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

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

The Wall Street Journal [6/23/2025 9:06 PM, Mariah Timms, 646K] reports the Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the Trump administration to swiftly deport certain migrants to countries they aren’t from. The court’s conservative majority stayed a lower-court order that said individuals set to be deported to third countries must be given meaningful notice of their intended destination, allowing them time to raise objections. The Trump administration, which asked the Supreme Court to intervene, argued a trial judge had improperly interfered with the president’s authority over foreign affairs. As is typical in emergency orders from the high court, the majority didn’t explain its reasoning. The court’s three liberals dissented and accused the majority of ignoring due-process requirements for migrants who may be sent to unfamiliar countries. “Apparently, the Court finds the idea that thousands will suffer violence in far-flung locales more palatable than the remote possibility that a District Court exceeded its remedial powers when it ordered the Government to provide notice and process to which the plaintiffs are constitutionally and statutorily entitled,” wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The case involved a class of migrants who were facing final orders that allowed them to be removed from the U.S. The Supreme Court’s order doesn’t resolve questions about the Trump administration’s legal obligations to the migrants, which continues to be litigated in the lower courts. But practically speaking, it could have an immediate impact, with the administration signaling it plans to move quickly. “DHS can now execute its lawful authority and remove illegal aliens to a country willing to accept them,” said Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin. “Fire up the deportation planes.” McLaughlin called the high court’s action “a victory for the safety and security of the American people.” The New York Times [6/24/2025 3:19 AM, Adam Liptak, 330K] reports that the order was the latest in a series of rulings related to immigration decided by the justices in summary fashion on what critics call the court’s shadow docket. Two allowed the administration to lift protections for hundreds of thousands of people who had been granted temporary protected status or humanitarian parole. But others insisted on due process — notice and an opportunity to be heard — for migrants before they are deported. Monday’s ruling moved in a different direction, refusing to allow migrants to make the case that they would face torture if sent to places with which they have no connection. Leila Kang, a lawyer with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, which represents migrants in the case, said the court’s order would have devastating consequences. “The Supreme Court’s ruling leaves thousands of people vulnerable to deportation to third countries where they face torture or death, even if the deportations are clearly unlawful,” she said. The Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 7:07 PM, David G. Savage, 14672K] reports that last month, the government put eight criminal migrants on a military plane bound for South Sudan. "All of these aliens had committed heinous crimes in the United States, including murder, arson, armed robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault of a mentally handicapped woman, child rape, and more," Trump’s Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer told the court. They also had a "final order of removal" from an immigration judge. But U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston said the flight may have defied an earlier order because the men were not given a reasonable chance to object. He said the Convention Against Torture gives people protection against being sent to a country where they may be tortured or killed. He noted the U.S. State Department had warned Americans: "Do not travel to South Sudan due to crime, kidnapping and armed conflict.” Sauer said this case was different from others involving deportations because it dealt with the "worst of the worst" among immigrants in the country without authorization. He said these immigrants were given due process of law because they were convicted of crimes and were given a "final order of removal.” The AP [6/23/2025 8:57 PM, Lindsay Whitehurst, 56000K] reports that the case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by Republican President Donald Trump’s administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. "The Constitution and Congress have vested authority in the President to enforce immigration laws and remove dangerous aliens from the homeland," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. The Supreme Court’s action "reaffirms the President’s authority to remove criminal illegal aliens from our country and Make America Safe Again.”

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Washington Times [6/23/2025 5:40 PM, Stephen Dinan, 2106K] reports the Supreme Court delivered another major win to President Trump on Monday as it freed him from lower court rulings that had imposed a host of hurdles before he could deport illegal immigrants to "third countries.” The justices, in an unsigned order, put the lower court rulings on hold while the case develops. That gives Mr. Trump more freedom to deport some of the trickiest illegal immigrants whose home countries won’t take them back. The court’s three Democratic appointees dissented from the ruling, saying it could condemn some illegal immigrants to torture or death. Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the court’s rush to intervene a "gross" abuse of the justices’ power. "In matters of life and death, it is best to proceed with caution," she wrote. The case stems from one of the trickiest areas of immigration, where someone has been ordered deported but their home nation refuses to take them back. Under U.S. law, they can be deported to a "third country" if the government can find a willing partner. The question before the court was what sort of notice and appeals rights those migrants have before the government can carry out that third-country removal. Judge Brian Murphy, an Obama appointee to the court in Massachusetts, ruled they deserved "due process," which he said meant a written notice including the country they were to be sent to, a chance to argue to Homeland Security that they face danger if sent to that country, and if that fails, another 15 days to appeal the ruling in the immigration courts. Monday’s ruling puts those new hurdles on ICE. The issue came to a head last month when the Trump administration tried to deport a half-dozen major felons from other nations to South Sudan. Judge Murphy stepped in and halted the plan mid-journey, saying the flight violated his orders. He demanded the migrants be afforded more due process. "Based on what I have learned, I don’t see how anybody could say these individuals had a meaningful opportunity to object," Judge Murphy said. Homeland Security diverted the plane to a U.S. military base in Djibouti, but vociferously complained that the judge was threatening national security, anti-terrorism efforts and humanitarian missions in Africa. Trump lawyers accused Judge Murphy of rewriting immigration law and requiring new protections beyond what Congress had carved out.

Washington Examiner [6/23/2025 4:39 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1934K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will travel to Central America to meet with leaders in the region, and the arrival of a plane carrying migrants who have been deported from the United States. The senior Trump administration official will depart Washington early this week on a four-nation tour through Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. Noem will start Tuesday in Panama with a meeting alongside Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino, Minister of Public Security Frank Abrego, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Martinez-Acha. She will then observe as a U.S. plane carrying deported illegal immigrants arrives before visiting the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba. On Wednesday, Noem will pass through Costa Rica to meet with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, then visit the Los Lagos Detention Center and meet with members from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Joint Security Program. That same day, Noem will meet with Honduran President Xiomara Castro and Foreign Affairs Minister Javier Bu Soto in Honduras, then travel to the Soto Cano Air Base to learn about the repatriation of immigrants. Noem will sit down on Thursday with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Minister of the Interior Francisco Jimenez in Guatemala. Noem will cap off the Central American visit with a review of DHS programs at La Aurora International Airport.

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Wall Street Journal [6/23/2025 9:56 PM, Sadie Gurman and Dustin Volz, 646K] reports federal law-enforcement officials are on high alert for domestic retaliation in response to the U.S. bombing in Iran, warning of potential Tehran-backed plots and cyberattacks. Federal Bureau of Investigation officials in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia were told Monday that they should shift resources toward Iran and domestic threats, after manpower in recent months had been focused on the Trump administration’s priority of immigration enforcement, a person familiar with the matter said. FBI leadership in a weekend internal email instructed field offices to monitor intelligence and stay in close contact with the Defense Department and National Guard, as military facilities could be targets of retaliation. In a Sunday conference call, officials from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said they hadn’t yet seen the Iranian regime call for violence in the U.S. in response to the strike but urged their state and local counterparts to be alert, according to a person on the call. An FBI official told attendees the bureau was closely monitoring its intelligence network. DHS issued a bulletin Sunday warning the public that the domestic threat level was higher because of the Iran conflict, which it said could spur hate crimes by violent extremists against perceived Jewish or pro-Israel targets, as well as Iranian state-backed cyberattacks. “The risk of Iranian plotting has only increased. The FBI and Justice Department have to be extremely vigilant going forward to detect and disrupt these plots before they are carried out,” said Matt Olsen, head of the department’s national security division during the Biden administration. In some locations, federal agents joined immigration officials in searching for Iranians who had overstayed their visas or were otherwise in the country illegally, people familiar with the matter said, a tactic that can also be used to gather intelligence on potential plots. A Homeland Security spokeswoman said the agency “has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country” but said such roundups of undocumented immigrants happen daily and weren’t specifically focused on Iranians.

CNN [6/23/2025 2:56 PM, Sean Lyngaas, 21433K] reports Iran could try to "target" US government officials if Iranian leaders believe "the stability or survivability" of their regime is at risk, according to a new Department of Homeland Security bulletin obtained by CNN. Other scenarios for potential Iranian targeting of US officials include if Tehran considers them to be involved in the deaths of senior Iranian leaders or believes US airstrikes will continue, according to the bulletin from DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis, which was sent to state and local law enforcement and is dated June 22. CNN has requested comment from the Iranian government’s mission to the United Nations. On Monday, Iran fired missiles towards a US military base in Qatar in retaliation for the US strikes on Iran, according to two officials familiar with the matter. But the DHS bulletin is one of the clearest connections yet drawn by US intelligence and law enforcement analysis about the potential violent backlash against civilian government officials for President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. "It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to CNN when CNN asked DHS for comment on the bulletin. "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.” The bulletin does not specify what the "targeting" of US officials might look like but the Justice Department has previously alleged that Iran has tried to kill Trump and his former national security adviser, John Bolton, in retaliation for a 2020 US military strike that killed senior Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. "We have not yet observed Tehran threaten this kind of retaliatory action in response to the US airstrikes, and recent law enforcement action could challenge Iran’s ability to execute a plot against US officials in the short-term," the bulletin said. Trump raised the topic of regime change in Iran in a social media post on Sunday evening. "It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump wrote. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said that Trump was "simply raising a question" when he brought up the topic.

FOX News [6/23/2025 1:39 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 46878K] reports that the chair of the House Intelligence Committee is urging Americans across the country to practice "a higher degree of vigilance and situational awareness" as concerns about possible terror threats in the U.S. skyrocket over the situation in the Middle East. Chair Rick Crawford, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in an interview that people in the U.S. "need to have a sense of situational awareness and understand that there are people outside the United States that do seek to do us harm." President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to hit three key Iranian nuclear bases over the weekend in a mission deemed a success by the vast majority of Republicans and some pro-Israel Democrats. The targeted strikes, which U.S. officials said are not an act of war, came after a week of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Israel, warning Iran was dangerously close to a nuclear weapon, launched preemptive strikes in and around Tehran earlier this month that killed several of the Islamic regime’s top military officials and nuclear scientists. The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo warning of a "heightened threat environment" over the Israel-Iran conflict shortly after the U.S. strike. Meanwhile, NBC News reported that Iran threatened to activate sleeper cells in the U.S. if attacked. It has rung alarm bells for top U.S. national security officials both in and outside of Congress.

Daily Signal [6/23/2025 5:59 PM, Virginia Allen, 558K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sought Monday to reassure the American people that the Trump administration is actively working to protect the homeland following the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites. "We are continuing to evaluate every single threat and to proactively go after them before they do anything or take any activity," Noem told The Daily Signal, when asked about the threat of Iranian terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. Following the U.S. targeted attack on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, the Trump administration has warned that the threat of the activation of terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. has never been higher. While the threat level is high, it is not new, Noem told reporters at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new facility at the Customs and Border Protection’s Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on Monday. "We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America," Noem told press. "You know, it’s not just Iran, it’s North Korea, Russia, China, consistently every single day are trying to threaten our way of life. So, my job is to do all that I can to protect our country before something bad does happen.” The U.S. struck Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites over the weekend, dropping more than a dozen bunker-buster bombs from B-2 bombers. The bunker-buster bomb is America’s largest nonnuclear bomb. The U.S. also launched Tomahawk cruise missiles from a submarine, striking Iranian nuclear targets. President Donald Trump said Monday that the "sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed," adding that only the "fake news" would claim otherwise. Satellite images show damage to Iran’s nuclear sites, but Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the press Sunday that it is too early to know the full extent of the damage on the sites. Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on X on Monday that Iran will "not leave the aggression against [Iran] unanswered," pledging to "respond to every wound on Iran’s body with faith, wisdom, and determination.”

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Breitbart [6/23/2025 3:04 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 3077K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is laser focused on identifying threats and stopping them before they begin on the U.S. homeland, she told reporters while responding to questions about the U.S. actions against Iran and the subsequent retaliation by Iran, targeting the Al-Udeid Air Base. When asked what her biggest concern is for the safety of Americans, Noem said it is all about identifying threats to the homeland. "The President of the United States is making some very important decisions right now. My responsibility is to secure the homeland, to do all I can to make sure that we’re identifying threats that may be here, what we can do to get in front of them before anything could happen to the population that live here in the United States, but also to work with our local governors and law enforcement to make sure that they recognize potential threats or suspicious activities," she said, noting that have not identified any "currently." However, Noem said she was en route to an intelligence briefing to receive updated information.

Axios [6/23/2025 10:37 AM, Avery Lotz, 13599K] reports travel disruptions, cyber attacks, demonstrations and heightened security presence are likely following attacks on Iran, U.S. officials have warned. The weekend airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the U.S. — dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer — marked a historic escalation in the Middle East that Tehran has framed as a betrayal of diplomacy. How and when Iran will respond to the attack, which could provoke retaliation against U.S. troops in the region or prompt trade disruptions, remains unclear. The Department of Homeland Security said in a Sunday advisory that the ongoing conflict is creating a "heightened threat environment" in the U.S. Low-level cyber attacks from pro-Iranian hacktivists against U.S. networks are likely, and attacks from state-affiliated actors could occur, the bulletin warned. DHS predicted the likelihood of violent extremists "in the Homeland independently mobilizing" would increase if Iran issued a "religious ruling" calling for retaliatory violence. Since the start of the conflict, the DHS memo read, several foreign terrorist organizations have called for violence against U.S. assets and personnel in the Middle East. The State Department also issued a "Worldwide Caution" alert warning of the "potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad." The U.S. Embassy in Qatar on Monday recommended American citizens there shelter in place until further notice "[o]ut of an abundance of caution." Following the U.S. security alert, the UK urged British nationals in Qatar to do the same. Several major cities, including the nation’s capital, said they’d step up security in sensitive areas, including places of worship. Homeland Security and FBI officials discussed with some governors and law enforcement on Sunday how the strikes could escalate the threat environment, multiple outlets reported. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Axios that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has spoken with governors and law enforcement nationwide "to ensure our partners at every level of government have the information they need to keep their communities safe."

CNN [6/23/2025 11:19 AM, Devan Cole, 21433K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that the US has not seen any new threats from Iran as the country fires rockets toward American military bases in the Middle East in retaliation to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike its nuclear sites over the weekend. “We have not seen any currently,” Noem told reporters during an event in West Virginia. Asked more generally about potential so-called sleeper cells being in the US, the secretary said there have been consistent concerns over the issue since she took over at the department but nothing concrete. “We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America. You know, it’s not just Iran. It’s North Korea, Russia, China,” she said. “My job is to do all I can to protect our country before something bad does happen.” “We have to watch for all of it, and to be diligent on all of it and we’ll continue to do so,” Noem added.

NewsMax [6/23/2025 9:59 PM, Michael Katz, 4622K] reports that, even though President Donald Trump was optimistic Monday that the ceasefire he brokered between Israel and Iran will hold, the U.S. should remain on high alert for any subterfuge by the Islamic Republic, The Hill reported Monday. And despite the fact that Iran’s military has been seriously incapacitated by Israel’s nearly two-week bombing campaign, it has other means to retaliate against the U.S. Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, told The Hill that cyberattacks are the most likely option for Iran, "where they launch a bunch of traffic toward a government or a contractor’s website" that denies them service. Steinhauer said such attacks probably would be directed at targets without significant cyber defenses, including infrastructure in local municipalities and smaller cities and counties. "You might see some potential activity, bells going off, but maybe not like a full shutdown of a power plant or real manipulation of controls in a water treatment plant," he said. "They probably want to scare us more than they want to damage us at this point in terms of cyber capability.” Another method includes activating sleeper terror cells. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Sunday in a memo that the threat of sleeper cells in the U.S. has "never been higher," according to The Hill, adding that "thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown" 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 wrote, urging CBP personnel to remain "vigilant.”

CBS News [6/23/2025 8:10 PM, Nicole Sganga, 51860K] Video: HERE reports that, in the wake of the U.S. attacks on some of Iran’s nuclear sites, the Department of Homeland Security is warning of a "heightened threat environment in the U.S.

(B) CBS News Philadelphia at 9:00am [6/23/2025 9:07 AM, Staff] reports that there is an increased police presence outside of some religious, cultural, and diplomatic sites in Washington, DC, and New York City. The Department of Homeland Security is also warning that cyberattacks are likely and attacks by violent extremists are possible as well. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says there are no credible threats against the United States at this time.

Washington Examiner [6/23/2025 1:50 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1934K] reports that federal officials are warning that the threat environment across the United States has intensified after President Donald Trump approved a strategic airstrike in Iran, prompting major cities to ramp up security around religious and high-profile locations. FBI and Department of Homeland Security leaders convened emergency calls on Sunday with governors and hundreds of law enforcement officials nationwide in response to Trump’s military operation targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities. While officials said there is currently no credible threat to the U.S. homeland, the federal government is urging heightened vigilance. "Secretary Noem has spoken with Governors nationwide, as well as state and local law enforcement to ensure our partners at every level of government have the information they need to keep their communities safe," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict." A DHS official added Monday that the likelihood of violent extremists in the U.S. independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would "likely increase" if Iranian leadership issued a "religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets." The calls to governors came after the U.S. military struck Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities in a mission known as Operation Midnight Hammer. The Defense Department confirmed that the strikes were carried out with B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles, severely damaging Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities. Meanwhile, the threat of sleeper cells inside the U.S. has also "never been higher," according to Customs and Border Protection.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 5:32 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 3077K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week explained that the "big, beautiful bill" has key elements that will advance President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda and, therefore, make the country more secure. "Now we do have a bill that’s coming before Congress I hope everybody will support, that will be a necessary resource for CBP," she said of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "It’ll have over $46 billion in it, not just to continue building infrastructure wall, but to give us the surveillance and technology that we need to truly secure the border, and every border — not just our southern but our northern, our maritime borders as well," Noem explained. The bill also provides funding so 5,000 new CBP officers can be hired, in addition to 3,000 more CBP border agents. "It also gives us $2.7 billion to CBP so that we can have the surveillance technologies that we need, and another billion dollars for our vehicle fleet," she said. Further, the measure allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hire "10,000 new officers, which we cooperate every single day to secure our country," she said. "And it will also allow us to double our detention capabilities that may be necessary as we do our work. It also will address salary and bonuses, which I think is incredibly important. When you make sure that we take care of our people that work for us," she said, noting that they are caring for families.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 9:35 AM, Sean Moran, 3077K] reports the Senate parliamentarian on Sunday ruled eight more provisions of the Big Beautiful Bill cannot pass through the chamber without 60 votes. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough continues to scrutinize parts of the Big Beautiful Bill that may violate Senate rules on budgetary reconciliation, the procedure that Republicans are using to pass the Big Beautiful Bill through the Senate using only a simple majority. The Senate parliamentarian decried that eight more provisions must be subject to 60 votes. Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said in a statement: There is no better way to define this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill than families lose, and billionaires win. Democrats are on the side of families and workers and are scrutinizing this bill piece by piece to ensure Republicans can’t use the reconciliation process to force their anti-worker policies on the American people. The Byrd Rule is enshrined in law for a reason, and Democrats are making sure it is enforced. MacDonough also ruled on Saturday the Big Beautiful Bill cannot slash funding for sanctuary cities and cannot restrain federal courts’ ability to use preliminary injunctions. The parliamentarian ruled the legislation cannot zero out funding to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CPFB).

AP [6/23/2025 4:11 PM, Safiyah Riddle, 56000K] reports the Florida Attorney General asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to allow the state to enforce a new immigration law that makes it a misdemeanor for people living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. The petition is the latest in a months-long battle between Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and district U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams. Last week Williams held Uthmeier in contempt for instructing officers to continue enforcing the new law despite the judge’s orders to stop enforcement until the courts decide whether the law is constitutional. The attorney general’s appeal to the Supreme Court said the state has a right to use the law to protect itself from the harm of illegal immigration. The legislation tracks federal law and the injunction shouldn’t cover every officer in the state “who never had their day in court,” the appeal argued. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law in February as part of President Donald Trump’s push to crack down on illegal immigration, though many of Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts are mired in battles with federal judges. Williams issued a temporary restraining order and injunction that barred the enforcement of the new law statewide in April. The attorney general’s office then unsuccessfully petitioned the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to override that decision. After Williams issued her original order, Uthmeier sent a memo to state and local law enforcement officers telling them to refrain from enforcing the law, even though he disagreed with the injunction. But five days later, he sent a memo saying the judge was legally wrong and that he couldn’t prevent police officers and deputies from enforcing the law.

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FOX News [6/23/2025 4:43 PM, Breanne Deppisch, Bill Mears, 46878K]

CBS News [6/23/2025 8:58 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51860K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday the federal government will fund an effort by Florida to set up immigration detention centers, which include a proposed site in the Everglades that state officials have dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz.” Noem said the detention facilities in Florida will be funded "in large part" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s shelter and services program, an initiative created by Congress to support groups and cities receiving migrants and asylum-seekers released from federal custody along the U.S.-Mexico border. Primarily charged with overseeing disaster relief efforts, FEMA is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that has faced significant cuts under the second Trump administration. "Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," Noem said in a statement to CBS News. "We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.” Officials in Tallahassee first announced plans to help the federal government expand its capacity to hold detainees awaiting deportation last week. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said a largely abandoned airfield in the Everglades would be repurposed as a detention facility to house immigrants living in the U.S. illegally with criminal records. He dubbed it "Alligator Alcatraz," saying any detainees seeking to escape would face alligators and pythons in the treacherous wetlands surrounding the site. On Monday, Uthmeier announced the federal government had "approved" the state’s plan to build "Alligator Alcatraz" and other facilities that he said could collectively house as many as 5,000 detainees. He said the facilities could start receiving detainees early next month, calling them temporary. NewsMax [6/23/2025 7:06 PM, Solange Reyner, 4622K] reports that the plan to convert the 17,000-acre Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport has drawn the ire of environmentalists and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who slammed the plan. "Due to the location of this parcel in a critical area, the conveyance of this parcel requires considerable review and due diligence," Levine Cava wrote in a letter Monday to Kevin Guthrie, the state’s emergency management director under Gov. Ron DeSantis. It "is also imperative that we fully understand the scope and scale of the proposed use of the site and what will be developed, as the impacts to the Everglades ecosystem could be devastating.” According to the Miami Herald, DeSantis appears to have already taken control of the property. A 39-square-mile migrant detention center could be up and running by July, according to Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. Uthmeier last week said immigrants in the U.S. illegally should be sent deep into the Everglades, or what he calls "Alligator Alcatraz.” The "virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades" would have the capacity to "house as many as 1,000 criminal aliens," Uthmeier said in a video sharing his offer with the White House. "Florida’s been leading on immigration enforcement, supporting the Trump administration and ICE’s efforts to detain and deport criminal aliens," he said. "The government tasked state leaders to identify places for new temporary detention facilities. I think this is the best one. As I call it, ‘alligator Alcatraz,’" he added.

New York Times [3/23/2025 4:45 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, 153395K] reports Florida is building a detention facility for migrants nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” turning an airfield in the Everglades into the newest — and scariest-sounding — holding center designed to help the Trump administration carry out its immigration crackdown. The remote facility, composed of large tents, and other planned facilities will cost the state around $450 million a year to run, but Florida can request some reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. Florida’s attorney general, James Uthmeier, a Trump ally who has pushed to build the detention center in the Everglades, has said the state will not need to invest much in security because the area is surrounded by dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons. A spokesperson for the attorney general said work on the new facility started on Monday morning. The project is sure to appeal to President Trump, who talked repeatedly during his first term about building a moat along the southern border filled with alligators or snakes. As he pushed for a wall to keep migrants out, he urged officials to build it with spikes, razor wire and black paint to ensure that it would serve as a deterrent, the more terrifying-looking the better. The goal in Florida is to have 5,000 additional beds, spread out at the new facility and potentially other, smaller facilities as well. It’s not clear how quickly the new detention center can be built. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County said on Monday that she wanted more time to evaluate the state’s plans for the land. “I understand there is an intention to begin work on the site as early as Monday,” she wrote in a letter to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which will have primary oversight of the facility. “There has not been sufficient time to fully discuss these matters, and we thank you for your attention to these concerns given the rapid pace of the state’s effort,” Ms. Cava said. But Ms. McLaughlin, the D.H.S. spokeswoman, said the goal is to have at least some of the tents up and running by July. Trump officials have been pushing Congress to help pay for more funding to expand detention capacity even further. Tom Homan, Mr. Trump’s border czar, has said that the number of detention beds available will dictate the number of deportations that the administration will be able to hit this year. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said in a statement. Immigrant advocates criticized the move, saying that it was creating a new form of detention outside the scope of the federal government. Mark Fleming, the associate director of federal litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, said it amounted to an “independent, unaccountable detention system.”

CBS Miami [6/23/2025 6:26 PM, Mauricio Maldonado, 51860K] Video: HERE reports Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava is pushing back hard against Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s plan to convert the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport into a migrant detention facility in the Everglades, a site critics have dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz.” "Due to the location of this parcel in a critical area, the conveyance of this parcel requires considerable review and due diligence," Levine Cava said in a statement. "It is also imperative that we fully understand the scope and scale of the proposed use of the site and what will be developed, as the impacts to the Everglades ecosystem could be devastating.” According to Rachel Johnson, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Office of the Mayor, the county sent a letter to the state outlining multiple concerns about the project, which is slated to house around 1,000 migrants and be operational within a month. "The mayor clearly laid out several concerns regarding the proposed use of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) in a letter to the state detailing specific questions and requesting additional information as part of our due diligence," Johnson said. "In particular, the county has significant concerns about the environmental impacts on the Everglades which is the source of our clean drinking water and the cornerstone of our regional economy, and we requested a detailed analysis and report on environmental impacts of this facility to the Everglades ecosystem," she continued. "We further requested the opportunity for an updated appraisal and a deeper financial analysis to make sure we maximize the value of this public asset on behalf of Miami-Dade taxpayers – given the amount offered is $20 million whereas the most recent appraisal puts the total value of the site at least $190 million. "While we understand that the Attorney General has stated that federal approvals have been received for the project, we have not yet received a response from the state to the County’s letter.” AG says alligators and pythons are built-in security. In a video posted to social media platform X, Attorney General Uthmeier pitched the site’s location as a natural deterrent to escape. "Efficient. Low cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much into the perimeter," Uthmeier said. "People, get out. There’s not much waiting for them, other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.” Uthmeier said the facility would be built on the already existing runway and is not located within Everglades National Park.

The New York Times [6/23/2025 9:17 PM, Stephanie Saul, 138952K] reports that, for the second time in less than a week, a federal judge in Boston rejected efforts by the Trump administration to bar international students at Harvard, blocking a presidential proclamation that would prevent new students from abroad from enrolling at the school. President Trump had sought to bar the students using a law designed to safeguard national security. In a strongly worded ruling on Monday, Judge Allison D. Burroughs sided with lawyers for Harvard who had argued that such presidential power was intended to be used against foreign enemies, not international students. The judge’s order temporarily stops the presidential proclamation from going into effect. Judge Burroughs, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, issued a similar decision on Friday. In that ruling, she temporarily blocked another effort by the Trump administration to keep international students out of Harvard through other means. In her ruling on Monday, Judge Burroughs noted that the issues at stake involved “core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded — freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech” and that free speech, particularly in the academic arena, “must be zealously defended and not taken for granted.” She continued: “The government’s misplaced efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this administration’s own views, threaten these rights.” She also chastised the government’s attempts “to accomplish this, at least in part, on the backs of international students, with little thought to the consequences to them or, ultimately, to our own citizens.” Both of the judge’s orders will remain in effect until Harvard’s lawsuit over the enrollment of international students is resolved. In one section of Monday’s ruling, the judge attacked the logic of the Trump administration’s argument as “absurd,” and in another cited the administration’s “escalating rhetoric.” White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Harvard, in a statement, said that it would “continue to defend its rights — and the rights of its students and scholars.” The government’s moves against Harvard have thrown the lives of thousands of visiting scholars into temporary disarray. But the ruling by Judge Burroughs preserves, at least for now, Harvard’s tradition of hosting international students, permitting about 7,000 Harvard students and recent graduates to continue studying and working legally in the United States. Harvard’s leadership has accused the Trump administration of a partisan vendetta against the university, one of the nation’s wealthiest and most selective, as Mr. Trump continues to attack both elite universities and their ties with foreign entities. After last week’s order, Mr. Trump issued a statement on social media indicating that talks were underway in an effort to settle the lawsuit. CNN [6/23/2025 11:25 PM, Katelyn Polantz, 875K] reports that the White House said the proclamation against international students coming to the US to study at Harvard was for national security purposes, because Harvard wasn’t properly vetting incoming scholars from other countries. But Burroughs took the opportunity to outline her reaction to the administration’s repeated attempts to cut into Harvard’s student body and approach to teaching. The judge previously indefinitely blocked an attempt by the Trump Homeland Security and State departments to revoke Harvard’s student visa program, which would have affected nearly a quarter of its student body and prompted students to leave the country or transfer. Her decision on Monday dealt with a follow-up Trump administration action toward stopping international students from getting visas to study at Harvard.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [6/23/2025 10:00 PM, Nate Raymond, 75552K]

NewsMax [6/23/2025 10:51 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4622K] reports Harvard University has itself to blame for the Trump administration imposing a school ban on foreign students, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. In an opinion column for The Washington Post on Monday, Noem wrote that Harvard failed to uphold its required responsibilities for admitting international students, and also "fostered antisemitic extremism" and used taxpayer money to collaborate with an American adversary." "The law is clear: Every institution authorized to enroll international students has a legal obligation to comply with federal oversight and a moral obligation to provide basic safety for its American and foreign students of all stripes," Noem wrote. "Harvard failed on both accounts." U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs twice has temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts to keep Harvard from hosting international students. The university sued the Department of Homeland Security in May after the agency withdrew the school’s certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork for their visas. Harvard called the administration’s actions illegal retaliation for rejecting the White House’s demands to overhaul the university’s policies around campus protests, admissions, hiring, and other issues. After Burroughs’ second ruling on Friday, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say his administration has been working closely with Harvard and a deal could be announced with the institution over the next week. Noem wrote that Harvard shirked its related duties and the university’s "leadership brought this on themselves.".

National Review [6/23/2025 8:13 AM, Benjamin Rothove, 109K] reports a federal judge in Tennessee ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador due to an admitted error on the part of the administration before being returned to the United States to face criminal charges. However, authorities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are expected to detain him immediately upon his release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes denied the Trump administration’s request to hold Abrego Garcia as he awaits trial. He will remain in detention until the conditions of his release can be determined in a hearing on Wednesday. The federal government has filed a motion to appeal Holmes’s order. The judge said the federal government did not prove that Abrego Garcia posed a danger to the community, would interfere with court proceedings, or was a flight risk. “The Court cannot find from the evidence presented that Abrego’s release clearly and convincingly poses an irremediable danger to other persons or to the community,” her decision read. However, Holmes also acknowledged that ICE would quickly detain him, and said her order was “little more than an academic exercise.” Holmes wrote, “The sole circumstance about which the government and Abrego may agree in this case is the likelihood that Abrego will remain in custody regardless of the outcome of the issues raised in the government’s motion for detention.” Rob McGuire, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, argued that the likelihood of Abrego Garcia’s detainment by federal authorities was a reason to keep him in jail. He cannot be deported to El Salvador because of a 2019 order by an immigration judge that says he faces a threat from gangs there. While Abrego Garcia can be deported to a different country, immigration officials need to show that he would not be returned to El Salvador. The Blaze [6/23/2025 5:32 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1805K] reports that on Sunday, the Trump administration was dealt a blow in that struggle when U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ruled that the government had not proven its contention that Garcia was a flight risk and ordered his release. Holmes, however, acknowledged that the ruling was "little more than an academic exercise" because Garcia would likely be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin appeared to confirm Holmes’ suspicions in a response to the ruling. "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," she wrote on the X social media platform.

Reported similarly:
Daily Wire [6/23/2025 7:24 AM, Spencer Lindquist, 3816K

FOX News [6/23/2025 3:30 PM, Rachel del Guidice, 46878K] reports anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil said that his immigration detention "felt like kidnapping" in his first interview since being released. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student, was released on bail from an immigration detention center on Friday following an order by U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who said it was "highly, highly unusual" to keep a legal U.S. resident in custody who doesn’t have accusations of violent offenses or that he’s a possible flight risk. In March, Khalil was arrested at Columbia over his anti-Israel activism on campus, and an immigration judge ruled he could be removed from the country based on a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that said his campus protests were not aligned with U.S. foreign policy interests. The Department of Homeland Security has also said that Khalil purposely did not reveal that he was employed with the Syrian office in the British Embassy in Beirut when he applied for permanent U.S. residency. Khalil told the New York Times that his anti-Israel protests were not "antisemitic." He also said he did not think that his efforts would be challenged. Rubio has defended the Trump administration’s apprehension of Khalil, saying that if someone applies for a visa to the United States and riles up anti-Semitic activities, their visa will be denied or revoked.

New York Times [6/23/2025 5:41 PM, Adam Goldman and Devlin Barrett, 138952K] reports federal officials are increasingly concerned about the possibility of Iran or its supporters retaliating on American soil after the bombing of nuclear sites in Iran by U.S. forces. In an internal email on Sunday, top officials at the F.B.I. cautioned that Iran and its proxies have “historically targeted U.S. interests in response to geopolitical events, and they are likely to increase their efforts in the near term.” They urged field offices to monitor their collection platforms and stay in close contact with the Defense Department, including the National Guard, “who may be targeted for retaliation” while “specific attention should be paid to” U.S. military facilities connected to the strikes in Iran. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said that more police officers would be on duty around religious, cultural and diplomatic sites “out of an abundance of caution,” given the situation in the Middle East. Separately, the Department of Homeland Security issued a security bulletin stating that the “ongoing Iran conflict” had elevated security concerns in the country and adding that cyberattacks by pro-Iranian hackers were likely.

CNN [6/23/2025 3:19 PM, Josh Campbell, 21433K] reports The FBI is in the process of temporarily scaling back the number of agents it has assigned to assist with the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration enforcement efforts, sources tell CNN. While the actual number of agents shifted is still to be determined, the move is being made to ensure agents are adequately focusing on any potential threats to the homeland that may result from the US strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, while also allowing agents to focus on other priority issues that received less attention after the FBI’s immigration surge. Sources stressed there is currently no known specific and credible threat, but agents must be available to fully staff the bureau’s counterterrorism mission due to global hostilities. While some FBI agents will continue to support the administration’s immigration enforcement mission, some field offices could see a drastic reduction in the number of agents they have assigned daily to immigration efforts. Sources said the move is being considered temporary as national security officials continue to assess any potential threat from Iran and its proxies, and a return of more agents to the immigration could occur if the current threat landscape changes. The FBI declined to comment.

CNN [6/23/2025 4:35 PM, Eva McKend, 21433K] reports the videos of a California senator being taken down by federal agents or of a New York mayoral candidate dragged out of immigration court energize liberal voters who want their leaders doing more to confront President Donald Trump’s administration. But they’ve also highlighted the party’s divide since Trump returned to the White House between those looking for a fight and those worried fighting plays into Republican hands. "Just because you’re confrontational doesn’t mean that you are going to get results," said Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat who represents parts of South Texas that have sharply shifted toward Republicans. Cuellar was hesitant to criticize Democratic colleagues and maintains every Democrat should do what they think is best to satisfy the needs of their specific constituency. But he told CNN he would personally use a different approach. "You got to have situational awareness," he said about dealing with law enforcement. "In other words: Read the room.” Several of the officials who were detained told CNN they were not intentionally trying to engage in civil disobedience, disobeying certain laws or commands of a government nonviolently as a form of protest. But their protests resonated with Trump supporters and critics alike at a time when the president has vowed a crackdown on protests in response to his immigration enforcement policies. Among the arrests so far: New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested at Manhattan’s immigration court last week escorting an asylum seeker as they exited their court appointment. Sen. Alex Padilla of California was forcefully removed from a news conference in Los Angeles this month and taken to the ground after attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a question. And Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey was indicted this month on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside the same New Jersey detention center. Baraka told CNN he wasn’t intending to get arrested. He doesn’t think being detained, as he was, is necessary, but argues there needs to be more intentional pushback to the Trump agenda from Democrats. "I think a fight can make them understand we should not always be following polls. Leaders will sometimes impact polls. I think that’s important for Democrats to understand. It’s not just about them winning their position over and over again. It’s about them making this country live up to the things that we all value," said Baraka, who finished second in this month’s Democratic primary for New Jersey governor. "Democrats have to pick the fights that are right, not the ones that are convenient.” But the Department of Homeland Security has been sharing images of the arrests too, aiming to paint Democrats as siding with undocumented immigrants over American citizens. DHS officials have also reposted critiques on social media from people who ordinarily support Democrats, including one video of ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith criticizing Padilla for trying to confront Noem during a news conference.

Washington Post [6/23/2025 8:00 AM, Kristi L. Noem, 32099K] reports I remain prepared to revoke Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows the university to admit foreign students, because school leadership has not complied with the Department of Homeland Security’s lawful oversight duties, has fostered antisemitic extremism and has used taxpayer money to collaborate with an American adversary. How did we get here? Simple: Harvard appeared to think it could benefit from the privilege of hosting foreign students and holding an SEVP certification while shirking its related duties. Harvard’s leader brought this on themselves. A biased judge immediately issued an injunction against this action, clearly taking no time to weigh the merits of the case. If she had, then she would have seen that DHS is well within its authority. We fully expect to prevail. The law is clear: Every institution authorized to enroll international students has a legal obligation to comply with federal oversight and a moral obligation to provide basic safety for its American and foreign students of all stripes. Harvard failed on both accounts. When applying for certification to admit foreign students, the “school makes a legally binding commitment to comply with applicable federal laws, regulations and DHS requirements.” DHS notifies school officials that they “should carefully consider the decision to petition for certification. It is a business decision that requires a financial commitment, significant personnel commitment and strict adherence to reporting and record keeping requirements.” According to Harvard’s own data, in the 2024-2025 academic year, 27 percent of its students were international. A recent estimate suggests that foreign-born students contribute approximately $383.6 million annually to its surrounding economy. Many of those students pay more than domestic students in tuition. This means the SEVP program has turned into a giant cash cow for Harvard. Harvard took that windfall for granted. Under its watch, the university encouraged and fostered antisemitic extremism. It permitted hostile foreign influence to fester on campus. It shielded individuals, many here on student visas, involved in conduct that warranted federal investigation. The Justice Department’s Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism found that Harvard failed to respond to widespread racial and religious discrimination on campus — particularly toward Jewish students, who reported a rise in harassment, intimidation and physical assault. The university’s own 2025 internal report confirmed that nearly 60 percent of Jewish students experienced discrimination, stereotyping or negative bias related to their political or religious beliefs. Harvard allowed university-recognized and funded student organizations to praise and excuse acts of terrorism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. No meaningful corrective action was taken. When the Department of Homeland Security lawfully requested video footage and background information regarding suspects tied to these incidents, Harvard failed to cooperate. DHS reached out in good faith, with earnest intentions and on multiple occasions, seeking what federal regulations required Harvard to share. The university failed to fully cooperate each time after spending years creating a dangerous environment for its students, local Jewish residents and the American taxpayer whose dollars Harvard feels entitled to. Meanwhile, Harvard is under investigation by House Republicans for engaging in partnerships with Chinese Communist Party-affiliated institutions, including hosting members of paramilitary units implicated in the Uyghur genocide and collaborating on research backed by foreign agents from adversarial regimes — all while receiving substantial federal funding. This pattern of behavior raised one simple question: Could DHS continue to allow Harvard to bring in foreign students without doing harm? The answer is a clear no. Harvard is now claiming that it intends to comply with SEVP standards, but we need to see proof. That is why Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Harvard notifying the school that it has until June 27 to fully comply with SEVP. If it wants to maintain its designation, it must provide DHS with all of the requested documentation, adhere to the program’s requirements, and refrain from collaboration with hostile foreign actors. Should it again fail to comply, the university will no longer be permitted to enroll new foreign students. International students currently attending Harvard under this program who are in good legal standing would be allowed to remain in the United States, provided they transfer to other SEVP-certified institutions by the fall semester. Harvard no doubt is beginning to regret escalating its fight with the Trump administration. This month, President Donald Trump signed a travel restriction preventing new Harvard students from entering the country. The Trump administration will defend the rule of law, protect American interests, and ensure that every student in this country — regardless of race, faith or background — can pursue an education in peace and safety. Harvard must decide whether it wishes to be a partner to the United States, or an adversary to American values.

Bloomberg [6/23/2025 7:30 AM, Stephen L. Carter, 19320K] reports I doubt that anyone was surprised on Friday when the US Supreme Court voted unanimously to reinstate lawsuits against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization by victims and families of victims injured in terror attacks in Israel. The lower courts dismissed the cases on the ground that they lacked jurisdiction over the defendants. The Supreme Court disagreed — a disagreement that has an important constitutional dimension, and which, in the current fraught international atmosphere, is likely to have consequences both for lawsuits and future statutes. To cut through the procedural complexity of the case, the plaintiffs in the two consolidated cases sued the PLO and the PA under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1990, which grants treble damages to those harmed by "an act of international terror." More important to the case, under the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), which was passed by Congress in 2019, both the PLO and the PA would be "deemed" to have consented to the jurisdiction of US courts if they made payments to families or other designees of those who were imprisoned for or died while committing an act of terrorism "that injured or killed a national of the United States," if the payment was in connection with the act or the death. The plaintiffs claimed that the defendants did both, and in the one case that went to a final verdict, the trebled damages totaled $655.5 million. But the lower courts ruled that the “deeming” clause of the PSJVTA violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Why? Because of the “minimum contacts” rule, which has long been the bane of first-year law students. This clause holds that a state court may exercise what is known as “specific jurisdiction” only over a defendant who has committed “some act by which it purposefully avails itself of the privilege of conducting activities within the forum State.” No contact means no jurisdiction; no jurisdiction means no lawsuit. It’s a sensible approach. A pedestrian who’s injured in Connecticut by a driver from Massachusetts can’t sue in California just because tort verdicts are bigger there.

The Hill [6/23/2025 11:30 AM, Steven Lubet, 18649K] reports President Trump’s promised retribution against what he has called the "core of the Democrat Power Center" includes siccing thousands of ICE agents on "blue cities." The assault has already led to the prosecution of public officials who challenged his abusive immigration seizures. But the Trump administration will likely lose those cases, thanks to the strong American tradition of jury resistance, sometimes called nullification, dating to before the Civil War. In New Jersey, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) was indicted for allegedly interfering with the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during an immigration protest rally at an ICE detention center. If convicted of the two forcible felonies, McIver would face a maximum sentence of eight years. McIver denies the accusations, pointing out that she had a legal right to inspect the facility as a member of Congress. She has raised the Constitution’s speech and debate clause as a defense. In Wisconsin, the Trump administration brought criminal charges against Milwaukee County Court Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly preventing the arrest of a migrant in her courtroom. Dugan pleaded not guilty and moved to dismiss the case on the basis of judicial immunity. As detailed in my book, "Fugitive Justice: Runaways, Rescuers, and Slavery on Trial," American juries have historically refused to enforce unpopular laws against sympathetic defendants, in cases far more extreme than McIver’s or Dugan’s. In September 1851, shortly after the passage of the infamous Fugitive Slave Act, a band of slavehunters from Maryland, holding a federal warrant and under the leadership of a deputy U.S. marshal, attempted to apprehend four alleged runaways near the village of Christiana, Pennsylvania. When the posse’s presence was discovered, the local Black community, along with some white allies, rallied to the defense of the fugitives and drove it away in a hail of rocks and bullets. One would-be kidnapper was killed in the melee, and the deputy marshal was humiliated. The fugitives escaped to Canada with the assistance of Frederick Douglass. More important than any of the individual outcomes was the political movement built around the Fugitive Slave Act trials. Before the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, many northerners were content to condemn enslavement from a distance, expressing disapproval but taking no action to oppose it. The McIver and Dugan prosecutors will have to contend with potential jurors appalled by Trump’s indiscriminate pursuit of migrants, just as jurors in antebellum Boston and Philadelphia were appalled by the kidnapping of fugitives and arrests of rescuers.

Washington Times [6/23/2025 5:09 PM, Jarrett Skorup, 2106K] reports in the wake of immigration protests that rocked California and spread across America, many union members are wondering: Why is my money supporting this chaos? David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, was recently arrested on charges of impeding immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. Video shows Mr. Huerta blocking the driveway of a federal detention center. He was later released on a $50,000 bond. The violent and destructive protests that swept the "City of Angels" spread across the country, and labor unions proudly supported and even led them. Why have labor unions been spending a single cent of their members’ dues on any of this? Some unions indeed represent illegal immigrants, especially in places like California, where illegal immigration is so high and unions are so powerful. Some unions may also want to show solidarity with workers, even those in the U.S. illegally. However, none of those explanations accounts for the intensity and ferocity of union involvement in frequently lawless and disruptive demonstrations. The SEIU, the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and other unions have actively fueled the chaos in our cities. So why are so many unions focused on issues with little or nothing to do with their membership? Because something else is driving this: politics. Specifically, the far-left politics that most labor unions embrace, regardless of what their members want. The modern labor movement is often an arm of the Democratic Party. Unions spend hundreds of millions of dollars directly and billions of dollars indirectly each election cycle, and nearly all of it benefits Democratic candidates or opposes Republicans. Most union leaders are adamantly opposed to President Trump. Although some unions declined to endorse Mr. Trump’s opponent in the November election, the labor movement as a whole worked hard to defeat our current commander in chief. Now that he is in the White House, they are opposing him every step of the way. Yet while union leaders are fighting the president, union members are divided. More than 40% voted for Mr. Trump in November, and union members are increasingly a key part of Republican and Democratic coalitions. Yet even in cases where workers lean to the right, unions use their dues to fund liberal causes that have little to do with their members’ interests, including nationwide protests. Unions have heavily spent their members’ money to bus workers to protests, buy anti-Trump placards and foment disruption on city streets. Even when unions have organized press conferences to denounce the arrest of the SEIU California president, it cost money they took from their members, many of whom support Mr. Trump and his immigration crackdown.

NewsMax [6/23/2025 12:42 PM, Michael Reagan, 4622K] reports add meatpacking to that list of American jobs — janitorial services, for instance — formerly held by citizens that paid a living wage. According to Self Reliance Central, "Meatpacking was once a stable, middle-class union job, with skilled families working at the same plant for generations. "In 1960, the industry was 95 percent unionized, offering wages similar to those in auto and steel. Workers were skilled, trained just like traditional butchers to process the entire carcass from slaughter to final cuts." That was the high point of the industry as far as the workers were concerned. Then at least one company introduced "efficiency" into the process and workers were then relegated to performing repetitive tasks. This purportedly led to increased turnover, solved by hiring illegal immigrants. Now meatpacking is an industry built on the backs of illegals and taxpayer-funded assistance. NBC News tried to produce a tear-jerker story involving a meatpacker, but only succeeded in making the case for mass deportations. "Seventy-six people working at Glenn Valley Foods were arrested by federal immigration authorities Tuesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News in an email. "Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the arrests were part of an enforcement operation to execute a federal search warrant in connection to an investigation into "the large-scale employment of aliens without legal work authorization." The 76 illegals detained represent a large proportion of the total employment at the plant. By Friday, three days after the raid, only 80 employees showed up for work.

Washington Times [6/23/2025 2:32 PM, Stephen Dinan, 2106K] reports ICE is now arresting nearly 1,200 illegal immigrants daily and detaining more than 56,000. By arresting more people without criminal records, the agency is shattering records as it begins fulfilling President Trump’s promise of mass deportations. Daily deportations have topped 1,100 as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tries to move people out of the country as fast as it arrests them. Experts say the president has had to battle significant headwinds to reach this point five months into his term. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly ordered ICE last month to broaden its aperture of arrests. He said ICE must be more aggressive to significantly decrease the number of illegal immigrants who settled in the U.S. during the Biden administration. As a result, ICE is arresting far more migrants without criminal records. As of June 14, 37% of the roughly 39,300 ICE detainees had criminal convictions and 33% had pending criminal charges, for a total criminal population of 70%. That was down from 77% in late May and significantly down from more than 94% in January, at the end of the Biden administration.

Axios [6/23/2025 3:20 PM, Monica Eng, 13599K] reports businesses that rely on immigrant workers face continued uncertainty as President Trump flip-flopped again Friday by suggesting farmers should be able to use undocumented labor as long as they "take responsibility" for the employees. Illinois and other Midwest economies rely heavily on farm workers, about 40% of whom are not authorized to be in the U.S., according to government statistics. This is the third time Trump has changed his stance on farm raids, but it’s unclear if or how the Department of Homeland Security will implement the president’s suggestion. DHS officials declined to answer specific questions but offered a statement from assistant DHS secretary Tricia McLaughlin: "The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts." "Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation."

AP [6/23/2025 7:15 PM, Christine Fernando, 1611K] reports that many of the protesters who flooded the streets of Los Angeles to oppose President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown wore masks or other face coverings, drawing scorn from him. "MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests," Trump posted on his social media platform, adding that mask-wearing protesters should be arrested. Protesters and their supporters argue Trump’s comments and repeated calls by the Republican president’s allies to ban masks at protests are an attempt to stifle popular dissent. They also note a double standard at play: In Los Angeles and elsewhere, protesters were at times confronted by officers who had their faces covered. And some U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have worn masks while carrying out high-profile raids in Los Angeles and other cities. All of which begs the question: Can something that covers your mouth protect free speech? Protesters say the answer is an emphatic yes. Several legal experts say it’s only a matter of time before the issue returns to the courts. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the California bill "despicable." "While ICE officers are being assaulted by rioters and having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them, a sanctuary politician is trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers," McLaughlin said in a statement. "I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line and their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is," ICE acting Director Todd Lyons said.

FOX News [6/23/2025 2:38 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports that Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., joined ICE as she promotes legislation to crack down on doxxing on federal authorities. [Editorial note: consult source link for video]

FOX News [6/23/2025 7:29 PM, Cameron Arcand, 46878K] report Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant in New Haven, Connecticut, who is wanted for allegedly killing a Mexican law enforcement officer. Orlando Diaz-Cebada, known as "El Leches," was taken into ICE custody on June 12, 2025, in Connecticut. He is allegedly a member of the Los Pochos gang that works with the Sinaloa Cartel, according to DHS. "Thanks to our brave ICE law enforcement and federal partners, this criminal illegal alien fugitive wanted for murdering a law enforcement official in Mexico is off America’s streets. This heinous murderer attempted to evade justice by hiding out in Connecticut," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "These are the types of barbaric criminal illegal aliens our brave ICE law enforcement risks their lives every day to arrest. America is no longer a safe haven for violent criminals. If you are a criminal illegal alien considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United. States," McLaughlin added. Diaz-Cebda entered the United States illegally in May 2024, and was deported twice by U.S. Border Patrol, as he tried to enter again two days after the first try. According to DHS, the circumstances of when he returned to the U.S. are unclear, as the department said he was not "inspected, admitted, or paroled" by federal authorities. A document reviewed by Fox News Digital from the attorney general’s office in Tlaxcala, a state in Mexico, showed that he is wanted in the country for aggravated homicide. The arrest warrant was filed on April 23, 2024, a month before he came to the U.S.

New York Post [6/23/2025 5:37 PM, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, 49956K] reports an illegal migrant on the lam after allegedly mowing down the son of a former cop in Nashville may be hiding out in The Bronx — and he’s now got a $10,000 bounty on his head. Fugitive Venezuelan Tony Gebian Lopez Infante, 32, has been the subject of a massive manhunt since the May 18 hit-and-run of 21-year-old Zack Carach — but may be running out of time as authorities zero in on the Big Apple, said a national police group offering up the hefty reward for Lopez Infante’s capture. Zack Carach was in Nashville celebrating his 21st birthday when he was struck and seriously injured by the rented Mitsubishit Mirage, keeping him hospitalized for weeks — and in a wheelchair for months after. Cops tracked down the car two days later at a car rental lot and found the front end damaged. The driver "should never have been in the US," a top official at the Department of Homeland Security told The Post about Lopez Infante earlier this month. Federal immigration officials said the illegal immigrant entered the US on Aug. 1, 2023, and was released into the country two weeks later — then ordered deported Sept. 25, 2024. But Lopez Infante never showed up to answer the order and remained a wanted man when he allegedly struck Zack.

CBS Philadelphia [6/23/2025 5:57 PM, Tom Ignudo, 51860K] reports a 54-year-old man impersonated an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a robbery in Northeast Philly earlier in June, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Robert Rosado, of Lawndale, was arrested last week in connection with the robbery inside an automobile shop on the 6500 block of Harbison Avenue in Mayfair, where he zip-tied a woman, according to the DA’s office. Rosado was charged with robbery, weapons charges, terroristic threats, impersonating a public servant and other offenses, the DA’s office said in a news release. On June 8, Rosado entered the automobile shop and announced he was an ICE agent and that he "was going to take undocumented employees into custody," the DA’s office said. The DA’s office said surveillance video shows Rosado dressed in a black baseball cap, blue latex gloves and a tactical vest that says "Security Enforcement Agent." He also had a black radio, a badge and a chain around his neck and a holstered gun. Rosado then zip-tied the hands of a woman working at the store, and stole about $1,000 before fleeing the area in an unmarked white van, the DA’s office said. Rosado was arrested after investigators tracked down the van’s license plate information from surveillance footage in the neighborhood. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found a fake badge, black radio, holster, an airsoft gun and zip ties, according to the DA’s office. Rosado is being held on $800,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled on July 8. "The policies coming from the current administration in Washington, D.C., are making it easier for U.S. citizens to commit crimes against marginalized people, such as immigrants," Philadelphia District Attorney Krasner said in a statement.

FOX News [6/23/2025 4:35 PM, Cameron Arcand, 46878K] reports Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn rode along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Volunteer State on Friday as she touted new legislation to penalize those who dox federal law enforcement. During Blackburn’s ride-along in Rutherford County, a suburban and rural area just outside of Nashville, ICE officers were "targeting" an illegal immigrant convicted of child sexual abuse, according to her office. Tennessee, particularly the city of Nashville, has become a flash point in the illegal immigration discussion.

NPR [6/24/2025 4:16 AM, Leila Fadel, 37958K] reports a journalist originally from El Salvador, known for covering immigration in the U.S., was detained by U.S. Immigration officials after covering a protest in Georgia. NPR’s Leila Fadel speaks with Katherine Jacobsen of the Committee to Protect Journalists. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

FOX News [6/23/2025 7:38 PM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 46878K] reports dozens of children were rescued in a blow to child sex trafficking operations in Florida, officials announced Monday. Dubbed Operation Dragon Eye, the initiative was spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals Office for the Central District of Florida and supported by the state Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP). The effort involved 20 agencies working in tandem to locate 60 critically missing children and apprehend suspects tied to trafficking, drugs and child endangerment. "The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission," Uthmeier said in a release. "As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority. If you victimize children, you’re going to prison, end of story.” Authorities said the recovered children ranged in age from 9 to 17, and many of them were missing and at risk of being exploited. The U.S. Marshals Service defines "critically missing" children as "those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure or domestic violence.” The operation uncovered the gut-wrenching realities of sex trafficking — including several young girls who were pregnant, one of them carrying the child of her trafficker. Officials stressed that the operation didn’t end with their rescue, but each child received immediate medical evaluations and psychological support, with long-term care protocols set in motion. "The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care," said U.S. Marshal William Berger. "This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youths will not return back to the streets to be further victimized.” The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) also played a central role in the operation. Commissioner Mark Glass assured the parents of missing children that the department will "never stop searching.” "Sixty kids saved. That number sends the message that Florida will never be a safe place for traffickers," Glass said. "At FDLE, we will continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. And to any family still missing their child, we will never stop searching until we make sure they are brought home safely.” Eight individuals were arrested during the operation, the agency said. They face a variety of charges, including human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession and drug trafficking. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may follow.

Reported similarly:
NewsNation [6/23/2025 4:39 PM, Ashley Suter, 5801K]

New York Times [6/23/2025 6:08 PM, Julie Bosman, 138952K] reports Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, became an inadvertent figure in the debate over immigration enforcement when federal prosecutors charged a Milwaukee judge this spring with obstruction and said she had helped him evade immigration officials. On Monday, a plea agreement was made public in the immigration case against Mr. Flores-Ruiz. The documents, signed on June 20, say he has agreed to plead guilty to entering the United States illegally after being removed from the country in 2013. According to the agreement, Mr. Flores-Ruiz will be deported from the United States after he serves whatever sentence he receives. The offense carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000, but the agreement says a lower sentence is expected. The agreement did not mention the Milwaukee judge, Hannah C. Dugan, or whether Mr. Flores-Ruiz would testify in her trial on the obstruction charge, which has yet to be scheduled. Separately from the federal immigration case, he still faces misdemeanor domestic abuse charges in Wisconsin, stemming from an altercation he had with his roommates, according to a criminal complaint. Those charges were the reason Mr. Flores-Ruiz was appearing in Judge Dugan’s courtroom in April. Mr. Flores-Ruiz has pleaded not guilty to those charges, which include battery.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 12:04 PM, John Binder, 3077K] reports an illegal alien Tren de Aragua gang member who was released into the United States by the Biden administration is now charged with attempted murder of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, an illegal alien and known member of Tren de Aragua, which has been designated as a terrorist organization, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and assault of a federal officer with infliction of bodily injury. On June 18, ICE agents sought to take Hurtado-Cariaco into custody in Bellevue, Nebraska. During the operation, Hurtado-Cariaco allegedly threw an ICE agent to the ground, bashed her head into the pavement, and ripped off her protective armor while repeatedly making violent contact with the agent. As a result, the ICE agent sustained serious injuries to her head and arm and was rushed to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Hurtado-Cariaco also allegedly assaulted an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). "This Venezuelan national is a criminal illegal alien and Tren de Aragua gang member who violently attacked an ICE and FBI agent and has been charged with attempted murder," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Our ICE agents are facing a 500% increase surge in assaults against them. Our brave law enforcement puts their lives on the line every day to arrest terrorists, gang members, and other violent criminals that the previous administration released into American communities. Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone who assaults an ICE law enforcement officer will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

New York Post [6/23/2025 12:41 PM, Jennie Taer, 49956K] reports Anti-ICE activists successfully helped a migrant child rapist flee the feds as they attempted to nab him in Denver, Colorado, Friday, ICE said. Immigration agents were trying to collar Jose Reyes Leon-Deras, who hails from El Salvador and was convicted of child rape in Italy, but were disrupted by the activist group that post of the fed’s whereabouts, ICE wrote on X. Anti-ICE activist group Colorado Rapid Response shared the agents’ location on social media, the feds said. As a result, the criminal illegal migrant was able to flee. “During our surveillance of Leon, members of Colorado Rapid Response arrived on scene and alerted him to law enforcement’s presence, which allowed him to escape arrest,” ICE said. “Groups like this interfere with ICE’s ability to keep communities safe.” Anti-ICE activists tried to block the entrance of an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday before they launched fireworks and shined lasers at cops, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital.

CNN [6/23/2025 5:50 PM, Zoe Sottile, 21433K] reports a Marine Corps veteran says he feels betrayed after his father was beaten and arrested by masked federal agents while working at his landscaping job, caught up in one of the ongoing ICE workplace raids that advocates say have left immigrant communities terrified and on edge. Alejandro Barranco told CNN Monday that his father, Narciso Barranco, was detained by federal agents Saturday afternoon while working as a landscaper at an IHOP in Santa Ana, California. The 25-year-old Marine veteran said his father was born in Mexico and has lived in the US since the 90s. He is undocumented but has no criminal record, his son said. Video of the incident shows several masked men in tactical gear pinning Barranco to the ground and repeatedly striking him in the head and neck. Several of the men are seen wearing vests that read "US Border Patrol Police" on the back. The men then forced Barranco into an unmarked vehicle, holding his arms behind his back, the video shows. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told CNN in response to an inquiry about Barranco an "illegal alien" was arrested by Border Patrol agents after he "tried to evade law enforcement." "The illegal alien ran, then turned and swung a weed whacker directly at an agent’s face," said McLaughlin. "He then fled through a busy intersection and raised the weed whacker again at the agent. The illegal alien refused to comply every step of the way—resisting commands, fighting handcuffs, and refusing to identify himself." Barranco is currently in ICE custody, according to McLaughlin.

AP [6/23/2025 10:00 PM, Julie Watson, 56000K] reports a U.S. Marine Corps veteran said he was shocked to see a video on social media of his father, a landscaper in Southern California, being beaten by masked U.S. Border Patrol officers as he was pinned to the ground during an immigration arrest. The Saturday arrest of Narciso Barranco, who came to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1990s but does not have legal status, is the latest to capture widespread attention as the crackdown on immigration by President Donald Trump’s administration draws scrutiny and protests. Witnesses uploaded videos of the arrest in Santa Ana, a city in Orange County between San Diego and Los Angeles. No footage showed the entire incident from start to finish as agents struggled with Barranco outside an IHOP restaurant. Narciso Barranco was taken to a federal immigration detention center in downtown Los Angeles where he is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco, said his father called him Sunday and told him that he was in a lot of pain. "He just started crying," Barranco said of his 48-year-old father. The Department of Homeland Security said Barranco refused to comply with commands and swung his weed trimmer at an agent. The agents "took appropriate action and followed their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers," the email statement added. Alejandro Barranco said his father did not attack anyone, had no criminal record and is kind and hardworking. He said the agents’ use of force was unnecessary and differed greatly from his military training for crowds and riot control. He aided the U.S. military’s evacuation of personnel and Afghan allies from Afghanistan in 2021. "It’s uncalled for, not appropriate or professional in the way they handled that situation," Barranco said. "It looks like he’s putting up resistance on the ground but that’s a natural human reaction and I think anybody would do that to defend themselves when they are being beaten on the ground by four men.” DHS posted a video in which Barranco is seen running with the trimmer in the air as agents try to corral him. At one point, an agent sprays him with pepper spray, and Barranco moves the trimmer between him and the agent but it does not touch him. Behind him, another officer has his gun drawn as he crosses a busy intersection.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 6:33 PM, Kaitlyn Huamani, 14672K]

Breitbart [6/23/2025 2:19 PM, John Binder, 3077K] reports that a mob of rioters in the sanctuary city of Los Angeles, California, reportedly helped an illegal alien break out of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and fled with him, a new report reveals. The report from the Manhattan Institute’s Heather Mac Donald, published in the Wall Street Journal, details the extent to which California’s sanctuary state policy enabled the anti-ICE riots that occurred earlier this month while ensuring activists could assist illegal aliens in committing jailbreak. In one particular case, Mac Donald reports, a mob of rioters surrounded ICE agents who had arrested an illegal alien before helping the detainee escape in a movie-like scenario: The day before, according to the commander I interviewed, a mob of several dozen surrounded two ICE agents taking an illegal alien into custody on Vermont Boulevard. Six men jumped out of a truck and grabbed the handcuffed suspect from the back of the ICE van, threw the suspect into their truck, and fled. The ICE agents gave chase, but without sirens or lights, the pursuit was futile. Neither of these incidents was reported in the press. The commander said the LAPD didn’t put out an alert for its officers to apprehend the fleeing abduction squad, presumably to avoid violating Los Angeles’s sanctuary law, which bans using city personnel for federal immigration enforcement. Law enforcement officers, according to Mac Donald’s report, want California’s sanctuary state policy overturned so that they can coordinate with ICE agents in making arrests of criminal illegal aliens.

Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 9:30 AM, Karim Doumar, 14672K] reports for two weeks in June, protesters across L.A. made front-page news. In groups large and small, they showed up to oppose immigration raids, marched on the federal building downtown and rallied to cry out "no kings" in the United States. They faced a downtown curfew, an onslaught of insults from the president, dissension in their own ranks, violent or messy compatriots, and whack-a-mole attempts to try to keep up with the federal immigration enforcement agents crisscrossing the region. They also faced the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD’s protest response, which left many protesters injured, has once again triggered lawsuits and outrage, my colleagues Libor Jany and James Queally reported this weekend. Alongside our colleagues Julia Wick, Connor Sheets and Richard Winton, and L.A. Times reporters who fanned out across the region over the last two weeks, they reported the following: Despite years of costly lawsuits, oversight measures and promises by leaders to rein in indiscriminate use of force during protests, the LAPD faces sharp criticism, fresh litigation and questions about tactics used by officers over the past two weeks.

Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 12:36 PM, Anita Chabria, 14672K] reports Rep. Judy Chu first went inside the immigrant detention center in Adelanto in 2014, and conditions were bad. When she made it back inside the privately run facility in the Mojave desert last week, things weren’t much better. "It is just scandalous as to how it has not improved," she told me. Truth be told, conditions are likely to get worse, if only because of sheer numbers and chaos. Which makes it all the more important to have elected leaders like Chu willing to put themselves on the front lines to give a voice to the truly, really voiceless. As tens of thousands of immigrants are chased down and incarcerated across the United States, oversight of their detention has become both increasingly difficult and important. Shortly after the unannounced visit to Adelanto by Chu and four other members of Congress a few days ago, ICE announced new rules attempting to further limit access by lawmakers to its facilities — despite clear federal law allowing them unannounced entrance to such lockups. While Chu and others have called these new curbs on access illegal, they are still likely to be enforced until and unless courts rule otherwise. The narrow, fragile line of the judicial branch is holding, for now. But families and even lawyers are struggling to keep track of those who vanish into these facilities, many of which — including Adelanto — are operated by private, for-profit companies raking in millions of dollars from the government.

Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 5:36 PM, Summer Lin, 14672K] reports an Afghan national who served as a translator for the U.S. military and entered the U.S. legally was arrested during his immigration hearing in San Diego and is now being detained. On June 12, Sayed Naser, whose full name is being withheld because of safety reasons, was at a courthouse in San Diego for a routine immigration hearing and was detained by ICE agents wearing neck gaiters over their faces, according to video of the incident. Naser worked as a translator and logistics contractor for the U.S. forces at military bases in Afghanistan, according to a press release from AfghanEvac, a nonprofit created to support the safe relocation of Afghan allies. Naser’s brother was killed by the Taliban in September 2023 during a wedding, forcing him and his family to go into hiding in Iran. He got a humanitarian visa to Brazil and entered the U.S. legally in July 2024 through Mexico, according to the release. He was granted humanitarian parole, applied for a Special Immigrant Visa and was in the process of scheduling an asylum hearing when he was arrested by ICE. Naser has no criminal record, has an active asylum case and has another brother who was granted asylum weeks before Naser was detained, according to the release. During the hearing, the U.S. government tried to dismiss his asylum case, saying that Naser’s notice to appear was "improvidently issued" without giving any other explanation, according to the release. The judge didn’t dismiss the case and gave Naser and his attorney time to respond to the motion. Naser is being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, McGoldrick said.

NewsNation [6/23/2025 4:16 PM, Will Conybeare, 5801K] reports a law is being introduced that would require agents participating in immigration enforcement activity to identify themselves. The statewide legislation would "reinforce the importance of law enforcement properly identifying themselves during enforcement actions," according to a media release from the pair of politicians sponsoring the bill, California Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena) and Pasadena Mayor Victor M. Gordo. The proposed law comes as many immigration raids take place across Southern California, some of which are conducted by masked agents who use physical force to take people into custody.

Blaze [6/23/2025 6:23 PM, Cooper Williamson, 1805K] reports as the Trump administration continues its mission to enforce our nation’s laws and deport illegal aliens, violent resistance is becoming far more commonplace. However, many media outlets continue to report only part of the story to paint illegal aliens and their supporters in a better light than some deserve. On Saturday, a Santa Ana suspect, identified as Narciso Barranco by his family, reportedly violently resisted arrest by U.S. Border Patrol agents. One of the sons of the suspect told KTLA-TV that Barranco was "picked up by alleged federal immigration officers while he was working as a landscaper at the IHOP on Edinger Avenue and Ritchey Street.” KTLA described the allegedly violent suspect as a "victim" and emphasized his role as a "father.” KTLA also implied that the U.S. Border Patrol agents were not acting legitimately, saying, "Seven or more masked men wearing U.S. Border Patrol vests are seen violently detaining a father in Santa Ana before forcing him into the back of an unmarked car on Saturday.” The video that KTLA included in its post apparently cuts out the beginning of the incident, in which the suspect is seen wielding a weed whacker and running from the agents as they attempt to detain him. Watch the full video above. "On June 21, Border Patrol agents arrested an illegal alien who tried to evade law enforcement. The illegal alien ran, then turned and swung a weed whacker directly at an agent’s face. He then fled through a busy intersection and raised the weed whacker again at the agent. The illegal alien refused to comply every step of the way — resisting commands, fighting handcuffs, and refusing to identify himself," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Blaze News. The DHS spokesperson also said: "Reports that officers dislocated his shoulder are FALSE. He was offered medical care, which he declined." The office confirmed that the suspect is now in ICE custody. On X, the DHS account replied to KTLA’s post regarding this incident, calling the outlet’s coverage a "completely slanted portrayal": "He ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER. Perhaps the mainstream media would like our officers to stand there and be mowed down instead of defending themselves?". DHS reaffirmed its commitment to continuing deportations, despite a rising rate of violent resistance. "Law enforcement is now facing a 500% increase in assaults while carrying out enforcement operations. But this will not deter CBP — we will continue enforcing the law and protecting American communities."

Washington Examiner [6/23/2025 5:59 PM, Mackenzie Thomas, 1934K] reports the Department of Homeland Security responded to online criticism on Monday following a Border Patrol arrest in Santa Ana, California, over the weekend. Border Patrol officers arrested Narciso Barranco on Saturday while he was on a landscaping job at a local IHOP, according to KTLA 5. After a video of the arrest went viral online, the officers faced criticism for how they handled the incident, to which DHS responded on social media on Monday. News outlets such as FOX 11 LA reported that officers pepper-sprayed Barranco, showing footage of officers repeatedly hitting Barranco, who had run into traffic wielding the weed whacker just moments before, as they tried to restrain him. Once Barranco was handcuffed, officers tried to put him in the backseat of an SUV but had to push him inside after he resisted. According to his son, Narciso Barranco is undocumented and in the country illegally.

Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 9:21 PM, Ruben Vives and Dakota Smith, 14672K] reports that, any day now, Noemi Gongora knows Border Patrol agents could snatch her up from the streets and send her back to El Salvador, a country she fled more than 30 years ago. But every morning, she steps out of the small bedroom she rents for $550 a month and goes to work for a street vendor selling cocteles de curiles — clam cocktails. The stand is one of dozens that make up an informal market that sits along a busy road near the border of Koreatown and Pico Union, two densely populated neighborhoods with a large number of Korean and Central American immigrants, an area likely to be targeted by federal agents. Gongora, 64, knows this and that the $50 she makes a day is not worth the risk of deportation, but there is still a life to be lived and bills to pay, and above all, she needs the money for the medication she uses to manage her cholesterol and diabetes. Medicine that is starting to run out. Every day, thousands of street vendors set up shop on a piece of pavement in Los Angeles and beyond to make a living and create a path out of poverty or to have their own bricks-and-mortar one day. These self-starters are American citizens, immigrants living in the country legally and illegally, and are part of a $504-million industry in L.A., according to estimates from the Economic Roundtable, a nonprofit public policy research organization. But the immigration raids that are taking place across the city, sparking protests, sporadic violence and the rare deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines have brought economic hardship, forcing vendors who are illegally in the country to choose between staying home safely or risking deportation to provide for themselves and their families. "They’re fearful of stepping out of their home," said Gloria Medina of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education, a grassroots organization based in South L.A. "Some [families] have made a decision that one will stay at home and one will risk going to work because if one is risking going to work and gets caught up in a raid, at least there is one parent at home that children can come back to, and those are really hard decisions folks have to make.” Medina said some families are afraid of falling into debt as they’re unable to pay bills. There are also expenses like college tuition for their kids, medicine for chronic diseases and caring for their elderly parents. She said some parents send their U.S.-born children to pay the utility bills, which comes with its own risks. "Yes, my teenage son or daughter can go and run these errands for the family so that we can, you know, keep the gas on and keep the lights on and the water running," Medina said. "But there’s still a fear of making sure that they’re not going to be mistakenly kidnapped or snatched up in a raid.” Some of those hardships extend to workers who go door-to-door to sell products for companies such as Avon and Mary Kay.

SFGate [6/23/2025 6:10 PM, Snejana Farberov, 11859K] reports nearly 70,000 people have signed up for President Donald Trump’s "gold card" visa plan, which offers a path to legal U.S. residency to wealthy foreign investors willing to pay $5 million each. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who is overseeing the gold card visa, also known as the "Trump Card," program, last week launched TrumpCard.gov, the website where candidates for residency could get on a waitlist by providing their name, region where they live, and email address. The card displayed on the online portal features Trump’s portrait and signature, alongside images of the Statue of Liberty and a bald eagle. The words "The Trump Card is Coming" appear beneath the presidential seal. Speaking to the Financial Times this week, Lutnick boasted that the card, which is not yet available for purchase, will be made of gold. "It will be beautiful," Lutnick gushed. "Donald Trump appreciates these kinds of things. He cares about how it looks. He cares about how it feels. I mean, he deeply cares about that, and thinks if you’re going to buy and make the investment in America, we should give you something that is beautiful.” Lutnick also revealed that the idea for the Trump Card originated with billionaire hedge fund manager and prominent MAGA donor John Paulson, who reportedly suggested that it could help the federal government get a handle on its soaring $36 trillion debt. Trump first floated the idea of selling gold card visas to the world’s elites in late February, speculating during a Cabinet meeting that the plan could potentially eliminate the national debt altogether. "If we sell a million [gold cards], that’s $5 trillion," he mused. "If we sell 10 million, which is possible ... that’s $50 trillion.” The president predicted high demand for his gold cards from the world’s deep-pocketed investors, saying at the time: "We will sell a lot because I think there’s really a thirst.” Trump and Lutnick both envision that the Trump Card will ultimately replace the EB-5 visa program, which since 1990 has been offering U.S. visas to foreigners who invest around $1 million in domestic businesses employing at least 10 Americans.

Bloomberg Law [6/23/2025 12:27 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 1707K] reports employers enrolled in E-Verify can begin using the program to identify immigrant workers whose work permit was terminated. Businesses should generate a status change report through the federal employment verification system to view work permit revocations, the Department of Homeland Security said in an online update. Industries across the country have navigated weeks of uncertainty after the US Supreme Court allowed DHS to move ahead with termination of removal protections and employment authorization for several hundred thousand immigrants covered by Temporary Protected Status and parole programs. Knowingly employing unauthorized workers can lead to civil penalties and criminal prosecution. But companies can violate anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act by auditing employment authorization based on the national origin of workers. The agency this month began notifying immigrants admitted through the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela parole process—although not employers—that their benefits were terminated and that they should depart the country. More than half of parolees admitted through CHNV have pending claims for asylum, green cards, or TPS, according to federal data released in litigation over the program.

NPR [6/23/2025 5:42 PM, Wayne Schutsky, 37958K] Audio: HERE reports President Trump promised to carry out the most deportations in U.S. history, focused on criminals. But now, immigration officials are going after asylum seekers who say they’re fleeing persecution.

Reuters [6/24/2025 4:28 AM, Mike Dolan, 51390K] reports if you’re wondering why so many U.S. Federal Reserve officials are remaining hawkish despite slowing growth, consider how the dramatic drop in immigration and the graying of America are impacting the unfolding labor market picture. Often overlooked by markets focused on the latest news about tariffs, geopolitics and energy markets, curtailing illegal immigration, a signature policy of President Donald Trump, is now starting to move the needle on the U.S. jobs outlook. The flow of migrant workers into the U.S. has effectively halted over the past year. The pace was already slowing sharply before the election but has ground to a near halt along with the rise in deportations this year. Couple that with the steadily aging population of existing workers, and it looks like a labor crunch could be on the horizon. Economists at Barclays tracking these trends reckon that ‘potential’ non-farm private payrolls growth - or the level of extra jobs that can be created without leading to worker shortages - could fall to less than 10,000 per month by the end of next year from more than 100,000 today. They estimate that potential job growth will fall to about 60,000 within the next six months, slowing potential economic growth to only 1.4-1.6% year-on-year through next year from just over 2% now. These numbers are pretty stark when considering that average monthly private payrolls growth has been around 172,000 over the past two years.

The Hill [6/23/2025 6:00 AM, Lexi Lonas Cochran, 18649K] reports advocates for foreign students fear that a new Trump administration visa requirement of a social media review will serve as an ideological litmus test. While the resumption of visa applications was welcomed, the State Department’s announcement that it would require public access to applicants’ posts added a new layer of uncertainty to the process. "It’s good news, bad news. I mean, I’m happy that the interviews are opening up again, because there’s a lot of students that are running out of time to get here in the fall, and so that was creating a lot of stress and anxiety for them. But also … there’s still a lot of uncertainty," said Shaun Carver, executive director of International House at the University of California, Berkeley. "I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask to check people’s social media accounts to come to the United States and make sure that they have the right intentions … I think what we’ve learned from this administration is that there’s no clarity on what they’re looking," he added. "Is it anything critical of Trump will be triggered that you’re not allowed to come or are they looking for something that’s more specific to national security, not just political viewpoints?" The State Department said it would look for those "who pose a threat to U.S. national security." A person who refuses to make their social media accounts public could be denied a student visa to the United States.

CBS New York [6/23/2025 7:23 PM, Jennifer Bisram, 51860K] Video: HERE reports New York City is closing its largest migrant arrival center at the storied Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan after it opened during the height of the crisis. Since then, more than 150,000 asylum seekers from 160 countries, speaking 60 languages, have come through the landmark Manhattan hotel’s doors, according to NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President Dr. Ted Long. The migrant intake center will officially shut down early Tuesday morning. The Roosevelt Hotel became a symbol of the migrant crisis in New York City months after it started housing asylum seekers in May 2023. Images of migrants lining the sidewalks outside the century-old hotel waiting for beds to open up are etched in the city’s history, after dozens slept on the street outside when told the shelter reached capacity. "That moment in particular was one of those moments where we just turned around and said we just couldn’t open sites fast enough," said Molly Schaeffer, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Asylum Seeker Operations. On Monday, the center’s last full day in operation, crews packed up furniture and the remaining asylum seekers there continued receiving services, from health screenings to job assistance. "When you first come in here, we screen everybody for communicable diseases, that includes a full-body skin exam for measles, chickenpox," Long said. "We still have asylum seekers coming in every week. But we’re in a much difference place than we were when we had to open this site," Schaeffer said. "Some of our food venders that worked in these sites are hiring the same asylum seekers that used to live in these sites.” Mayor Eric Adams said the city has spent $7 billion to house, feed and provide services to migrants since 2022. In February, he announced a plan to close 53 shelters by June. According to the city, 237,000 asylum seekers have arrived since April 2022, including 4,000 weekly arrivals at the height of the crisis. The number of arrivals now is down to about 100 per week. The Roosevelt housed and helped 155,000 asylum seekers, including about 3,000 per day, since it opened as a shelter.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 11:28 PM, Paul Bois, 3077K] reports a man who immigrated to the U.S. from Rwanda has been indicted for allegedly hiding his genocidal past to gain citizenship. An Ohio federal grand jury indicted 65-year-old Vincent Nzigiyimfura last Friday for hiding his role in the infamous 1994 Rwandan genocide in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Per Mid Michigan Now: In 2014, Nzigiyimfura applied to become a U.S. citizen by making false statements and omitting material facts, according to the jury. He allegedly claimed he never persecuted anybody or committed any crimes, statements that contradicted his past as a leader of the genocide in some areas of Rwanda. The jury added that Nzigiyimfura reaffirmed those claims in an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Nzigiyimfura led the genocide, in the southern Rwandan area of Gihisi and southern-central town of Nyanza, of ethnic Tutsis, the jury found. He allegedly provided weapons, transportation and incentives to members of the Hutu majority population, directing them to search for and apprehend Tutsis to be killed. The jury noted that Nzigiyimfura also set up roadblocks to detain and kill Tutsis and tricked those in hiding to believe the killings had stopped. The murders hadn’t, though, and the Tutsis were rounded up and executed, according to the jury. Matthew Galeotti, head of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, said in a press release that the evidence suggests Nzigiyimfura "directed and encouraged murders during the genocide.” "The United States is not a safe haven for human rights violators. Those, like the defendant, who commit immigration fraud to hide their violent pasts will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he said. Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly Norris for the Southern District of Ohio said that the indictment alleges Nzigiyimfura "facilitated the killings of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide and then lied about it on immigration applications in the United States.” "This egregious conduct will not be tolerated," said Norris.

New York Post [6/23/2025 4:08 PM, Jennie Taer, 49956K] reports Customs and Border Protection is warning agents about possible terrorist "sleeper cells" in the US after more than 700 Iranian nationals were let into the US after crossing illegally under the Biden administration, according to a leaked memo obtained by The Post. Iranian migrants are considered to be "special interest aliens" and are supposed to undergo additional vetting by the feds for possible terrorism ties. Under the Biden administration, over 1,500 Iranian migrants were caught crossing the border illegally and nearly 50% of them were released into the US, according to Fox News. Border agents are now being put on high alert of the possibility of Iranians using the border to carry out attacks on the US following the Trump administration’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott cited "Iran’s hatred for the United States and their desire to harm America and Americans," in Saturday’s memo to border agents. On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a terrorism alert that warned officials to be on the lookout for Iranian-led attacks over the next three months by terror cells inspired to retaliate following Saturday night’s strike.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 4:11 PM, Bob Price, 3077K] reports during the four fiscal years of the Biden administration, approximately 1,500 Iranian nationals were apprehended by Border Patrol agents after illegally entering the United States. Officials say that nearly half of those were released into the U.S. interior. Data obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that between FY21 and FY24, Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,510 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. Of those, 800 illegally entered the U.S. during FY24, President Joe Biden’s last full year in office. During the four years of the first administration of President Donald Trump, Border Patrol agents apprehended only 60 Iranian nationals. Iranian migrant apprehensions by Border Patrol agents quickly escalated to 50 during FY21, 200 in FY22, 460 in FY23, and 800 in FY24. During the first two months of FY25, the number fell back to 50, according to the CBP report. These numbers do not include any Iranian nationals who entered the U.S. and became "gotaways" when they managed to slip by agents along the border. CBP officials told Fox News that Border Patrol agents released 729 of the approximately 1,500 Iranian special interest aliens into the U.S. interior. By year, agents released 12 in FY21, 40 in FY22, 229 in FY23, and 448 in FY24. Officials did not disclose how many, if any, of the 729 released Iranian nationals appear on the terrorist watchlist. All Iranian migrants entering the U.S. are classified as Special Interest Aliens. CBP reports obtained by Breitbart show that during the four fiscal years of the Biden administration, 394 special interest aliens were apprehended who appear on the Terrorist Screening Data Set.

FOX News [6/23/2025 7:20 PM, Peter Pinedo, 46878K] reports following reports that 729 Iranian nationals illegally entered the U.S. and were released into the country by the Biden administration, experts are warning that sanctuary jurisdictions with policies obstructing ICE and federal immigration enforcement may be the most vulnerable targets for Iranian-sponsored terror attacks looking to retaliate for the U.S. strikes over the weekend. The number of Iranians released into the country by Border Patrol agents under former President Joe Biden’s administration increased successively each year of the administration. In total, Border Patrol 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 United States. Just hours after Trump addressed the nation on U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the DHS released a new memo sounding the alarm on a "heightened threat environment in the United States.” The bulletin states, "The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if the Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.” NBC News reported that Iran sent a message to Trump at the G7 summit last week that it could activate "sleeper cells" to conduct terror attacks in the U.S. "We have to assume threats may arise," Lora Ries, a director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. Ries said that while the government is aware of 729 Iranian illegal immigrants being released into the country under Biden, the real concern is that "we have no idea" how many unknown "gotaways" there could be in the U.S. presently. She said the concerns are most acute in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that have policies or, in the case of Los Angeles, populations that are actively obstructing federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations. "Democrats need to start supporting deportations," she remarked, pointing out that despite a narrative that ICE agents are arresting innocent immigrants, many of the illegals are serious criminals, or in some cases, even terrorists.

FOX Business [6/23/2025 6:45 PM, Staff, 9940K] Video: HERE reports Customs and Border Protection senior advisor Ron Vitiello discusses the effects of open U.S. borders during the Biden administration and the possibility of Iranian sleeper cell agents in the country on ‘The Bottom Line’.

AP [6/23/2025 10:00 PM, Valerie Gonzalez, 31733K] reports immigration arrests seen on video are showing an emerging trend: More Border Patrol agents are doing their jobs far from the borders with Mexico or Canada. A Border Patrol agent was seen hitting a Southern California landscaper on the head and neck as he was pinned to the ground during an arrest Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security said the man swung his weed trimmer at agents. The man’s son, Alejandro Barranco, a Marine veteran, said his father was scared but did not attack anyone. With border arrests at the lowest levels in about 60 years, the roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents are showing up elsewhere. President Donald Trump’s House-approved "big, beautiful bill" proposes $8 billion to increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff by 10,000 people. Until then, the agency primarily responsible for interior enforcement is relying on other federal agencies as it struggles to meet a daily arrest target of at least 3,000 set by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff and chief architect of immigration policy. ICE, with only about 6,000 deportation officers, has found a ready partner in the Border Patrol, which is also part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It comes at a time when border arrests plunged to an average of 282 a day in May after peaking at more than 8,000 a day in December 2023. Agents in the Border Patrol’s Yuma, Arizona, sector assisted ICE officers last week in Philadelphia, Justin De La Torre, the sector chief, said in a social media post. His sector averaged only four arrests a day on the Arizona border last month after peaking at more than 1,100 a day in May 2023. Greg Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol’s El Centro, California, sector, appeared alongside U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a news conference this month in Los Angeles during which U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcefully removed, pushed to the ground and handcuffed. "We’re here and not going away," Bovino said, introducing himself to reporters as his agency’s top representative during ICE-led operations in Los Angeles. Few see any reason to doubt the Border Patrol will remain. "So long as the border remains relatively quiet, we will continue to see the Border Patrol deployed to act almost as if they are ICE agents," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, an advocacy group.

Breitbart [6/24/2025 1:56 AM, Staff, 3077K] reports officers seized more than $25 million worth of counterfeit jewelry in Kentucky last week, before the thousands of pieces could be sold to unsuspecting buyers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Monday. The first shipment of 318 bracelets with unauthorized Cartier trademarks arrived Thursday from China and was heading to a home in Pennsylvania. A second shipment of unauthorized Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry — necklaces, earrings and rings — arrived the same day from Hong Kong en route to a residence in Florida. On Friday, officers seized three shipments of 800 fake Cartier bracelets from China. Two of the shipments were heading to North Carolina and another to Michigan. Had the 2,193 pieces of jewelry been sold as genuine, they could have sold for more than $25 million, according to CBP officers. “Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities and organized crime,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of field operations at CBP’s Chicago Field Office. China and Hong Kong are the top two source countries for Intellectual Property Rights seizures. The two countries accounted for 90% of all IPR seizures of counterfeit jewelry, watches and handbags last year, according to CBP. The proceeds from the sale of unlicensed products, which often use harmful or banned materials and support illegal labor practices, are commonly funneled back to support organized crime, according to Sutton-Burke, who said counterfeit sales also hurt business. “When consumers purchase counterfeit goods, legitimate companies lose revenue, which can force those companies to cut jobs. Our officers are dedicated to protecting private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of shipments from our commerce.”

Bridge Detroit [6/23/2025 3:48 PM, Lauren Gibbons, 31K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and fellow Trump administration officials are “not letting our guard down” at the US-Canada border, she said Friday in Michigan. “Many more” transnational gang members are now attempting to cross into the country’s northern border amid ramped-up security at the southern border with Mexico, she said during a panel discussion in Detroit with Republican US Rep. John James and other border security advocates. “As we seal those secure areas where criminals may want to cross, they will find new areas,” Noem said, warning a crowd of conservative allies that unauthorized immigrants could enter by land, sea or high-traffic border crossings like Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge. There were 13,697 encounters between authorities and unauthorized immigrants at Michigan’s border with Canada last year — a small fraction of the 2.9 million encounters reported nationally, according to federal data. Michigan border encounters were down 46% in the first five months 2025. James, a Shelby Township Republican running for governor, called Michigan the “epicenter” of what he called a “northern border crisis.” He urged Canadians to acknowledge concerns from President Donald Trump. “We need them to take our border security as seriously as they want us to take their sovereignty,” James said at the event, organized by a group called “America’s Future Tour.”

The Hill [6/23/2025 4:27 PM, Staff, 18649K] reports in graphic video that has since gone viral, some seven or more masked men wearing U.S. Border Patrol vests were seen violently detaining a father in Santa Ana, Calif., before forcing him into the back of an unmarked car on Saturday. The violent incident sparked protests in the following hours, and an online fundraiser was started through GoFundMe, where family members identified the victim as Tustin, Calif., resident Narciso Barranco, a father to three sons who are all U.S. Marines. One of those sons, 25-year-old Alejandro Barranco, told KTLA that his father was pepper-sprayed in addition to repeatedly being punched in the face during his detention. According to Alejandro, Narciso was picked up by alleged federal immigration officers while he was working as a landscaper at the IHOP on Edinger Avenue and Ritchey Street.

Univision [6/23/2025 3:57 PM, Staff, 4992K] reports a viral video showing the violent arrest of Narciso Barranco, the father of three Marines, by at least seven federal agents last weekend has sparked community outrage. The incident occurred when Barranco, a 48-year-old landscaper, was working outside an IHOP restaurant in Tustin and was intercepted by masked and armed men in unmarked vehicles wearing only Border Patrol vests. Upon noticing their presence, the detainee panicked and tried to flee, but federal agents immediately caught up with him, knocked him to the ground, pressed his head against the concrete, and knelt on his neck while repeatedly punching him in the face. They then pushed him and pressed a baton against his neck, forcing him into the back of a light-colored, unmarked Chevrolet pickup truck, while bystanders pleaded with the officers to stop the attack on Barranco. Barranco, a Tustin resident, is the father of three sons who are serving or have served in the U.S. Marine Corps. His oldest son, Alejandro Barranco, is a war veteran in Afghanistan. His two younger sons are currently stationed at Camp Pendleton. Alejandro learned of his father’s arrest through social media. He stated that Narciso has no criminal record and had begun the process of obtaining his U.S. citizenship. During the arrest, Barranco reportedly suffered a dislocated shoulder. Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua also spoke out on the case. She criticized the officers’ actions, calling them inappropriate and demanding that immigration authorities act in accordance with the law and with greater transparency. Meanwhile, Barranco remains in custody at a detention center in Los Angeles. His family and legal team are seeking to halt possible deportation proceedings. So far, no federal immigration authority has commented on the incident.

Blaze [6/23/2025 7:30 PM, Staff, 1805K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced the end of an Obama-era program that involved spying on U.S. citizens — and cost those citizens hundreds of millions in tax dollars a year. "Today I’m announcing that TSA is ending the Quiet Skies program, which involved having a federal agent follow U.S. citizens as they traveled by air. It was created by Obama in 2012 to supposedly track dangerous individuals, but instead it was weaponized against political enemies such as Tulsi Gabbard," Noem said in a video posted to social media. "Since its existence, it has failed to stop a single terrorist attack, while it cost U.S. taxpayers roughly about $200 million a year," she added. Independent journalist Breanna Morello has been on the frontlines of breaking this story and has uncovered just how American citizens would end up on these lists. "What they used is a program called Evade, which was another Obama program that was started. And what they did is they used Evade to add people to the TSA terror watch list," Morello tells BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales on "Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.” "Evade was a private-sector company that was going out there looking at your social media posts," Morello continues. "The reality of it is everyone I found who’s on these lists are all conservative.” "So they intentionally went above and beyond to target people. Now, Tulsi Gabbard, the following day after she criticized Kamala Harris, was added to that terror watch list," she adds. Morello also explains that hundreds of Americans, including those who attended the January 6 rally, were added to the same watch list. "For years, they were followed by air marshals, they were stalked by TSA, they went through additional groping that they didn’t have to go through," she tells Gonzales. "But again, the TSA is not an investigative agency.”

Detroit Free Press [6/23/2025 4:36 PM, Nour Rahal, 4241K] reports an inert hand grenade found in a carry-on bag triggered an evacuation at a security checkpoint in Detroit Metro Airport on Sunday, June 15, federal officials said. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers discovered the grenade during routine screening, according to a TSA news release. The checkpoint was immediately closed while an explosives specialist and airport police examined the device and confirmed it was not a threat. "When individuals bring prohibited items to our checkpoints, it significantly slows down the security screening process for other travelers," Reggie Stephens, TSA’s federal security director for Michigan, said in a statement. The screening area reopened after officials confirmed there was no threat.

AP [6/23/2025 5:48 PM, Jack Dura, 56000K] reports two tornadoes that killed six people in North Dakota and New York each had wind speeds topping 100 mph and caused brief but widespread damage as they tore through largely rural areas, officials said. Three people, all in their 70s and 80s, died in rural Enderlin, North Dakota, during a storm that struck late Friday and early Saturday, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said. Three others, including twin 6-year-old sisters, died Sunday in a storm that struck the hamlet of Clark Mills in central New York, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office said. The National Weather Service gave preliminary ratings of EF-2 to EF-3 or potentially higher for three tornadoes that struck eastern North Dakota — meaning wind speeds of 111 to 135 mph (179 to 217 kph) and 136 to 165 mph (219 to 266 kph), respectively, with varying severity of damage. EF-3 and stronger ranges are not usual for the Northern Plains, National Weather Service Meteorologist Jacob Spender said. “As we go higher on the scale, it’s not as common but they can still happen,” he said. The tornadoes uprooted numerous trees, tossed train cars and damaged houses, Spender said. The night included supercells in southeastern North Dakota and a derecho — a powerful windstorm — that tore across the state to the east.

San Francisco Chronicle [6/23/2025 4:51 PM, Aidin Vaziri, 4120K] reports two fast-moving wildfires broke out Monday afternoon in Contra Costa County, prompting a rapid aerial response in Rodeo and a brief evacuation warning in Alamo as fire crews scrambled to contain both blazes. The larger of the two, known as the Rodeo Fire, erupted southeast of Clayes Court and Stirling Drive, just off Highway 4. Fueled by dry grasslands, the fire quickly grew to 62 acres with a moderate rate of spread and briefly threatened nearby homes. Cal Fire launched an aggressive air assault, including tankers and a Fire Hawk helicopter, to slow the fire’s advance. By late afternoon, officials said the fire had shifted away from residential areas and was held in check by retardant lines and roadways. Meanwhile, a separate blaze, known as the Alameda Fire, sparked on the 2300 block of Alameda Diablo in Alamo. That fire, estimated at 5 acres, prompted an evacuation warning from the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office.

Houston Chronicle [6/23/2025 2:41 PM, Caroline Wilburn, 1982K] reports that a search was underway Monday afternoon for a missing man last seen on his personal watercraft near the Galveston-Bolivar Ferry, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. The man was last seen on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. while wearing a white and green fishing shirt and blue shorts, officials said in a Facebook post. His white, gray and orange Sea-Doo was found east of San Leon with his belongings around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Anyone with information about the missing man is urged to call the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston at 866-539-8114.

Reuters [6/23/2025 8:21 PM, Steve Gorman, 51390K] reports at least seven people were killed and one remains missing from a pleasure boat that capsized over the weekend in a sudden squall that churned Lake Tahoe in California with high winds and tall swells, authorities said on Monday. The 27-foot-long Chris-Craft outboard motor vessel with 10 people aboard overturned near the shores of D.L. Bliss State Park during the unexpected micro-burst storm that swept the deepwater alpine lake, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Two of the boaters survived the accident, but seven others died, including one whose body was found on Sunday, and one was still missing as of Monday, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted online. It said the victims’ identities were being kept private pending notification of next of kin. Weather on the lake was relatively clear before the squall abruptly struck the area, spawning 30-knot winds and eight-foot swells and plunging air temperatures by 30 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of minutes, a Coast Guard spokesperson, Chief Petty Officer Lauren Steenson, told Reuters. The Coast Guard called off its search for additional survivors on Sunday after plying the waters of the lake for more than 12 hours. The vessel capsized in the vicinity of Bliss State Park off the southwestern shore of Lake Tahoe, the sixth-largest body of freshwater in the United States by volume after the five Great Lakes in the Midwest, and the second-deepest after Crater Lake in Oregon. A major outdoor tourist destination straddling the border of California and Nevada in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Tahoe also ranks as the largest alpine lake in North America.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [6/23/2025 5:03 PM, Meredith Deliso, 31733K]
(B) NBC News Daily [6/23/2025 3:30 PM, Staff]

San Francisco Chronicle [6/23/2025 1:16 PM, Aidin Vaziri, 4120K] reports that the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle, a towering 295-foot sailing vessel and the largest tall ship flying the American flag, is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco this week, marking its first visit to the city in 16 years. Known as "America’s Tall Ship," Eagle will be docked at Pier 17, near the Exploratorium, beginning Saturday and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free tours will offer visitors a chance to step aboard the historic square-rigger, which has served as a floating classroom for future Coast Guard officers since 1946. Originally built in 1936 by the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, the ship was first commissioned as the Horst Wessel by the German Navy. Following World War II, the vessel was acquired by the United States as a war reparation. Eagle, a three-masted barque with more than 22,000 square feet of sail and 6 miles of rigging, is the only active square-rigger in U.S. government service. The Eagle also acts as a goodwill ambassador, visiting foreign ports to strengthen international maritime ties. This stop in San Francisco is the sixth port call on Eagle’s 14-week West Coast tour. The ship will return to the city on July 25 for another round of public tours.

Wall Street Journal [6/23/2025 6:13 PM, James Rundle, Angus Loten, and Kim S. Nash, 646K] reports the U.S. government and state regulators warned companies to watch for cyberattacks linked to the conflict with Iran, urging them to bolster their defenses. The Department of Homeland Security has warned companies to brace for “likely” low-level attacks from hackers linked to Iran, as well as from the country’s government itself. “Both hacktivists and Iranian government-affiliated actors routinely target poorly secured U.S. networks and internet-connected devices for disruptive cyberattacks,” said an alert Sunday, issued through the National Terrorism Advisory System. State-sponsored and rogue cyberattacks are possible, said Dave Gerry, chief executive of San Francisco-based cybersecurity company Bugcrowd. “There’s a very active pro-Iranian hacktivist community working in concert with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as groups and collectives sympathetic to Iran that may join the conflict at their own direction,” he said. Iran’s cyber offensives are often geared more toward disinformation and psychological operations, and don’t display the advanced tradecraft of China or Russia, said Brandon Wales, former executive director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. However, the regime has deployed malware before, such as ransomware or wipers, which delete data from infected systems. “They’re getting better, and they’ve demonstrated the ability to exploit vulnerabilities very quickly once they are identified. But their tactics tend to be more easily stopped by competent security programs,” said Wales, vice president of cybersecurity strategy at SentinelOne. Sanaz Yashar, the CEO of cybersecurity company Zafran, and a former Israeli military intelligence officer, said Iran has three primary uses for cyberattacks. The first is tactical reconnaissance, such as target selection for missile strikes and intelligence gathering. The second is performative attacks, in which the regime wants to strike an enemy visibly, Yashar said. The third is the use of cyber to attack where traditional military capabilities can’t reach.

The Hill [6/23/2025 11:40 AM, Julia Shapero, 18649K] reports hackers aligned with Iran have claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on President Trump’s Truth Social platform, according to the cyber nonprofit Center for Internet Security (CIS). The Iran-aligned hacking group 313 Team took credit for a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Truth Social within hours of U.S. strikes on several Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday, a CIS spokesperson confirmed. Truth Social reportedly saw a surge in reports of problems Saturday night, shortly after Trump posted on the site about the "very successful attack" on the nuclear sites Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan, Wired reported. The hack comes as cyberattacks have ramped up amid increasing tensions between Iran, Israel and the U.S.; Iran and Israel have volleyed attacks back and forth in recent weeks following Israel’s surprise attack on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. An Israeli-linked hacking group took responsibility for cyberattacks against Iran’s largest crypto exchange last week, transferring more than $90 million out of Nobitex wallets, according to the blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. However, the hackers likely did not have the private keys to access the addresses where the stolen funds were sent, meaning they were effectively destroyed.

StateScoop [6/23/2025 4:20 PM, Sophia Fox-Sowell, 40K] reports a report published Monday by the emergency tech firm Carbyne paints a troubling picture of the nation’s 911 system, highlighting a growing wave of outages and cyberattacks, along with an outdated infrastructure that threatens public safety. The report, tallies results of the company’s third annual survey, conducted with help from the National Emergency Number Association. It shows that nearly 90% of emergency communication centers across the U.S. experienced at least one system outage in the past year caused by aging equipment or cyberattacks. “What these professionals are experiencing isn’t just stress—it’s systemic fatigue,” Brian Fontes, NENA’s chief executive, said in a press release. “This year’s findings are a wake-up call: Real investments are needed to ensure 9-1-1 professionals are supported, protected, and equipped to better serve their communities and care for themselves in these high stress roles.” The report cites a rise in telephony denial-of-service attacks on emergency call centers, in which emergency lines are flooded with fake calls to block real ones from getting through. These attacks have been increasing, according to the report, and most 911 centers say they aren’t prepared to handle them. More than half of emergency call centers reported frequent outages due to system overloads or hardware failures, which can leave dispatchers unable to respond effectively to calls. “There’s no question: the fragility of current emergency communications infrastructure is putting lives at risk,” Carbyne CEO Amir Elichai said in the release. “What’s clear from this year’s report is that 9-1-1 professionals are doing everything they can—but they need modern, resilient systems to back them up.” Still, the report notes there are signs of progress. A growing number of 911 centers surveyed say they are exploring cloud platforms and artificial intelligence tools to modernize operations and increase resilience — 75% of emergency professionals said they’re open to using AI to better “manage call surges, detect high-risk situations, or streamline workflows.”

Reuters [6/23/2025 1:54 PM, Courtney Rozen, 75552K] reports Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp messaging service has been banned from all U.S. House of Representatives devices, according to a memo sent to all House staff on Monday. The notice said the "Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.” The memo, from the chief administrative officer, recommended using other messaging apps, including Microsoft Corp’s Teams platform, Amazon.com’s Wickr, Signal, and Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime. Meta disagreed with the move "in the strongest possible terms," a company spokesperson said, noting that the platform provides a higher level of security than the other approved apps. In January, a WhatsApp official said Israeli spyware company Paragon Solutions had targeted scores of its users, including journalists and members of civil society. The House has banned other apps from staff devices in the past, including the short video app TikTok in 2022 due to security issues.

Federal News Network [6/23/2025 6:08 PM, Staff, 2346K] reports recent executive orders (EOs) have highlighted the federal government’s emphasis on cybersecurity modernization, zero trust architectures and the secure development of next-generation technologies like AI. Load balancers have a significant role to play in addressing these objectives, supporting both public and private sector efforts to fortify critical infrastructure. Traditionally associated with optimizing server traffic, load balancers have taken on a broader role in defending network architectures. Positioned strategically, they act as the first line of defense, helping mitigate cyber threats, maintain high availability, and bolster an organization’s security posture. Load balancing technology operates by intelligently distributing incoming client requests across multiple servers using specialized algorithms and real-time health monitoring. This dynamic distribution ensures no single server becomes overwhelmed with traffic, preventing performance degradation and potential denial-of-service situations. By continuously monitoring server health and performance metrics, load balancers can automatically redirect traffic away from unhealthy or unavailable servers, maximizing application performance and minimizing downtime. This inherent design naturally provides the basis for DDoS attack defense, since spreading incoming traffic across multiple server resources ensures no individual system becomes incapacitated by the massive traffic surges typically seen during such attacks. For federal agencies that operate critical infrastructure systems and essential services, maintaining resilience under high demand or potential attack is paramount. Load balancing directly supports federal objectives of strengthening critical infrastructure security and providing continuous access to vital services. By ensuring systems remain accessible even when individual servers are compromised or experiencing issues, federal agencies can maintain operational continuity during cyber incidents of significant consequence. This capability is especially crucial for defending against sophisticated DDoS attacks targeting federal networks, aligning with governmental mandates to defend these networks at speed and scale while maintaining the availability of critical services even under attack conditions.

CyberScoop [6/23/2025 5:20 PM, Greg Otto] reports four members of the notorious cybercriminal group REvil were found guilty of financial fraud and computer crimes targeting primarily American victims, but were released after a Russian court determined their sentence would amount to time already served. The four men — Andrey Bessonov, Mikhail Golovachuk, Roman Muromsky, and Dmitry Korotayev — all admitted guilt and have been held in pretrial detention since their early 2022 arrests. The court also ordered the confiscation of luxury vehicles and cash totaling hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. The conviction and subsequent release, reported first by the Russian news outlet TASS, follows separate sentences given in October 2024 to other members of the cybercrime group — Daniil Puzyrevsky, Ruslan Khansvyarov, Aleksey Malozemov, and Artem Zayets — which ranged from four-and-a-half to six years. The criminal proceedings against REvil stretch back to January 2022, when Russian authorities, acting on information from the United States, arrested 14 people suspected of running and developing the gang’s operations. The case was considered at the time to be a rare example of Russian–U.S. joint action against cybercrime, especially given Russia’s traditional reluctance to prosecute alleged hackers domestically. However, cooperation between Washington and Moscow later stalled amid heightened tensions over Russia’s war with Ukraine. As a result, charges relating to computer intrusions and attacks on foreign companies did not progress further in Russian courts, with prosecutions in Russia largely focused on illegal use of bank card data. The wider REvil network was once one of the world’s most prolific ransomware syndicates. The group carried out high-profile attacks on global targets, and played a principal role in the 2021 ransomware incident involving Florida-based IT firm Kaseya. In May 2024, a U.S. court sentenced Ukrainian national Yaroslav Vasinsky, a REvil affiliate, to 13 years in prison and imposed fines totaling $16 million. Another alleged member, Yevgeniy Polyanin, remains wanted by U.S. authorities on charges linked to more than 3,000 cyberattacks and extortion attempts.

Washington Examiner [6/23/2025 11:54 AM, David Zimmermann, 1934K] reports President Donald Trump’s recent appointment of 22-year-old Thomas Fugate to the Department of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism division is sparking backlash. The White House appointed Fugate to DHS’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, which is responsible for preventing domestic terrorism and targeted violence. The news comes as Iran considers retaliating against the United States after three of Tehran’s nuclear sites were destroyed over the weekend in a bombing operation that Trump called "very successful.". Detractors of the Trump administration are pointing to Fugate’s lack of experience in national security, arguing that he is unqualified for the job. "The Department of Homeland Security has a robust counterterrorism program, and the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3)​ office plays an insignificant and ineffective role in the broader efforts," a DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. "Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, CP3​ was weaponized against political opponents and its main purpose was to funnel money to progressive groups. It should be no surprise to anyone, that the Trump Administration is making a diligent effort to end waste, fraud, and abuse— this office is just another example." "The Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Undersecretary has directly overseen efforts to reform this office and has tasked several staffers to assist with this."

FOX News [6/23/2025 2:29 PM, Julia Bonavita, 46878K] reports that a suspected member of the violent Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) is in federal custody after allegedly attempting to kill one law enforcement officer and injuring another during a traffic stop. Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, 30, is charged with one count of attempted murder of a federal officer and one count of assault of a federal officer with infliction of bodily injury, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Federal prosecutors allege Hurtado-Cariaco, a Venezuelan national residing in the country illegally and a suspected member of the notorious TdA gang, attacked two law enforcement officers during a June 18 traffic stop in Bellevue, Nebraska. "Deadly violence against law enforcement officers will not be tolerated by this Department of Justice," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. "We have charged this illegal alien with attempted murder." Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI encountered Hurtado-Cariaco near his Sarpy County home when they attempted to carry out an active immigration-related warrant for his arrest, according to the DOJ. The agents subsequently initiated a traffic stop, directing Hurtado-Cariaco to pull his vehicle over and exit with his arms raised. As the agents attempted to place Hurtado-Cariaco in handcuffs, he allegedly attacked one agent and proceeded to drag them to the ground. Hurtado-Cariaco managed to throw the agent off of him, resulting in one agent striking her head and elbow on the pavement, prosecutors allege.

USA Today [6/24/2025 12:15 AM, Frank Witsil, Adrienne Roberts, and Thao Nguyen, 75552K] reports police on June 23 identified the heavily armed suspect who was fatally shot by security after he opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshipers as a man who attended the church with his mother. Brian Browning, 31, was shot and killed on June 22 at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, a western suburb of Detroit. Browning had attempted to burst into a morning service at the church before another person tried to stop him with their truck, according to police. The church’s security team then intervened and exchanged gunfire, police said. One worshiper told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the church had trained for such a situation and credited it with protecting "all those attending," which included children. "In today’s society, any training that can preserve life is beneficial," Wayne Deputy Chief Finley Carter said, adding that people should "remain vigilant and remain aware and prepared for an event.” By late morning on June 23, police said it was still unclear why Browning had targeted the church, but detectives suggested that it may have been a result of a "mental health crisis." Browning had no previous contact with the Wayne Police Department or criminal history, authorities added. Police said Browning had lived with his mother, who is a member of the church. In the past year, he had attended two or three services at the church, according to police. Further investigation revealed that Browning had carried several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The weapons were all legally acquired, police noted. ‘Grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members’. At a news conference on June 22, Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said authorities were "grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members," who he added "undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting.” The suspect arrived as services were underway at around 11 a.m. local time and began firing his weapon outside the church, police said. He wore camouflage clothing and a tactical vest and was armed with a long gun and a handgun. A witness described seeing a man, who was driving a silver SUV "erratically" in the parking lot before parking the vehicle on the west side of the church building, according to police. The man then got his guns out of the vehicle and headed toward the church entrance, police said. Minutes later, multiple 911 calls reported that the man fired a weapon before a churchgoer tried to stop him by hitting him with their pickup truck. Strong said the suspect had shot at the truck repeatedly. The church’s security team heard the gunfire and immediately responded, according to police. The security team confronted the suspect outside the church’s main entrance and exchanged gunfire. They also locked the doors so he couldn’t get into the church, police said. At least two church security staff members shot the suspect, causing the fatal wounds, according to Strong. One church security member, whose name was not released by police, was hit in the leg by gunfire and taken to a local hospital.

USA Today [6/23/2025 3:07 PM, Natalie Neysa Alund, 75552K] reports a mass shooting in a Southern California neighborhood over the weekend left six people injured, all but one suffering from life-threatening injuries, officials said. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, just before 11 p.m. local time on June 21, deputies responded to the 12000 block of Orchid Lane in Moreno Valley for a report of a shooting. As of June 23, no arrests had been made in the case, no suspect had been named, a sheriff’s office spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY, and no motive had been publicly released for the shooting. Arriving deputies found a teen boy suffering from multiple gunshot wounds near the corner Hemlock Avenue, the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release. At the scene, they also four more teen boys suffering from gunshot wounds. First responders transported the five teens to a hospital to be treated for life-threating injuries, officials said. While there, the release continues, a sixth teenager showed up, also suffering from injuries suffered in the shooting. All six teens ranged in age 14 to 18, officials said.

AP [6/24/2025 12:04 AM, Seung Min Kim, 4622K] reports President Donald Trump’s first appearance at NATO since returning to the White House was supposed to center on how the U.S. secured a historic military spending pledge from others in the defensive alliance — effectively bending it to its will. But in the spotlight instead now is Trump’s decision to strike three nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran that the administration says eroded Tehran’s nuclear ambitions as well as the president’s sudden announcement that Israel and Iran had reached a "complete and total ceasefire." The sharp U-turn in hostilities just hours before he was set to depart for the summit is sure to dominate the discussions in The Hague, Netherlands. The impact of the strikes had already begun to shape the summit, with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte dancing around the issue even as hundreds of people showed up in The Hague on Sunday to denounce the conflict in a protest that was supposed to be focused on defense spending. Still, other NATO countries have become accustomed to the unpredictable when it comes to Trump, who has made no secret of his disdain for the alliance, which was created as a bulwark against threats from the former Soviet Union. Trump’s debut on the NATO stage at the 2017 summit was perhaps most remembered by his shove of Dusko Markovic, the prime minister of Montenegro, as the U.S. president jostled toward the front of the pack of world leaders during a NATO headquarters tour. And he began the 2018 summit by questioning the value of the decades-old military alliance and accusing its members of not contributing enough money for their defense — themes he has echoed since. In Brussels, Trump floated a 4% target of defense spending as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product, a figure that seemed unthinkable at the time. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will also attend the NATO summit this week. She said if Trump does anything to sow division within the alliance, it would benefit Xi Jinping of China, which NATO countries have accused of enabling Russia as it invades Ukraine. "That does not help America, does not help our national security," Shaheen said in an interview. "What it does is hand a victory to our adversaries, and for an administration that claims to be so concerned about the threat from (China), to behave in that way is hard to understand."

Reported similarly:
NPR [6/23/2025 5:08 PM, Deepa Shivaram, 37958K] Video: HERE
ABC News [6/24/2025 5:06 AM, Fritz Farrow and Michelle Stoddart, 31733K]

Wall Street Journal [6/23/2025 5:18 PM, Daniel Michaels, 646K] reports Ukraine’s drone strike on parked Russian bombers and Israel’s destruction of Iranian air defenses sound a warning for NATO countries: Savvy adversaries can eliminate vital battlefield assets anywhere, before they enter a fight. That makes the work of preparing for battle more important than ever. Addressing the challenge of protecting and mobilizing forces inside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s homeland is rising on the alliance’s must-do list. “If World War III breaks out on the European continent, what’s the first shot?” said U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker recently. “Is it going to be Russian tanks invading Poland, or is it going to be a cyberattack on one of our allies or a challenge on some infrastructure?” The question hangs over preparations for NATO’s annual summit in The Hague starting on Tuesday. Funding for readiness and resilience will be high on leaders’ agenda and a core element of hitting a spending target set by President Trump. Trump said early this year that NATO allies should spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense, up from 2%. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who was already urging an increase to 3.5%, seized the moment to push for spending on long-overlooked areas such as mobility and resilience. Rutte in March proposed topping up traditional NATO defense outlays, such as weapons and salaries, with a further 1.5% of GDP for the military-related spending. Leaders hope the proposal will be approved at the summit. Most Europeans are endorsing Trump’s target because they want to avoid giving him a reason to disengage from NATO. And they have come to understand that readying military forces is never easy, even in peacetime. Forces being mobilized for battle are prime targets for attack. So is infrastructure, ranging from roads and ports to phone lines and power plants.

Bloomberg Law [6/24/2025 4:30 AM, Grant Schweikert and Umer Chaudhry, 86K] reports the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency announced in May the approval of a revised form for disclosing foreign ownership, control, and influence. The updated Certificate Pertaining to Foreign Interests, also known as the SF 328, marks a significant milestone in the government’s new approach to mandatory FOCI reporting, emphasizing broader disclosures to regulators engaged in evaluating national security threats from companies with foreign ties. The new SF 328 is a key component of the government’s evaluation of FOCI risk factors, which used to be limited primarily to the approximately 1,200 companies per year that are determined eligible during the facility clearance process. Now, the SF 328 is mandatory not only for companies requiring access to classified government information, but also for companies seeking contracts for certain unclassified programs. As a primary requirement of the facility clearance process, the SF 328 has been a source of frustration for the government contracting industry. For example, the DCSA has reported that more than 70% of applications are rejected and a majority of those rejections are related to improper documentation related to the SF 328. The updated form was designed to clarify complicated questions and provides more comprehensive instructions to help contractors submit necessary information on the first attempt, which in turn will allow the DCSA to process facility clearance applications faster. The revised SF 328 also expands its reach. Going forward, a completed SF 328 is required to determine eligibility for additional programs, such as the Small Business Innovation Research, Small Business Technology Transfer programs, for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, as well as DOD contracts awarded to “covered contractors and subcontractors,” under Section 847 of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

Los Angeles Times [6/23/2025 7:24 PM, Michael Wilner, 14672K] reports whether the United States launches a broader war against Iran after bombing its nuclear facilities may come down to President Trump’s meetings at NATO’s Netherlands summit this week, a long scheduled gathering that now carries far higher stakes. Trump said late Monday on his social media platform that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire that would quickly lead to a conclusion of the war. "On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR,’" he wrote. There was no immediate response from Iran or Israel. Washington’s transatlantic partners have praised the U.S. operation, which supplemented an ongoing Israeli campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, air defenses and military leadership. But European officials told The Times their hope is to pull Trump back from any flirtation with a change of government in Iran, a prospect that Trump and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have openly discussed in recent days. Trump is scheduled to arrive in The Hague on Tuesday morning for two days of meetings, now expected to focus on the nascent crisis, as U.S. intelligence and military officials continue to assess the outcome of the American strikes over the weekend against Iran’s main nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was directly involved in the last two U.S. wars in the Middle East, taking part in a U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and helping to train and advise security forces in Iraq. And although not a member of NATO, Israel coordinates with the security bloc through a process called the Mediterranean Dialogue, which includes work against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. At the Mauritshuis on Monday evening, overlooking The Hague’s historic court pond and under the gaze of Vermeer’s "Girl With a Pearl Earring," NATO officials, European military leaders and U.S. senators discussed the obvious: A summit that had been seen as an opportunity to show Trump that Europe is willing to pay more for its defense — with NATO members now committing to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on military essentials and expenditures — will now be consumed instead with the possibility of a new war. As the event was ending, Iran struck the U.S. military base in Qatar, its largest in the Middle East. But the Iranians gave Doha advance notice of the strike in an effort to avert casualties, indicating Tehran might be looking for an off-ramp from continuing escalation with Washington. "Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected," Trump wrote on social media after the attack. "Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE.”

Wall Street Journal [6/24/2025 1:24 AM, Stephen Kalin, Lara Seligman, and Summer Said, 646K] reports President Trump said Monday that Iran and Israel agreed to a cease-fire to begin following their final military operations, hours after Iran fired a missile barrage against the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. In a social-media post Monday night, Trump said Israel and Iran have agreed to a “complete and total cease-fire” that would begin in phases over the course of Tuesday. The situation remained tense early in the day. Iran launched waves of missile attacks beginning around dawn. Israeli emergency responders said four people were killed in an Iranian missile attack early Tuesday. Warnings of Iranian missile attacks sent Israelis scrambling in and out of shelters. Israeli emergency services provider Magen David Adom briefly put the death toll at seven then revised the number down to four. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier on X that his country would halt its attacks as long as Israel did as well. Israel had yet to confirm Trump’s cease-fire. Both sides failed to respond to requests for comment. The fighting had continued after midnight local time, with Iranian state media reporting Israeli attacks on Tehran and Israel’s military saying it had intercepted drones launched by Iran. Trump touted the cease-fire he said he brokered between Israel and Iran through the night, saying in one post that both sides had sought a deal. “Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, ‘PEACE!’ I knew the time was NOW,” he said on social media. Iran had warned the U.S. before it launched missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar, orchestrating an attack that caused no injuries or deaths and left the door open to a deal, Trump said. Doha helped mediate the talks, people familiar with the matter said. On Monday night, the president said the cease-fire would begin around midnight in Washington for the Iranians, or 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in Iran, and 12 hours later for the Israelis. He cautioned the combatants not to continue fighting. All but one of 14 missiles Iran launched toward Al Udeid air base in Qatar were shot down by U.S. forces with help from Qatar, and the other one flew off course, Trump said. By telegraphing the attack on the base, Iran appeared to have responded to the U.S. strikes in a way that allowed it to avoid further retaliation from Washington. Trump over the weekend urged Tehran not to retaliate and to negotiate an end to the war, which Israel initiated 10 days ago. “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region.” Iran told Arab intermediaries that its well-telegraphed response should be seen as an off-ramp and that it is ready to return to serious negotiations, Arab officials said. The U.S. has signaled through the same channels that so far it doesn’t want to retaliate, they added.

Reported similarly:
Daily Wire [6/23/2025 1:29 PM, Kassy Akiva, 3816K]

AP [6/24/2025 12:09 AM, Mary Clare Jalonick, 24051K] reports members of Congress will hear directly from President Donald Trump’s intelligence leaders Tuesday, receiving classified briefings just three days after Trump directed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and a day after Iran struck a U.S. base in Qatar. The briefings also come the day after Trump proclaimed on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed that there will be an "Official END" of their conflict. Democrats in Congress, along with some Republicans, have questions about Trump’s unilateral decision to launch military action, arguing he should have come to Congress for approval — or at least provided more justification for the attacks. "We expect them to explain to the American people what were the results in terms of actually thwarting Iran’s capacity to become a nuclear power and what are the Trump administration’s plans to avoid another potentially disastrous war in the Middle East, where thousands of American lives are potentially at risk," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The separate briefings for the House and Senate will be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and deputy secretaries of state Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg. The meetings could turn contentious as many lawmakers feel they have been left in the dark on what led to the strikes and amid escalating tensions between the White House and Congress over the role of the United States internationally — disagreements that don’t always fall along party lines. Democrats have been generally suspicious of Trump’s strategy, and his motives abroad, but some believe the U.S. could have a role in supporting Israel against Iran. Others strongly believe the U.S. should stay out of it. Some of Trump’s strongest Republican supporters agree with the Democrats, echoing his earlier arguments against "forever wars." But many others in the party enthusiastically backed the strikes, saying he should have the power to act on his own. "President Trump deserves all the credit," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after Trump said there would be a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. "This is what peace through strength looks like.”

FOX News [6/24/2025 4:00 AM, Michael Ruiz, 46878K] reports even before a U.S. airstrike "obliterated" a trio of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, the country’s radical Islamist government was already leveling death threats and allegedly plotting assassinations on American soil. Federal authorities have called Iran the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, and the FBI says the Iranian government has both imprisoned Americans within its territory on unsubstantiated charges and harassed and even killed dissidents in exile. "Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," President Donald Trump said during a nationally broadcast statement from the White House Saturday after American stealth bombers blasted three facilities. "And Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier." NewsMax [6/23/2025 10:10 AM, Eric Mack, 4622K] reports President Donald Trump abruptly left the G7 last week for urgent issues on Iran and reports are now indicating it was due to Iran telling the U.S. it was going to activate its terrorist proxies on U.S. soil. The report comes from sources close to NBC News that said an intermediary sent a cable through diplomatic channels that Iran would activate its terror cells in the U.S. if there was a direct U.S. attack on Iran. That came as Trump was urging Iran to come back to the table to talk about giving up its nuclear weapons aspirations, but after receiving the threat of terrorist attacks on the U.S., Trump left the G7, not due to ceasefire talks but something "much bigger." That much bigger ultimately wound up being Saturday night’s 30,000-pound bunker-busting B-2 stealth bomber airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. After the threat and departing G7, Trump issued his famed "unconditional surrender" and direct warning to Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the U.S. had him in their sights. The U.S. has long called Iran the globe’s largest state sponsor of terror, but the reports of the direct threat to activate terrorist cells in the U.S. is a new level of admission of direct tentacles of terrorism around the world. Without mentioning the NBC report, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Jack Bergman, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chair of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee, told Newsmax there was a classified "threat assessment" shared with some congressional GOP leaders that became the predicate for authorizing Trump’s strike on Iranian nuclear facilities Saturday night.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 2:33 PM, Oliver JJ Lane, 3077K] reports a minister of the British government said attacks by Iranian intelligence on the UK are already regularly ongoing and the threat may well increase as conflict progresses in the Middle East. Business Secretary of the UK’s left-wing Labour Party-led government Jonathan Reynolds said espionage by the Iranian regime against Britain is already ongoing “at a significant level” and that he is “very” concerned about the risk of “Iranian-backed terrorism”. Speaking to broadcaster Sky News after the United States launched precision strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities to deny the country a path to creating a nuclear weapon, Reynolds noted the pace of Iranian cyber attacks was intense, striking weekly, and that “There is Iranian activity on the streets of the UK, which is wholly unacceptable”. In that sense, Iranian terrorism and espionage is “not something to worry about in the future, this is at the here and now”, he said, calling these attacks and actions “wholly unacceptable”, very concerning”, and not hypothetical. It would be “naïve” to not think the threat of intensified Iranian acts against Britain would increase as conflict ramped up, the minister said, offering Iran a “choice” to consider stepping back from antagonising the West. He said: “Do they want to continue being an agent of instability in the region and the wider world? Where has that got them? Where has it got the Iranian people? There is a better course of action for Iran to take here, and I think they should consider that.” Recent Iranian plots on British soil include a foiled bid to attack the Israeli embassy, “spear phishing” cyber attacks, and a British Army soldier prosecuted for spying for Iran. The head of MI5 has called the pace of Iranian attempts to disrupt the UK “plot after plot… at an unprecedented pace and scale” in an October speech which said “events in the Middle East” would broaden “Iranian state aggression in the UK”. The spy boss said, “Like the Russian services, Iranian state actors make extensive use of criminals as proxies – from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks. Last December a man was jailed for reconnaissance he had carried out against the then-headquarters of the Iran International media organisation. Detecting criminals prepared to have their strings pulled by states has at least some similarities to spotting would-be terrorists dancing to the tune of online radicalisers. It is a familiar challenge. We’ll keep finding them. So to those tempted to carry out such tasks, I say this: If you take money from Iran, Russia or any other state to carry out illegal acts in the UK, you will bring the full weight of the national security apparatus down on you. It’s a choice you’ll regret.” It is not only the United Kingdom grappling with these concerns. The United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Monday the United States was weighing the risk of ‘sleeper cells’, saying: “we’ve seen some from overseas, and some that have been here, maybe been overseas for a short period of time, become radicalised, and come back. Or individuals whop are right here in the United States. We have to watch for all of it and be diligent on all of it.

NewsMax [6/23/2025 6:59 PM, Michael Katz, 4622K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked China on Sunday to persuade Iran not to follow through on threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, where approximately 20% of the world’s oil production flows, following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. And China apparently got the message. "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them [Iran] about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil," Rubio said, The Daily Wire reported Monday. "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. It would be, I think, a massive escalation that would merit a response, not just by us, but from others.” China buys more oil from Iran than any other nation, with its imports surpassing 1.8 million barrels a day last month, the BBC reported Monday, citing data by ship tracking firm Vortexa. Iranian state-owned PressTV reported Sunday that the country’s parliament backed closing the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision lies with Iran’s national security council. China’s state-owned Global Times reported Monday that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the Persian Gulf and its surrounding waters are vital channels for international goods and energy trade, and that safeguarding security and stability in the region serves "the common interests of the international community.” Jiakun did not address whether Beijing had contacted Iran directly about the strait but said it has maintained communication with Tehran "on the current situation.”

Washington Examiner [6/23/2025 9:51 AM, Emily Hallas, 1934K] reports Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday condemned U.S. strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, characterizing the action as “absolutely unprovoked aggression” that has “no basis or justification.” Putin’s comments came during a meeting in Moscow with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who hand-delivered a letter to the Russian president from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei requesting support to retaliate against the U.S. and Israel, according to Reuters. Putin announced he stood ready to "provide assistance to the Iranian people," an ambiguous statement that came the same day other Russian officials suggested Moscow, a long-standing ally to Tehran, is open to mediating an end to the conflict. "Everything depends on what Iran needs," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday as he affirmed that Russia is ready to help Iran in various ways, depending on what the regime requests. "We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete," he continued, adding that Russia had made a "very important manifestation…of support for the Iranian side."

The Hill [6/23/2025 8:04 AM, Sarah Fortinsky, 18649K] reports Russia stands ready to help Iran in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but Tehran first needs to articulate its requests, a Kremlin spokesperson said Monday. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a briefing that the assistance "all depends on what Iran needs," according to TASS, Russia’s state-run news agency. "We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete. We have stated our position, which is also a very important form of support for the Iranian side," Peskov continued. "Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran needs at this moment." Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday, and the two plan to discuss options for assistance. "Just today, the Iranian Foreign Minister [Abbas Araghchi] will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they will be able to exchange views in the wake of this traumatic escalation," Peskov said. "And, in fact, the Iranian side will be able to inform us about its proposals and its vision of the current situation," he added.

DefenseScoop [6/23/2025 2:20 PM, Mark Pomerleau, 260K] reports U.S.Cyber Command played a role in American military’s operation against Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, according to top Pentagon officials. “The strike package was supported by U.S. Strategic Command, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Space Command, U.S. Space Force and U.S. European command,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a briefing at the Pentagon Sunday morning, later thanking the cyber operators, among others, who made the mission possible. However, no further details about Cybercom’s efforts were disclosed. The command referred DefenseScoop to the Pentagon for comment, where a spokesperson said they had nothing further to provide at this time beyond the transcript from Sunday’s press conference. Although details about Cybercom’s assistance for Operation Midnight Hammer, the code name for the strikes, remain murky, experts — most of whom spoke to DefenseScoop on condition of anonymity — outlined a number of possibilities for how the organization may have contributed to the effort. Outside experts noted that there probably aren’t any U.S. military ops nowadays, regardless of how rudimentary, where a cyber component isn’t involved. While details regarding Cybercom’s involvement in the strike were limited, experts provided a few examples for how the command could have supported such an attack. These sources noted that they had no inside knowledge of the recent operation and were largely speaking in hypothetical terms to offer vignettes for how digital forces would likely be involved in that type of mission.

The Hill [6/23/2025 7:08 PM, Ellen Mitchell, 18649K] reports Trump said the ceasefire was "fully agreed" to by both sides and will begin to be phased in six hours from now. He expressed confidence that the end of the fighting between the two countries, which he dubbed "the 12 day war" would stick. The announcement came just two days after the U.S. entered the conflict, hitting three nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. The announcement comes after Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a response to the U.S. strikes. But Iran provided advance notice of the strike, a signal that Tehran was not looking to provoke additional American military action. "I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE," President Trump posted on Truth Social. "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," Trump added. "Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.” Trump met with members of his national security team in the Situation Room on Monday as the White House monitored the Iranian strikes on the base. The president’s response came just hours before he is expected to leave for the NATO summit, where he will meet with allies in The Hague.

Univision [6/23/2025 8:25 PM, Staff, 4992K] reports that, while the situation in the Middle East is once again setting off international alarms, California has 205 of its National Guard members deployed in the region, mainly in bases located in Qatar and Iraq. In a statement, Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that the Californian personnel are engaged in support and security missions in collaboration with U.S. forces stationed in the area, at a time of high uncertainty. "Jen and I pray for your safety and the safety of all U.S. military members serving in harm’s way," the state commander wrote on social media following the recent exchange of attacks between the U.S. and Iran. The latest episode of tension began when the United States launched a series of airstrikes targeting military and logistical facilities linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Pentagon sources said. In response, Iran launched multiple missiles against U.S. bases in Qatar on Monday, signaling that the country "will never leave unanswered any aggression against its territorial integrity, sovereignty or national security." No injuries have been reported.

Wall Street Journal [6/23/2025 7:01 PM, Dov Lieber, Anat Peled, and Summer Said, 646K] reports Israel is looking to wrap up its war with Iran soon, Israeli and Arab officials said, capitalizing on the unprecedented U.S. attack on key Iranian nuclear sites to accelerate an end to the fighting that is stretching its troops, munitions and coffers. Israel expects to complete strikes on its list of top military targets in Iran in the coming days, which Israeli officials said would provide a window to stop the fighting. The officials said they didn’t expect a retaliatory attack Monday by Iran on a U.S.-run military base to change their calculus. Iran said it launched 14 missiles—mirroring the number of U.S. bombs dropped in Iran—at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after sending prior warning to authorities in Doha, a limited strike that appeared aimed at avoiding further escalation. There were no U.S. casualties, Qatar said. After the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend, and Tehran’s retaliatory attack on the American-run base, President Trump announced a cease-fire had been reached between Israel and Iran. In a post on his Truth Social site, the president said the cease-fire would be implemented in phases and within 24 hours would lead to an end to the war. Israel and Iran didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was “very very close” to achieving its goals but didn’t lay out a specific timeline. He added that Israel wouldn’t be dragged into a war of attrition. The U.S. has told Arab officials in the region that Israel is seeking to end the fight soon, Arab officials say, and has asked for the message to be passed along to Iran. The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reuters [6/24/2025 5:01 AM, Maayan Lubell and Steve Holland, 51390K] reports Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday he had ordered the military to strike Tehran in response to what he said were missiles fired by Iran in a violation of the ceasefire announced hours earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Iran’s ISNA student news agency said reports that Iran had fired missiles at Israel after the ceasefire took effect were false. The developments raised early doubts about the ceasefire, intended to end 12 days of war. Katz said in a statement he had ordered the military to "continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran" in light of "Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire declared by the President of the United States.” Hours earlier, Trump had posted on Truth Social: "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had confirmed the ceasefire, saying Israel had achieved the goals it had set in launching its June 13 surprise attack on Iran, to destroy its nuclear programme and missile capabilities. "Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their support in defense and their participation in eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat," Netanyahu had said. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had said that Iran would halt its retaliatory strikes provided that Israel stopped attacking as of 4:00 a.m. in Tehran. Global stock markets surged and oil prices tumbled on Tuesday after the announcement of the ceasefire, in the hope it heralded a resolution of the war just two days after the United States joined it by hitting Iranian nuclear sites with huge bunker-busting bombs.

Blaze [6/23/2025 1:39 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1805K] reports that Iran began its retaliatory attack against the U.S. in a missile barrage against U.S. bases in Qatar and Iraq, according to CNN, Fox News, and other sources. The reports included firsthand claims of explosions at both bases at about 8 p.m. local time. The report initially stated that 10 missiles attacked the facility in Qatar and one missile in Iraq. Further reporting from Fox News puts that number at six. CNN anchor Becky Anderson called the mission "highly symbolic" rather than a substantive strike. A CNN correspondent in Tehran, Iran, said that officials confirmed the attack on television. In another sign that the attack was intended to be limited and symbolic, Iran reportedly gave Qatar prior notice of the missile barrage, presumably to avoid casualties. A top Qatari official condemned the attack in a statement on social media and confirmed that no lives had been lost. "The State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. We consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter," read the statement. "We reassure that Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles," he added.

Breitbart [6/23/2025 1:26 PM, John Hayward, 3077K] reports that Iranian officials vowed to get revenge for this weekend’s U.S. airstrikes against their illegal nuclear program by launching terrorist attacks and pledged to resume enriching uranium as quickly as possible. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, a joint operations command for the secular wing of the Iranian military plus the theocracy-controlled Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), vowed to conduct "powerful and targeted operations" that "will impose severe, regret-inducing, and unpredictable consequences" on the United States. "We assure you that with this act of aggression, the hands of time will not turn in your favor," Khatam al-Anbiya spokesman Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari said Monday. Zolfaqari claimed the powerful U.S. airstrikes that flattened the Iranian nuclear facilities of Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow on Saturday night did not actually eliminate the Iran’s uranium enrichment program. "This hostile act was aimed at reviving the dying Zionist regime, but not only did it fail, it will also expand the range of legitimate and diverse targets for Iran’s armed forces," he said. Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi – who got the job when Israel liquidated his predecessor Mohammad Bagheri in an airstrike last week – made similar threats in his belligerent statement Monday. "The criminal United States must know that it has given the Armed Forces’ warriors a free hand to take any action against its interests and military," Mousavi raged, vowing that Iran would "never back down."

ABC News [6/23/2025 2:00 PM, Alexandra Hutzler, 31733K] reports that President Donald Trump warned Iran against retaliation several times following U.S. strikes against Tehran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday night. On Monday, Iran fired missiles targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar -- the largest U.S. military base in the region, raising concerns about escalation. A U.S. official told ABC News the U.S. intercepted Iranian missiles with assistance from Qatar. But in his response to Iran’s retaliatory attack, in posts to his social media platform, he struck a de-escalatory tone as he urged both sides to pursue "peace," notably adding, "I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same." While the president reserves the right to respond, there are no active plans for the United States to retaliate at this time, according to a U.S. official and two sources familiar with the president’s thinking. One source cited Iran’s attacks as a "failed retaliation" and said there was a growing consensus among the president’s advisors that there may not need to be a response at this time, ABC’s Rachel Scott reported. "Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered," Trump wrote. "There have been 14 missiles fired -- 13 were knocked down, and 1 was ‘set free,’ because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction." "I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done," Trump wrote. "Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE." "I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured," Trump continued. "Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, however, wrote after the missile attack on Monday "we will not surrender."

Reuters [6/23/2025 1:38 PM, Staff, 51390K] reports the main remaining base in northeast Syria hosting U.S. troops is on full alert and mobilized for possible attacks by Iran or Iran-aligned groups, a Syrian security source told Reuters on Monday. The base is known as Qasrak and is one of two bases in the northeast Hasakah province where U.S. troops are based.

Reuters [6/23/2025 1:55PM, Staff, 51390K] reports the U.S. on Monday announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location and release of Mahmoud Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who was detained by the Taliban’s intelligence service on August 10, 2022. A former civil aviation chief under Afghanistan’s ousted Western-backed government, Habibi and his driver were seized along with 29 other employees of the Kabul telecommunications firm for which he worked, said a State Department notice. All except Habibi and one other person were subsequently released. "Mr. Habibi has not been heard from since his initial arrest and the so-called Taliban government has yet to provide any information regarding his whereabouts or condition," said the notice issued by the department’s Rewards for Justice program. "Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location, recovery, and return of" Habibi, it said.

Bloomberg [6/23/2025 6:11 AM, Josh Xiao, 19320K] reports China moved to tighten controls over two chemicals that can be used to make fentanyl, in an apparent olive branch to the US that may help maintain their fragile trade truce. Authorities added two previously unclassified precursors to a list of Class Two chemicals, according to a joint statement by six government departments on Monday. The label will subject the substances, 4-piperidone and 1-boc-4-piperidone, to tougher supervision starting July 20. The announcement followed a meeting between China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong and US Ambassador David Perdue in Beijing last week. Wang said China was ready to collaborate on law enforcement areas such as counter-narcotics, which has been a source of friction between the world’s largest economies. The move by the Chinese government “reflects its active participation in global drug governance and its commitment as a responsible major power,” according to the statement, which didn’t mention the US. The Ministry of Public Security is one of the six departments that announced the classification.

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