 35 people were injured in the incident, which is now under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard and the NYPD Harbor Unit. It was supposed to be a three-hour joyous cruise celebrating June birthdays and the start of summer. But when a mega yacht called Timeless pulled into the West 125th Street pier, it slammed into the dock, and many of the 352 passengers on board went flying. "Twenty-two people were taken to local hospitals, mostly with slips and falls when the vessel hit, with contusions and things of that nature," FDNY Deputy Chief Gregg Brady told NewsNation affiliate WPIX. Many other passengers were dazed and confused by the scary ending to what had been a fun afternoon, and they had many questions.

Breitbart [6/22/2025 4:06 PM, Amy Furr, 3077K] Video: HERE reports a yacht carrying nearly 400 passengers hit a pier on the Hudson River Saturday, leaving dozens of people hurt. The incident happened just after 4:00 p.m. when the New York City yacht, named Timeless, was trying to dock, the New York Post reported. Officials and sources told the outlet a line apparently broke and the vessel slammed into the pier on West 125th Street and Henry Hudson Parkways. The occasion was Zytin King’s 69th birthday celebration. In describing the incident, she said, "Some people are coming down the stairs and the boat just ran into the dock. And so they fell, there was no support, nothing for them to grab onto. Some people fell inside of the boat. A lot of people were hurt really badly.” A friend of King’s, identified as Monica Hale, told CBS News, "We were told to go back inside but of course we don’t listen, and when the boat jerked, somebody said ‘Brace yourselves.’ Everybody went flying down or flying back.” King said she has been doing a boat ride for her birthday for the past 25 years but nothing like this has ever happened before. The Post said approximately 35 people suffered minor injuries during the crash and 23 of them were transported to local hospitals. The 352 people onboard were escorted off the vessel following the incident. According to the party’s caterer, Delores Mitchell, the crash did not dampen their celebrations too much. "I heard people going to the ambulance saying, we are hurt, but we had a good time," she stated. King, who was relieved no one was seriously injured, apparently planned to move the celebration to Harlem where a DJ was waiting. The U.S. Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the crash.

The New York Times [6/22/2025 11:19 AM, Amanda Holpuch, 153395K] reports six people died and two people are missing after a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe in California on Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Two other people were rescued and taken to a hospital after the 27-foot-long boat overturned near D.L. Bliss State Park, sending 10 people into the water around 3 p.m. local time, the Coast Guard said. A large wave appeared to have caused the boat, a gold Chris-Craft, to overturn, the Coast Guard said. There were winds up to 35 miles per hour and waves of six to eight feet at the time. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that its search and rescue team and its dive team would return on Sunday morning to continue looking for those missing. The New York Post [6/22/2025 1:42 PM, Zoe Hussain, 49956K] reports that a lifeguard and ranger saw the accident and were able to rescue two people, the outlet said. Then "as the Coast Guard arrived, they saw another person in the water, and the lifeguard swam to assist. The person in the water and the lifeguard were pulled onto the Coast Guard boat and transported to Lester Beach. EMS arrived at the beach, but that person was pronounced deceased," the USCG told the outlet. The lake was experiencing large swells with 6- to 8-foot waves created by the winds, witnesses told South Tahoe Now. Breitbart [6/22/2025 10:47 AM, Lowell Cauffiel, 3077K] reports that conditions on the lake were created by 30-knot winds and a temperature plummeted from 52 degrees to 38 in a matter of minutes. The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office reported they responded to the tragedy after reports that ten individuals were in the water battling wave big waves. Authorities responded to the scene and pulled two of the victims onto nearby rocks to perform CPR, local news outlet South Tahoe Now reported. A lifeguard assisted in pulling a third person from the water and onto a Coast Guard boat, but the victim was later pronounced dead. Witnesses saw helicopters circling the beach as late as 9 pm Saturday searching for those lost in the lake. The Los Angeles Times [6/22/2025 3:02 PM, Carlos De Loera, 14672K] reports emergency response teams rescued two people who were transported to a hospital, and recovered the bodies of six people who had died, according to the release. The names of the dead were not released, pending notification of kin. Rescue operations continued Sunday for two people who remain unaccounted for, sheriff’s officials said.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [6/22/2025 5:20 PM, Adam Sabes, 46878K]

ABC News [6/22/2025 7:31 PM, Bill Hutchinson, 31733K] reports an alleged active shooter intent on attacking a Michigan church on Sunday was shot and killed by a security guard who "prevented a large-scale mass shooting," police said. The shooting unfolded around 11:15 a.m. local time at the CrossPointe Community Church in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, according to the Wayne Police Department. "We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting," Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said during a press conference on Sunday. The gunman was identified as a 31-year-old male. His motivations are unknown, according to police, but at this point, officials say he appears to be suffering from a mental health crisis. Police said the suspect exited his Nissan truck wearing a tactical vest, armed with a long gun and a handgun, when he approached the church building and began firing his weapon. Several staff members from the church approached the gunman, police said, adding that a parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly. At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds. One staff member was shot once in the leg by the suspect. The church staff members do not wish to be identified, police said. At this point, the Wayne Police Department is still investigating this incident, with the assistance of multiple local, state and federal partners. Acknowledging the heightened threat environment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that "it is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict.” "The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crime," Noem said. The attack in Wayne came in the wake of a public bulletin the Department of Homeland Security issued after the U.S. strikes in Iran, warning that "low-level cyber attacks" against U.S. targets "are likely" and that extremists inside the U.S. would be more likely to turn to violence if Iranian leadership calls for such retaliation. The AP [6/22/2025 2:57 AM, Paul Sancya and Holly Ramer, 875K] reports “We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” the chief said. About 150 people were inside the church at the time. The church’s website says it hosts a worship service on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. Worshipper Wendy Bodin said she heard a loud “boom” and when she looked outside, she saw a man sprawled out on the grass in front of the church. “I thought he got hit or crashed his car or was hurt,” Bodin told WXYZ-TV. “And another lady saw and pointed to me and said, ‘Oh my, call 911!’” Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter III said hours later that it was too early to know a motive. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino tweeted that bureau “leadership and support teams” were at the scene and helping with the investigation.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [6/22/2025 1:19 PM, Amanda Holpuch, 153395K]
Los Angeles Times [6/22/2025 10:07 PM, Paul Sancya and Holly Ramer, 14672K]

CBS News [6/22/2025 9:15 AM, Emily Mae Czachor, 51860K] reports gunfire broke out at a Juneteenth celebration Saturday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, killing one person and wounding seven others, according to police and the organizers of the event. No arrests have been made. The 2025 Tulsa Juneteenth Festival took place in the city’s Greenwood district, historically home to the affluent community known as "Black Wall Street" and, now, part of the Oklahoma State University campus. It consisted of a series of programs held over multiple days, with a runway show scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. local time Saturday evening. A national holiday observed on June 19 each year, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and celebrations around the country tend to be weeklong. Officers working at the Tulsa festival heard gunshots at around 11 p.m. Saturday, while the event was still busy, the Tulsa Police Department said, adding that "chaos erupted as people began running in multiple directions." A 22-year-old man was killed in the shooting, according to the police department. Seven others were injured, including a 17-year-old and an elderly woman. Police said all were taken to local hospitals for treatment. At least one 24-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition early Sunday morning, according to police.

Breitbart [6/22/2025 1:50 PM, Staff, 3077K] reports a mayor in Mexico sparked a wave of controversy after publicly claiming that there are cartel training camps near his city where Colombian terrorists and Venezuelan mercenaries are training and working with local criminal organizations. He then published a video to back up his claims. This week, Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez went public on social media and in various news publications, claiming that there were cartel training camps near his municipality. The politician leaked a series of videos recorded by one of the captured cartel gunmen that showed some of the training methods used by Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) – one of the six Mexican cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. In one of the videos shared by Manzo, the gunmen can be seen making their recruits run through drills and positions with their rifles. The politician claimed that the videos were from a series of training camps that had been raided, but that more continue to be present in the area. The comments by Manzo Rodriguez sparked controversy in Mexico, where the country continues to downplay the raging cartel violence. By Friday morning, the Michoacan Secretary of State, Carlos Torres Pina, called out the Uruapan mayor, claiming in local news outlets that he was just seeking media attention and that if he had real evidence of cartel training camps, he should provide it to authorities for investigation. Breitbart Texas exclusively reported that Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla, the governor of Michoacan and Torres’ boss, is related by blood to two leaders with Carteles Unidos who are serving time in a U.S. prison on drug trafficking charges. The issue of the cartel training camps comes at a time when, as Breitbart Texas reported, several members of Mexico’s military have been killed by the indiscriminate use of landmines and makeshift explosives by both Carteles Unidos and CJNG as both sides wage a fierce turf war.

Reuters [6/22/2025 12:57 PM, Staff, 51390K] reports U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have raised the risk of the regional conflict spreading globally, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Turkey, which shares a 560 km (348 miles) border with Iran, has condemned Israel’s attacks as "state terrorism" and a violation of international law. It has urged parties to halt hostilities and offered to facilitate nuclear talks. "The developments happening can take the regional conflict to a global level. We do not want this catastrophic scenario to be realized," the ministry said in a statement. It said only negotiations could resolve the nuclear dispute between Tehran and Washington. Later on Sunday, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and Fahrettin Altun, the presidency’s communications director, both warned of wider consequences if the sides do not de-escalate. "Just like the process that started with the United States’ interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan led to more radicalization and terror in the world, the attack on Iran by the United States is of a nature that can create similar results," Altun said in a post on X.

ABC News [6/22/2025 4:18 PM, Rachel Scott, 31733K] reports President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan quietly tried to arrange a meeting between senior U.S. and Iranian officials in Istanbul last week, two officials told ABC News. Erdoğan called Trump on Monday during the G7 Summit and suggested a meeting in Istanbul for the next day, those officials said. That meeting would never happen. Iran’s supreme leader, fearing assassination, went into hiding and couldn’t be reached to approve the meeting, those U.S. officials told ABC News. The White House declined to comment. Axios was first to report the details. The president’s extraordinary action followed weeks of tension and shifting messages. When we traveled with the president to his Bedminster golf club on the weekend of June 8, there was a sudden shift in schedule: The president would no longer be traveling back to the White House but instead, he would be traveling to Camp David on Sunday. Among the topics the president was briefed on then was the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, according to sources. And, more specifically, Israel’s plans to move forward with a strike on Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would later convey his plans directly to Trump. Since the Israeli initial strike on Iran, Netanyahu and the president have remained in close contact -- speaking almost every single day, multiple sources tell ABC News.

FOX News [6/22/2025 12:32 PM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE reports Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin discusses the latest on the U.S. strike on Iran on ‘The Faulkner Focus.’

FOX News [6/22/2025 3:04 PM, Emma Colton Fox, 46878K] reports the U.S. military and Trump administration leveraged strategic deception and decoys to carry out the surprise and successful strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday evening that took the world by surprise after President Donald Trump indicated such an operation could unfold in the coming weeks, not necessarily days. Trump announced the Saturday evening strikes on Iran in a Truth Social post that was not preceded by media leaks or speculation that strikes were imminent. The unexpected social media post was followed just hours later by a brief Trump address to the nation while flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. The strikes, which the administration has described as an overwhelming success that obliterated Iranian nuclear facilities and backed the nation into a corner to make a peace deal, were celebrated by Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine as ones that were cloaked in secrecy and intentionally deceptive to confuse the enemy. "At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States," Caine said during a Sunday morning press conference from the Pentagon. "As part of the plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy. A deception effort, known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.” Ahead of the Saturday evening strikes, six B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri were en route to a U.S. Air Force base in Guam, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News. "The main strike package, comprised of seven B-2 spirit bombers, each with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications," Caine said. "Throughout the 18-hour flight into the target area, the aircraft completed multiple in-flight refuelings. Once overland, the B-2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed maneuver, requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications.”

Wall Street Journal [6/22/2025 9:40 AM, Staff, 646K] reports Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine revealed the details of Operation Midnight Hammer, saying it ‘devastated the Iranian nuclear program.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [6/22/2025 3:49 PM, Danielle Wallace, 46878K] reports Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that America "is not at war with Iran," but rather is at war with the Iranian nuclear program, which was "substantially" set back by U.S. strikes. In an appearance on ABC’s "This Week," Vance praised President Donald Trump’s "decisive action to destroy the program" and expressed an "incredible amount of gratitude" to the U.S. troops, who, he says, flew thousands of miles on a 30-hour non-stop flight, "never touched down on the ground" and dropped a 30,000-pound bomb "on a target about the size of a washing machine.” "No military in the world has the training, the skills, and the equipment to do what these guys did last night," Vance said. "I know the president and I are both very proud of them, and I think what they did was accomplish a very core American national objective. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons program. The president’s been very clear about this, and thanks to the bravery and competence and skill of our great pilots and everybody who supported this mission, we took a major step forward for that national objective last night.” Vance was hesitant to disclose too much sensitive information about the mission, which reportedly involved 125 aircraft. ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked the vice president, "Can you say definitively that Iran’s nuclear program has now been destroyed?". "I don’t want to get into sensitive intelligence here, but we know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night. Whether it’s years or beyond that, we know it’s going to be a very long time before Iran can even build a nuclear weapon if they want to," Vance said. Pressed on the extent of the damage, the vice president again declined to disclose sensitive intelligence but added, "I feel extremely confident, and I can say to the American people with great confidence that they are much further away from a nuclear program today than they were 24 hours ago.” "That was the objective of the mission – to destroy that Fordow nuclear site – and, of course, do some damage to the other sites as well," he said. "But we feel very confident that the Fordow nuclear site was substantially set back and that was our goal.”

New York Post [6/22/2025 12:51 PM, Ryan King, 49956K] reports Vice President JD Vance on Sunday insisted the US has no interest in putting boots on the ground in Iran — while admitting the administration is bracing for potential terror attacks from sleeper cells in America. "We’re not at war with Iran. We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program," Vance told NBC’s "Meet the Press.” "We have no interest in a protracted conflict. We have no interest in boots on the ground," he said. "We didn’t blow up diplomacy. "We only took this action when it was clear, as the president said, that the Iranians were tapping us along," the vice president said of the US strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities Saturday. "The Iranians are clearly not very good at war. Perhaps they should follow President Trump’s lead and give peace a chance if they’re serious about it. I guarantee you, the president of the United States is," Vance said. The vice president insisted Iran’s network of terrorist proxies in the region is already washed up, as is its nuclear program, though comprehensive damage assessments haven’t been finished. After announcing the successful military campaign late Saturday, Trump dramatically warned that any retaliation from Iran "will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed" during the strikes on its Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan nuclear sites. Vance reiterated that warning and underscored that "it would be the stupidest thing in the world if they" seek retribution. He also indicated that the US has been battening down the hatches just in case. "We’re, of course, doing everything that we can to keep our people safe. I think that we’re prepared in the event that the Iranians do retaliate," Vance said — before later warning about possible sleeper cells in the US. "Unfortunately, we know that a lot of people who we don’t have full accounting of were let in over the last four years under the Biden administration," Vance said.

Los Angeles Times [6/22/2025 6:24 PM, Michael Wilner, 14672K] reports fallout from President Trump’s historic gamble to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities reverberated across the Middle East Sunday, as Washington braced for an unpredictable response from a cornered but determined Islamic Republic. Although the Iranian government downplayed the impact of the U.S. attack, noting the depths of its nuclear know-how built over decades of study, U.S. military officials said the precision strikes against Iran’s three main nuclear facilities caused "extremely severe damage and destruction.” A senior Israeli official told The Times that Jerusalem was so satisfied with the operation that it was prepared to suspend hostilities if Iran ends its missile salvos against Israeli territory. "We are ready to be done," said the Israeli official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. As the dust settled, the sun rose and satellite imagery emerged of the wreckage, the main question among Trump administration officials became how Tehran would respond — both militarily, against U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf and around the world, as well as with the remnants of its nuclear program, with so much of it destroyed. Tehran’s nuclear-armed allies, in Russia and North Korea, have been critical of the military campaign, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev raising the prospect of Moscow giving Iran a nuclear warhead in response to the attacks. The Israeli official dismissed that idea, alluding to direct talks with Moscow over the Iranian program. "We are not concerned," the official said. Trump’s military action, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," was a contingency years in the making, prepared and assiduously avoided by his predecessors over two decades as a desperate last resort to a nuclear Iran. Ever since Tehran resumed its fissile enrichment program in 2005, Republican and Democratic presidents alike have warned that the Islamic Republic could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. But a constellation of diplomatic talks and complex agreements has failed to dissuade Tehran from a fundamental principle of a "right to enrich" uranium — near to weapons grade — on its own soil.

Blaze [6/22/2025 3:04 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1805K] reports U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance answered tough questions about the successful U.S. attack on Iran in a pair of interviews on Sunday morning. The Trump administration is touting the success of "Operation Midnight Hammer," in which a fleet of B-2 bombers flew deep into Iran and obliterated sites known to be associated with Iran’s nuclear development capabilities. Iran has not yet retaliated but had issued numerous threats against the U.S. before the strike. Rubio had a lively discussion that veered into debate with Margaret Brennan of "Face the Nation" on CBS News. Brennan tried to corner Rubio on whether the U.S. was pressing for regime change in Iran in their exchange, but Rubio made it clear that the only goal was to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "A serious foreign policy is one that’s focused on identifying what our national interest is. You don’t have to like the regime," said Rubio. "There are a lot of regimes around the world that we don’t like. Okay, but in this particular case, what we are focused on is not the changing of the regime. Okay, that’s up to the Iranian people if they want to do that, but that’s not what we’re focused on. Our national interest is about one thing, and that is Iran not getting anywhere near the capability to weaponize and have nuclear weapons. They’re not going to get anywhere near that capability. The president has made that clear from day one," he continued. "Our preference for solving that problem, that very specific problem, is through diplomacy. We’ve said that. We’ve given it every opportunity. They played games; they tried delay tactics," Rubio added. In an interview with Jon Karl on "This Week" on ABC News, Vance stayed consistent with the messaging from the White House that the only goal of the bombing operation was to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also warned that the U.S. was prepared to respond with "overwhelming force" if Iran retaliated. "If they continue to pursue a nuclear weapon, you’re also going to see overwhelming force from the American people. So we’ve got really the ball in Iran’s court here," he said. "If they make smart decisions, I think they’re going to find us willing to work with them. If they continue to support terrorism, nuclear weapons programs, then they’re going to find overwhelming American force from the American military. That is really the choice before the Iranians. And that’s a choice only they can make.” Vance also responded to a comment from Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of the Russian Federation, who said that Iran still had nuclear enrichment capabilities and the Iranian program would continue. "I think it’s a bizarre response, but I also don’t know that that guy speaks for President Putin or for the Russian government," said the vice president.

Reuters [6/22/2025 11:35 AM, Staff, 51390K] reports Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision on whether to close the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. bombing raids, Iran’s Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure. Iran has long used the threat of closing the Strait, through which around 20% of global oil and gas demand flows, as a way to ward off Western pressure which is now at its peak after the overnight U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. The decision to close the strait is not yet final and it was not officially reported that parliament had in fact adopted a bill to that effect. Instead, a member of parliament’s national security commission Esmail Kosari was quoted on other Iranian media as saying: "For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council.” Kosari, who is also a Revolutionary Guards Commander, had earlier on Sunday told the Young Journalist Club that closing the strait was on the agenda and "will be done whenever necessary".

Reuters [6/22/2025 11:08 AM, Jasper Ward, 51390K] reports U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Rubio’s comments on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" show came after Iran’s Press TV reported that the Iranian parliament approved a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and gas flows. "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," said Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser. "If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.” Rubio said a move to close the strait would be a massive escalation that would merit a response from the U.S. and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comment. U.S. officials said it "obliterated" Iran’s main nuclear sites using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft. The strikes mark an escalation in the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.

New York Post [6/22/2025 4:02 PM, Ryan King, 49956K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday it’s "irrelevant’’ whether the US had intelligence that Iran was actively pursuing a nuclear weapon before bombing it. Rubio said the mere fact that Iran had "everything they need to build nuclear weapons" justified President Trump’s decision to take action against the theocratic regime. "That’s irrelevant," Rubio told CBS’ "Face the Nation" when pressed about US intelligence on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. "They have everything they need to build a weapon.” Earlier this year, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified, "The IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali] Khamanei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.” President Trump has split with that assessment, and Gabbard has since contended her words were taken out of context and highlighted other portions of her testimony in which she warned about Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already taken preemptive strikes against Iran, defended the moves by claiming he has "absolutely clear" intelligence that Iran was "working [on] a secret plan to weaponize the uranium.” Questions about the intelligence have been fueled by concerns over blunders in the past, such as claims about weapons of mass destruction that led up to the US’s 2003 invasion of Iraq. Israel’s attack against Iran came days before another round of negotiations with the theocratic regime over its nuclear program were set to take place. "They have everything they need to build nuclear weapons. Why would you bury things in a mountain 300 feet under the ground," Rubio argued, referring to the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. "You don’t need 60 percent enriched uranium. The only countries in the world that have uranium at 60 percent are countries that have nuclear weapons.”

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Daily Wire [6/22/2025 8:03 AM, Daniel Chaitin, 3816K]

FOX News [6/22/2025 12:32 PM, Ronn Blitzer and Bonny Chu, 46878K] reports hundreds of U.S. citizens evacuated Iran over the past week ahead of America striking three of Iran’s key nuclear sites on Saturday, according to an internal State Department cable, Reuters reported. While many Americans were able to leave without issues, "numerous" citizens faced "delays and harassment" while trying to leave, the outlet added, citing the cable reportedly dated on Friday. Two citizens attempting to leave Iran were reportedly detained. The reported evacuation difficulties faced by Americans underscore the broader challenges Washington has encountered in assisting its nationals inside Iran, a country that has not had any diplomatic ties with the U.S. since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The State Department told Fox News Digital that U.S. citizens may face more difficulty exiting than those who hold U.S.-Iranian dual citizenship. "We remind U.S. citizens not to travel to Iran for any reason due to the risk of terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens, and wrongful detention," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday. "U.S.-Iranian dual nationals must exit Iran on Iranian passports and should be prepared to encounter checkpoints and questioning from Iranian authorities before departing Iran. The Iranian government does not recognize dual nationality and will treat U.S.-Iranian dual nationals solely as Iranian citizens.” "If you plan to leave Iran, the Department has opened a crisis intake form for U.S. citizens in Iran to pass information about consular assistance," the department added. "Due to the limitations of U.S. consular support in Iran, U.S. citizens seeking departure should take advantage of existing means to leave Iran. The crisis intake form and the latest information for U.S. citizens seeking to depart Israel and Iran can be found on our banner page on travel.state.gov.” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said during a press briefing on Friday that the U.S. has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, adding that the administration has offered guidance to thousands of people on how to leave Iran and Israel amid rapidly escalating tensions between the two countries.

NPR [6/22/2025 3:53 PM, Stephen Fowler, 37958K] reports the Trump administration is defending a precision strike on Iranian nuclear sites Saturday that was carried out without Congressional approval or notifying top Democratic lawmakers ahead of time. "Operation Midnight Hammer" was the largest B-2 bomber strike in U.S. history, Pentagon officials said Sunday, and saw the mobilization of more than 125 aircraft — including decoy flights traveling to the Pacific — that culminated in 75 precision guided weapons dropped on the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran. In television interviews Sunday morning, top administration officials repeatedly said the attack was a limited, targeted engagement to disrupt Iranian nuclear capabilities and not indicative of plans for longer involvement in the war between Iran and Israel. "It was not an attack on Iran, it was not an attack on the Iranian people, this wasn’t a regime change move," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS’ Face The Nation. "This was designed to degrade and/or destroy three nuclear sites related to their nuclear weaponization ambitions.” Vice President Vance made similar remarks on NBC’s Meet The Press, stating that America was not at war with Iran, but "at war with Iran’s nuclear program.” "The president has clear authority to act to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the worst weapon of mass destruction of them all is nuclear," Vance said. He also said that he empathized with Americans who are "exhausted" by years-long U.S. involvement in the Middle East — but the difference, he argued, is that "now we have a president who actually knows how to accomplish America’s national security objectives. So this is not going to be some long-drawn out thing.” Some lawmakers disagree with the assessment that Trump could act without seeking approval from Congress first. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky co-authored a bipartisan War Powers Resolution with California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna last week that sought to prevent the U.S. from "unauthorized hostilities" with Iran.

CBS News [6/22/2025 3:48 PM, Staff, 51860K] Video HERE reports the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites has fueled fears that Israel’s war with Tehran could escalate into a wider regional conflict, and other countries reacted Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution. President Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved. In the end, it took just days, and Washington inserted itself into Israel’s campaign with its early local time Sunday attack­­­. It remained unclear early on how much damage had been inflicted, but Mr. Trump lauded the "massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear assemblies in the Iranian regime, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan," as a "spectacular military success.” Iran had pledged to retaliate if the U.S. joined the Israeli assault, and President Trump reiterated his stern warning to the Islamic Republic on Saturday night against targeting any U.S. assets in the region. Some have questioned whether a weakened Iran would capitulate or remain defiant and begin striking with allies at U.S. targets scattered across the Gulf region. There are roughly 40,000 American troops deployed in the Middle East, many of them based within easy striking distance of Iran’s missiles, though its stockpile of such weapons has been depleted by a week of Israeli attacks.

CNN [6/23/2025 1:19 AM, Daria Tarasova, 21433K] reports Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he will discuss Iran and Russia’s “common threats” in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, according to Iranian state media. “Iran and Russia always have common concerns and common enemies. We work closely together to confront the challenges and threats that we face, now more than ever. We’ll be discussing this in our meeting with the Russian President,” the minister told Iranian state media IRNA on Sunday after arriving in Russia’s capital. Top Kremlin aide, Yury Ushakov, also confirmed that Putin will meet Araghchi on Monday, according to Russian state media TASS.

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