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

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

CBS News [3/18/2025 10:06 PM, Staff, 51661K] reports two men charged after 53 immigrants died in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer with no air conditioning were found guilty Tuesday after a two-week trial. The 2022 tragedy in San Antonio was the nation’s deadliest smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border. Jurors in federal court in San Antonio took only about an hour to convict Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, finding that they were part of a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in death and injury. They face up to life in prison and have a June 27 sentencing date. The immigrants had come from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico and had paid between $12,000 and $15,000 each to be smuggled into the United States, according to an indictment in the case. They had made it as far as the Texas border city of Laredo when they were placed into a tractor-trailer with broken air conditioning for a three-hour drive to San Antonio. As the temperature inside the trailer rose, those inside screamed and banged the walls of the trailer for help or tried to claw their way out, investigators said. Most eventually passed out. When the trailer was opened in San Antonio, 48 people were already dead. Another 16 were taken to hospitals, where five more died. The dead included six children and a pregnant woman. "These defendants knew the air conditioning did not work. Nevertheless, they disregarded the danger," Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas said in a news conference after the verdict Tuesday. Orduna-Torres was the leader of the smuggling group inside the U.S., and Gonzales-Ortega was his "right-hand man" she said. Five men previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in the case, including the truck driver Homero Zamorano Jr., who was found hiding near the trailer in some bushes. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Also pleading guilty are Christian Martinez, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, Riley Covarrubias-Ponce and Juan Francisco D’Luna Bilbao. All five will be sentenced later this year. Another person charged in the U.S. remains a fugitive, Leachman said. Several others have been charged in Mexico and Guatemala. The incident is the deadliest among tragedies that have claimed thousands of lives in recent decades as people attempt to cross the U.S. border from Mexico. Ten immigrants died in 2017 after they were trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 immigrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio. The Washington Post [3/18/2025 5:33 PM, Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, 31735K] reports that Neither Felipe Orduña-Torres nor Armando Gonzales-Ortega was accused of driving the vehicle that crossed the border and wound up on the outskirts of San Antonio on a broiling summer afternoon, with more than five dozen adults and children packed in a trailer with no water and little to no air conditioning. Instead, the two men were accused of conspiracy to transport illegal migrants resulting in their death. According to court records, they worked with smugglers in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico to move undocumented immigrants to destinations throughout the United States. The New York Times [3/18/2025 7:05 PM, Edgar Sandoval and Samuel Rocha IV, 145325K] reports that the gruesome trial in San Antonio highlighted the perils of that trade, even as the president’s policies may make such treacherous avenues to entry more profitable to smugglers, known as coyotes. Temperatures inside the 53-foot trailer had reached 150 degrees, the authorities had said. During the two-week trial, the jury saw dozens of WhatsApp messages that connected the men to a sprawling ring of smugglers that extended from Texas to Guatemala and heard emotional testimony from witnesses, law enforcement officials and survivors. Neither of the men was accused of driving the tractor-trailer, or of being present at the scene where it was discovered on Quintana Road in the outskirts of San Antonio. The jury also saw video footage of police officers trying frantically to aid survivors amid the piles of badly burned bodies in and around the trailer, which was abandoned by the smugglers once they realized what had happened. The victims came from Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras.

Reported similarly:
NPR [3/19/2025 4:32 AM, Paul Flahive, 29983K]
AP [3/18/2025 7:09 PM, Staff, 44742K]
Reuters [3/18/2025 8:30 PM, Daniel Trotta, 41523K]

Border Report [3/18/2025 6:36 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K]
CBS Austin [3/18/2025 6:12 PM, Staff, 602K]
Telemundo [3/18/2025 5:45 PM, Staff, 2454K]

FOX News [3/18/2025 4:55 PM, Cameron Arcand, 46189K] reports victims of sanctuary policies could soon be able to sue the state, county and local governments that enacted them, according to a new proposal by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. The Sanctuary City Accountability Act (SCAA) would allow Americans nationwide to sue over the policies that limit the ability of local law enforcement to comply with federal immigration laws. Specifically, the bill would permit victims and their immediate families to take legal action over crimes that impacted them as a direct result of the policies. The legislation is expected to go through the House Judiciary Committee, of which Issa is a senior member. In the legislation, sanctuary policies are considered ones that limit Immigration and Customs Enforcement "detainer compliance" and not allowing ICE "access to interview incarcerated aliens." It is also meant to build on the proposed Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act, which would make it federal law to allow local authorities to work with the federal government on illegal immigration issues. The proposal comes as San Diego County, which Issa represents parts of, failed to scrap its "super sanctuary" policy established in December during a vote earlier this month.

The Hill [3/18/2025 4:03 PM, Ellen Mitchell, 12829K] reports Democratic lawmakers are pushing back against Trump administration plans to detain thousands of immigrants living in the country illegally at U.S. military sites. In a letter signed by nine Democrats and sent to the White House and Pentagon on Monday, the lawmakers question the use of military resources to hold and deport migrants, arguing the effort takes Defense personnel away from their mission. At issue is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plan to make up for a shortfall of space at immigration facilities by asking the Pentagon for resources to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration has targeted Fort Bliss, Texas, as a hub that could eventually hold up to 10,000 migrants as they wait to be deported, with other sites later developed at bases in Utah, near Niagara Falls, N.Y., and several other locations, The New York Times reported. The lawmakers ask for the answers to a number of questions within 30 days, including whether an assessment has been conducted on using military installations and personnel for DHS purposes as opposed to alternative options, and how many dollars and from which funding accounts DOD has used for DHS support. They also want to know if any military construction or other programmed projects have or will be paused, delayed or canceled as a result of the switching of resources to DHS at military installations.

FOX News [3/18/2025 4:16 PM, Haley Chi-Sing, 46189K] reports the United States’ foreign policy could be in jeopardy after a federal judge ordered deportation flights with Venezuelan gang members be returned to the states, a career State Department official argued in a recent court filing. Michael Kozak, Senior Bureau Official at the State Department, wrote in a declaration filed Monday that, "The foreign policy of the United States would suffer harm if the removal of individuals associated with TdA were prevented," given the "significant time and energy" already invested by U.S. government officials. Obama-appointed, D.C.-based Judge James Boasberg issued an order Saturday to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. Boasberg also ordered the Trump administration to notify their clients that "any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States." Kozak noted the possibility "that foreign interlocutors might change their minds" over accepting certain individuals associated with TdA "or might otherwise seek to leverage this as an ongoing issue." Kozak did not further expand upon the "harms" that could arise as a result of Boasberg’s order in his declaration. In a Monday-evening hearing, Boasberg proceeded to ask the Trump administration to submit more information regarding the flights. Both parties are ordered to appear back in court on Friday.

CNN [3/18/2025 5:36 PM, Devan Cole] reports a federal judge is giving the Justice Department until Wednesday at noon to provide him, under seal, with more information about deportations the Trump administration carried out pursuant to President Donald Trump’s use of a sweeping wartime authority. The demand from US District Judge James Boasberg comes as he continued on a hurried "fact-finding" mission about the administration’s compliance with his orders last weekend that the government temporarily stop deporting individuals while he considered a legal challenge to Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to quickly remove individuals the government has accused of being affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Among the questions Boasberg said the Justice Department must answer under seal are ones concerning the exact timing of when two planes took off from US soil and left US airspace on Saturday, as well as the specific times individuals deported pursuant to Trump’s proclamation were transferred out of US custody that day. Boasberg’s order for the sealed answers comes a day after he was stonewalled by a DOJ attorney during a hearing on the matter. Following the proceedings, the judge issued a pair of written orders later that night and on Tuesday demanding the department provide details on the flights.

New York Times [3/18/2025 6:08 PM, Matthew Cullen, 145325K] reports President Trump escalated his confrontation with the judicial branch today by demanding the impeachment of a federal judge who had ordered the administration to halt its plan to deport more than 200 migrants. The president called the judge, James Boasberg, a “Radical Left Lunatic” and insisted on his removal. Soon after, a Trump ally in Congress filed articles of impeachment against the judge. The attacks against Boasberg — a centrist Democrat who lived with Justice Brett Kavanaugh while they were at Yale Law School — prompted John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, to issue a rare public rebuke. “For more than two centuries,” Roberts said, “it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.” Around the same time, lawyers for the Trump administration continued their aggressive pushback against Boasberg’s ruling, which barred the U.S. from deporting people suspected of belonging to a Venezuelan street gang under a statute called the Alien Enemies Act. They complied only in part with Boasberg’s instructions to provide data on the deportation flights, which had not yet landed when the judge ordered them to turn around.

Axios [3/18/2025 1:12 PM, April Rubin, 13163K] reports that the Trump administration on Tuesday in court filings defended its deportation of Venezuelans, including gang members, saying that two of three flights took off before a judge ordered them not to. Why it matters: The Trump administration insists they were within their rights to conduct deportation flights after the president invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 via an executive order. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg initially ordered the flights return to the U.S., though the administration argued the planes were already in international waters and the ruling did not apply, Axios Marc Caputo previously reported. Boasberg’s ruling has generated ire from Trump allies, with GOP Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) vowing to draft articles of impeachment against the federal judge. Elon Musk and President Trump have also called for Boasberg to be removed from the bench. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against the judge, claiming he overstepped authority. What they’re saying: Robert Cerna, an acting field office director within ICE, said in a court filing that two of three planes carrying migrants departed for El Salvador before 7:25pm ET, when the judge issued the order. A third plane departed after that, but its passengers were not removed solely based on Trump’s executive order, Cerna said. He did not provide details as to what time the planes departed or prove that they were over international waters at 7:25.

Washington Examiner [3/18/2025 3:08 PM, Ashley Oliver, 2296K] reports the Trump administration responded Tuesday to a judge’s questions about whether it defied a court order, saying it did not and that it used more than just the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. Robert Cerna, an acting field office director within Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told Judge James Boasberg in an affidavit that one of three planes deporting alleged gang members on Saturday took off after the judge ordered the Trump administration to halt its use of the Alien Enemies Act. Cerna did not give details about the other two planes that deported migrants on Saturday despite Boasberg asking for those details by noon on Tuesday.

CBS News [3/18/2025 1:37 PM, Jacob Rosen, 51661K] reports that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer provided new details about the Trump administration’s deportation flights of alleged gang members, but continued to argue the government had a right to reject a judge’s order directing the planes to return to the U.S., even if they were already in the air. According to a sworn declaration by Robert Cerna, the acting field office director of ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, the two planes "departed U.S. territory and airspace before 7:25 p.m." on Saturday — 40 minutes after D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg verbally ordered the planes to be returned to the U.S. during a hearing Saturday evening. The government reiterated Tuesday that because the planes were over international waters and airspace by the time the judge ordered them to turn around, Boasberg no longer had jurisdiction over the migrants. Attorneys for the Trump administration had also argued in a hearing on Monday that Boasberg did not have authority to redirect the planes because the judge had not put his order demanding the planes to return to the U.S. in writing. The judge responded that his order applied to the planes, regardless of where they were in the air. Cerna said the government’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to justify the removal of alleged Tren de Aragua members was signed Friday evening, a day before the flights were publicly announced on Saturday by the White House.

The Hill [3/18/2025 5:47 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12829K] reports the White House’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to remove Venezuelans it has accused of being gang members is an abuse of war powers that critics say could open the door to mass deportations from a country President Trump has targeted multiple times in just a few months. While accusations the White House violated a court order by flying 238 Venezuelans to a Salvadoran prison have generated significant attention, immigration and civil rights advocates say the deportations themselves are just as alarming. Trump is also tapping the infrequently used Alien Enemies Act in a way never seen before, relying on gang membership, not armed conflict, to use the executive’s war powers to deport people. Those sent to El Salvador include people who were being removed under existing immigration authorities, raising questions about why they were sent to a foreign prison. Trump’s plans to use the Alien Enemies Act ignited a suit from several Venezuelans already in custody who have denied any connection with Tren de Aragua, which the administration often abbreviates as TdA. A sworn statement from an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notes that "many" of those removed on the flights do not have a criminal record in the U.S. He added that many have been accused of crimes abroad, while others are suspected of criminal activity in the U.S.

Telemundo Amarillo [3/18/2025 4:09 PM, Staff, 2K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump promoted the CBP Home app on social media Tuesday, a way for undocumented immigrants to leave the country voluntarily. On March 10, the Trump administration unveiled the completely revamped app, previously known as CBP One, for migrants to apply for asylum. Trump claimed that "the Biden administration exploited the CBP One app to allow over one million aliens to enter the United States illegally." Trump encouraged foreigners present in the country illegally to use the app to process their voluntary departure. “If you do so, you may potentially have the opportunity to return legally in the future. But if not, you will be found, deported, and never again admitted to the United States, never, ever again.” He added that CBP Home is the safest option for illegally present aliens and law enforcement. “It also saves U.S. taxpayers money and valuable CBP and ICE resources needed to focus on dangerous criminal aliens.”

Bloomberg [3/19/2025 5:00 AM, Michael Scott Moore, 16228K] reports there were few fond obituaries in the American press last week when the Trump administration announced that it was shutting down CBP One, the app immigrants had once been able to use to schedule asylum appointments with US Customs and Border Protection. Even before the administration largely disabled the app in January, immigrant-rights advocates had complained for years that the software was glitchy and difficult to use. They also said it helped officials illegally limit the flow of asylum seekers into the country, while MAGA types tarred it for supposedly making entry too easy. South of the border, however, the app will be missed. Some immigrants and those who work with them say it provided a rare alternative to Mexican drug cartels’ exploitative, often-violent system of human smuggling and trafficking. For “many, many” asylum seekers with reasonable claims, the app proved to be an essential lifeline and a peaceful substitute for cartel muscle, says Pastor Guillermo Navarrete, who runs the Tijuana side of the Border Church, a weekly Methodist service held on both sides of the rust-colored border wall. As its capabilities expanded over the past couple of years, “it was a surprise from the American government,” Navarrete says, “because it was useful.” For thousands of asylum seekers who’ve been stranded in Mexican border towns since late January, when their CBP appointments were abruptly canceled, the app’s now-firm demise underscores the danger that President Donald Trump and his team have put them in, according to a Salvadoran woman who would identify herself only as Guadalupe out of fear for her safety. “If the cartels know you have an appointment,” she says, “they put a price on your head.”

Yahoo! News [3/19/2025 5:03 AM, Greg Hilburn, 52868K] reports Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Madison Sheahan is leaving to take a top immigration job in President Donald Trump’s administration. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the appointment official while being interviewed on "Face the Nation," saying Sheahan will act as deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Todd Lyons, who was named director. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who appointed Sheahan to his cabinet shortly after his election in 2023, tweeted his congratulations. "It’s no surprise that President @realDonaldTrump has tapped Madison Sheahan to help lead the Immigration, Customs, and Enforcement Agency (ICE)," Landry posted on X. "Over the last year, we have recruited high-level talent to the state of Louisiana and this is just one example of that. Madison has been a leader of the @LDWF making historical changes and bringing a fresh mindset to the Department. I look forward to working with Madison in her new role as she serves under @Sec_Noem. By selecting strong leaders such as Madison, President Trump proves his dedication to making America safe again.”

Bloomberg [3/18/2025 9:21 PM, Jeff Stone, 16228K] reports the Trump administration’s purge of US government workers has gutted a Department of Homeland Security unit created to combat online radicalization and credited with helping disrupt more than 1,000 violent plots in the past few years, according to current and former officials. Roughly 20% of probationary employees were dismissed or resigned from the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships in recent weeks, according to two current officials and one former employee who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the matter. The CP3 is the primary federal unit focused on proactively stopping extremist violence around the country. Many of the recently departed workers helped state and local authorities through $79 million in federal grants aimed at keeping online threats from turning into real world attacks. Their work supported programs to study the impact of online misinformation and radicalization, educate police departments on how to prevent politically motivated violence and train school administrators to work with students at risk of being influenced to make racially motivated threats. The immediate effect of the change, current officials said, will be to cut support to state efforts to create anti-domestic terrorism strategies. Those plans, which CP3 helps craft, typically provide guidance for law enforcement efforts to assess threats from homegrown violent extremist organizations, such as white supremacist groups or anti-government militias. Twelve states have lost their liaisons with CP3 as a result of the dismissals, according to the officials. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, said in a statement that the department had identified some non-mission critical personnel in probationary status as part of government-wide cost-cutting efforts. “DHS remains focused on supporting law enforcement and public safety through funding, training, increased public awareness, and partnerships,” McLaughlin said. “US taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and for mission critical efforts.”

Wall Street Journal [3/18/2025 9:21 PM, Mariah Timms, 52868K] reports a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the Department of Government Efficiency’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development was likely unconstitutional on multiple fronts—including the role Elon Musk played to orchestrate it. The order from Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Maryland directed the team to halt its work to shutter the agency and reinstate access to electronic systems for employees and contractors who were shut out. He also took aim at Musk himself, spending pages wading through White House comments and social-media posts about the role played by the billionaire, an adviser and close ally of President Trump. The Trump administration’s lawyers have said Musk is a presidential adviser giving recommendations with no binding legal effect. But Chuang in his ruling pointed out that Musk has continuously acted as DOGE’s de facto head, without having been properly appointed with Senate approval—likely in violation of the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. “If a President could escape Appointments Clause scrutiny by having advisors go beyond the traditional role of White House advisors who communicate the President’s priorities to agency heads and instead exercise significant authority throughout the federal government so as to bypass duly appointed Officers, the Appointments Clause would be reduced to nothing more than a technical formality,” wrote Chuang, an appointee of former President Barack Obama. The injunction deals a blow to one of the earliest moves taken by the Trump administration and DOGE to drastically scale back the size of the federal government. During its first few weeks, the Trump administration largely dismantled the work of the 10,000-person agency and the thousands of people in nonprofits and other groups who work with it. Its headquarters was closed, its name taken off the building and most of its staff put on paid leave. Employees stationed overseas were ordered to come home within a month. The case was filed by more than two dozen USAID employees and contractors over the rapid-fire moves to terminate or put on leave most of the agency’s workforce. It argued Musk and DOGE lacked legal authority to dismantle an agency typically under the purview of Congress, both by overstepping the separation of powers and because Musk and his team weren’t properly appointed.

NPR [3/18/2025 5:24 PM, Adrian Florido, 29983K] Audio: HERE reports Columbia University students are upset that the school has not taken a more strident stance to protect its students as the Trump administration has used immigration enforcement against protestors.

CBS New York [3/18/2025 8:43 PM, Staff, 51661K] reports a Columbia University student and green card holder arrested by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York City over his involvement in the pro-Palestinian campus protests made his first public remarks since being taken into custody earlier this month, in which he described himself as a "political prisoner.” In his letter dictated by phone from a detention facility in Louisiana, Mahmoud Khalil said that his only concern at the time of his March 8 arrest was for the safety of his wife, Noor Abdalla, who was then about eight months pregnant. "I had no idea if she would be taken too, since the agents had threatened to arrest her for not leaving my side," Khalil said. "DHS would not tell me anything for hours — I did not know the cause of my arrest or if I was facing immediate deportation.” Khalil said he slept on a "cold floor" at an ICE field office in Lower Manhattan, before being transferred to the Elizabeth Detention Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he "slept on the ground and was refused a blanket despite my request.” "The Trump administration is targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent," Khalil said. "Visa-holders, green-card carriers, and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs.” The statement comes as Khalil’s attorneys and the Justice Department spar in court over the Trump administration’s decision to send him halfway across the country to an immigration lockup in Louisiana. The government said he could not be detained at the detention center in Elizabeth, in part, because of a bedbug infestation, so they sent him to Louisiana. In court filings, Khalil said there was no such discussion of bedbugs and he feared he was being immediately deported. Khalil said in a declaration filed in Manhattan federal court Monday that while he was held overnight at a detention center in Elizabeth, "I did not hear anyone mention bedbugs.” In a statement provided Tuesday evening to CBS News, Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, the company which manages the Elizabeth Detention Center, confirmed that a bedbug issue at the center was "recently discovered.” "When Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC) staff recently discovered evidence of bedbugs at the facility, we immediately implemented a plan, with the approval and coordination of our partners at ICE, to determine the extent of the issue and eradicate any infestation," Gustin said. CoreCivic did not say exactly when the bedbug discovery was made, or how many detainees were impacted. Gustin emphasized that CoreCivic does not have a say in the placement, release or deportation of individual detainees.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [3/18/2025 8:01 PM, Kanishka Singh, 41523K]
ABC News [3/18/2025 6:53 PM, Meredith Deliso and Sabina Ghebremedhin, 34586K]

Iowa Capital Dispatch [3/18/2025 5:02 PM, Clark Kauffman] reports six Guatemalan nationals who worked for Iowa industrial egg supplier Centrum Valley Farms are suing the company alleging human trafficking and claiming they and other immigrant workers were denied overtime pay and threatened with deportation in retaliation for their complaints. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for harassment, discrimination and retaliation; wrongful discharge; human trafficking related to forced labor; violations of wage-and-hour laws related to overtime pay, and violations of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. The plaintiffs claim Centrum Valley Farms recruited them to work at the company’s Clarion egg farm and packaging facility and helped them obtain work-authorization documents from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with Cornejo acting as their supervisor. The defendants in the case have yet to file a response to the allegations.

ABC News [3/18/2025 4:38 PM, Luke Barr, 34586K] reports the FBI extradited an alleged senior leader of the MS-13 gang who was on the agency’s "10 most wanted" list with the help of the Mexican government, FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday. Patel said Mexican authorities arrested Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales -- who Patel said is believed to be a "key senior leader" of the gang. Roman-Bardales is being extradited to the United States, Patel added. Roman-Bardales, 47, has been charged with several offenses for "his alleged role in ordering numerous acts of violence against civilians and rival gang members, as well as his role in drug distribution and extortion schemes in the United States and El Salvador," the FBI said. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Roman-Bardales in a New York court in 2022 after he was charged with conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists; narco-terrorism conspiracy; racketeering conspiracy; and alien smuggling conspiracy. Mexican authorities got intelligence that Roman-Bardales was in Baxtla, Mexico. Mexican law enforcement was deployed to the area, where Roman-Bardales was identified and arrested, the FBI said.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [3/18/2025 4:34 PM, Cara Tabachnick, 51661K]
FOX News [3/18/2025 12:49 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 46189K]

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 7:25 PM, Staff, 52868K] reports hundreds of Venezuelans marched in Caracas Tuesday to demand the release of 238 compatriots the United States sent to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador, accused of being gang members. Bearing photos of some of the detainees, the group denounced the "kidnapping" of their loved ones and clamored for them to be freed. "My son has no criminal record, does not belong to any gang," Rena Jimenez, mother of one named Wilker Flores, told AFP at the march called by President Nicolas Maduro’s party. "They are good boys who were unjustly taken to El Salvador. We are here asking for help to bring our children back," she said. The United States last weekend flew alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to be imprisoned in El Salvador after US President Donald Trump invoked little-known wartime legislation to expel them. The deportations took place despite a US federal judge granting a temporary suspension of the expulsion order -- apparently as planes carrying the detainees were already headed to San Salvador -- raising questions over whether the Trump administration deliberately defied the court decision. Trump has called for the judge who issued the order to be impeached, leading to a rare rebuke of the Republican president by Chief Justice John Roberts. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said 238 members of a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua, which Trump has designated a foreign terrorist organization, had arrived. Bukele shared a video of men in handcuffs and shackles being transferred from a plane to a heavily guarded convoy.

San Diego Union Tribune [3/18/2025 6:57 PM, Alex Riggins, 1682K] reports federal agents served more than a dozen search warrants Tuesday morning across Southern California and Virginia in an operation that targeted a suspected Escondido-based drug network. Federal prosecutors in San Diego said more than 150 law enforcement agents took part in the operation, which was the culmination of a 16-month investigation that had involved undercover drug buys, covert surveillance and wiretaps. Prosecutors said law enforcement personnel arrested 16 defendants who have been indicted on federal charges in U.S. District Court in San Diego and served 16 search warrants in Escondido, San Diego, Orange County and Roanoke, Va. The alleged drug-trafficking ring is accused of distributing large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and Adderall, a prescription medication, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors allege that during the course of the investigation and during the raids on Tuesday, agents confiscated roughly 116 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 4 pounds of the ultra-potent drug fentanyl and "substantial quantities of cocaine and Adderall," as well as nine guns, ammunition and body armor. "This group was flooding our community with … drugs that tear families apart and put lives at risk," Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden said in a statement. "Thanks to this law enforcement effort, we’re taking a major step in making our streets safer and holding traffickers accountable.” As roughly 100 federal agents and other law enforcement personnel gathered Tuesday morning in a parking lot near Escondido Police Department headquarters, fear spread among some community members that immigration raids were imminent, according to Pedro Ríos, director of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S./Mexico Border Program. Ríos said he began receiving messages expressing those concerns around 7:30 a.m., based in part on the presence of an armored vehicle with "HSI" painted on the side. Homeland Security Investigations is under Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of the Department of Homeland Security. HSI is often involved in investigations with an international nexus and investigates a broad category of crimes, including drug and human smuggling, child exploitation, weapons trafficking, cybercrime, financial crimes, terrorism and national security threats.

New York Times [3/18/2025 9:13 PM, Jazmine Ulloa and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, 145325K] reports that, in the days since the federal government sent hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador, Washington has been debating whether the White House did indeed defy a federal judge who ordered the deportation flights to turn around and head back to the United States. But beyond the Trump administration’s evident animus for the judge and the court, more basic questions remain unsettled and largely unanswered: Were the men who were expelled to El Salvador in fact all gang members, as the United States asserts, and how did the authorities make that determination about each of the roughly 200 people who were spirited out of the country even as a federal judge was weighing their fate? The Trump White House has said that most of the immigrants deported were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which, like many transnational criminal organizations, has a presence in the United States. Amid the record numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border in recent years, the gang’s presence in some American cities became a rallying cry for Donald J. Trump as he campaigned to return to the White House, claiming immigrants were invading the country. After Mr. Trump returned to power in January, Tren de Aragua remained a regular talking point for him and his immigration advisers, and the deportation flights last week were the administration’s most significant move yet to make good on its promise to go after the gang. But officials have disclosed little about how the men were identified as gang members and what due process, if any, they were accorded before being placed on flights to El Salvador, where the authoritarian government, allied with Mr. Trump, has agreed to hold the prisoners in exchange for a multimillion-dollar payment. The Justice Department refused to answer basic inquiries on Monday about the deportations from the federal judge in Washington, D.C., who had ordered the deportation flight to return to the United States. On Tuesday afternoon, he ordered the Justice Department to submit a sealed filing by noon on Wednesday detailing the times at which the planes had taken off, left American airspace and ultimately landed in El Salvador.

FOX News [3/18/2025 5:20 PM, Peter Pinedo, 46189K] reports agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and other federal enforcement authorities arrested 81 illegal aliens in just five days as part of an enhanced targeted enforcement effort titled "Operation Take Back America" in Kentucky. As President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration continues, ICE announced the arrests in a statement Tuesday, which said that 25 of those arrested are charged with criminal offenses. Among those with criminal charges was an illegal alien who had previously been deported, excluded, removed or denied admission seven times. The agency said those not criminally charged will continue to be held by ICE pending removal proceedings. Offenses include sexual misconduct with a minor, drug trafficking and domestic violence. The statement said the migrants arrested were present in the country illegally and came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, India and Palau. The department said that Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that streamlines efforts and resources within DHS to not only crack down on illegal immigration but also "achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime." The operation was coordinated out of Louisville.

Reported similarly:
Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 6:41 PM, Madylin Goins, 52868K]

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 8:38 PM, Ana Ceballos and Syra Ortiz Blanes, 3973K] reports Florida’s attorney general is threatening to punish Fort Myers City Council members for rejecting a proposed immigration partnership with the federal government, marking the first attempt by the state to publicly force local officials to get involved in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. In a letter Tuesday, Attorney General James Uthmeier told City Council members that their decision to not enroll in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement program known as 287(g) "constitutes a serious and direct violation" of a Florida law that bans "sanctuary cities" — or localities that limit collaboration on immigration enforcement in a broad variety of ways. "Failure to correct the Council’s actions will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to being held in contempt, declaratory or injunctive relief, and removal from office by the Governor," Uthmeier wrote in the letter. A few hours before Uthmeier sent the letter, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a broad warning to local officials who did not participate in the 287(g) program. He said the "days of inaction are over," and signaled that he would be willing to take action against them. "Govern yourselves accordingly," the governor said in a post on X. The governor’s warning and the attorney general’s letter are the latest example of how Florida is using its powers to force local officials to play a role in helping President Donald Trump find, arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. DeSantis has previously used his executive authority to remove local officials from office, including two Orlando-area and Tampa-area prosecutors. In one case, a federal judge ruled that DeSantis violated the Florida Constitution and the First Amendment, but said there was no recourse to restore the prosecutor back into office.

Univision [3/18/2025 9:14 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports Franco Caraballo, a 26-year-old Venezuelan barber, called his wife, who was waiting for him in Florida, in tears. It was Friday, and he was desperate, handcuffed and dressed in white along with dozens of other migrants in a federal detention center in Texas. No one told them where they were being taken. Twenty-four hours later, his name disappeared from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee locator system, according to the account of Johanny Sanchez, his wife. Uncertainty turned to nightmare on Monday, when Johanny Sanchez learned that Franco had been transferred to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. More than 200 Venezuelans were sent there over the weekend, accused by the Donald Trump administration of belonging to the Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang originating in Venezuela, none of whom had the right to appear before a judge. None had the right to appear before a judge. Sanchez, still in the United States, struggles to understand the accusation. "What gang member voluntarily shows up every month to an ICE office during a nationwide raid?" he asks. Franco was punctual for his appointments while applying for asylum. He had no criminal record in the United States and carried Venezuelan documents confirming his clean record. According to Sanchez, the only reason behind the accusation could be a tattoo in the shape of a clock, a symbol that represents the birthday of Franco’s daughter, the fruit of a previous relationship. "He has a lot of tattoos, but that is no reason to discriminate against him," he laments. Franco’s detention occurred in the context of a series of flights organized by U.S. immigration authorities that caused panic among hundreds of families. Within hours, many detainees disappeared from ICE’s digital records. Some reappeared behind bars in El Salvador, in extreme conditions: no visitation, no recreation, no access to education.

Washington Post [3/18/2025 7:28 PM, Michelle Boorstein, 31735K] reports "This is not immigration enforcement. This is Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents under the guise of immigration enforcement," Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said in a statement Tuesday. "This does not make our community safer in my mind. I think it makes it more lawless.” A message left for U.S. immigration officials was not immediately returned Tuesday evening. Fox News reported that ICE confirmed it had "arrested" Vizguerra, a Fox reporter wrote on X, and that it has "a final order of removal (deportation order) via a [Department of Justice] immigration judge.” Colorado Public Radio reported Tuesday that Vizguerra’s attorney Laura Lichter asked a federal judge to take over her case and release Vizguerra immediately, arguing the federal government didn’t have the authority to take her into custody. Vizguerra, 53, came to the United States from Mexico in 1993, according to the news site Denverite. According to media reports, she’s had many interactions with immigration officials over the years as she sought legal status and obtained multiple stays of deportation. She was also pulled over in 2009 for a traffic violation and convicted of falsifying a Social Security number, which she said she planned to use to secure a part-time job, Washington Post reported in 2017. She has long been an activist for migrants, but gained a national profile in 2017 when she sought sanctuary in a Denver church for nearly three months. Vizguerra was named one of the 100 most influential people that year by Time magazine. Jordan Garcia, a family friend and an advocate with the American Friends Service Committee in Colorado, said Tuesday that Vizguerra had talked with her children on Tuesday and "is doing okay. She’s concerned about her family.”

Reported similarly:
New York Times [3/18/2025 7:53 PM, Jack Healy and Jazmine Ulloa, 145325K]
FOX News [3/18/2025 3:57 PM, Louis Casiano, Bill Melugin, 46189K]

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 11:33 PM, Trevor Myers, 52868K] reports a man who has previously been deported was arrested for impersonating an ICE agent in Utah back in November. On Monday, he was convicted of more than 20 charges related to identity fraud and forgery. Rony Javier Hernandez-Morales, 38 — described in a social media post by Salt Lake City Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a "twice removed Honduran" — was arrested in Sandy on 23 charges, including identity fraud, 13 counts of possession of forged writing or device for writing, theft, and more. Authorities found 13 forged documents under the false name Rony Romero and other aliases, as well as five different vehicle registration documents under a fake name, according to court documents obtained by ABC4.com. Documents also said five vehicles were registered under the name Rony Romero, and a sixth vehicle was registered to Rony Momero. Hernandez-Morales is also accused of having a California driver’s license under a fake name. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Hernandez-Moralez has been deported from the United States at least twice, and is not a legal resident of the U.S., according to documents. Sentencing documents said Hernandez-Morales could be sentenced to prison for one to 15 years in Utah State Prison for the identity fraud conviction. Documents also said Hernandez-Morales also would serve varying jail sentences based on his convictions (with credit granted for time served) and would be ordered to cooperate with ICE and leave the U.S. voluntarily if not deported. According to charging documents, Sandy City Police first responded to a threat of violence at a home in Sandy in November. A victim reported that Hernandez-Morales threatened to kill several people, including the victim and himself. Hernandez-Morales reportedly had two firearms and told the victim he worked for DHS. The victim also said the suspect took money out of the victim’s bank account without permission. Documents allege that there is evidence of Hernandez-Morales "dressed and acting as a law enforcement officer, including showing a badge, despite not having legitimate law enforcement employment.” After his arrest, documents say Hernandez-Morales admitted to fraudulently making identification under the name Rony Romero. He reportedly used that identification to "obtain credit, get jobs, and register vehicles," documents said. "ICE officers always carry official Homeland Security credentials!" Salt Lake City ICE clarified in the social media post.

CBS Los Angeles [3/18/2025 3:56 PM, Tim Fang, 51661K] reports California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a warning Tuesday following reports of people impersonating Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents along with other scams targeting immigrants. In a statement, Bonta said they have received reports of people seeking to "take advantage of the fear and uncertainty" in the wake of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Bonta reiterated that impersonating a federal officer is a crime under federal law and impersonating a police officer is a misdemeanor under California law.

San Diego Union Tribune [3/18/2025 9:15 PM, Caleb Lunetta, 1682K] reports an officer with the San Diego State University Police Department was arrested and charged last week on suspicion of downloading child pornography to his personal computer, campus officials said Tuesday. The arrest stemmed from an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations’ cyber crime unit, leading to an arrest off campus Thursday, SDSU Police Chief Gregory Murphy said. The next day, the officer was charged with possession of child pornography, Murphy said. University officials cited employee privacy laws Tuesday and declined to disclose the officer’s name, rank and time of employment with the university’s police department. "This is shocking, and I want to immediately acknowledge that no child — and no one — should ever experience exploitation, and to also recognize the pain and upset this has caused within our organization," Murphy said in an email shared with campus students, faculty and staff. "This is painful, and these cases can be especially difficult for survivors of abuse.” Murphy said the department had already initiated actions to fire the officer. The department referred all questions about the investigation to Homeland Security Investigations, an agency under U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 9:09 PM, Hanna Kang, 3973K] reports a Laguna Niguel couple who has lived in the U.S. for 35 years is being detained in a Louisiana immigration facility and faces deportation to Colombia, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gladys Gonzalez, 55, and Nelson Gonzalez, 59, originally entered the U.S. without authorization near San Ysidro in November 1989, an ICE spokesperson said in a statement. Both were ordered to leave the country in 2000 after an immigration judge granted them voluntary departure, ICE said. Over the years, they pursued multiple legal avenues to stay, including appeals to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to ICE. On Feb. 21, the couple was detained by ICE during a routine check-in - something they had complied with regularly, according to their family’s GoFundMe page. An ICE spokesperson confirmed that neither Gladys Gonzalez nor Nelson Gonzalez has a criminal record. But the couple "exhausted all legal options to remain in the U.S. between March 2000 and August 2021," according to ICE, and are now in violation of U.S. immigration law. Their detention has devastated their family, who say the couple had always followed the rules. "They have never broken the law, never missed an appointment, and this sudden occurrence has left us in shock," the couple’s daughters, who were raised in the U.S., wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser launched to cover legal costs and help the couple prepare for life in Colombia. Every year, thousands of undocumented immigrants, including the Gonzalezes, attend routine check-ins with ICE. This process allows immigration officials to monitor individuals who are not considered immediate priorities for deportation while they pursue legal avenues to stay in the U.S. But on Feb. 21, "they were put into handcuffs by their wrists and ankles and treated as criminals before getting to these detention centers," Stephanie Gonzalez, the couple’s daughter, told KTLA. "All they said is they extended their stay, even though every year they’ve had permission to be here, and they’re law-abiding citizens who show up and are doing their duty to check in with immigration and say, ‘Hey I’m here. I’m not hiding or doing anything wrong.’ Then they just arrested them like that.”

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 8:26 PM, Domenick Candelieri, 52868K] reports a San Diego State University Police Department officer suspected of being in possession of child pornography was arrested last week. The campus police officer was charged on allegations of downloading child pornography to his personal computer, SDSU Chief of Police Gregory L. Murphy said in an email to students and staff Tuesday. Investigators with Homeland Security contacted university police on Thursday about the SDSU officer, according to school officials. HSI then arrested that officer off campus. On Friday, the officer, whose identity has not been released due to employee privacy laws, was charged with possession of child pornography. "This is shocking, and I want to immediately acknowledge that no child – and no one – should ever experience exploitation, and to also recognize the pain and upset this has caused within our organization. This is painful, and these cases can be especially difficult for survivors of abuse. Let me be clear: UPD condemns any and all forms of exploitation and abuse," Murphy said. UPD immediately initiated actions to terminate the officer who remains in custody. The university advises anyone who needs support to contact SDSU support resources and counseling.

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 7:52 PM, Verónica Egui Brito and Syra Ortiz Blanes, 3973K] reports the Trump administration has admitted in federal court documents that "many" Venezuelans it accused of being dangerous gang members and deported through presidential wartime powers have no criminal records in the United States, but argued it was only because they had only been in the U.S. briefly. President Donald Trump used a centuries-old law, the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, to deport the Venezuelans without due process in the U.S., saying they were members of the feared Tren de Aragua gang. "The lack of criminal records does not indicate they pose a limited threat. In fact, based upon their association with Tren de Aragua, the lack of specific information about each specific individual actually highlights the risk they pose," said Robert Cerna, a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, in a sworn statement filed Monday night to a the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. Cerna’s statement and other court documents offer critical insight into how the federal government justifies which Venezuelans to send to a mega prison in El Salvador as part of a deal the Trump administration brokered with President Nayib Bukele last month. Bukele said they would remain in prison for at least a year. The move has ignited widespread alarm over the extent of Trump’s executive authority and due process violations. The White House has argued that the deportations were justified in the name of public safety. Cerna’s statement is part of a lawsuit challenging an executive order in which Trump directed his administration to use the wartime powers to deport Venezuelan citizens over 14 years old if they are Tren de Aragua members. Cerna is the Acting Field Office Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations for ICE in Harlingen, Texas.

Telemundo Washington DC [3/18/2025 6:24 PM, Catalina Pérez De Armiñán, 38K] reports a Beltsville, Maryland, woman claims her husband was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, where his life could now be in danger. Jennifer indicated that her husband is in the CECOT prison. Despite his protected status in the United States, the family’s lawyer fears that the deportation could be related to dismissed accusations that he was connected to a gang in 2019. She also claims that ICE agents informed her that Armando’s legal status had changed. Since then, according to Jennifer, her husband was transferred to detention centers in Baltimore, Louisiana, and Hidalgo, Texas, before being deported. However, in 2019, he was arrested in the United States following allegations that he was linked to gangs. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence, according to her attorney, Lucía Curiel.

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 7:37 PM, Shelby Stivale, 3973K] reports questions about Prince Harry’s United States visa have been up in the air for months, and more details have since emerged. A federal judge ruled on Tuesday, March 18, in favor of the Heritage Foundation to unseal Harry’s visa application in court. However, the heavily redacted document - which is 82 pages across seven exhibits - doesn’t reveal his immigration status. "To release his exact status could subject him to reasonably foreseeable harm in the form of harassment as well as unwanted contact by the media and others," chief FOIA officer for the Department of Homeland Security Jarrod Panter said in a declaration obtained by NBC News. "There is the potential of harm in the form of harassment if his exact (redacted) is revealed. Thus, there is significant privacy interests involved in the records.” The documents, more than half of which have been blacked out, do not discuss whether Harry allegedly lied on his application about his past drug use. It was initially reported on Sunday, March 16, that Harry’s immigration files would be released within days after a U.S c conservative think-tank, The Heritage Foundation, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The Heritage Foundation alleged that Harry, 40, concealed past drug use, which would have disqualified him from obtaining a U.S. visa. The drama surrounding Harry’s U.S. visa was revealed in March 2024, when Nile Gardiner - the Heritage Foundation’s director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom - shared that the think-tank was in a legal battle with the Department of Homeland Security so that Harry’s visa application would be released. Initially, a judge denied the request in September 2024, citing that there was a lack of public interest. Last month the Department of Homeland Security agreed to release redacted versions of Harry’s application. The same judge previously denied the FOIA request, citing lack of public interest. However, lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security said in February that it would publish redacted versions of Harry’s forms.

New York Times [3/18/2025 5:30 PM, Ana Ionova, 145325K] reports Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian congressman and a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, said on Tuesday that he would seek political asylum in the United States, claiming he is the target of persecution for defending the right-wing movement embodied by his father. The third-oldest son of the former Brazilian president has been in the United States since late February, just as Brazil’s Supreme Court began weighing whether to seize his passport over accusations that he tried to interfere in the case involving his father’s alleged role in a coup plot after the older man lost the 2022 election. Mr. Bolsonaro, 40, said in a video posted on social media that he intended to remain in the United States and step back from his role as a federal lawmaker. Mr. Bolsonaro has close ties with the Trump family and has visited President Trump at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home and club. Mr. Bolsonaro also denounced a Supreme Court justice, Alexandre de Moraes, for targeting him. Justice de Moraes has been overseeing the criminal case against Jair Bolsonaro. “If Alexandre de Moraes wants to seize my passport or even arrest me so that I can no longer report his crimes in the United States, then this is precisely where I will stay and work harder than ever,” the younger Mr. Bolsonaro said in the video. After the video was published, Brazil’s top prosecutor said he was not seeking Mr. Bolsonaro’s passport. Mr. Bolsonaro did not make clear when he would request asylum. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The announcement by Mr. Bolsonaro comes days before Brazil’s Supreme Court is to decide whether to put his father on trial on charges that he oversaw a vast plot to subvert the nation’s democracy after the 2022 election, which he lost. Brazilian prosecutors say the plot included plans to annul the vote, disband courts and assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won the vote. The older Mr. Bolsonaro has called the charges politically motivated.

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 3:55 PM, Verónica Egui Brito, 3973K] reports a group of members of Congress from Florida and 11 other states expressed outrage Tuesday in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the Trump administration’s decision to terminate deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S. The letter from the Democratic legislators calls attention to the stark contradiction between the Department of Homeland Security’s claims of "notable improvements" in Venezuela — which the administration is using to end Temporary Protected Status — and Rubio’s own characterization of the Nicolas Maduro regime in Caracas as a grave threat to both its citizens and the world. The letter pointed out that Homeland Security justified its decision on Feb. 5 to revoke TPS by claiming Venezuela had made progress in areas like public health, crime, and the economy, suggesting conditions were now "safe" for Venezuelans in the U.S. to return. However, just one day after the decision was issued, Rubio himself reaffirmed the brutal reality of Maduro’s regime, which he stated "imprisons, tortures, and forces millions to flee." Rubio reiterated that Venezuela remains a "threat to humanity." The lawmakers argued in their letter Tuesday that deporting thousands Venezuelans back to a country that Rubio has called an "enemy of humanity" is not just misguided but an outright betrayal of the Venezuelan-American community. They demanded an explanation for the sharp discrepancy between the DHS assessment and Rubio’s own statements about the dire situation in Venezuela.

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 7:06 PM, Maria Papadopoulos, 52868K] reports a Brazilian national living in Woburn was arrested Tuesday for allegedly selling fake Social Security cards and fake Green Cards, the U.S. attorney said. Liene Tavares DeBarros Jr., 39, is charged with one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Tuesday. Tavares DeBarros was scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester. According to the charging documents, Tavares DeBarros sold a Social Security Number Card and a Green Card to an undercover officer in October in exchange for $250. In December, Tavares DeBarros allegedly sold two more Social Security cards and Green Cards to the undercover officer in exchange for $500, Foley said. If convicted on the charge of unlawful transfer of document or authentication feature and unlawful production of document or authentication feature, Tavares DeBarros faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 3:33 PM, Sara Schilling, 3973K] reports a Nevada man forced three people from Cuba into being domestic servants, federal prosecutors said. Rafael Juan Mitjans, 50, from Las Vegas, took their passports and other identification and led them to believe they’d "suffer serious harm and physical restraint" if they didn’t provide the domestic work, according to prosecutors. He also falsified immigration paperwork, prosecutors said. Mitjans was indicted on charges of forced labor, unlawful conduct with respect to documents in furtherance of trafficking and forced labor, and making false statements on immigration documents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada said in a March 14 news release. The forced labor happened between September 2023 and July 2024, prosecutors said. Mitjans faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 7:47 PM, Elizabeth Keogh, 52868K] reports a Queens man used the northern border to smuggle Pakistani and Bangladeshi foreign nationals into the United States, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Atikur Razzaque, 28, of Ozone Park, pled guilty to crossing the border near Westville, N.Y. on Sept. 21 with three Bangladeshi citizens in tow— for which he was compensated — as part of a broader smuggling operation, prosecutors charged. Razzaque admitted to similar incidents in the past and was charged with alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. He was sentenced to 15 months behind bars for the scheme.

Border Report [3/18/2025 5:59 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports Republican U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz has invited Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to visit her South Texas border district to view an area she says has been "victimized" by lax border security under the Biden administration. "With your confirmation, many of my constituents are now breathing a sigh of relief. These communities have been terrorized over the past four years by a constant flow of drug smuggling and human trafficking," De La Cruz wrote in a March 13 letter to Noem. "I would like to extend an invitation to South Texas where you can hear from the families, farmers and Border Patrol agents victimized by President Biden’s open-border policies," De La Cruz wrote. Since Donald Trump took office, encounters by Border Patrol of migrants illegally crossing into the Rio Grande Valley has dropped substantially. Data released last week from February found Border Patrol agents came across just 1,285 people crossing in between legal ports of entry in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, down 89% from 11,951 encounters in February 2024, according to CBP data.

Border Report [3/18/2025 4:33 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection at two South Texas ports of entry reported the seizure large loads of weapons and ammunition that were headed into Mexico. On Monday, CBP officers at the Del Rio International Bridge say they confiscated 16 weapons including three 5.56mm AR-style rifles, 26 magazines and 182 rounds of ammunition hidden within a passenger van. The van had been sent for secondary inspection as it was headed into Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. On Saturday, CBP officers say they confiscated more weapons from a vehicle at the Camino Real International Bridge — also known as Bridge II — in Eagle Pass. Officers confiscated five weapons, four magazines and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition hidden within an older model pickup that tried to cross from Eagle Pass into Piedras Negras, Mexico, CBP says.

Miami Herald [3/18/2025 5:07 PM, Julia Marnin, 3973K] reports a man confronted two on-duty U.S. Customs and Border Patrol employees at a New Mexico post office, calling one a "traitor" before attacking and wrestling with the other worker, court documents say. About a week earlier, Andrew Josiah Segura threatened a different CBP employee and also called him a "traitor" at a local truck stop and convenience store on Feb. 11, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Segura, 28, of Santa Teresa, is charged with assaulting CBP employees in connection with the incidents in February, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a March 17 news release. The criminal complaint shows Segura is specifically charged with assault, resistance, opposition and intimidation of an officer or employee of the U.S. involving physical contact in relation to the Feb. 19 incident at the post office. He was arrested March 7, according to court records.

Los Angeles Times [3/18/2025 10:29 PM, Salvador Hernandez, 13342K] reports a man was detained during a flight to Los Angeles on Monday morning after he reportedly bit and hit other passengers. The unidentified man was on Delta Air Lines Flight 501, from Atlanta to L.A., when he reportedly struck other passengers, said Lorie Dankers, spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration. During the incident, the man allegedly also bit at least one passenger, according to ABC 7 News. The Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles World Airports Police Department responded to the plane shortly after it landed about 11:45 a.m. Airport police interviewed multiple witnesses, Dankers said. In a statement, a spokesperson for Delta said the airline was working with law enforcement in the investigation. "Delta has a zero tolerance for unruly behavior and worked with law enforcement authorities on the investigation," the spokesperson said. Los Angeles World Airports police did not immediately respond to a request for information on the incident. "They eventually transported the disruptive passenger to a local hospital for a medical evaluation," Dankers said. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency has investigated more than 2,100 incidents involving unruly passengers on flights. So far this year, 311 incidents have been reported to the FAA.

Reuters [3/18/2025 10:03 PM, Andrea Shalal, 41523K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that seeks to shift responsibility for disaster preparations to state and local governments, deepening his drive to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The order, first previewed by the White House on March 10, calls for a review of all infrastructure, continuity, and preparedness and response policies to update and simplify federal approaches. It said "common sense" investments by state and local governments to address risks ranging from wildfires to hurricanes and cyber attacks would enhance national security, but did not detail what they were or how they would be funded. "Preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the state, local, and even individual levels, supported by a competent, accessible, and efficient federal government," the order said. "When states are empowered to make smart infrastructure choices, taxpayers benefit." The order calls for revising critical infrastructure policy to better reflect assessed risks instead of an "all-hazards approach," the White House said in a fact sheet on the order. It creates a "National Risk Register" to identify, describe and measure risk to U.S. national infrastructure and streamlines federal functions to help states work with Washington more easily. Trump in January ordered a review of FEMA that stopped short of shuttering the country’s lead disaster response agency and a White House official said the latest order was not aimed at closing FEMA. Rob Moore, the director of the flooding solutions team at the Natural Resources Defense Council, accused the Trump administration of systematically weakening U.S. disaster readiness. "From day one, the Trump administration has been eroding the nation’s capacity to plan for, respond to, and recover from disasters," Moore told Reuters. "They’ve overseen the dismissal of 1,000 FEMA staff - who won’t be there to respond to a flood or wildfire - and are withholding funding from local and state governments who are doing risk reduction projects and more." Shana Udvardy, a senior researcher at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said she was concerned the order marked "another dangerous step" that would leave communities with fewer resources to prepare for future disasters. "The executive order shifts most of the responsibility for disaster preparedness to state and local governments, asking them to make more expensive infrastructure investments without outlining the federal role in that," she said.

NC Newsline [3/18/2025 4:17 PM, Galen Bacharier] reports a proposed North Carolina bill would ban discrimination based on political affiliation during disaster response efforts. House Bill 251 would restrict officials from considering a person’s political party, or political speech, in distributing disaster aid money or assistance in any form. It stemmed from an incident in Florida after Hurricane Milton, in which a FEMA worker instructed her team to avoid canvassing at homes that had Trump flags. The Florida attorney general has sued the former FEMA head and the worker for discrimination. If the bill were to become law, it would impact any ongoing relief in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, as well as future disaster aid. And it would allow the state to charge anyone who violates it with a class I felony — punishable with up to two years in prison.

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 11:14 PM, Staff, 52868K] reports a wildfire shut down U.S. Highway 1 in the Florida Keys for four hours on Tuesday evening. A wildfire broke out along the 18-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 1, the only highway connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland, shutting down all traffic in and out of the area Tuesday evening. Officials reported that the fire had burned approximately 2,000 acres. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office shared dramatic images of the flames and heavy smoke along the highway. Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the wildfire or whether any structures were damaged. It is also unclear if there were any injuries or if containment efforts have fully stopped the fire from spreading further. The fire forced the closure of US 1 for about four hours, with roads reopening gradually around 8:30 p.m. ET. Officials have not provided an estimate on when the fire will be fully extinguished. Fire crews continue to monitor the situation as officials urge travelers to remain cautious.

Dallas Morning News [3/18/2025 9:13 PM, Staff, 2778K] reports the Central Texas grass fire that broke out three days ago near Fredericksburg was 90% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Started Saturday afternoon, the exact cause of the 9,858-acre Crabapple Fire was still unknown Tuesday. The forest service and the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office determined that it ignited near the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple Road, according to a news release. It also began during prime fire conditions of high winds and low humidity. "The reported origin of the fire just emphasizes the need of everyone to be overly cautious during these dry conditions," Fredericksburg Fire Chief Lynn Bizzell said in the news release. "The smallest spark can cause massive problems.” The Crabapple Fire was also one of almost 50 fires burning across Texas Tuesday night, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. From snow to 100-degree heat, we’ve got you covered. Winds were high throughout the day, according to Bizzell, but they are expected to decrease Tuesday night. "Winds were high throughout today, but any flare ups that occurred were able to be addressed by our crews," Bizzell said. "After surveying the area from the air earlier today, I am even more proud of the work our crews did to protect as many structures as possible and stop the spread of this fire.” According to official figures Monday night, the fire destroyed nine total residences and 20 outbuildings, while damaging two residences and four outbuildings. The Tuesday news release didn’t say if there were new impacts, though American Red Cross personnel are expected to be in the area Wednesday to assess damages. People who evacuated have also been able to return starting Monday night, according to the news release. However, fire threats remain. The news release said a red flag warning will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, as wind gusts could reach up to 40 mph and relative humidity could drop as low as 7%. Those who want to support the recovery efforts can donate to the Crabapple Fire Relief Fund, while affected landowners and ranchers should reach out to 830-988-6173, according to the news release. Gov. Greg Abbott also announced Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the state’s request for Fire Management Assistance Grants for the Crabapple Fire as well as the Rest Area Fire in the Panhandle.

Newsweek [3/18/2025 7:52 PM, Jenna Sundel, 52220K] reports U.S. Capitol Police denied a claim made by Roger Stone that a man with a firearm was in the same room as President Donald Trump during his address to Congress. "We have no indication that any of this is true or accurate," U.S. Capitol Police told Newsweek. Media personality Alex Jones, who has a history of promoting conspiracy theories, interviewed Stone on X on Tuesday. Stone, a political consultant, said an individual "got a gun into the Capitol" on the night of Trump’s address and "was in the same room with the president." Trump spoke at the Capitol on March 4. "This is very, very scary to me," Stone said. Trump’s address to Congress was the first of his second term. The speech covered a wide range of topics, including immigration, the economy and government spending. Stone said he broke the story with Troy Smith at Slingshot News. The outlet reported that a man was arrested at the Capitol building for possession of a firearm. "I really think this is a gigantic problem," Stone said. Stone also commented on the appointment of a new Secret Service director. "I pray that the change of leadership at Secret Service and hopefully a cleaning out of the Secret Service will afford the president the protection that he absolutely needs," Stone said.

WCBD [3/18/2025 2:43 PM, Tim Renaud] reports three people were rescued from a yacht that struck the Charleston jetties early Tuesday morning. The United States Coast Guard said it was alerted to a 58-foot vessel that struck the jetties and was taken on water. Officials said three people aboard the yacht transferred to a dinghy and were safely recovered by a nearby Charleston Harbor Pilots vessel. A Coast Guard crew arrived and carried the individuals to Station Charleston. No injuries were reported. Coast Guard officials say the vessel owner is coordinating salvage.

CBS Austin [3/18/2025 4:57 PM, Cory Smith, 602K] reports government officials sounded the alarm over the growing threat of ransomware attacks. The FBI and U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a joint cybersecurity advisory about Medusa ransomware activity that has claimed hundreds of victims from critical infrastructure sectors. Medical, education, legal, insurance, technology and manufacturing companies have all been victimized, CISA said. Medusa is a ransomware-as-a-service variant used to conduct attacks, CISA said. “Ransomware is always of concern,” said Anton Dahbura, the executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute. ymantec said this month in a blog post that Medusa ransomware activity continues to increase, with attacks jumping 42% between 2023 and 2024 and already up in the first couple of months this year. CISA said Medusa developers and their affiliates use a double-extortion model. They steal and encrypt your data and then threaten to release it on the dark web if you don’t pay their demands. Dahbura said the bad guys attack any way they can, with phishing links in email or through vulnerabilities in network infrastructure. Whether you use Gmail, Outlook or any other email platform, phishing attacks are a risk. The bad actors send you an infected link that they try to trick you into clicking. “If you click on the link, bad things are going to happen,” Dahbura said. Dahbura offered some tips to individuals to protect themselves. CISA listed even more recommendations that are tailored to network administrators. “Small companies should really pay particular attention,” Dahbura said. “Because those are typically the kinds of organizations that don’t have dedicated system administration staff, much less cybersecurity engineering (staff) in-house.” Dahbura said this warning from the FBI and CISA should serve as an opportunity for small businesses to make sure they have the right resources in place, even if it means contracting with an outside party.

Federal News Network [3/18/2025 5:53 PM, Justin Doubleday, 1089K] reports house lawmakers are investigating the Department of Homeland Security’s response to China-linked cyber intrusions into U.S. critical infrastructure, while also looking into DHS’s plans to reconstitute a review board that was investigating one of those cyber campaigns. In a March 17 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-N.C.) asks for more information on the DHS response to the cyber campaigns known as "Volt Typhoon" and "Salt Typhoon.” The letter was also signed by House Homeland Security cybersecurity subcommittee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and oversight, investigations and accountability subcommittee Chairman Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.). "Despite officials raising the alarm about Volt and Salt Typhoon, we still know very little about them — except that Volt Typhoon, in particular, continues to compromise our critical infrastructure," the lawmakers wrote. The lawmakers argued the Biden administration had a "lack of transparency" on the cyber campaigns that was "unacceptable and disconcerting." They are asking Noem for all DHS documentation and communications regarding the campaigns, as well as data on when and how DHS first learned about the cyber intrusions. They specifically want to know more about the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s response to the hacking campaigns. The letter comes as the Trump administration targets CISA for downsizes. DHS laid off several hundred probationary employees at CISA, although they have since been reinstated under court orders. "CISA must be prepared and equipped to rapidly respond in times of crisis, as well as accountable to its stakeholders across the public and private sectors," the letter states. "The committee seeks to examine CISA’s response to Volt and Salt Typhoon to ensure CISA is focused on, and empowered to perform, its core mission effectively.” The Cyber Safety Review Board, a CISA advisory committee comprised of government and private sector experts, had been investigating the Salt Typhoon hacks at the tail end of the Biden administration. But Noem disbanded all DHS federal advisory committees, including the CSRB, effectively curtailing its review of Salt Typhoon. Garbarino, in a separate letter sent to Noem late last week, called for a review of the CSRB’s process before it is reconstituted. He wrote that the board’s previous structure "inhibited the board’s full ability to fulfill its mandate." He pointed to a "lack of transparency" regarding the appointment process for the CSRB. "Industry members regularly interact with CISA, given the agency’s role as a ‘trusted partner’ to the public and private sectors," Garbarino wrote. "As such, they may curry favor with the CISA Director for an appointment, potentially putting themselves in a position to directly investigate their competitors.” Both Republicans and Democrats have raised concerns about transparency and conflicts of interest at the CSRB.

Axios [3/18/2025 1:01 PM, Sam Sabin, 13163K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security’s quiet dismantling of a key cybersecurity council is raising alarms among experts who fear it could weaken intelligence sharing and make critical infrastructure more vulnerable to cyber threats. Why it matters: The move has raised concerns across the cybersecurity community about whether the new Trump administration can be trusted to maintain sensitive relationships. Driving the news: Earlier this month, DHS terminated the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) alongside additional "discretionary" advisory bodies as part of a broader effort to streamline operations. Unlike other advisory groups, CIPAC had unique legal standing within DHS, providing a protected forum for private sector and federal agencies to exchange threat intelligence, craft cybersecurity policies, and discuss risks to critical infrastructure. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the move aims to "eliminate redundancies to create a more efficient, streamlined department" and "minimize government waste, abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation." A Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency spokesperson added that the agency is "taking this opportunity to review ways to improve information sharing and collaboration."

Washington Times [3/18/2025 3:54 PM, Matt Delaney, 1814K] reports separate arson attacks Tuesday at Tesla dealerships in Las Vegas and Kansas City prompted the FBI to launch a terrorism investigation, as the wave of vandalism against the popular electric vehicles follows CEO Elon Musk being enlisted as President Trump’s auditor-in-chief. The two attacks, which authorities said are similar but they do not believe were coordinated, involved the suspects torching the electric vehicles in Tesla parking lots overnight. Las Vegas officials said a male suspect used Molotov cocktails to set two Tesla cars on fire at about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday. He also fired at least three bullets into cars on the lot and spray-painted the word "Resist" on the dealer’s front door. That report came hours after a pair of Cybertrucks were destroyed in a suspected arson late Monday night in Kansas City, local police said. Police in both cities said there have been no arrests or persons of interest identified at this time. FBI leaders in Las Vegas said they are looking into Tuesday’s incident as a possible act of terrorism because it has some of the "hallmarks" of a politically motivated attack. Federal agents also warned copycat vandals about carrying out more such attacks, which have been reported across the country ever since Mr. Musk was tasked with exposing and eliminating wasteful federal spending.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [3/18/2025 7:01 PM, Kara Carlson, 16228K]
CBS News [3/18/2025 7:07 PM, Kierra Frazier, 602K]
CNN [3/18/2025 4:44 PM, Andy Rose]
FOX News [3/18/2025 3:51 PM, Rachel Wolf, 46189K]
USA Today [3/18/2025 5:50 PM, Mary Walrath-Holdridge, 75858K]

Reuters [3/18/2025 7:07 PM, Staff, 41523K] reports U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday condemned recent violent attacks on Tesla property, adding the Department of Justice has already charged several perpetrators. "The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism," Bondi said in a statement. "We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes." Activists have lately staged so-called Tesla Takedown protests to voice displeasure over Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s role in sweeping cuts to the federal workforce and cancellation of contracts related to humanitarian programs since President Donald Trump took office on January 20.

CBS Austin [3/18/2025 9:40 PM, Caitlyn Frolo and Taylor Fishman, 602K] reports President Donald Trump is making good on a campaign promise as 80,000 pages of files connected to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy were released Tuesday. It’s not immediately clear how many of the files are among the millions of pages of records that have already been made public. However, Fox News reports that because of the sheer size of the documents being released, it will take a few days to fully release the files. As of March 18, 2025 records were made available to access online or in person at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The records will continue to be digitized and posted on the National Archives website. In total, 1,123 PDF files were released on Tuesday. with most of them relating to the initial investigation of the assassination in 1964. The National Archives released more than six million pages of records, with a majority having already been declassified. Among the documents released, many are administrative records that are related to the Warren Commission -- the records of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. The compilation includes information from federal agencies, photos, recordings, as well as commission hearings on the assassination. FOX News [3/18/2025 7:43 PM, Haley Chi-Sing and Andrea Margolis, 46189K] reports "So, people have been waiting for decades for this, and I’ve instructed my people… lots of different people, [director of national intelligence] Tulsi Gabbard, that they must be released tomorrow," Trump said during a visit to the Kennedy Center in Washington. "You got a lot of reading. I don’t believe we’re going to redact anything. I said, ‘just don’t redact, you can’t redact.’". As of Tuesday night, over 1,123 unredacted documents – totaling roughly 80,000 pages – are visible on the National Archive’s website. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard commended Trump’s move in an X post on Tuesday, writing that the president "is ushering in a new era of maximum transparency.” "Today, per his direction, previously redacted JFK Assassination Files are being released to the public with no redactions," Gabbard wrote. "Promises made, promises kept.”

FedScoop [3/18/2025 12:00 PM, Rebecca Heilweil, 52868K] reports a bipartisan group of lawmakers want to give the Energy Department component charged with managing the country’s nuclear stockpile more power to protect against unmanned aerial systems flying nearby. The Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense (NEDD) Act from Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., Mark Amodei, R-Nev., Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass.,would expand the National Nuclear Security Administration’s authority to build and develop counter-drone technology. The legislation, introduced Tuesday, comes in response to a series of unauthorized drone sightings near NNSA facilities. While the NNSA has the power to defend infrastructure that houses nuclear material, the semi-autonomous Energy Department component needs the ability to protect other nuclear-related systems, the lawmakers argue. The legislation will allow NNSA to protect facilities that store the components of nuclear weapons as well as vehicles that might be used for their transport. The bill would also empower the NNSA to purchase drone technology and develop systems to defend against drone threats. Drones remain a major concern for the NNSA. The Federal Aviation Administration can bar drones from flying through the airspace over nuclear facilities, but sightings of unmanned aerial systems are common. Amodei said in a press release that there have been six recent incidents near the NNSA’s national security site in Nevada. Lee, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee, said in a statement that “unauthorized drones pose a serious threat to America’s nuclear resources related to national security, including at the Nevada National Security Site where we maintain America’s nuclear weapons ecosystem.” “Our bipartisan NEDD Act bill will give the Department of Energy the tools it needs to defend all its nuclear and national security assets from unauthorized enemy drones,” Lee added. The NNSA previously said it deployed a system to counter unauthorized drones flying over its Y-12 National Security Complex, located near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The NNSA’s acting principal deputy administrator said last year that the agency was continuing to invest in systems meant to track drones approaching its nuclear facilities, looking to systems based on open architecture, proprietary sensors, and mitigation tools. “Our adversaries should not be able to fly a drone over anywhere in this country that makes part of a nuclear weapon,” Moulton said in a statement. “This bill closes down loopholes to make sure the Department of Energy can fully protect our most sensitive national security capabilities against the threat of drones.” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., is leading companion legislation in the Senate.

New York Times [3/18/2025 10:51 PM, David E. Sanger and Paul Sonne,145325K] reports President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia agreed for the first time on Tuesday to a limited cease-fire that would stop strikes on energy infrastructure, as long as Ukraine does the same, the Kremlin said in a statement. But in a two-and-a-half-hour phone call with President Trump, the Russian leader declined for now to agree to a broader 30-day halt in fighting that U.S. and Ukrainian officials had proposed, meaning that the attacks on Ukrainian civilians, cities and ports will continue as the two sides vie for territory and an upper hand in negotiations. Still, if strikes on energy infrastructure by both sides indeed stop, it would mark the first mutually agreed suspension of attacks in the three-year war, which the White House characterized as a first step toward a broader peace. But privately, some administration officials acknowledged that Mr. Putin appeared to be stalling, agreeing to just enough to appear to be engaged in peace talks, while pressing his advantage on the battlefield. A cease-fire for energy targets would not only benefit Ukraine, which has struggled for years with Russia’s repeated attacks on its energy grid. It would also come as a relief to the Kremlin: Ukraine has conducted extensive strikes on oil and gas facilities deep into the Russian heartland, jeopardizing Moscow’s most crucial stream of state revenue. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said he was awaiting a phone call from Mr. Trump to find out the details of his discussion with Mr. Putin, but noted he was open to a truce on strikes targeting energy infrastructure. “Russia and Ukraine, through the mediation of the U.S., can agree not to attack energy infrastructure,” he told the Ukrainian public broadcaster, Suspilne, Tuesday night. “Our side will support this. But it cannot be the case that Russia attacks our energy sector and we remain silent. We will respond.” In a later statement, he said Mr. Putin had “effectively rejected the proposal for a full cease-fire,” and accused Russia of continuing attacks, including a drone strike on a hospital in the northeastern city of Sumy. His claim could not be independently confirmed. The American and Russian accounts of the call displayed the gulf that remains. Mr. Putin insisted that a long-lasting peace depended on a complete cessation of foreign military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv, the Kremlin said.

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 11:44 PM, Kieran Kelly, 52868K] reports Russia bombed Ukraine energy infrastructure just hours after Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he would halt attacks on the grid. Putin’s forces conducted an airstrike on the energy infrastructure of Slovyansk, a city of 100,000 people in the Donetsk region, according to local reports, leaving part of the city without electricity. It comes after Putin rejected Mr Trump’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, instead agreeing to a 30-day pause in attacks on energy and infrastructure. Putin ordered the Russian military to halt attacks on energy plants in Ukraine without delay, the Kremlin said after the “frank” 90-minute phone call ended. Soon after the call, air raid sirens wailed and explosions rang out in Ukraine. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said ceasefire talks would continue on Sunday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. The Kremlin has said the “complete cessation of foreign military assistance and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv” is a condition for any permanent peace deal. Ukraine, and much of Europe, is highly unlikely to agree to this.

Reuters [3/19/2025 3:32 AM, Erin Banco and Mari Saito, 41523K] reports several U.S. national security agencies have halted work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks, easing pressure on Moscow as the Trump Administration pushes Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Former President Joe Biden last year ordered his national security team to establish working groups to monitor the issue amid warnings from U.S. intelligence that Russia was escalating a shadow war against Western nations. The plan was led by the president’s National Security Council (NSC) and involved at least seven national security agencies working with European allies to disrupt plots targeting Europe and the United States, seven former officials who participated in the working groups told Reuters. Before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, his incoming administration was briefed by Biden officials about the efforts and urged to continue monitoring Russia’s hybrid warfare campaign, the former U.S. officials said. However, since Trump took office on Jan. 20 much of the work has come to a standstill, according to eleven current and former officials, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss classified matters. Reuters is the first to report on the full extent of the Biden administration effort and how multiple different U.S. agencies have since paused their work on the issue. Regular meetings between the National Security Council and European national security officials have gone unscheduled, and the NSC has also stopped formally coordinating efforts across U.S. agencies, including with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, the current and former officials said. Reuters could not determine whether the president has ordered the administration to halt all its work monitoring and combatting Russia’s campaign, whether agencies were still working to hire additional staff, or if they are making their own policy decisions independent of the White House. Some officials involved in the working groups said they are concerned that the Trump administration is de-prioritizing the issue despite intelligence warnings. The change follows the unwinding of other Russia-focused projects launched by Biden’s administration. The FBI last month ended an effort to counter interference in U.S. elections by foreign adversaries including Russia and put on leave staff working on the issue at the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Justice also disbanded a team that seized the assets of Russian oligarchs.

Yahoo! News [3/18/2025 9:58 PM, Olena Goncharova, 52868K] reports U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News on March 18 that diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Russia will take place on March 23 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The discussions, led by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will focus on key details regarding the ceasefire. Witkoff did not specify who the U.S. delegation would be meeting with, and it remains uncertain whether Ukraine will be included in the talks. "Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects - the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing - and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there," Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said on air. "I think both of those are now agreed to by the Russians. I am certainly hopeful that the Ukrainians will agree to it.” Witkoff said that during his last meeting with Putin, they "made a lot of progress.” "It was a meeting that was- it could have been as long as four hours, but it was certainly at least three. We talked about a lot of specifics, and I point to the large gap that existed between Ukraine and Russia prior to the inauguration and where we are today. We have narrowed the issues between both of these parties, making a lot of progress, in my opinion, and I think that meeting underscores that," Witkoff told CBS News on March 16. On March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day halt on strikes against energy infrastructure during a call with Trump, according to a Kremlin readout issued on the same day. The statement followed the 1.5-hour phone call between Putin and Trump, during which they discussed ending the war in Ukraine and the U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to allow for further peace talks. "I would commend President Putin for all he did today on that call to move his country close to a final peace deal," Witkoff told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. "And I would give all the credit to President Trump, his election, (and his) peace through strength (foreign policy), the perception that there are no alternatives, and the fact that a good peace and lasting peace are important for both sides.” "I can’t overstate how compelling he was on this call; he’s a natural-born leader, and he demonstrated that today.” The Kremlin said that "during the conversation, Donald Trump proposed a mutual refusal of the parties to the conflict to strike for 30 days on energy infrastructure facilities," and Vladimir Putin "responded positively to this initiative and immediately gave the appropriate command to the Russian military.” The Kremlin also said Putin "responded constructively to Donald Trump’s idea of implementing a well-known initiative concerning the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.” "It was agreed to begin negotiations to further elaborate specific details of such an agreement," the statement added.

Wall Street Journal [3/18/2025 3:22 PM, Feliz Solomon, Abeer Ayyoub and Carrie Keller-Lynn, 52868K] reports Israel launched a series of attacks against Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing more than 400 people, according to Palestinian authorities, and threatening a return to full-scale war after talks to release the remaining hostages held in the enclave stalled. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the attacks after Hamas failed to release the hostages or accept U.S. proposals for extending a fragile cease-fire that had held for two months, his office said. Gaza health authorities said 404 people were killed in the attacks, without specifying how many were combatants, making it one of the largest single-day death tolls since the war began in October 2023. The strikes were aimed at what Israel said were dozens of targets among Hamas’s leadership, midrank military commanders and infrastructure. Israel said the effort would continue and would expand beyond airstrikes. “From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing force,” Netanyahu said in televised remarks Tuesday night. “And from now on, negotiations will only take place under fire.” He added, “This is just the beginning.” The Israeli military also issued evacuation orders covering a number of population centers in the enclave, particularly the northern city of Beit Hanoun and several neighborhoods of Khan Younis in the south. An Israeli official said that President Trump gave Israel the green light to restart attacks on Hamas after the U.S.-designated terrorist group failed to give up hostages. Israel then gave the U.S. a heads-up before starting the operation, the official said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Fox News that Israel had given advance notice of the attacks. She warned Hamas and other regional enemies of Israel and the U.S. “will see a price to pay.” “All hell will break loose,” she said, repeating a threat often made by Trump. Trump has pressed for the release of all remaining hostages and has repeatedly said Hamas would face a return to war if it doesn’t comply. The hostages include one remaining living U.S. citizen, dual national Edan Alexander, who was serving in the Israeli military when he was kidnapped by Hamas. Of the 59 hostages who remain in Gaza, Israel believes as many as 24 are still alive. “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the cease-fire but instead chose refusal and war,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said.

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