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

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

The AP [3/21/2025 8:13 PM, Gisela Salomon, 2778K] reports the Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month. The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022. They arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they will lose their legal status on April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register. The new policy impacts people who are already in the U.S. and who came under the humanitarian parole program. It follows an earlier Trump administration decision to end what it called the “broad abuse” of the humanitarian parole, a long-standing legal tool presidents have used to allow people from countries where there’s war or political instability to enter and temporarily live in the U.S. During his campaign President Donald Trump promised to deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally, and as president he has been also ending legal pathways for immigrants to come to the U.S. and to stay. DHS said parolees without a lawful basis to stay in the U.S. “must depart” before their parole termination date. “Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status,” DHS said. Before the new order, the beneficiaries of the program could stay in the U.S. until their parole expires, although the administration had stopped processing their applications for asylum, visas and other requests that might allow them to remain longer. The administration decision has already been challenged in federal courts. A group of American citizens and immigrants sued the Trump administration for ending humanitarian parole and are seeking to reinstate the programs for the four nationalities. Lawyers and activists raised their voices to denounce the government’s decision. Friday’s action is “going to cause needless chaos and heartbreak for families and communities across the country,” said Karen Tumlin, founder and director of Justice Action Center, one of the organizations that filed the lawsuit at the end of February. She called it “reckless, cruel and counterproductive.” CBS News [3/21/2025 8:11 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51661K] Video: HERE reports that the Department of Homeland Security said it will seek the arrest and deportation of those subject to the policy change if they fail to depart the U.S. in the next 30 days. Officials are urging migrants to use the newly repurposed CBP Home smartphone app to register for self-deportation. But DHS said it retains the authority to target migrants who arrived under this program before the 30-day period lapses. Officials say those prioritized for arrest will include migrants who have failed to apply for another immigration benefit like asylum or a green card. In a statement, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the migrants allowed into the U.S. under the CHNV process were "loosely vetted," and argued the program undercut American workers. "The termination of the CHNV parole programs, and the termination of parole for those who exploited it, is a return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First," McLaughlin added. Newsweek [3/21/2025 8:03 PM, Anna Commander, 52220K] reports that in a notice posted to the Federal Registrar on Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the termination of the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV) parole program. In an email to Newsweek Friday evening, a DHS official said: "The previous administration lied to America. They allowed more than half a million loosely vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed.". The statement continued, "The termination of the CHNV parole programs, and the termination of parole for those who exploited it, is a return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First.".

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New York Times [3/21/2025 10:37 PM, Tim Balk and Miriam Jordan, 145325K]
Reuters [3/21/2025 5:04 PM, Ted Hesson, 41523K]
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Washington Examiner [3/21/2025 8:10 PM, Brady Knox, 2296K]
Chicago Tribune [3/21/2025 10:13 PM, Gisela Salomon, 5269K]
Telemundo [3/21/2025 8:47 PM, Staff, 2454K]

The New York Times [3/22/2025 3:35 AM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Hamed Aleaziz, Adam Goldman and Eileen Sullivan, 330K] reports the Trump administration shut down three watchdog agencies in the Department of Homeland Security on Friday, gutting the offices responsible for conducting oversight of President Trump’s immigration crackdown. The cuts affect the civil rights branch of D.H.S. and two ombudsman offices: one overseeing immigration detention and another responsible for scrutinizing the administration’s legal immigration policies, according to five current and former government officials. More than 100 people at the civil rights office alone are losing their jobs. The move comes as the Trump administration ramps up its deportation campaign, in some cases removing people from the country with little to no due process. Mr. Trump has been trying to root out oversight mechanisms across government agencies, but targeting D.H.S. was notable given the lack of transparency over the crackdown. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said the decision was meant to “streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement.” “These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining D.H.S.’s mission,” Ms. McLaughlin said. “Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.” Critics say it’s an attempt to sidestep any scrutiny. “It’s a demonstration of their total contempt for any checks on their power,” said Deborah Fleischaker, a former civil rights office worker and chief of staff of Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Biden administration. She said the office “endeavored to make the D.H.S. mission work with respect for civil rights, civil liberties and privacy.” “This is a clear message that those things do not matter to this administration,” she added. The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the two ombudsman offices, which were responsible for investigating allegations from migrants, their families and the public, have looked into Mr. Trump’s immigration policies over the years. One such investigation during Mr. Trump’s first term investigated his use of the Remain in Mexico policy, which forced migrants to wait in Mexico until their court appearance. The AP [3/21/2025 8:04 PM, Rebecca Santana, 34586K] reports Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement Friday that it was implementing a “reduction in force” for three offices: the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman. President Donald Trump has made downsizing the federal government a key policy goal. Federal agencies were directed to submit by March 13 plans that would not only lay off employees but eliminate positions altogether and consolidate programs. The DHS developments were first reported by New York Times. McLaughlin said Homeland Security is “committed to civil rights protections” but said these offices were a roadblock to immigration enforcement.

The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties was created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, with the mission of protecting civil liberties in the department created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. It investigates hundreds of complaints a year about the agency’s mission and recommends changes as necessary. The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman is an independent office within Homeland Security — not connected to either Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection. Its job it is to make sure immigration detention facilities are safe and humane. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman is another independent office in the department responsible for helping people or businesses resolve issues with the agency that oversees immigration benefits. Democrats slammed the moves, saying they would hurt transparency. “With Trump’s mass firing of the entire DHS Civil Rights and Civil Liberties workforce, he is ensuring in advance that there will be no transparency or oversight of his extreme agenda,” said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security. The Washington Examiner [3/21/2025 7:48 PM, Brady Knox, 2296K] reports "These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission," a DHS spokeswoman said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.” "DHS remains committed to civil rights protections but must streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement. These reductions ensure taxpayer dollars support the Department’s core mission: border security and immigration enforcement," she added. The three offices are dedicated to investigating the claims of migrants and their families. President Donald Trump’s promised sweeping immigration reforms have been repeatedly hindered by legal challenges and other hurdles, much to his frustration. While border crossings have all but ceased, his mass deportation plan has been more difficult to implement due to legal challenges. The gutting of the three internal DHS offices will likely stall some legal efforts, although many challenges are already underway. Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is one of the most recent hinderers of Trump’s deportation plans after he blocked deportation flights while immigrants’s cases were being examined.

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NPR [3/21/2025 6:02 PM, Ximena Bustillo, 29983K]
The Hill [3/21/2025 5:17 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12829K]
Reuters [3/21/2025 6:42 PM, Ted Hesson and Nathan Layne, 41523K]
Axios [3/21/2025 5:48 PM, April Rubin, 13163K]
CBS News [3/21/2025 5:17 PM, Nicole Sganga, Arden Farhi, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Margaret Brennan, 51661K]

Reuters [3/22/2025 6:16 AM, Brad Heath, Joshua Schneyer, Marisa Taylor, Sarah N. Lynch and Mike Spector, 41523K] reports federal agents who usually hunt down child abusers are now cracking down on immigrants who live in the U.S. illegally. Homeland Security investigators who specialize in money laundering are raiding restaurants and other small businesses looking for immigrants who aren’t authorized to work. Agents who pursue drug traffickers and tax fraud are being reassigned to enforce immigration law. As U.S. President Donald Trump pledges to deport "millions and millions" of "criminal aliens," thousands of federal law enforcement officials from multiple agencies are being enlisted to take on new work as immigration enforcers, pulling crime-fighting resources away on other areas -- from drug trafficking and terrorism to sexual abuse and fraud. This account of Trump’s push to reorganize federal law enforcement – the most significant since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – is based on interviews with more than 20 current and former federal agents, attorneys and other federal officials. Most had first-hand knowledge of the changes. Nearly all spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss their work. "I do not recall ever seeing this wide a spectrum of federal government resources all being turned toward immigration enforcement," said Theresa Cardinal Brown, a former Homeland Security official who has served in both Republican and Democratic administrations. "When you’re telling agencies to stop what you’ve been doing and do this now, whatever else they were doing takes a back seat.” In response to questions from Reuters, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the U.S. government is "mobilizing federal and state law enforcement to find, arrest, and deport illegal aliens." The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to respond to questions about its staffing. In a statement, the FBI said it is "protecting the U.S. from many threats." The White House did not respond to requests for comment. The Trump administration has offered no comprehensive accounting of the revamp. But it echoes the aftermath of the 2001 attacks, when Congress created the Department of Homeland Security that pulled together 169,000 federal employees from other agencies and refocused the FBI on battling terrorism. Trump’s hardline approach to deporting immigrants has intensified America’s already-stark partisan divide. The U.S. Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, Dick Durbin, described the crackdown as a "wasteful, misguided diversion of resources." In a statement to Reuters, he said it was "making America less safe" by drawing agents and officials away from fighting corporate fraud, terrorism, child sexual exploitation and other crimes.

The Los Angeles Times [3/22/2025 2:43 AM, Clara Harter, 52868K] reports President Trump’s administration on Friday ended a federal contract that provides legal representation to nearly 26,000 migrant children who entered the United States without a parent or guardian, a move immigration attorneys say will leave children vulnerable to rapid deportation. The contract provided funding for attorneys to represent minors who are under the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement — at least 4,000 of whom reside in California — in immigration court. Many of these children do not read or speak in English and some are too young to read or speak at all, according to Joel Frost-Tift, an immigration attorney with Public Counsel. "It’s going to have a devastating effect on our clients," Frost-Tift said. "Immigrants are five to six times more likely to succeed in their case if they’re represented by an attorney, so if they lose representation, that’s going to be really damaging for their case.” Public Counsel currently represents around 200 unaccompanied migrant children in Southern California. Frost-Tift said attorneys will continue to fulfill their ethical duty to assist with these cases for now, but without new funding it’s unclear how long they will be able to do so. It’s a quandary that around 100 legal aid organizations across the country now find themselves in after learning that the federal contract for children who cross the border without a guardian — which was up for renewal on March 29 — was terminated. Last month the Trump administration temporarily halted all work completed under this contract. Days later, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reversed that decision. Now many legal organizations are urging the Trump administration to once again reverse course. "The administration’s decision to end these services undermines due process, disproportionately impacts vulnerable children, and puts children who have already experienced severe trauma at risk for further irreparable harm or exploitation," Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said in a statement. "We urge the administration to reverse this decision.” The New York Times [3/21/2025 8:34 PM, Miriam Jordan, 145325K] reports that advocates said the move would fast-track the children’s court cases, to their disadvantage, because many would be left without counsel in adversarial immigration proceedings. Children as young as 2 who are survivors of trafficking, trauma and abuse, and who are often too young to understand their legal rights, would be returned to countries where they could face harm, the advocates said. “Children cannot be expected to navigate the harsh and complicated immigration legal system without an attorney,” said Ashley Harrington, managing attorney for the children’s program at Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network in Colorado. “This brazen, heartless act endangers children’s lives,” she said. The nonprofit represents about 200 minors, including three siblings, ages 7 to 13, who fled to the United States from Honduras alone last year after their parents were killed by gang members. The number of children who have crossed the southern U.S. border each year without a parent or legal guardian has increased sharply in the last decade or so, reaching 128,000 in the 2022 fiscal year, according to government data. Most of them are from Central America. The decision on Friday to halt funding to these organizations comes amid reports that the Trump administration intends to track down unaccompanied migrant children to ensure they appear in immigration court or are deported, if there is a final order of removal. Tom Homan, the administration’s “border czar,” has said that 300,000 migrant children who entered the United States had been lost by the Biden administration, but immigration lawyers and human rights groups dispute that claim.

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USA Today [3/21/2025 6:27 PM, Trevor Hughes, 75858K]

FOX News [3/21/2025 3:41 PM, Louis Casiano, 46189K] reports a Honduran man accused of killing an Iowa woman in 2016 while driving drunk in Nebraska was extradited to the United States on Friday after he fled the United States following his release on bond. Eswin Mejia was arrested Thursday in Honduras and put on a plane to the U.S. to face justice for the death of 21-year-old Sarah Root, the State Department said. Mejia, who was living in the U.S. illegally, was allegedly driving drunk when he crashed into Root’s vehicle at a stoplight in Omaha, Neb., in January 2016. She later died at a hospital. Mejia was detained and charged, but fled the country after being released on bond. He was later added to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) "Most Wanted" list. At the time of his arrest, ICE said that Mejia was not an "enforcement priority."

AP [3/21/2025 4:39 PM, Julie Watson, 48304K] reports Lennon Tyler and her German fiancé often took road trips to Mexico when he vacationed in the United States since it was only a day’s drive from her home in Las Vegas, one of the perks of their long-distance relationship. But things went terribly wrong when they drove back from Tijuana last month. U.S. border agents handcuffed Tyler, a U.S. citizen, and chained her to a bench, while her fiancé, Lucas Sielaff, was accused of violating the rules of his 90-day U.S. tourist permit, the couple said. Authorities later handcuffed and shackled Sielaff and sent him to a crowded U.S. immigration detention center. He spent 16 days locked up before being allowed to fly home to Germany. Since President Donald Trump took office, there have been other incidents of tourists like Sielaff being stopped at U.S. border crossings and held for weeks at U.S. immigration detention facilities before being allowed to fly home at their own expense. They include another German tourist who was stopped at the Tijuana crossing on Jan. 25. Jessica Brösche spent over six weeks locked up, including over a week in solitary confinement, a friend said. On the Canadian border, a backpacker from Wales spent nearly three weeks at a detention center before flying home this week. And a Canadian woman on a work visa detained at the Tijuana border spent 12 days in detention before returning home last weekend. Sielaff, 25, and the others say it was never made clear why they were taken into custody even after they offered to go home voluntarily. The incidents are fueling anxiety as the Trump administration prepares for a ban on travelers from some countries. Noting the "evolving" federal travel policies, the University of California, Los Angeles sent a notice this week urging its foreign-born students and staff to consider the risks of travel for spring break, warning "re-entry requirements may change while you are away, impacting your return.". Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in an email to the AP that Sielaff and Brösche, who was held for 45 days, "were deemed inadmissible" by Customs and Border Protection. That agency said it cannot discuss specifics but "if statutes or visa terms are violated, travelers may be subject to detention and removal." The agencies did not comment on the other cases.

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Washington Examiner [3/21/2025 7:22 PM, Elaine Mallon, 2296K] reports Denmark and Finland have issued travel advisory warnings to transgender and nonbinary-identifying citizens seeking to travel to the United States. On Thursday, the Danish foreign ministry updated its website regarding a travel advisory for the U.S., urging transgender individuals to contact the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen before planning their visit. This recommendation comes in light of recent policy changes under the Trump administration, which only recognizes people by their biological sex and not their gender identity. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20 declaring that the U.S. only recognizes two sexes — male and female. Following Trump’s executive order, the State Department halted a policy that permitted transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people to change the sex designations on their passports. Under the Biden administration, the Department allowed U.S. passport holders to choose their sex designations, including an "unspecified" gender marker represented by the letter X. This policy change has sparked confusion and concerns for transgender travelers about whether it’s safe for them to fly. "If your passport has the gender designation X or you have changed gender, it is recommended to contact the U.S. embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed," the advisory from the Danish foreign ministry states. A week earlier, Finland issued an advisory to its transgender citizens seeking U.S. visas. "If the gender listed on the applicant’s passport does not match the gender assigned at birth, the US authorities may deny the application for a travel permit or visa," Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, citing Trump’s executive order. "Please check the entry requirements with the US authorities in advance.". Other European countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany have also issued travel advisories to their citizens in light of reports of the United States detaining citizens, signifying a shift in how the U.S. government is executing its immigration policies.

CBS News [3/21/2025 6:28 PM, Jacob Rosen, Scott MacFarlane, 51661K] reports a federal judge raised questions about the lack of due process for immigrants deported under a wartime authority and rebuked the Justice Department for ignoring his order to turn around two deportation flights last Saturday. The flights carried more than 200 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport them. The law gives the president broad authority to expel foreign nationals during wartime. Boasberg blocked the administration from relying on that authority Saturday and in a hearing the same day, ordered the two flights to be turned around in midair and returned to the U.S. The Trump administration did not follow the order, stating later that the flights were outside of U.S. airspace and therefore outside of the judge’s jurisdiction. Boasberg reminded the government it can continue to deport immigrants, but it may not do so under the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg also indicated he was considering narrowing his temporary restraining order blocking the administration from carrying out any deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. He also asked for further briefing from both sides on remedies the government should set up for administrative proceedings such as a hearing board and legal review of the cases on an individual basis.

The Hill [3/21/2025 4:30 PM, Rebecca Beitsch and Zach Schonfeld, 12829K] reports a federal judge chastised a Justice Department attorney Friday, expressing doubt about the legality of the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. The Justice Department for days has resisted Boasberg’s demands for more information about the flights, citing national security concerns and accusing him of encroaching on the executive branch’s authority. The bulk of the hearing was dedicated to the legal issues of Trump’s proclamation igniting the act to expel Venezuelans from the country and carry them to a prison in El Salvador. At one point later in the hearing, Ensign said the government was not prepared to hold individual hearings for those who may be removed under the act where they would have to prove a gang affiliation.

Wall Street Journal [3/21/2025 7:48 PM, Jan Wolfe] reports a federal judge said Friday he was troubled by the Trump administration’s use of wartime powers to remove alleged Venezuelan gang members from the U.S., as he considers whether to extend a temporary block on mass deportations under that authority. “I agree the policy ramifications of this are incredibly troublesome and problematic and concerning,” U.S. District Judge James Boasberg told a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, Lee Gelernt, who represents challengers to the administration’s actions. Boasberg pressed Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign about the rollout of the presidential proclamation, signed by President Trump last Friday but made public the next day, which stated that Trump would use a centuries-old wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act, to summarily deport Venezuelans accused of membership in Tren de Aragua, a violent gang. “Why was this proclamation essentially signed in the dark on Friday or Friday night or early Saturday morning and people rushed onto planes?” the judge said. “Seems to me the only reason to do that is if you know it’s a problem and you want to get them out of the country before a suit’s filed.” The case over the deportations has quickly turned into a high-stakes showdown between the judge and the White House. Boasberg is demanding answers from the government about its actions, while the Trump administration has blasted what it describes as partisan interference into its attempt to crack down on illegal immigration. The American Civil Liberties Union sued to block the president’s proclamation, saying Trump was abusing his emergency powers. Over the weekend, Boasberg held a hearing on the request. He quickly issued a restraining order that temporarily blocked the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act proclamation to carry out deportations while he evaluated the merits of the legal case.

Government Executive [3/21/2025 3:39 PM, Chris Teale, 819K] reports President Donald Trump earlier this week signed an executive order that puts the onus on state and local governments to prepare for natural disasters and cyberattacks, as part of his wider push to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The order calls on states and localities to make "common sense approaches and investments" in infrastructure and planning to help prepare for cyberattacks, wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters that they deal with. The order does not specify what those commonsense approaches are or how to fund them. The order mandates that, within 90 days, federal agencies publish a National Resilience Strategy, which lays out how to advance national capacity to withstand such risks. It also calls for a review of national critical infrastructure policy within 180 days to recommend ways to "achieve a more resilient posture; shift from an all-hazards approach to a risk-informed approach; move beyond information sharing to action," the order says. A fact sheet accompanying Trump’s order said it will help state and local governments plan for and understand the needs of their residents as it reduces the complexity of federal preparedness and response policies.

The Hill [3/21/2025 3:46 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12829K] reports House Democrats are launching an investigation into an ad campaign from the Trump administration on its immigration policies, saying it may have violated federal spending guidelines by promoting political aims and giving contracts to administration allies. Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are investigating new ads launched by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that praise Trump for his immigration policies while warning migrants not to travel to the U.S. The letter said the contracts were a "multiple-award indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract" allowing payments of up to $200 million over two years. But the letter suggests Trump may have had another aim in mind, referencing a speech from Noem at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference in which she noted that the president requested the campaign.

New York Times [3/22/2025 2:15 AM, Troy Closson, 330K] reports Columbia University agreed on Friday to overhaul its protest policies, security practices and Middle Eastern studies department in a remarkable concession to the Trump administration, which has refused to consider restoring $400 million in federal funds without major changes. The agreement, which stunned and dismayed many members of the faculty, could signal a new stage in the administration’s escalating clash with elite colleges and universities. Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan and dozens of other schools face federal inquiries and fear similar penalties, and college administrators have said Columbia’s response to the White House’s demands may set a dangerous precedent. This week, the University of Pennsylvania was also explicitly targeted by the Trump administration, which said it would cancel $175 million in federal funding, at least partly because the university had let a transgender woman participate on a women’s swim team. Columbia, facing the loss of government grants and contracts over what the administration said was a systemic failure to protect students and faculty members “from antisemitic violence and harassment,” opted to yield to many of the administration’s most substantial demands. The university said it had agreed to hire a new internal security force of 36 “special officers” who will be empowered to remove people from campus or arrest them. The wearing of face masks on campus will also be banned for the purpose of concealing identity during disruptions, with exceptions for religious and health reasons. Columbia will also adopt a formal definition of antisemitism, something many universities have shied away from even as they, like Columbia, faced pressure to do so amid protests on their campuses over the war in Gaza. Under the working definition, antisemitism could include “targeting Jews or Israelis for violence or celebrating violence against them” or “certain double standards applied to Israel,” among other issues. Taken together, the administration’s plan — issued in an unsigned, four-page letter — reflected a stunning level of deference to the Trump administration from a top private research university.

AP [3/21/2025 7:06 PM, Stephany Matat, 48304K] reports city officials in Fort Myers, Florida, unanimously agreed to pass a memorandum on Friday allowing local authorities to receive training from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and assist with deportations. This decision reverses a contentious vote earlier this week that led to threats of suspension from state officials. The three-hour special meeting began with two hours of spirited public comment, with most speakers dissenting the memorandum by citing fears of increased racial profiling as a top concern. The presiding officer of public comment also continually interrupted speakers who discussed the council’s vote or thanked councilmembers on Monday who disagreed with the memorandum, saying that it was off-topic to Friday’s meeting. Then, councilmembers prompted questions to Fort Myers Deputy Police Chief Victor Medico and City Attorney Grant Alley, who Councilmember Darla Bonk called out for leaving members with multiple unanswered questions before Friday’s presentation. "I must express my grave concern that there was a significant dereliction of the duty on the part of my city attorney," said Bonk, who initially voted against the agreement earlier this week. "We, as councilmembers, were put in the position of voting on a matter that was not within our legal authority or jurisdiction, as a state rep also reminded us at the top of this meeting. The actions subjected us public servants to unnecessary grave, personal and professional risk.". City officials’ about-face comes a day after Gov. Ron DeSantis warned them that failing to approve an immigration agreement could have steep consequences, including suspension from office. Earlier this week, state Attorney General James Uthmeier announced an investigation of councilmembers who voted against the agreement, saying the city was implementing an illegal sanctuary policy. Councilmember Diana Giraldo said in the meeting that she was concerned with the memorandum’s designation of authorized functions to police officers, saying it could boost racial profiling. These functions, according to the memorandum, include the power to arrest any immigrant who does not have legal status without a warrant and the power to interrogate any person believed to be an immigrant.

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Miami Herald [3/21/2025 7:01 PM, Ana Ceballos and Syra Ortiz Blanes, 3973K]

FOX News [3/21/2025 11:49 AM, Greg Norman and Olivianna Calmes, 46189K] reports that a judge granted Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil’s legal team more time to review his immigration case during a hearing Friday in Louisiana. Khalil, a 30-year-old green card holder who is married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on March 8. He is facing possible deportation over his alleged support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, although he has not been charged with a crime. The judge at Lasalle Immigration Court in Jena said she thinks Khalil "deserves more time" to prepare before a pleading and delayed further proceedings until April 8. A lawyer representing the Department of Homeland Security originally objected to the matter, arguing that Khalil is being "held at the government’s expense." However, Khalil’s attorney told the judge that "these are serious charges, we need time to review." Khalil looked calm throughout the hearing, which unfolded in a small, windowless courtroom. He spoke relatively quietly in his responses to the judge and seemed somewhat relaxed. The judge asked him what language he understood best and he said English and Arabic, and when she asked if they could proceed in English, he said yes.

AP [3/21/2025 1:05 PM, Sara Cline, 48304K] reports that detained Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil appeared briefly Friday in immigration court at a remote Louisiana detention center as his lawyers fight in multiple venues to try to free him. Khalil, 30, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, sat alone next to an empty chair through a brief court session that dealt only with scheduling. His lawyer participated via video. Khalil swayed back and forth in his chair as he waited for the proceeding to begin in a windowless courtroom inside an isolated, low-slung Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention complex. Ringed by two rows of tall barbed-wire fences and surrounded by pine forests, the facility is near the small town of Jena, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge. Khalil smiled at two observers as they came into the room, where just 13 people ultimately gathered, including the judge, attorneys and court staff. Two journalists and a total of four other observers attended. By video, lawyer Marc Van Der Hout said he’d just started representing Khalil and needed more time to speak to him, get records and delve into the case. An immigration judge set a fuller hearing for April 8. Khalil’s lawyers also have gone to federal court to challenge his detention and potential deportation, which looms as his wife, a U.S. citizen, is expecting their first child. A federal judge in New York ruled Wednesday that Khalil can contest the legality of his detention but that the case should be moved to a New Jersey federal court.

FOX News [3/21/2025 7:02 PM, Peter Pinedo, 46189K] reports a federal judge in Colorado issued an order Friday blocking immigration officials from deporting "abolish ICE" activist and illegal immigrant Jeanette Vizguerra before a hearing scheduled for next week. The order places a temporary injunction on local ICE officials Johnny Choate and Ernesto Santacruz, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi from ordering Vizguerra’s removal while her case is being considered by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Vizguerra, 53, is a Mexican national illegally present in the country for years. After a deportation order was issued against her, Vizguerra voluntarily left the country in 2012, only to illegally return a year later. While in the U.S., Vizguerra has become an outspoken advocate for abolishing ICE and reforming immigration laws to be more permissive. She was arrested by ICE in Aurora, Colorado, Monday, a move that created national controversy with many Democrats and media outlets rushing to her defense. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was among those who denounced Vizguerra’s arrest, saying, "This is not immigration enforcement. This is Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents under the guise of immigration enforcement.". Friday’s order, issued by U.S. District Judge Nina Wang, said, "In light of these unusual circumstances, this Court respectfully concludes that an injunction is necessary to preserve the status quo and permit this Court the opportunity to thoughtfully consider the issues raised by both sides.". The order states that government officials "shall not remove" Vizguerra until the court or the 10th Circuit vacates the order. Though the order claims Vizguerra’s case "raises complex issues," Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital the case is simple. "This is a woman who unlawfully entered the United States twice. … She is subject to removal from the United States, and she is removable," said Arthur. "Simply because she has spoken out against the immigration policies in the United States doesn’t render her immune from removal.

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Reuters [3/21/2025 4:49 PM, Joseph Ax, 41523K]
Axios [3/21/2025 1:29 PM, Esteban L. Hernandez, 13163K]

Univision [3/21/2025 6:23 PM, Patricia Clarembaux, 5325K] reports the United States government on Thursday resumed sending Venezuelan immigrants allegedly linked to the Tren de Aragua gang to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed exclusively to Univision News. This comes at a time when lawsuits are pending against the federal government to prevent the transfer and detention of individuals at the facility. "Yesterday, DHS once again sent dangerous gang members and illegal aliens off U.S. soil to Guantanamo Bay," Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), confirmed to Univision News on Friday. She said the individuals were linked by the government to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. McLaughlin did not specify how many people were involved. But The New York Times reported Thursday that about 20 people boarded a charter flight from El Paso, Texas, to Guantanamo.

The Hill [3/21/2025 1:30 PM, Ryan Silverstein, 12829K] reports that in an unprecedented rebuke of judicial power, the Trump administration is apparently ignoring a temporary restraining order from a federal judge. President Trump invoked the Enemy Aliens Act, a law from 1789 that permits the president to deport any male over the age of 14 from an enemy country, to begin mass deportations of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to El Salvador. This is the fourth time the law has ever been invoked and the first time since World War II. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the deportations while assessing the constitutionality of the administration’s deportation plan. Instead of complying, the Trump administration has flouted the order by refusing to turn around planes carrying the alleged gang members. This move is flawed. Instead of ignoring judges’ orders, the Trump administration should use this opportunity to reform the process of nationwide temporary restraining orders and injunctions. Whichever party is in power in Washington will always find it politically inconvenient that a single unelected federal district judge can legally block a policy nationwide. While Republicans get frustrated when a judge impedes their plans, orders and injunctions have benefitted them in the past.

USA Today [3/21/2025 5:14 PM, Eduardo Cuevas, Bart Jansen, Trevor Hughes, 75858K] reports U.S. officials in court filings say that tattoos worn by Venezuelan migrants are ample reason for their removal to a notorious Salvadoran prison. Family members and advocates say immigration authorities are using tattoos of Spanish soccer teams, family members, crowns and the detainees’ professions to tie them to the Tren de Aragua prison gang. Of the 50 people identified who have been deported to a prison in El Salvador, 44 have no criminal record in either the U.S. or Venezuela, according to Kate Wheatcroft, an immigrant rights activist with the New York-based nonprofit Together & Free. As USA TODAY reported in November, Texas officials and Border Patrol agents have compiled a list of tattoos to try to identify Tren de Aragua members. These have included locomotive trains or a five-point crown, the latter of which has been used for the Latin Kings gang. The Texas Department of Public Safety also lists roses, predatory felines and stars on shoulder for ranking. Some members have tattoos of Michael Jordan or his iconic 23 jersey number. This supposedly stands for 23 de Enero, a Caracas neighborhood known for crime.

CBS News [3/21/2025 1:00 PM, Jennifer Earl and David Morgan, 51661K] reports that when federal immigration officials confronted Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil inside his New York City apartment building earlier this month, his wife, Noor Abdalla, assumed it was a misunderstanding. She rushed upstairs to their apartment to get documents proving he was a U.S. green card holder. "My husband was taken away from me in the middle of the night. It was one of the most terrifying times of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything scarier than that," Abdalla described during an interview with Erin Moriarty for "CBS Sunday Morning" airing on Sunday. It’s the first sit-down TV interview Abdalla has given since her husband’s arrest on March 8. But Abdalla, who is 8 months pregnant and an American citizen, still believed he would be taken into immigration custody at Federal Plaza in Manhattan and released within hours after officials saw his paperwork. She never imagined the 30-year-old would be taken from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Lower Manhattan to the Elizabeth Detention Center in Elizabeth, N.J., where, according to published remarks by Khalil, he slept on the ground, and was refused a blanket despite his request. He was then transferred to Louisiana. According to a Department of Homeland Security notice obtained by CBS News, DHS wrote that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has "determined" that Khalil’s "presence or activities in the United States would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States."

Reuters [3/21/2025 6:57 PM, Kanishka Singh, 41523K] reports U.S. immigration officials on Friday sent an email to the legal team of Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests, asking him to turn himself in, Taal’s attorneys said in a court filing. A "notice to appear" sent by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials is among the first steps in the deportation process. Taal, a doctoral candidate in Africana Studies and dual citizen of the UK and the Gambia, has participated in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza following an October 2023 Hamas attack. President Donald Trump has pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and accused them of supporting Hamas and being antisemitic. Taal’s attorneys called the development a free speech assault. Taal previously filed a lawsuit to block deportations of protesters. He has said he was doxxed. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their critics wrongly conflate their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas. "ICE invites Mr. Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the (Homeland Security Investigations Office) in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the (Notice to Appear) and for Mr. Taal to surrender to ICE custody," a U.S. government email said, according to the filing on Friday.

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New York Times [3/21/2025 3:10 PM, Stephanie Saul, 145325K]
CNN [3/21/2025 4:54 PM, Andy Rose, 908K]

Newsweek [3/21/2025 12:27 PM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports that reports of individuals posing as federal immigration agents are increasing across the United States, prompting officials to warn immigrant communities—to be aware of their rights and take steps to protect themselves from ICE impersonators. ICE, under President Donald Trump’s iron fist, has ramped up arrests across the U.S. following his return to the White House. Many sanctuary cities in California have refused to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. There are exceptions to the sanctuary state law, particularly for undocumented immigrants with a criminal record. There has been an increase in reports of people posing as ICE agents amid heightened immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration. Scammers typically contact victims by phone, email, or in person, demanding payment and threatening arrest or deportation. These demands often involve cash, wire transfers, or gift cards. In some cases, impersonators may arrive at homes in official-looking uniforms or send fake documents to appear legitimate. An ICE spokesperson told Newsweek: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents are highly trained and dedicated professionals who are sworn to uphold the law, protect the American people and support U.S. national security interests. ICE strongly condemns the impersonation of its officers or agents. This action is not only dangerous, but illegal. Imposters can be arrested for and charged with a criminal offense both at the state and federal level (under 18 USC 912)."

Washington Post [3/21/2025 6:39 PM, Teo Armus, 31735K] reports federal immigration authorities on Friday arrested a Venezuelan couple for a second time this month, their lawyer and relatives said, after a federal judge in D.C. ordered their release last week in a case that stemmed from their having illegally crossed the border more than two years ago. The couple was driving in Suitland, Maryland, with their 4-year-old son when authorities stopped the vehicle and arrested them, said Madhvi Bahl, a volunteer with the group Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, which had been supporting the family. They were then taken to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Chantilly, Virginia — the same facility from which they had been released last week. The child was taken by an aunt who was traveling in a different vehicle behind the couple and witnessed the arrest, Bahl said. Friday’s arrests added to a family saga that had already raised alarms among immigrant advocates because the couple had been granted temporary protected status and the first arrest — as they were returning from work to their home in Southeast Washington — occurred in front of two of their children. That detainment occurred just before the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport dozens of Venezuelan migrants with alleged ties to the transnational Tren de Aragua gang, with some of those detainees ending up in a prison in El Salvador that is notorious for its abuse of detainees. The effort, which a federal judge in D.C. has blocked, sent a chill through the couple’s family and friends because a U. S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson had alleged that they also have ties to the gang — a claim they have fervently denied. The Washington Post is identifying the couple by their middle names, Cesar and Norelia, because they have applied for U.S. asylum and have said they fear for their safety if deported to Venezuela. Prosecutors did not accuse the couple of gang affiliations during court hearings earlier that week.

Washington Examiner [3/21/2025 10:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 2296K] reports that a joint federal law enforcement operation across Washington, D.C., led to the arrests of 15 suspected Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members as part of an immigration enforcement operation aimed at getting the most dangerous illegal immigrants off the streets. Alleged violent criminal offenders from two of the world’s most brutal gangs were arrested in a two-week operation that swept the Washington metropolitan region, U.S. Customs and Border Protection shared with the Washington Examiner. "These arrests send a clear message: Under the Trump administration, gang members and criminals will find no sanctuary in our nation’s capital," CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to eradicating threats and restoring safety to our communities." The operation, in President Donald Trump’s backyard, comes 60 days into his second term as his administration seeks to carry out the "largest-ever" deportation operation in national history, starting with the most horrific criminal illegal immigrants in the country. It also comes just days after the Department of Homeland Security flew other Tren de Aragua gang members out of the country to a mega-prison in El Salvador, just as a judge ordered they not be deported.

WSB [3/21/2025 5:37 PM, Staff] reports the man accused of killing a Cobb County mother of five entered the U.S. illegally several years ago, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed. A spokesperson confirmed that Hector Sagastume Rivas, a 21-year-old native of Honduras, entered the country illegally on March 17, 2021 and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. He was later ordered to be removed from the country on July 11, 2023. Cobb County police say that last week, Sagastume Rivas killed Camillia Williams, a mother of five and grandmother, and dumped her body in the woods in a neighborhood. Her body was found in a bush on Thursday, March 13. ICE says they have lodged an immigration detainer with the Cobb County Jail to ensure he remains in custody for removal proceedings.

AP [3/21/2025 6:36 PM, Staff, 48304K] Video: HERE reports the acting director of the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said his department has arrested dozens of members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren De Aragua. The claim comes almost a week after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.

Telemundo 51 [3/21/2025 2:32 PM, Staff, 171K] reports that Florida Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging her to "immediately investigate and deport agents of the Castro regime," who are allegedly in the United States, according to the congressman’s complaint. Gimenez provided the secretary with a list of individuals with alleged direct ties to the Cuban regime’s repressive apparatus. "Currently, agents of the regime who previously upheld the brutal policies of the Castro dictatorship have exploited U.S. immigration laws to enter our country," the congressman’s press release states. "These agents of the Cuban regime must be identified, investigated, and deported immediately," it reads. On March 14, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Tomás Emilio Hernández Cruz, an alleged former member of Cuban intelligence residing in South Florida. Cruz is in ICE custody awaiting deportation orders. Congressman Giménez, according to a press release from his office, "will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to identify agents of terrorist regimes like Castro’s Cuba, Maduro’s Venezuela, and Ortega’s Nicaragua, who have violated U.S. immigration laws and are residing in our communities." "Like many in our community, I was forced to leave my homeland of Cuba shortly after the Communist Revolution, and it is absolutely reprehensible how agents of Castro’s murderous regime have manipulated our immigration laws to infiltrate our country," the congressman said.

FOX News [3/21/2025 6:27 PM, Brie Stimson, 46189K] reports the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday announced the arrest of an alleged Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang member from Venezuela. Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho is the first person detained under the Alien Enemies Act, which President Donald Trump invoked last week, officials said. "Tren de Aragua is a dangerous foreign terrorist organization that has invaded our soil," ICE Director Todd Lyons said while flanked by members of the FHP at the Friday afternoon news conference. "TdA has infiltrated the U.S., its northern border, the southern border and in our waterways. "Many of these members are cold-blooded killers, rapists, thieves, drug traffickers, weapons traffickers and human traffickers. They’re accused of the most heinous crimes committed inside our neighborhoods and communities. They have been running loose in the United States.". Lyons noted that Trump has committed to rooting out violent TdA gang members as a top priority.

Newsweek [3/21/2025 5:34 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports Cubans attending immigration appointments in Florida are reportedly being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. At least 18 individuals have been taken into custody, the Miami Herald reported, despite previously being given somewhat special protections from removal proceedings. However, some Cubans will have been placed in removal proceedings by ICE and released while their case is pending on an I-220A form. This doesn’t offer any immigration status and means they must take a longer path to permanent residency, such as claiming asylum. According to the Miami Herald, it is those in this second group who are being detained by ICE while attending regular check-ins. This marks a shift in policy, where those without criminal records were previously not taken into custody. ICE has not publicly declared that it has changed its policy, but Trump did sign an executive order on his return to office stating that the U.S. would "execute the immigration laws against all inadmissible and removable aliens." It is not clear what would be next for Cubans detained and awaiting removal when their home country does not routinely accept repatriation flights. The Trump administration has brokered deals with other nations to take those from a third country. Representative Maria Elvira, a Florida Republican, said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that she was aware of the situation and had asked the Department of Homeland Security not to detain individuals with I-220As.

Miami Herald [3/21/2025 1:23 PM, Grethel Aguila and Syra Ortiz Blanes, 3973K] reports that federal authorities in South Florida have recently detained at least 18 Cubans during scheduled immigration appointments, local attorneys say, highlighting that a group that has historically enjoyed special immigration benefits is not immune to the Trump administration’s intensified mass deportation efforts. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Cubans who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border have received I-220A forms, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement document that records someone’s release from custody subject to certain conditions. That paperwork does not confer lawful status. Federal judges have ruled it can’t be used to apply for green cards under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, which lets Cuban nationals get permanent residency a year and a day after touching U.S. soil. Cubans with I-220As must instead seek asylum or find an alternative path to stay in the United States, like a family-based green-card petition. It’s Cubans with I-220As, primarily women, whom ICE has detained at regular check-ins in the agency’s field office in Miramar, attorneys say. Their detentions mark another way in which the experiences of newly arrived Cubans are different from previous generations that widely enjoyed special treatment in the federal immigration system. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to Herald questions about whether Cubans with I-220As were now considered a detention and deportation priority for ICE. Trump has said he wants to deport the millions of undocumented people who are in the United States.

CBS Detroit [3/21/2025 1:05 PM, Paula Wethington, 51661K] reports that a private company has contracted with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to open a federal immigration processing center in Michigan. The site is the North Lake Correctional Facility in the Lake County community of Baldwin, owned by The GEO Group. The facility closed in 2022 when the federal government canceled contracts with for-profit prisons. In the meantime, some federal officials pursued the idea of converting the 1,800-bed facility to an ICE detention center. "We expect that our company-owned North Lake Facility in Michigan will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bedspace," George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said in Thursday’s announcement. "We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities." Within a few months, GEO and ICE will finalize a long-term contract, "that would be expected to generate in excess of $70 million in annualized revenues in the first full year of operations." GEO said it would provide ICE with exclusive use of the facility, along with security, maintenance and food services, access to recreation and medical care. GEO currently operates 99 facilities in the U.S. and other countries, with a range of secure facilities, processing centers and community reentry services.

CNN [3/22/2025 4:22 AM, Hanna Park, 908K] reports one of two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees who escaped during a power outage at a Colorado detention facility earlier this week was captured Friday, authorities said. Joel Gonzalez-Gonzalez was taken into custody by Adams County Sheriff’s personnel early Friday morning, ICE’s Denver office said in a statement, noting Gonzalez-Gonzalez will remain in ICE custody pending “criminal & immigration proceedings.” The arrest was made about 12 miles from the ICE detention facility in the Denver suburb of Aurora, where Gonzalez-Gonzalez and another detainee escaped Tuesday night. The two are believed to have walked out of a set of doors that opened during a power outage. The other person who escaped remains at large. Gonzalez-Gonzalez, who is from Mexico, was detained at the ICE detention facility after first being held in a jail in Adams County last month on local criminal charges, including second-degree motor vehicle theft, Adams County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Adam Sherman told the Associated Press. CNN reached out to the sheriff’s office for further details. Gonzalez-Gonzalez called authorities to turn himself in and agreed to share information on his fellow escapee in exchange for having his case dismissed, his public defender said in court Friday, according to CNN affiliate KUSA. In its statement announcing the arrest, ICE thanked the Adams County Sheriff’s Office “for the partnership with common goal of keeping the community safe!” Earlier this week, federal and local authorities offered different versions of the response to the escape. In a statement sent to the AP Thursday about the escape, ICE said law enforcement authorities were notified immediately but declined to help in the search. Federal officials and Republican lawmakers have criticized what are often known as sanctuary policies in places including Denver that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Last month the Trump administration sued the city of Chicago and the broader state of Illinois over their immigration enforcement policies. The Aurora Police Department disputed ICE’s claims about the timeline of this week’s escape, saying they weren’t notified until roughly two hours after the men were discovered missing, and over four hours after they were believed to have fled the ICE facility. Aurora police said they have an agreement with the private company that runs the ICE detention center to help with escapees, but only if they are notified within 15 minutes of an escape.

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AP [3/21/2025 4:47 PM, Colleen Slevin]
NBC News [3/21/2025 2:58 PM, David K. Li and Lindsay Good, 44742K]

Univision [3/21/2025 3:37 PM, Staff, 5325K] reports since January 26, Puerto Rico has been the scene of mass arrests of immigrants, most of them from the Dominican Republic, in what many consider an unprecedented shift in immigration policy in the U.S. territory. The actions are a response to former President Donald Trump’s policy of intensifying deportations. The Dominican community, estimated at around 55,000 people on the island—although some experts believe the number is higher—is now living in fear. To date, more than 200 people have been arrested, 149 of them Dominicans, according to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) data. Most are men, although it has not been specified how many have criminal records. Sandra Colón, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security in Puerto Rico, stated that the operations focus on people with criminal records or final deportation orders. However, human rights advocates, such as Annette Martínez, director of the ACLU on the island, criticize the lack of transparency regarding the whereabouts of those detained and the conditions of their detention.

Los Angeles Times [3/21/2025 2:08 PM, Fidel Martinez, 13342K] reports that immigration officials transported 238 Venezuelan men from the United States to a notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador over the weekend, despite a court order from a federal judge prohibiting the government from carrying out the expulsions. On Friday, President Trump issued an executive order that invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, an obscure statute that grants him the authority to deport without due process noncitizens during wartime, to target individuals his administration alleges belong to Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal organization founded inside a Venezuelan prison more than a decade ago. The executive order wasn’t publicly announced until Saturday. Later that day, James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, ruled that the Trump administration did not have grounds to invoke the law, and ordered the expulsions to be halted. Boasberg also ordered that the two planes carrying detainees en route to El Salvador had to come back. Not only did that not happen, but a third plane took off from Harlingen, Texas, after the judge gave his ruling. "The district judges are not going to stop us from making this country safe again. We are going to keep moving forward," Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, said on Thursday. If that’s the case, as my colleague Jackie Calmes recently wrote, the U.S. will continue careening into a constitutional crisis.

Miami Herald [3/21/2025 5:00 PM, Verónica Egui Brito, 3973K] reports E.M. and his girlfriend fled persecution in their native Venezuela in 2021 and dreamed of making a new life in the United States. On Jan. 8, after they were finally granted the coveted refugee status, E.M., 29, and his girlfriend, Daniela Palma, 30, finally arrived in the United States, flying into Houston. He lifted his shirt and pants and showed the immigration officer tattoos on his chest, legs and arms — a crown, a soccer ball and a palm tree. At that point, it no longer mattered that he had no criminal record, and that he had been granted refugee status, with the full legal right to enter the United States. Immigration officials decided the tattoos were evidence enough to suspect he might be a member of Tren de Aragua, a prison-born Venezuelan gang whose members have earned a reputation in Latin America as fearless and ruthless. E.M., whom the Miami Herald is not identifying by his full name for his safety in case he is forced to return to Venezuela, was detained. His girlfriend, threatened with detention for months herself, agreed to be deported back to Colombia. On March 15, the Trump administration deported him, along with over 200 other Venezuelans, to El Salvador, where they were promptly imprisoned in a maximum-security facility with a troubling history of violating human rights and where men sleep hundreds to a cell on steel beds with no mattresses or pillows. E.M. is not the only Venezuelan granted refugee status in the U.S. who was deported to El Salvador, the Herald has learned; another man, who was detained longer than E.M., shared the same fate. However, his family has chosen to remain anonymous to avoid jeopardizing his safety.

Washington Examiner [3/21/2025 7:13 PM, Christian Datoc, 2296K] reports the Trump administration will not be announcing new restrictions on certain foreign citizens traveling to the United States on Friday, the deadline President Donald Trump set for a report. Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, giving the State Department until Friday, March 21, to name countries "for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.". When asked Friday about the president’s plans to unveil the ban, White House officials referred the Washington Examiner to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce’s briefing that evening, where she announced the extension of the deadline. "That deadline is, now, not today. I can’t tell you the specifics, but don’t expect that today is a day that something will have to come out," Bruce told reporters. "The Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process, as laid out by Trump’s executive order, which is what initiated this dynamic," she continued.

Newsweek [3/22/2025 6:00 AM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports immigrants and potential visitors from dozens of counties were still waiting Friday for news of a travel ban from President Donald Trump, with some debating whether heading to the United States now would be a good idea. Although a draft list was reportedly leaked to New York Times, showing 43 countries to be targeted, no official list has been made public yet, after Trump issued an executive order on January 20 asking multiple cabinet members to put options forward by March 21. Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email Friday afternoon. If a ban were to go into effect, it is likely that travel from designated countries would be barred completely or heavily restricted, just as the previous Trump administration tried to do through what became known as the Muslim Ban. "The problem is that the world doesn’t fit into a box, people don’t fit into a box," Nuri Katz, CEO and founder of Apex Capital Partners, which works with wealthy clients who move around the world. "If you try to create a box, like this list of countries which are bad, you come up with all sorts of different situations which don’t fit into this box.” As Newsweek explored in February, when the previous travel ban went into effect in 2017, some foreign nationals were in the air on their way to the U.S. when the ban took effect, including refugees. The policy was swiftly challenged by advocacy groups and was in and out of the courts during Trump’s first term. Experts said they believed that was why the White House was taking its time in 2025, but Trump would likely impose a ban as he had touted it on the campaign trail. "I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip, and we will seal our border and bring back the travel ban," Trump said in October 2024. "Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world. We’re not taking them from infested countries."

New York Times [3/21/2025 6:32 PM, Shayla Colon, 145325K] reports a New York City man posing as a law enforcement agent promised a woman that he could help her get a green card if she invested $500,000 with him, prosecutors said on Friday. Instead, the man kept the money and never submitted a visa application as he had promised. According to a federal indictment unsealed on Friday, he lied to the woman, a Chinese citizen whom the indictment names only as Jane Doe, giving her various excuses for years for why the process had been delayed. The man, Tommy Aijie Da Silva Weng, 49, was arrested on Friday and has been charged with wire fraud, mail fraud and impersonating a federal agent. He will be detained until a bail hearing on Monday, officials said. Prosecutors had requested he be held in detention given his extensive ties and travel to China. His lawyer, Jullian Harris-Calvin, declined to comment. Mr. Weng told the woman that if she invested at least $500,000, she could be eligible to apply for a green card under the EB-5 program and that he would use his “connections” to expedite the process. The woman signed a contract with Mr. Weng that day and wrote out a check for $501,500 to his company, Ding Cheng Overseas Management Inc., the following month, court documents showed. That amount included $1,500 that he said she owed him in filing fees, according to the indictment. Mr. Weng later gave the woman a receipt with a number to track her supposed application on the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website, prosecutors said. After some time, the woman began to complain that her application — which did not show a name attached to it on the website — had not progressed in the system, to which Mr. Weng responded with excuses about “administrative delays,” the indictment said. Then in 2018, Mr. Weng supplied her a new number, which, when she entered it into the website, showed that an application had been approved. The U.S.C.I.S. database, prosecutors said, has no record of any EB-5 paperwork ever being filed on the woman’s behalf.

Border Report [3/21/2025 3:28 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports four Haitians joined a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration to keep their temporary protected status in the United States. The group signed on to a lawsuit that was filed Feb. 19 by seven Venezuelans against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and DHS after Noem announced that temporary protected status (TPS) would be lifted in April for 600,000 Venezuelans who had previously been granted an extension of these protections under the Biden administration allowing them to live and work in the United States for 18 months. But President Donald Trump revoked the extension shortly after taking office. And last month Noem announced that 500,000 Haitian TPS holders also will lose their protections by August 2025 and could also face deportation. The lawsuit now seeks to grant continued TPS for over 1 million Haitian and Venezuelans.

Yahoo! News [3/21/2025 10:45 AM, Beth Bailey, 52868K] reports that on February 10, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Washington challenging President Donald Trump’s January 20 executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). On February 25, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction, forcing the government to recommence USRAP processing. In the weeks following the injunction, Afghan USRAP applicants at processing hubs around the world have still been forbidden from departing for the U.S. A single Afghan USRAP applicant and her family have skirted the prohibition, however, thanks to a workaround that advocates see as a method for other well-vetted, travel-ready refugees to follow in their path. Priority-1 USRAP applicant Freshta was a prosecutor for the former Afghan government. Because she used a burgeoning Western legal system to bring justice for victims of domestic violence, she was a prime target for Taliban retribution following the group’s ascent to power in August 2021. Her husband Hadi, a renowned journalist, was also at risk after the U.S. withdrawal, already having survived a stabbing attack in 2012 because of his anti-Taliban positions. Life in Pakistan has been difficult for Afghan refugees, who cannot be processed in their homeland, where there is no operational U.S. Embassy. The cost of living is higher in Pakistan, and refugees are not able to work or send their children to school.

Telemundo [3/22/2025 1:52 AM, Guillermo Méndez, 41K] reports that, currently, some 750 military personnel are reinforcing the border in the San Diego sector, installing concertina wire with small razor blades on the border fence. Right now all they are doing is they are here in a support capacity; in an assistance capacity. What they can do is notify, which is what they do: They notify us and a Border Patrol agent goes and makes the arrest," stated Border Patrol Agent Gerardo Gutierrez. However, President Trump’s administration is considering authorizing military elements to temporarily hold migrants at the border, according to our sister network NBC. Another Washington Post report, citing five unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, adds that the idea is to use the land known as the Roosevelt Reservation for holding irregular border crossers. That land is a strip about 60 feet wide of the Mexico border and stretches from New Mexico to California. "The personnel are not trained to deal with civilians. They are trained for war and not to protect or care for a family," said Lilian Serrano, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition. The human rights advocate fears that, with this plan, there will be a repeat of what community leaders called open-air detention sites, when migrants waited between border fences, sometimes in extreme weather conditions. "Part of the concern is that they just use the word ‘temporary,’" Serrano said. "Especially in San Diego we know that temporary for such a detention area can be maybe minutes, a few hours, or even days (...) without access to food, water or a place to shelter from the elements." Washington Post report adds that by militarizing the Roosevelt Strip, the theory goes, any detention of migrants by military elements would be tantamount to trapping trespassers on a military base. Government officials asked military officials to examine the legal implications of this proposal, which has not yet been approved, so while it is apparently still being developed, for now these military personnel will continue to work at the San Diego border, indefinitely.

Border Report [3/21/2025 4:44 PM, Julian Resendiz, 117K] reports a New Mexico congressman on Friday characterized a new Trump administration plan to deploy additional troops to the border with Mexico as a waste of taxpayer dollars. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday the administration is considering plans to create a "buffer zone" along the Southwest border where the U.S. military could detain and hold migrants coming across illegally from Mexico. This is on top of the deployment of thousands of troops to assist Department of Homeland Security personnel already on the border helping Border Patrol stop migrants and drugs. U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., called on the administration to instead purchase more equipment for the U.S. Border Patrol and send additional resources to ports of entry, which is usually where illegal drugs come into the country. Earlier this week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham blasted the purported plans for the military buffer zone between the border wall and the rest of New Mexico as a waste of resources. The Department of Defense has not confirmed the deployment, and Vasquez said he has been unable to obtain concrete information from the White House.

New York Times [3/21/2025 4:12 PM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Tyler Pager, and Hamed Aleaziz, 145325K] reports that U.S. immigration agents wearing masks arrested a Georgetown University academic outside his home in Virginia. They detained two German tourists for weeks when they tried to enter the country legally through the southern border. They knocked on doors at Columbia University apartments, searching for pro-Palestinian protesters. The Trump administration has opened a new phase in its immigration agenda, one that goes well beyond the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. U.S. border officials are using more aggressive tactics, which the administration calls “enhanced vetting,” at ports of entry to the United States, prompting American allies like Germany to update their travel advisories. At the same time, the administration is targeting legal immigrants who have expressed views that the government believes threaten national security and undermine foreign policy. The tactics have unnerved foreign tourists and sent a chill through immigrant communities in the United States, who say they are being targeted for speech — not for breaking any laws. “Whether it’s speech and criticism, green cards, they’re really taking it to a whole new level,” said Gil Kerlikowske, a former Customs and Border Protection commissioner and an ex-police chief of four cities. Recalling the anti-immigration agenda in Mr. Trump’s first term, Mr. Kerlikowske said that “it’s déjà vu all over again on steroids.”

USA Today [3/21/2025 5:45 PM, Kathleen Wong, 75858K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are increasingly searching electronic devices of travelers entering the country. These searches, while legal, are raising concerns about free speech and privacy rights. Travelers are advised to be mindful of the content on their devices and online profiles, and to understand their rights when it comes to border searches. A recent string of legal U.S. residents being detained or deported following information found on their cell phones is worrying some travelers they’ll be stopped when traveling through the country’s border.

Bloomberg [3/21/2025 10:00 AM, Fola Akinnibi and Rachel Adams-Heard, 16228K] reports that the Trump administration is seeking to bring back juvenile detention centers for unaccompanied immigrant children, just as a critical contract providing legal services to these minors who enter the US without their parents is in jeopardy. A request for information published this week said that the federal government is looking to solicit bids for beds in so-called “secure” facilities to detain teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17. The move comes as the administration is separately rolling back a program that ensures unaccompanied children receive legal representation when maneuvering the complex and backlogged US immigration court system, according to the groups that provide these services. The changes are still in flux, and the contract must be extended before the end of the month. Taken together, the twin policy changes mark a substantial shift in the way that the US treats unaccompanied children who come to the country without a parent or legal guardian, many fleeing violence and abuse. The number of such children, who mainly arrive from Central America, ballooned starting in 2012, and peaked at more than 128,000 in fiscal year 2022. The federal government stopped using the jail-like facilities for these children during Joe Biden’s tenure. The Biden administration also attempted to expand legal services for the children and codified additional rules around their care.

Border Report [3/21/2025 3:15 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection at a South Texas port of entry say they arrested a traveler on previous drug possession charges and then charged him with making terroristic threats against an officer. Armando Olguin, 37, a U.S. citizen was arrested March 19 at the Progreso International Bridge as he was crossing from Nuevo Progreso, Mexico, after officers discovered he had an active felony warrant for possession of a controlled substance, CBP says. Olguin was sent to secondary inspection where biometric screening matched him in federal law enforcement databases, which helped authorities discover the drug warrant that had been issued by the U.S. Marshal Service. During the arrest, officers initiated a criminal investigation on allegations that Olguin issued terroristic threatens against a CBP officer.

Yahoo! News [3/22/2025 12:27 AM, Domenick Candelieri, 52868K] reports more than 1,300 pounds of methamphetamine were seized in two separate incidents last week at the Calexico Cargo Facility. The first drug bust occurred on the morning of March 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release Friday. CBP officers inspected a red tractor-trailer, driven by a 36-year-old man, entering the U.S. from Mexico. Authorities found irregularities in the vehicle’s fuel tank area where they found a total of 962.31 pounds of diesel fuel that tested positive for methamphetamine. The second incident occurred on March 13 when CBP officers encountered a 30-year-old man driving a black tractor-trailer. Authorities conducted a secondary inspection on that vehicle, resulting in the discovery of seven duffle bags containing a total of 140 packages of methamphetamine with an aggregate weight of 704.943 pounds. Both drivers were turned over to the custody of Homeland Security Investigations for further processing, while CBP officers seized the drugs and vehicles.

AP [3/21/2025 10:36 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports that, for more than 100 years, people in Stanstead, Quebec have been able to walk into Derby Line, Vermont to enter the border-straddling Haskell Free Library and Opera House – no passport required. But municipal and library officials said on Friday that U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to end the century-old unwritten agreement. Coming at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries, the decision is prompting an outpouring of emotion in communities on both sides of the border, which in places has been marked simply by flower pots. Inside the library celebrated as a symbol of international friendship, Pauline Lussier and Chris Blais put their arms around each other’s shoulders Friday as they stood on either side of the line taped down the floor marking the border. Lussier, a Canadian, and Blais, an American met for the first time that day. "A line doesn’t separate us, it never has," said Blais, who held an American flag in her hands while Lussier held a Canadian one. "Our kids have gone back and forth over this border without any problem at all ... this is all going to change now, and there’s no reason for this," Blais added. Once inside the library, Canadian and American citizens have been able to mingle freely across the border line drawn on the floor – as long as they return to the proper country afterward. In 2016, then-president Barack Obama hailed the symbolic importance of the library, built in 1901. "A resident of one of these border towns once said, ‘We’re two different countries, but we’re like one big town,’" Obama said. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP, confirmed that the divide is about to become more pronounced. Starting in the coming days, only library card holders and employees will be able to cross over from Canada to enter the building through the main door on the U.S. side. And as of Oct. 1, no Canadians will be able to enter the library via the United States without going through the border checkpoint, though there will be exceptions for law enforcement, emergency services, mail delivery, official workers and those with disabilities. The statement acknowledged the library as a "unique landmark," but said the border agency was phasing in a new approach for security reasons. "Due to the library’s location, and convenience of local populations, CBP has allowed customers of the library to access its sidewalk, without inspection, for decades," the agency said in a statement. "However, during that time, this area has witnessed a continued rise in illicit cross-border activity.”

SFGate [3/21/2025 2:40 PM, Staff, 12335K] reports that a woman drowned her dog in a Florida airport bathroom and then boarded her international flight after she was prevented from bringing the white miniature schnauzer with her because of a paperwork issue, authorities said. The woman was arrested in Lake County on Wednesday on a charge of aggravated animal abuse, a third-degree felony. She was released on $5,000 bail. "This act was intentional and resulted in a cruel and unnecessary death of the animal," said an arrest affidavit from the Orlando Police Department. Online court records showed no attorney listed for the woman from Kenner, Louisiana. The investigation into the death of the 9-year-old schnauzer named Tywinn started in December when a janitor found the dog in a trash bag in a bathroom stall at Orlando International Airport. Authorities said the woman had been told she could not bring her dog aboard because she did not have the proper paperwork. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dogs traveling from the U.S. to Colombia must be accompanied by a veterinarian-issued health certificate and a rabies vaccination certificate. The dog was identified by its implanted microchip and a necropsy determined that Tywinn had been drowned. U.S. Customs and Border Protection also confirmed to detectives that the woman had boarded a flight to Bogota, Colombia, and then flew to Ecuador.

Axios [3/21/2025 3:43 PM, Kate Murphy, 13163K] reports travelers can now use California mobile driver’s licenses when going through security at San Diego International Airport (SAN). New technology at TSA checkpoints is expected to enhance security and increase efficiency at the airport. TSA announced the expansion of digital IDs, which are carried in Apple or Google wallet, to SAN earlier this month. At the checkpoint, CAT-2 cameras take a real-time photo and use facial matching technology to verify the traveler’s ID, ticket and screening status like TSA PreCheck. TSA says the photos aren’t stored or used for any other purpose, but people can opt out. And officers will still accept physical IDs and boarding passes.

Politico [3/21/2025 2:00 PM, Thomas Frank, 52868K] reports that the Trump administration is reviewing "all disaster relief programs that may indirectly or incidentally aid illegal aliens," according to an internal memo that raises the prospect of shutting off government aid to millions of people during extreme weather events. The two-page memo sent to senior officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its 10 regional offices on Feb. 14 also orders the agency to review nongovernmental organizations that "provide assistance" to undocumented immigrants. That could include groups like the American Red Cross that offer food, shelter and medical care to disaster survivors regardless of their immigration status. The review, which has not been previously reported, has alarmed advocacy groups that work with the roughly 11 million undocumented migrants within the U.S. who could be barred from disaster shelters during deadly hurricanes, wildfires or floods. "This review shall include identification of those programs and potential policy changes," said the memo by FEMA acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton. Potential aid restrictions could deter millions of people who are in the country legally from going to disaster shelters because they fear being targeted by immigration enforcement officers, some advocates said. Those concerns were raised as President Donald Trump attempts to deport two legal immigrants.

ABC News [3/21/2025 2:04 PM, Kenton Gewecke and Megan Forrester, 34586K] reports that powerful winds and wildfire warnings persist in several states, with some areas still fighting existing flames, as a new cross-country storm emerges in the Pacific Northwest on Friday. Red flag warnings are in place for areas in the Southwest, including New Mexico and north-central Texas, where wind gusts will reach up to 40 mph on Friday paired with a relative humidity down to 10%. Firefighters have continued to battle the Gail Fire in New Mexico, which has burned 238 acres and is 10% contained, officials said on Thursday. The southern half of Missouri and northern half of Arkansas also face red flag warnings on Friday, with wind gusts up to 45 mph and a relative humidity of 20% to 25%. According to the Arkansas Forestry Division, 96 wildfires statewide have been contained, but four new wildfires are active. "We are mobilizing all resources and working closely with local, state and federal partners," the forestry division said in a statement on Friday. Southeast Florida also remains under fire weather alerts, with red flag warnings in place from Orlando to Stuart and elevated fire dangers from West Palm Beach down to Miami. The humidity will be as low as 20% in these parts of the state, creating ideal conditions for existing fires to spread. In Miami-Dade County, a fire has burned 25,000 acres and is 30% contained, officials said. It is burning in largely unoccupied parts of the Everglades. [Editorial note: consult video at source link for video]

NPR [3/21/2025 4:08 PM, Lauren Sommer] reports President Trump has signed an executive order directing state and local governments to "play a more active and significant role" in preparing for disasters. For months, Trump has said he’s considering getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the country’s disaster response arm. But emergency management experts say Trump’s order technically wouldn’t do much to shift responsibility. Currently, local and state governments are already in charge of disasters. The question is whether the Trump administration will begin withdrawing the federal resources and funding that states rely on. Without FEMA, states would need to find thousands of additional personnel to inspect damage, distribute disaster aid and plan the rebuilding of public infrastructure. Without federal funding, states would face billions of dollars in recovery costs.

Yahoo! News [3/21/2025 9:50 AM, Brittany Muller, 52868K] reports that FEMA’s acting administrator says his own parents have received a letter denying hurricane recovery aid — with his name on it. FEMA says it has provided more than a billion dollars to assist Florida’s recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The process can be lengthy and discouraging, especially with another hurricane season right around the corner. Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s acting administrator appointed by the Trump Administration, said the agency is taking immediate steps for new methods, new approaches, and new ways to respond in the coming weeks and months. When Hamilton was asked about Floridians’ concerns about FEMA’s appeal process, he said he gets it. His parents live in Pinellas County. "There is an appeals process," Hamilton said. "I don’t like that process, to be perfectly frank. My parents got a letter of denial that has my name written on it. I have to wrestle with that and own that, which is why we’re making changes now to be more sensitive, agile, and responsive to every survivor because that’s what they deserve.". "Recovery becomes challenged with that, the ability to prepare for future events become challenged and strained," Hamilton added. "That’s all the more important why we stress the need for preparedness, plans and policies, and your own methodology in place so that you can respond accordingly."

Chicago Tribune [3/21/2025 5:13 PM, Maya Wilkins, 5269K] reports a storm that passed through northwest Indiana Wednesday night led to four tornado touchdowns, according to the National Weather Service. Three EF-0 tornadoes passed through, two in Gary and one in Highland. Gary also had an EF-1 tornado pass through its west side, specifically on 21st Avenue. Mayor Eddie Melton issued an executive order Thursday, following the EF-1 tornado. Melton declared a local disaster emergency within the city. The tornado produced strong winds, heavy rains that caused flooding, downed trees, downed power lines and property damage throughout the city, according to Melton’s executive order. City departments will work to address danger, including reduce flooding, clear roads and neighborhoods of debris, and remove storm-damaged structures, according to the executive order.

Reuters [3/21/2025 5:13 PM, Mary Milliken, 41523K] reports two Democratic U.S. senators on Friday visited the charred ruins of Altadena nearly three months after a devastating fire and made a case for more funding to rebuild the California community. With burned residences and businesses in the background, senators Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey said there were bright spots in the recovery. This included faster removal of toxic debris, initially expected to take 18 months and now projected to finish in less than a year. But they made the case for a steady stream of funding to help disaster-struck communities recover. They did not name a figure, but California Governor Gavin Newsom in February requested nearly $40 billion in wildfire aid from Congress. Wildfires ripped through Southern California in January. At least 29 people died in the fires. Altadena, a community east of Los Angeles, was among the worst hit with an estimated 6,000 homes burned and 17 people killed.

Reuters [3/21/2025 10:32 AM, David Shepardson] reports the head of the U.S. Secret Service met with General Motors (GM.N) executives this week in Michigan to discuss next-generation armored SUVs as the automaker works on the upcoming version of the presidential limousine, the agency said Friday. The Secret Service said on X that Director Sean Curran met with GM "to discuss advancements that could benefit the next generation of armored SUVs." GM did not immediately comment on the meeting at its Global Design Center in Warren, Michigan. In September, the Homeland Security Department and Secret Service awarded GM a $14.8 million contract for development of the next-generation presidential limousine nicknamed "The Beast" that could be worth up to $40.8 million through 2029. The Secret Service on Friday posted a photo from the visit that included a Cadillac Escalade SUV outfitted with the presidential flag next to a large picture of the presidential seal. The Secret Service said earlier this week it is not clear when the next presidential limousine will join the fleet. "We are too far out to speak to any specific costs or dates," a Secret Service spokesperson said. "Our engineering, protective operations and technical security teams work for years to develop the state-of-the-art framework that is used to produce these highly advanced vehicles."

Reported similarly:
Washington Times [3/21/2025 1:36 PM, Vaughn Cockayne, 1814K]

WCBD [3/21/2025 1:25 PM, Tim Renaud] reports authorities arrested two people in what Charleston Police are calling a series of sophisticated ATM thefts across multiple jurisdictions. Officials with the Charleston Police Department said their investigation began on Feb. 21 when an ATM owner reported that several of his machines had been accessed fraudulently. Charleston PD detective determined the suspects used software to bypass the ATMs’ security systems and then emptied the cash inside the machines. The thefts resulted in the loss of roughly $70,000 across the tri-county. Officials say the investigation involved complex coordination across multiple jurisdictions that included law enforcement from Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the U.S. Secret Service. Together, they were able to identify the arrest the two suspects. Both were arrested in Monroe, North Carolina on March 8. They are being held at the Al Cannon Detention Center where additional charges may be pending from other jurisdictions.

CBS Austin [3/21/2025 2:30 PM, Skyler Shepard, 602K] reports new details were released on Thursday regarding the arrest of a man accused of posting threatening messages to President Donald Trump. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office (SLCSO) said that its SWAT Team and U.S. Secret Service executed a search warrant at 3508 Metzger Road in Fort Pierce on March 17 following an investigation into written threats to President Trump. The operation led to the arrest of 42-year-old Kendall Aaron Todd, who was wanted on an active warrant for written threats to kill or do bodily harm. During the search, detectives recovered an FN Herstal Belgium 5.7x28mm handgun and a Ruger .22 caliber handgun. Multiple electronic devices relevant to the ongoing investigation were also confiscated. The sheriff’s office also said authorities also seized over 1,000 rounds of various caliber ammunition. The recovered evidence will be analyzed as part of the continued efforts to assess potential threats and further the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

Chicago Tribune [3/21/2025 4:12 PM, Jim Woods, 5269K] reports an Arizona man’s arrest after allegedly passing a counterfeit $100 bill at a Chesterton pizza parlor has prompted further investigation about a potential connection to other similar incidents in Porter County. George Armond Easton, 45, of East Mirage, Arizona, was arrested earlier this week by Chesterton Police. He was released from the Porter County Jail after posting a $1,500 cash bond on Friday. Chesterton Police Chief Tim Richardson said there are other law enforcement agencies investigating whether the suspect was involved in additional incidents of passing counterfeit bills in Porter County. Easton was considered a suspect in an ongoing forgery-counterfeit investigation when Chesterton Police Officer Nolan Mancera stopped the vehicle with Illinois plates for a speeding violation in Chesterton on March 18, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Porter Superior Court.

New York Post [3/21/2025 4:40 PM, Patrick Reilly, 55K] reports more than a dozen bridges in New York and New Jersey are among 68 US crossings that need to be checked for risk of collapse if struck by a vessel, the National Transit Safety Board said. The Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and George Washington Bridge — the most heavily trafficked bridge in the world — were named in NTSB’s new report as in need of assessment and risk-reduction plans following the stunning Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last year. The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and the Outerbridge Crossing — which link Brooklyn and New Jersey to Staten Island, respectively — also made the list. In New Jersey, the Newark Bay Bridge and Commodore Barry Bridge were named as in need of inspection. While not certain to collapse in ship collision, the bridges were identified by the agency as being over waterways frequented by vessels that were designed before current safety standards were established — first in 1991 and then revised in 2009. The 26-page report published Thursday comes in wake of the Key Bridge disaster in Baltimore in which a containership named Dali smashed into the span, sending it crumbling into the Patapsco River. Eight construction workers plummeted into the freezing cold waters — six were killed. The NTSB requested the Federal Highway Administration, US Coast Guard, and Army Corps of Engineers develop a team to guide bridge owners on evaluating their risk.

Reported similarly:
NorthJersey.com [3/21/2025 1:43 PM, Lucas Frau, 4K]

HSToday [3/21/2025 6:02 AM, Staff, 38K] reports the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle (WPC 1133) removed 30 aliens stranded on the uninhabited Mona Island between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, Saturday. All 30 aliens were transferred to U.S. Border Patrol Ramey Sector agents in Mayaguez for processing and removal. “The U.S. maritime borders are not open to illegal entry and anyone attempting to enter illegally by sea will be interdicted and processed for repatriation,” said Cmdr. Matthew Romano, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector San Juan. “Do not believe smugglers who are only interested in your money. Whether interdicted at sea or apprehended ashore, anyone who enters the continental United States or our U.S. territories will be returned to their country of origin or departure. Don’t take to the sea.” A good Samaritan notified a Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew of people signaling distress from the uninhabited nature reserve, Friday afternoon. The Air Station Borinquen aircrew diverted to investigate the report and notified Sector San Juan that they observed a landed vessel covered in foliage and people scrambling to hide as the helicopter passed overhead.

HSToday [3/21/2025 7:00 AM, Staff, 38K] reports a Coast Guard Station San Juan law enforcement team terminated a bareboat charter voyage last Friday after it violated a federal Captain of the Port Order to cease any illegal charter operations, off Villa Marina. The 32-foot vessel Island Reef had nine people aboard and it was determined it didn’t meet the criteria for a legal bareboat charter. The vessel was previously issued a COTP on Jan. 11. “Coast Guard Sector San Juan continues its enforcement efforts against illegal passenger vessel operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, prioritizing maritime safety and regulatory compliance,” said Senior Investigative Officer Eric Santos, Sector San Juan. “Our intensity over the past year yielded 12 vessel terminations, multiple violations, and four Captain of the Port Orders, underscoring the Coast Guard’s commitment to protecting passengers and ensuring vessel operators adhere to federal safety standards.”

Army.mil [3/21/2025 4:16 PM, Capt. Bailey Buhler, 402K] reports U.S. soldiers, assigned to 716th Military Police Battalion, Task Force Griffin, are supporting the southern border mission through protection the bordering waterways. Nine Solders are working directly with the Coast Guard in the Joint Harbor Operations Center (JHOC). Coast Guard members, harbor police, and now U.S. Soldiers are working together to monitor the waters vulnerable to illicit activity through a robust collection of cameras and sensors overseeing the waterways. Soldiers are being trained as sensor operators, tracking suspicious vessel movement. Coast Guard Sector San Diego is responsible for coastal waters within 200 miles from the shore of the San Diego County. Because of the far distance, detections often consist of water movement from the wake of a vessel, rather than sighting the vessel itself. When detected, the Soldiers document the report and hand it over to their Coast Guard counterparts. “The number of maritime reports has remained relatively consistent over the past 36 months. Now, with increased assets assigned to detection we anticipate an increase in the number of reports, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate an increase in activity,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Baldwin, who assigned to the JHOC.

Military Times [3/21/2025 9:33 AM, Ziat Ballinger Fletcher, 100K] reports the Pentagon made waves Monday when it announced the deployment of the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer Gravely to patrol near the southern border, with a second destroyer reportedly expected to join the effort. U.S. Northern Command announced that the Gravely will be sailing with a U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, or LEDET, team on board, with sailors expected to work closely with LEDET personnel as a part of drug trafficking interdictions, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, Joint Staff director for operations. Although it’s been called unusual for Navy destroyers to deploy in this role, it is not without precedent. In 2022, the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer Momsen worked with a Coast Guard interdiction team in the Gulf of Oman to intercept $39 million in illegal drugs. The same year, the destroyer Nitze intercepted an estimated $20 million in illicit drugs at sea. And in 2024, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Leyte Gulf and a LEDET team intercepted a semi-submersible craft in the Atlantic packed with 2,370 kilos of cocaine. What is noteworthy about recent developments is not that Navy warships are being used for drug interdiction missions or to counteract transnational crime, but the speed and concentration with which they are being deployed to this area.

Thomas More Society [3/21/2025 4:46 PM, Joe Barnas] reports on March 20, 2025, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a lower court’s dismissal in Jackson v. Noem, ruling that the case brought by Thomas More Society on behalf of Coast Guard service members Eric Jackson, Alaric Stone, and Michael Marcenelle—challenging the Coast Guard’s now-rescinded COVID-19 vaccination mandate—remains alive. This decision not only protects the conscience rights of these service members but also paves the way for far-reaching implications on safeguarding religious liberty for all Americans. The Fifth Circuit held that the service members’ claims persist despite the mandate’s rescission, citing ongoing reputational harms and the Coast Guard’s failure to shield unvaccinated personnel from discrimination. In a groundbreaking legal development, the court affirmed that reputational injuries within the military—especially in the close-knit Coast Guard—can be remedied by federal courts. Equally significant, the ruling keeps alive the fight to overhaul the Coast Guard’s religious accommodation process, previously criticized by the district judge, ensuring that the struggle for genuine religious freedom and conscience protections endures.

Washington Times [3/21/2025 10:54 AM, Stephen Dinan, 261K] reports a federal appeals court breathed new life into a lawsuit challenging a Biden-era coronavirus vaccine mandate against Coast Guard employees, ruling that the case is still live because the agency has never formally sworn off punishing people who refused. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Coast Guard is a “uniquely tight-knit community” where someone’s promotion could still be hindered by his or her vaccine choices. Until the service has a formal ban on discriminating based on vaccine status, the case has a reason to advance, wrote Judge Leslie Southwick. A lower court had deemed the issue moot because the Coast Guard canceled the mandate in 2023 under pressure from Congress. But unlike the Navy, which has repudiated the mandate, the Coast Guard has left that question unanswered, the appeals court said in its decision overturning the district court. “Because the Coast Guard continues to consider the vaccination mandate a ‘lawful order,’ the service reputation of those who refused to follow it is tarnished,” Judge Southwick wrote.

HSToday [3/21/2025 7:49 AM, Staff, 38K] reports a Coast Guard law enforcement team from Sector Delaware Bay led a joint operation with partner agencies to ensure compliance with federal regulations at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The joint operation included 27 officers. The goal was to ensure the facility was in compliance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act while deterring and detecting illicit activity within a key port area. The team screened 121 trucks and containers resulting in a shipping container being detained for a hazardous material violation. “Operations like this one are an important part of the Coast Guard’s mission of detecting and disrupting potential illicit maritime activity” said Capt. Kate Higgins-Bloom, captain of the port and commander of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. “We are fortunate to have a great group of federal, state, and local partners here in Philadelphia. Working as an interagency team is one of the most efficient ways for us to secure and defend the ports and waterways that fuel our national economic security.” This operation was led by members of Sector Delaware Bay’s response and prevention departments. Participating agencies included the Philadelphia Police Department and Transportation Security Administration’s Vehicle Intermodal Prevention and Response team.

Washington Post [3/21/2025 6:58 PM, Emma Uber and Katie Mettler, 31735K] reports the National Transportation Safety Board this week released a report faulting Maryland officials for not doing more to understand and address structural vulnerabilities in Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which a container ship felled last year in a crash that killed six construction workers. The report calls for risk assessments for 68 bridges — including iconic structures like the Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge — and urges federal agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration to collaborate to help bridge owners evaluate and reduce the chances of a collapse. Jennifer Homendy, the safety board’s chair, said in a news conference Thursday that Maryland officials had not carried out a safety review of the bridge that could have helped them take steps to avert disaster. “There’s no excuse,” she said. Here are three takeaways from the report: The Key Bridge’s risk threshold was at almost 30 times the acceptable level,68 bridges across 19 states need vulnerability assessments, and Maryland officials ‘could have known and should have known’ the bridge was at risk of collapse.

ABC 4 Charleston [3/21/2025 3:02 PM, Bryce Jacquot] reports two Ecuadorians, who were recently arrested by the U.S. Coast Guard and accused of smuggling approximately 4,000 pounds of cocaine, will be prosecuted by the state of South Carolina, Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews announced Friday. The case will be prosecuted in Charleston due to an ongoing international drug trafficking investigation by federal law enforcement there. This case being prosecuted by the Palmetto State is one of 14 operations uncovered by the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security totaling 45,600 pounds of narcotics seized with a value of more than $517 million, authorities said.

NBC 2 Charleston [3/21/2025 6:53 PM, Jameson Moyer, 208K] reports a Charleston-based Coast Guard cutter offloaded about 45,600 of illegal narcotics worth more than $517.5 million in Florida on Thursday. Cutter Stone’s offload was the result of 14 interdiction missions that happened in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. In addition to the seized contraband, 35 suspected smugglers were transferred to the US to face federal charges, Coast Guard officials said. “You heard it said before that the Coast Guard’s national security cutters are game changers in the counter-drug mission, but they still require a crew of men and women willing to serve on or over the sea and place themselves in harm’s way,” said Capt. Jonathan Carter, commanding officer of Stone. “I’m incredibly proud of our crew’s performance and their efforts to combat narco-terrorism this deployment. In one exceptional case, the crew interdicted four go-fast vessels in 15 minutes, seizing nearly 11,000 pounds of cocaine that will never be mixed with deadly fentanyl to threaten American lives here at home.” Cutter Stone was assisted on the missions by Cutter Mohawk, US Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) Jacksonville, US Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team-Pacific (PAC-TACLET), Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATFS) and the Eleventh Coast Guard District.

ABC 30 Fresno [3/21/2025 6:42 AM, Staff] reports the Coast Guard says it has seized a nearly 46,000 pound haul of illegal drugs worth more than $517M.

ABC 20 Gainesville [3/21/2025 10:58 AM, Ryan Wyatt Turbeville, 270K] reports two 16-year-old girls who disappeared while paddleboarding off the coast of Cedar Key have been released from hospital. Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum shared the update and a message from the families of Avery Bryan and Eva Aponte on Friday. “From both of our families, we want to thank your entire team at the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. Cedar Key Police Department and the community of Cedar Key for their unwavering support. We extend that indebted appreciation to FWC to the citrus and Marion County sheriff’s offices to the Coast Guard, both out of Miami and St. Pete. And so many others who responded from other agencies with resources and prayers.” “The support and immediate response from law enforcement, the community, local fisherman and first responders came together seamlessly. We are greatly touched and still in awe of the overwhelming and rapid response from everyone who came out the night of the 17th and the morning of the 18th, even before the sun started to come up to continue the search for our girls, which ultimately led to their rescue.

NBC 12 Jacksonville [3/22/2025 2:30 AM, Jackson Brown] reports one person is dead and three other people are missing, including children, after a boat capsized on Jacksonville’s Mill Cove, according to a spokesperson with the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department. JFRD Capt. Eric Prosswimmer said crews responded to a call of a capsized boat near the Dames Point Bridge in Jacksonville around 8 p.m. Friday with multiple people in the water. JFRD responded with four rescue boats to the scene, finding four people still onboard the overturned boat and rescuing them from the water. Prosswimmer said crews were told four other people were still missing, including two children, and a search began. First responders with JFRD, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Wildlife Commission, and others were on scene searching, finding one person dead near the boat.

USA Today [3/21/2025 10:59 PM, Michael Loria and Jeff Abbott, 76K] reports a pair of Cleveland men are facing charges for attempting to sell dozens of AR-15-style firearms to drug cartel members in Mexico, federal authorities announced this week. Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario, 32, and Adison Lopez-Ramirez, 34, sold and attempted to sell 90 rifles and one machine gun to undercover federal agents posing as cartel members, said prosecutors out of the Middle District of Florida. The case against the would-be arms traffickers comes amid an unprecedented push by Mexican authorities to keep U.S. guns out of the country. President Claudia Sheinbaum early this month stressed that to stop the flow of drugs into the United States, the U.S. must address gun smuggling. A lawsuit brought by Mexico against U.S. gun manufacturers over the avalanche of U.S. guns into the country is currently before the Supreme Court. The case is among the latest from the federal government’s Panama Express Strike Force which aims to disrupt and dismantle international criminal organizations. The task force consists of several federal law enforcement agencies, including the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI. Other recent cases include going after ex-Colombian Navy men for spying on law enforcement for drug traffickers.

Granma [3/21/2025 9:58 AM, Elizabeth Naranjo, 149K] reports under the pretext of ensuring maritime security and law enforcement, the U.S. Federal Register announced the imposition of new conditions for the entry of ships from Cuba, effective from April 2 on. “These come from an act of the U.S. Congress to authorize Defense expenditures in 2024, which included an amendment by anti-Cuban legislators Carlos Giménez Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar, approved without debate and by deceptive methods,” Rodney González Maestrey, director of Legal Affairs and Analysis of the U.S. General Directorate of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, told Granma. Under the Maritime Transportation Security Act and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as the provisions of Title 46 of the U.S. Code, Section 70108, as amended, and the inclusion of the Island on the infamous list of state sponsors of terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security, under which the Coast Guard operates, must assume that the ports of countries like Cuba do not comply with effective anti-terrorism measures. But the real objective of the new maneuver is to damage official cooperation between Cuba and the U.S. in matters of national security of both countries, and it expands the extraterritorial character of the blockade by attempting to dissuade U.S. and foreign maritime vessel operators from engaging with the Island, he added.

FedScoop [3/21/2025 12:00 PM, Rebecca Heilweil] reports the Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned federal employees that cybercriminals are attempting to steal their login credentials in connection to a widely used government financial services platform, according to a notice viewed by FedScoop. Hackers are targeting the Employee Personal Page, or MyEPP page, which is operated by the National Finance Center (NFC), a financial and human resources shared service within the Agriculture Department used by 661,000 employees across the federal government for payroll. The site, which is used to manage salary and benefits information, is typically accessed through an online account or with Login.gov credentials. According to the FBI, cybercriminals hope to trick federal employees by running advertisements on search engines that impersonate the NFC website. If they click on the ad, employees are brought to a “sophisticated phishing website” that looks similar to the actual MyEPP page that aims to capture their login credentials when users enter them. Several federal employees have reported unauthorized access to their accounts and reported changes to their routing and bank account information, according to the notice. The FBI is directing employees who believe they might be victims to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Meanwhile, a “Help” page for the NFC MyEPP login site remains unavailable because, the agency says, it’s still working on ensuring compliance with the executive order focused on what the Trump administration calls “gender ideology.” Federal workers are often prime targets for phishing attempts since their credentials can be used for a wide range of nefarious purposes, including espionage, theft and as an entry point for larger hacking campaigns against agencies. Government login credentials are sometimes sold online. The scheme comes as federal workers face heightened anxiety over their employment status and as the Trump administration continues its effort to reduce the size of the U.S. government. Neither the Agriculture Department nor the FBI responded to a request for comment by publication time.

Miami Herald [3/22/2025 2:13 AM, Peter Aitken, 3973K] reports the FBI has cut staffing in an office that focused on domestic terrorism and stopped using a tool to track those investigations, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the issue. The FBI ramped up spending in recent years, tripling the number of domestic terror investigations over just a few years. Around 70 percent of the open cases in 2022 focused on "civil unrest" and anti-government activity. The bureau also defined all violent acts (and threats of violence) with a political motive to be terrorism, a senior government official previously explained to Newsweek at the time—noting that not all acts of extremism are considered terrorism. "If an act is focused on the government, it’s terrorism," the source said. "But if extremism is focused on private individuals or institutions, it’s considered just a crime or classified as a hate crime." The source was granted anonymity to speak about classified matters. FBI leadership recently transferred agents and intelligence analysts from its Domestic Terrorism Operations Section, which assists with investigations out of the bureau’s 55 field offices and provides information on domestic threats, sources told Reuters. Bureau Director Kash Patel has repeatedly pledged to streamline the FBI’s operations: He initiated an overhaul as soon as he assumed his role, ordering up to 1,000 employees to relocate to field offices around the country and 500 to shift to an FBI field office in Huntsville, Alabama. But the newest changes to the office concerning domestic terrorism cases will reduce the FBI’s ability to monitor threats posed by white supremacists and militia groups, some of Reuters sources said—and it could limit the bureau’s ability to react to plots by those groups. Some of those resources have pivoted to helping the administration’s crackdown on immigration, according to Reuters. Two of the sources said that the office had stopped tagging investigations with a connection to domestic terrorism, which will limit the ability to track developing plots and highlighting trends ahead of potential incidents. The changes occur even as President Donald Trump said he would consider protesters and vandals who have attacked Tesla vehicles as domestic terrorists, saying their attacks are politically motivated and, therefore, fall within the FBI definition.

NBC News [3/21/2025 3:31 PM, Kevin Collier and Michael Kosnar, 44742K] reports Trump has also claimed the attacks have been coordinated. In an interview Wednesday on Fox News, he said without evidence that "people that are very highly political on the left" are paying the vandals. Trump has called the destruction of Tesla property domestic terrorism, and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges on Thursday against three people accused of vandalizing Tesla properties in Oregon, South Carolina and Washington state. Publicly available court documents for the three people make no mention of coordination, an NBC News review found. Experts and law enforcement officials nationwide from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the two federal agencies investigating the attacks, all told NBC News they have found no evidence of any coordination around the attacks. Individual field offices for both agencies are handling the incidents on a case-by-case basis, working with partner agencies to determine if they warrant local, state or federal charges, the law enforcement officials said.

Yahoo! News [3/21/2025 6:19 PM, Isabel Funk, 52868K] reports a Salem man accused of damaging several Teslas, shooting windows and throwing Molotov cocktails at the Salem dealership could be facing 20 years in prison, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday. The 41-year-old man was arrested March 5 and is being held in Yamhill County Jail, according to jail records. He was originally facing one charge of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device for the Molotov cocktails. An additional charge was filed Tuesday for attempted arson of property used in interstate commerce. He’s scheduled to be arraigned on an indictment for the charges on April 3. "The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," Bondi said in a news release. "Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.". Tesla is an electric vehicle company owned by billionaire Elon Musk. Musk is leading the Trump administration’s efforts focused on reducing federal government spending. Actions taken by Musk and President Donald Trump have led to protests, including at the Oregon State Capitol, as well as other instances of vandalism against Tesla dealerships and owners nationwide.

Yahoo! News [3/21/2025 11:13 PM, Staff, 52868K] reports a 14-year-old student at Union County Early College has been charged with making threats of mass violence against students via social media, police said. The Monroe Police Department acted swiftly after receiving reports of threatening social media messages on Wednesday night. Detectives traced the messages back to the student, leading to the charges. The School Resource Officer at Union County Early College was alerted to the threats, prompting an immediate investigation by detectives, police said. A search warrant was executed at the student’s home, where multiple firearms and ammunition were seized. The student has been charged with Felony Communicating Threats of Mass Violence on Educational Property and is currently in custody at a juvenile detention facility. The police department expressed gratitude to those who reported the threats, emphasizing the importance of preventing potential acts of violence. The investigation remains active, and authorities are urging anyone with additional information to contact the Monroe Police Department at 704-282-4700. The swift action by law enforcement and community members helped avert a potential threat, highlighting the importance of vigilance and communication in ensuring school safety. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [3/21/2025 11:17 PM, Faris Tanyos, 51661K] reports President Trump on Friday night rescinded the security clearances of former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, several members of the Biden administration, and other prominent Democrats. The move comes after Mr. Trump had already announced last month that he was revoking former President Joe Biden’s security clearance. In a memo Friday, the president said he was also rescinding the security clearances of the entire Biden family. Also losing their access to classified information and their security clearances were former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, New York Attorney General Letita James, Manhattan Attorney General Alvin Bragg, former White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, former Rep. Elizabeth Cheney, former White House Russia expert Fiona Hill, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman Eisen, and attorney Mark Zaid, who was a lawyer for the whistleblower who reported concerns about the Mr. Trump’s dealings with Ukraine in his first White House term. Several of those named, including James and Bragg, had already had their clearances revoked earlier this month by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as part of a purge of dozens of clearances for current and former officials. Friday’s memo applies to "receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress.” Since taking office in January, the president has revoked the clearances of multiple former officials who he claims "weaponized" either the intelligence community or the law against him. Cheney and Kinzinger helped lead the House select committee investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Bragg brought the New York "hush money" criminal case which resulted in a felony conviction for Mr. Trump on 34 state counts of falsification of business records. James sued Mr. Trump and the Trump organization, accusing them of widespread fraud. The lengthy trial resulted in a judge’s $453 million verdict against Mr. Trump and his former company. Those who had previously had their clearances revoked include retired Gen. Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Trump and Biden administrations and had a public falling out in the final months of Mr. Trump’s first term over the photo op in front of St. John’s Church in June 2020 after federal officers cleared out social justice protesters from Lafayette Park so Mr. Trump could walk to the church from the White House.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [3/21/2025 11:59 PM, Shawn McCreesh, 145325K]

NBC News [3/22/2025 1:23 AM, Dennis Romero, 44742K] reports two men have been convicted of murder-for-hire as part of an Iranian government plot to silence a critic in the United States, federal prosecutors said Friday. Their target was journalist Masih Alinejad, a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Alinejad has been critical of Iran’s treatment of women and of its record on human rights. Rafat Amirov, 46; and Polad Omarov, 40, were convicted by a federal grand jury in New York City of five counts on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. The indictment includes charges of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire; conspiracy to commit money laundering; attempted murder in aid of racketeering; and carrying a gun for an attempted murder, the office said. Alinejad responded to Thursday’s verdict in a statement: "For the first time, the regime of the Islamic Republic is being held accountable for bringing its campaign of terror to U.S. soil." She added, "They failed. I am still here." Attorneys for Amirov did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Omarov’s lawyer, Elena Fast, said by email, "We respect the jury’s verdict, but plan on filing an appeal on Mr. Omarov’s behalf." Federal prosecutors said high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Guard tapped the pair, described in the indictment as superiors in New York City’s Russian Mob, to find and kill Alinejad for $500,000.

New York Times [3/22/2025 3:35 AM, Aaron Boxerman, 330K] reports Israel’s defense minister said on Friday that the military was preparing to seize more territory in Gaza and escalate its offensive there unless Hamas cooperated by releasing more hostages. The minister, Israel Katz, made the threats after a two-month cease-fire with Hamas collapsed this week when Israel restarted airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since the offensive began on Tuesday, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Mr. Katz threatened to expand a security zone inside Gaza where Israeli forces were already stationed and to order more Palestinians to evacuate territory unless Hamas frees more captives. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal to free hostages, the more territory it will lose,” Mr. Katz said, adding that areas captured by Israel would be held indefinitely. Mediators were still trying to prevent the new escalation of violence from snowballing back into a full-scale war. There were no immediate reports of any Israeli attacks with heavy casualties in Gaza on Friday. The Israeli military said it had shot down two missiles aimed at southern Israel. Hamas said Friday that negotiations to return to the truce — which began in mid-January — were still ongoing. But it reiterated that any agreement to free more hostages would have to lead to a permanent end to the war, which Israel has been loath to commit to while the Palestinian militant group is still in charge of Gaza. In Israel, domestic political turmoil over the war intensified this week with a decision by Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, to fire Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet intelligence service. Protesters have criticized Mr. Netanyahu for what they call an attempt to purge the security establishment of those he perceives as disloyal.

CBS News [3/21/2025 12:34 PM, Paulina Smolinski, 52868K] reports that President Trump in early March criticized what he characterized as a one-sided security alliance between the U.S. and Japan. Officials in Japan have heard these comments from Mr. Trump before, and so far, they’ve continued shaping the country’s national security plans based on the assurance of backing from the United States. Government officials admit they really have no other choice. "There is no Plan B for Japan other than the U.S.," Takuya Akiyama, Principal Deputy Director of the North American Affairs Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told CBS News. "Treaty wise and also as a physical presence, no other country can substitute the U.S. It is unthinkable." The U.S. may be pulling back from Europe under President Trump, but despite his remarks about Japan, U.S. military cooperation with Tokyo has appeared stable, and may even expand as the White House ramps up its standoff with Asia’s increasingly assertive superpower, China. Japanese officials may have breathed a sigh of relief after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s visit to the White House in February. The Trump administration reaffirmed its commitment to Japan’s defense, including amid Tokyo’s dispute with Beijing over ownership of the Senkaku islands.

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