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.

FOX News [11/12/2025 9:56 AM, Taylor Penley, 28306K] reports that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Wednesday that more than 150 illegal immigrant sex offenders were arrested in Florida as part of a broader effort to crack down on crime with help from state and local officials. "We’re making America more safe and secure every day, and that’s a wonderful mission to have," Noem said on "Fox & Friends." Operation Criminal Return targeted child sex offenders accused of crimes including sexual assault, battery and attempted homicide, she revealed, telling Fox News’ Lawrence Jones that the operation’s success was largely due to help from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "These 150 individuals will be gone off of our streets. Our kids will be safer, and this partnership with Governor DeSantis in Florida is a model that we want to replicate across the country," she continued. "These individuals should have never been in our country to begin with. The fact that they were sexual deviants and perverts, and now we’ve gotten them off of our streets… it’s remarkable, and we need to do more of it." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is also surging resources to other areas across the U.S., including cities like Chicago, where Democratic officials have long resisted the Trump administration’s crackdown. According to DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, crime in Chicago has dropped since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, with homicides down 16%, shootings down 35%, robberies down 41% and other crimes declining as well. Noem said she is "thrilled" with the results but criticized Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker for attacking the Trump administration’s actions involving Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agencies. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The New York Post [11/12/2025 9:13 AM, Emily Crane, 42219K] reports that the sex offenders were among more than 230 illegals rounded up in the Sunshine State after being wanted for crimes including drug offenses and even murder. Others who were arrested had prior convictions for child molestation and sexual assault, according to the Department of Homeland Security. “This operation was called Operation Criminal Return. I call it Operation Dirtbag, because these individuals were sex offenders, but not just sex offenders, they targeted children,” Noem told “Fox & Friends.” NewsMax [11/12/2025 11:10 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K] reports Noem praised Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as critical partners, calling the Florida model one she wants to replicate nationwide.

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FOX News [11/12/2025 7:58 AM, Staff, 40621K] reports DHS Secretary Kristi Noem joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the latest on ‘Operation Criminal Return’ targeting migrant sexual predators, the immigration crackdown in Chicago, President Donald Trump’s stance on H-1B visas and more. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Daily Signal [11/12/2025 10:56 AM, Virginia Allen, 549K] reports the Department of Homeland Security will "surge more resources" to Chicago to crack down on illegal immigration, Secretary Kristi Noem said after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called a top immigration official a "snowflake.” "Gov. Pritzker’s personal attacks against President [Donald] Trump puts his people in jeopardy each and every day," Noem said on "Fox and Friends" Wednesday morning. "I’m just so thrilled with the results that we’ve had in Chicago, and we’re going to surge more resources there. We’re not going to just be in Chicago, we’re spreading out to other cities and continuing to do our work." Noem’s remarks come one day after Pritzker made public comments on reports that Customs and Border Protection is pulling out of Chicago. Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and his team are leaving Chicago on Wednesday and are headed to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a short time before going on to carry out operations in New Orleans, according to News Nation’s Ali Bradley. Since launching the operation in the Windy City, DHS claims homicides are down 16%, shootings have fallen by 35%, robberies by 41%, carjackings by 48%, and transit crimes by 20%. "For decades, sanctuary policies exacerbated the crime crisis in Chicago. Now thanks to our brave DHS law enforcement, Chicago is experiencing a historic drop in violent crime," Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, said in a statement Wednesday morning. "It’s common sense," McLaughlin added, "when you remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country—crime rates plummet.”

Daily Caller [11/12/2025 11:11 AM, Jason Cohen, 835K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem boasted on Wednesday about a record-breaking number of foreigners gaining American citizenship. President Donald Trump asserted on "The Ingraham Angle" Tuesday that the U.S. needs to bring in foreigners with skills that he claimed Americans lack. Noem said on "Fox and Friends" that the Trump administration would continue to utilize visa programs, while ensuring that applicants are properly vetted. "We’re going to keep using our visa programs. We’re just going to make sure that they have integrity, that we’re actually doing the vetting of the individuals who come into this country, that they want to be here for the right reasons, that they’re not supporters of terrorists and organizations that hate America," Noem said. "And that’s what I think is so remarkable is under the Trump administration. We’ve sped up our process and added integrity to the visa programs, to green cards, to all of that." "But also, more people are becoming naturalized under this administration than ever before," she added. "More people are becoming citizens because we’re not just streamlining and building some processes back into our immigration policies. We’re also making sure that these individuals that are coming into our country and get that privilege, that they actually are here for the right reasons.”

Washington Times [11/12/2025 12:00 PM, Stephen Dinan, 852K] reports the Department of Homeland Security’s surge to arrest and deport unauthorized immigrants in Chicago has led to a historic drop in major crimes over the past two months, the department said Wednesday. Reports of homicides, shootings and robberies are all down significantly. Carjackings have dropped nearly 50% since the start in early September of what the department labeled Operation Midway Blitz. DHS called those numbers “a historic win.” “For decades, sanctuary policies exacerbated the crime crisis in Chicago. Now, thanks to our brave DHS law enforcement, Chicago is experiencing a historic drop in violent crime,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “It’s common sense — when you remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country — crime rates plummet.” The department specifically called out Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, saying the enforcement surge delivered results by undercutting their sanctuary policies. Mr. Pritzker, on social media, responded by calling President Trump “a liar.” “He cannot steal credit from our violence prevention and law enforcement efforts that have reduced crime for four years straight — long before his masked agents showed up,” said the governor, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. Mr. Johnson’s office also said Chicago was already seeing a major drop in crime before the immigration enforcement surge. The mayor said it was a “slap in the face” of city police for the feds to claim credit. Homeland Security didn’t provide the data it used for its calculations and didn’t respond to an inquiry seeking those numbers.

Breitbart [11/12/2025 6:04 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2416K] reports the president jumped to his social media on Tuesday to celebrate falling crime rates in Chicago in the wake of his "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration campaign. Trump said he is "proud" to note the falling crime rates, "despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor." Trump made his initial comments on his Truth Social account, which were later reposted by the White House X account. Since the operation began, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reportedly taken more than 3,000 criminal illegals in custody to begin the deportation and repatriation process. But a growing number of Democrat-appointed federal judges have been interfering in the administration’s immigration enforcement policies with attempts to micromanage every act ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other federal agents are taking. FOX News [11/12/2025 4:55 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K] reports that since the Operation Midway Blitz in September, many crimes have dropped, including a 15% drop in murders, murders, a 41% drop in robberies, and a 48% decrease in carjackings. In addition, transit crime was down 20% and shootings dropped by 35%, its lowest levels in four years, DHS said. "For decades, sanctuary policies exasperated the crime crisis in Chicago. Now thanks to our brave DHS law enforcement, Chicago is experiencing a historic drop in violent crime," said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "It’s common sense—when you remove the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country—crime rates plummet," she added. Blaze [11/12/2025 2:15 PM, Cooper Williamson, 1442K] reports commander at large of the U.S. Border Patrol Gregory Bovino, who has bravely spearheaded many of the missions despite assassination threats, posted a photo of Border Patrol agents in front of the Bean in Chicago, saying, "The United States Border Patrol is dedicated to making American cities safer, one deportation at a time."

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 2:41 PM, Sam Charles and Alice Yin, 4829K] reports that President Donald Trump this week ignored several consecutive years of decreases in Chicago’s violent crime and instead credited "Operation Midway Blitz" for the continuing downward trend. In a Tuesday social media post, Trump, with no citation, said shootings, robberies and carjackings are all down at least 35% since the start of "Operation Midway Blitz" in early September. The progress, Trump said, comes "despite all of the radical opposition and obstruction we have from the Mayor and the Governor.” Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino, the top official on the ground leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, said in a Wednesday morning post to X, "Crime is way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem’s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action." The Tribune reported earlier this month that calls to the city’s 911 center have fallen sharply since the federal immigration actions in Chicago began in earnest a little more than two months ago. The decline is especially stark in Little Village, the neighborhood home to the city’s largest contingent of Mexican Americans. Like major cities across the country, Chicago has seen steep drops in violent crime since the COVID-19 pandemic’s abatement. Through the first week of November, according to CPD, Chicago had recorded 368 killings on the year, a nearly 30% decline from that same time period in 2024. Total shootings, robberies and motor vehicle thefts are all down at least 20% since last year.

The AP [11/12/2025 5:48 PM, Sophia Tareen, 31753K] reports hundreds of people who have been arrested and detained in the Chicago area during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown could soon be released on bond while they await immigration hearings, a federal judge signaled Wednesday. During a hearing in Chicago, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings said he would order the full release of 13 detained individuals based on a 2022 consent decree outlining how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can make so-called warrantless arrests. He also gave government attorneys a Friday deadline to comb through a list of 615 people detained at county jails and federal facilities nationwide to see if they qualify for alternatives to detention under the decree, such as using an ankle monitor, while their immigration cases proceed. The judge said he’d issue an order for their release next week, and in the meantime would temporarily pause any deportation proceedings for people who might qualify for bond under the decree. Attorneys for the detainees hailed Cummings’ move as a win and said they plan to bring more cases. "All of the tactics of ICE have been unlawful in the vast majority of arrests," said Mark Fleming, a lawyer with the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center. Attorneys said they were racing against the clock, as many of the more than 3,300 people suspected of immigration violations who have been arrested in Chicago and its suburbs since "Operation Midway Blitz" began in September have already been deported or left of their own accord. "We’re concerned they have no access to counsel and no understanding of what their situation is," Fleming told the judge. Will Weiland, a Justice Department attorney, told Cummings that at least 12 people on the list of 615 were "high risk" and shouldn’t be released into communities. "Nothing has been easy with this case your honor," he said. Cummings previously determined that ICE had violated the consent decree which, among other things, requires the agency to show documentation for each arrest it makes for people besides those being specifically targeted in an operation. During Wednesday’s hearing, Cummings listed instances since the crackdown started in which immigration agents have arrested people while they were at work, out walking or pulling through the drive-thru lane at a fast-food restaurant. "It also seems highly unlikely to me that any of these foreign nationals … fall into the category of what ICE has called the ‘worst of the worst,’" he said. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin deemed Cummings an "activist judge," a common Trump administration label for judges who’ve down struck parts of the Republican’s agenda. In a Wednesday statement, McLaughlin claimed that an order to release the detainees put "the lives of Americans directly at risk.” Axios [11/12/2025 4:14 PM, Monica Eng, 12972K] reports Cummings has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to immediately release 13 detainees held in Texas, Missouri and other states that both the government and plaintiffs agree were detained in violation of the Castañon Nava settlement that prohibits warrantless immigration arrest in Illinois. By Nov. 19, DHS must provide an up-to-date list of people both Border Patrol and ICE have arrested in Chicago. By Nov. 21, DHS must release on bond into a monitoring program at least 313 people whom the plaintiffs say were arrested in violation of the agreement and the government deems low risk for flight. They’ll remain free on bond until the merits of their cases can be assessed. Lawyers for the government said it will present "a significant challenge" to gather the required documents and have not ruled out appealing the judge’s order. They also noted that at least 12 people among the 615 arrested in Chicago by ICE from June to early October are considered high flight risks. Cummings said he would keep high-risk individuals detained and that any person released who violates the terms of the program will be sent back to detention. The first 13 detainees could be released as soon as this week. The New York Times [11/12/2025 3:02 AM, Mitch Smith, 135475K] reports that the judge agreed to give government lawyers time to note anyone they believe poses a public safety threat but barred the government for now from deporting anyone in that group. “They still will have to go to court,” said Judge Cummings, who issued rulings from the bench but had not released a written order by Wednesday evening. “They still will be subject to removal upon an immigration court order.” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, criticized the judge’s decision and said it put lives at risk. “At every turn, activist judges, sanctuary politicians and violent rioters have actively tried to prevent our law enforcement officers from arresting and removing the worst of the worst,” Ms. McLaughlin said in an emailed statement. The Washington Post [11/12/2025 7:00 PM, Marianne LeVine, 24149K] reports that in response to a separate order last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement produced a list of arrests that took place between June 11 and Oct. 7. The list originally had more than 1,800 people on it, Fleming said, but of those individuals, only 750 remained in the United States. Of those 750, 615 were not subject to mandatory detention and therefore eligible for release.

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FOX News [11/12/2025 10:49 AM, Staff, 40621K] reports after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson put Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino on blast for his "Operation Midway Blitz" immigration raids in the Windy City, DHS hit back saying the Democrat should worry more about Chicagoans being maimed by illegal immigrant gangbangers and drug traffickers. At his latest press conference, Johnson appeared to equate Bovino’s behavior with terrorism, saying the North Carolina native is someone who "provokes terror on people," and condemned immigration enforcement raids and their spread on federal social media as akin to "grotesque" imagery of racist behavior like lynchings and anti-desegregation scenes from the 20th century. "Mayor Brandon Johnson is once again demonizing ICE and CBP law enforcement are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults and 8,000% increase in death threats against them," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital when asked about Johnson’s comments. "Mayor Johnson has shown time and time again he does not care about the innocent American lives taken at the hands of gang members, murderers, drug traffickers, and rapists who have no right to be in this country," McLaughlin said.

Blaze [11/12/2025 3:40 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s Democratic mayor whose disapproval rating is over 60%, joined Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and other American leftists in complaining to foreign bureaucrats on Friday about the Trump administration’s faithful enforcement of federal immigration law. After detailing some of the ways that his "sanctuary city" has worked to undermine federal law enforcement initiatives, Johnson stressed to members of the United Nations Human Rights Council, "We cannot do this alone." When asked about Johnson’s request that foreigners meddle in American politics, White House border czar Tom Homan told "The Big Weekend Show" that it "just proves he’s not that smart."

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 4:30 PM, Gregory Royal Pratt, 4829K] reports a federal judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. government’s mandatory detention of Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, the day care teacher arrested at a Chicago preschool, is illegal and she must be given a bond hearing. According to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Daniel, Santillana will be given a bond hearing in front of an immigration judge, who could order her released while her civil deportation case proceeds. Her hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Santillana’s case has generated widespread backlash. In a video circulated online, federal agents are seen pulling the screaming woman, a mother of two from Colombia, through the glass vestibule at the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center in North Center, in the early morning hours of Nov. 5. School officials said the woman, who cares for infants, had authorization to work in the day care and had undergone a background check. An agent did not present a warrant when he entered the building, the school’s staff said. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted her in a traffic stop as she and an unidentified male passenger were driving early Wednesday. It said she illegally entered the U.S. on June 26, 2023, and "was encountered by Border Patrol," and that "the Biden administration released her into the U.S." However, questions remain whether the woman had been targeted prior to the traffic stop.

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 3:37 PM, Kate Armanini, 4829K] reports as President Donald Trump’s "Operation Midway Blitz" drags into its third month, federal immigration enforcement activity has swept the city’s youngest residents up in the chaos. At schools and day cares, the fear among families is palpable: Many parents worry they will be targeted during drop-off or pickup. Others, scared to walk outside, are keeping their children home altogether. Although the mission is said to be winding down, intensified immigration enforcement is expected to continue. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has claimed that it doesn’t target schools, and that agents only enter school grounds in special cases "to protect public safety." In January, Trump rescinded the policy exempting schools, churches, hospitals and other protected areas from immigration enforcement — instead directing agents to act with "common sense." But even after the policy change, agents must present a valid judicial warrant signed by a federal judge to enter private areas. That includes schools, where individuals have a right to a "reasonable expectation of privacy" under the Fourth Amendment. Some exceptions apply.

Daily Caller [11/12/2025 6:39 PM, Mariane Angela, 835K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused a Senate staffer in Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office of impersonating an attorney in an effort to spring a repeatedly deported illegal immigrant from federal custody. DHS officials say the aide inserted himself into an active immigration case involving Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, a 40-year-old Mexican national who has been removed from the United States four times and has a prior DUI conviction, according to a letter that Fox News obtained Wednesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons detailed the incident in a letter to Duckworth, saying that the staffer’s behavior crossed a line that endangered officers and undermined federal procedures. "At approximately 1:29 p.m., an individual identified as Edward York, who according to publicly available information, is employed as a Constituent Outreach Coordinator for your Senate office, entered the field office lobby, and in a discussion with a federal officer, claimed to be Mr. Ayuzo’s attorney. Mr. York demanded to speak with his ‘client,’" the letter states. Lyons told Duckworth that the staffer used that false claim to gain access to the detainee and push for his release. "This staff member allegedly did so to gain access to the detainee and seek his release from custody, and he accomplished it by falsifying an official Department of Homeland Security form," the letter says. Once inside the building, York persuaded Ayuzo to sign a G-28 form, the official document that authorizes an attorney to act on a client’s behalf in immigration matters. The form allows the representative to receive federal notices, file documents and communicate directly with government agencies. Despite obtaining a legitimate signature during the meeting, York later attempted to turn in a version of the G-28 that lacked Sandoval’s signature, according to Lyons. Four days later, another form surfaced. "Four days later, a Suarez Law Office in Collinsville, Illinois filed a G-28 electronically that did not have Mr. Ayuzo’s signature, even though Mr. York, who claimed to work for the law firm, had already obtained a signed form," the letter added. ICE could not confirm that York is an attorney. The agency’s concerns deepened when they discovered a Facebook post from the Montgomery County Illinois Democrats’ page boasting about a staffer who had gone to an ICE field office with documents and a release order and appeared to celebrate misleading federal officers. Lyons’ letter demands answers from Duckworth’s office by Nov. 17 — including whether York lied intentionally, whether other staff members were aware of his actions, and whether he misused his government position during the incident. The acting director issued a pointed warning to Senate offices engaging in political stunts that interfere with federal enforcement.

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USA Today [11/12/2025 11:00 PM, Michael Loria, 67103K] reports a Democratic congressional candidate indicted in connection with a protest against President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz immigration enforcement crackdown pleaded not guilty on Nov. 12 after calling charges against her an attempt to "silence dissent.” Kat Abughazaleh, a leading voice among anti-immigration enforcement protesters in Chicago and a candidate for Illinois’ Ninth Congressional District, was indicted along with five others on charges of assaulting, resisting and impeding federal officers. At a protest on Sept. 26, Abughazaleh and others stood in front of an immigration enforcement SUV entering a Homeland Security facility in the suburbs. The 26-year-old’s court appearance on charges connected to fighting Trump’s promised mass deportation campaign comes at a moment where Chicagoans opposed to the blitz have taken the administration to court and the president’s Justice Department has also taken locals to court amid resistance to enforcement efforts. "For speaking up against those inhumane policies, I have been indicted," Abughazaleh said to supporters outside the courthouse. The congressional candidate spoke in front of a podium that read "Defend the Broadview Six," a reference to the suburban village that houses an immigration processing center at the heart of the blitz. The Trump administration has tried to scare us into silence but look around, is it working?".

Breitbart [11/12/2025 9:37 AM, Hannah Knudsen, 2416K] reports that Countries are eager to work with the United States to target and dismantle cartels, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at Department of State Tommy Pigott said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily. Host Mike Slater asked Pigott about America’s working relationship with Mexico and noted that a mayor in Mexico – who was critical of the president of Mexico’s approach to crime – was recently assassinated. "This happens all the time in Mexico," Slater said. "Journalists getting killed, and people speaking against against the cartels getting killed in Mexico. What are we to do with the fact that we have a narco-state to our south? How are you guys working with Mexico?" Pigott said the State Department has been able to work with the Mexican government on these things. "We’ve seen steps that the Mexican government has taken in terms of deploying troops, steps the Mexican government has taken in terms of combating the flow of illegal immigrants through their country into our country. It really is a cooperation that we’re trying to see," he explained, noting that they need even more of it. "It’s something that the president, as they discussed just recently as well, we’ve seen results from — in terms of this whole-of-government approach to secure the border, going from hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing the border per month to a border that is locked down except for legal entry," he said, noting that this is a testament to President Donald Trump and his willingness to implement these policies.

Washington Post [11/12/2025 10:54 AM, Ellen Nakashima, Dan Lamothe, John Hudson, and Noah Robertson, 24149K] reports the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) stated in a classified opinion drawn up over the summer that personnel taking part in military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin America would not be exposed to future prosecution, according to four people familiar with the matter. The decision to pursue an opinion, drafted in July, reflects the heightened concerns within the government raised by senior civilian and military lawyers that such strikes would be illegal. The strikes, now totaling 19 with a death toll of 76, began in September, though interagency discussions about the use of lethal force to combat drug cartels started early in the Trump administration. Top officers, including Adm. Alvin Holsey, the head of Southern Command, sought caution on such strikes, according to two people, who like several others interviewed for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. Holsey wanted to make sure any option presented to the president was fully vetted first, one person said. In October, he abruptly announced that he was resigning at year’s end, about a year into what is typically a three-year assignment. A Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, has previously denied that Holsey had “hesitation or any concerns” about the mission. A spokesperson for Holsey said he had no information to provide about such discussions. In a statement to The Washington Post on Wednesday, Parnell said that “current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law,” with all actions in “complete compliance with the law of armed conflict.” “Lawyers up and down the chain of command have been thoroughly involved in reviewing these operations prior to execution,” he said, adding that personnel have “the opportunity to disagree.” Despite that, Parnell said, “no lawyer involved has questioned the legality of the Caribbean strikes and instead advised subordinate commanders and [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth that the proposed actions were permissible before they commenced.”

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FOX Business [11/12/2025 6:35 PM, Staff, 10085K] reports DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin touts the work of the Trump administration to crackdown on drug cartels and smuggling on ‘The Evening Edit.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [11/13/2025 3:39 AM, Syakir Jasnee, 36480K] reports U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pushed back against criticism from some U.S. allies over the legality of the U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, saying Europeans don’t get to dictate how Washington defends its national security. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Daily Wire [11/12/2025 2:18 PM, Tim Pearce, 2494K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio ripped into European officials on Wednesday for criticizing U.S. strikes against drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Rubio hit back at critics of U.S. foreign policy regarding drug trafficking in the Western hemisphere while speaking to reporters at a G-7 gathering. "I don’t think that the European Union gets to determine what international law is. What they certainly don’t get to determine is how the United States defends its national security," said Rubio when asked about criticisms from some in the EU. "The United States is under attack from organized, criminal narcoterrorists in our hemisphere, and the president is responding in the defense of our country.” The Secretary of State suggested that the United States’ European critics are hypocrites as they try to balance their desire for American aid and armaments to help Ukraine in its war against Russia with their more conservative attitudes regarding Latin American cartels and drug trafficking. "I do find it interesting that all these countries want us to send and supply, for example, nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to defend Europe, but when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere, where we live, somehow that’s a problem?" Rubio asked rhetorically. "I would say that the United States and this president has made very clear his job is to protect the United States from threats against the United States, and that is what he is doing in this operation," he said. The U.S. military has stationed several aircraft carriers with a fleet of warships and other war machinery in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela and in the Pacific Ocean to cut off water smuggling routes used by drug cartels. The United States has destroyed roughly 20 boats and submarines so far that the administration has said were being used to smuggle drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine in the United States. Some officials of U.S. allies have expressed concern at the killings, claiming that the strikes violate "international law" and should be stopped. The United Kingdom has reportedly stopped sharing intelligence with the United States related to drug trafficking in South America to avoid involvement in the strikes. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was more explicit in his criticism. He told reporters at the G-7 summit in Canada that the U.S. "military operations in the Caribbean region … violate international law" and could destabilize the region, according to Washington Post.

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Washington Post [11/12/2025 1:28 PM, Adam Taylor, 24149K] reports that the Trump administration’s deadly, go-it-alone military campaign in Latin America is facing growing pushback from some long-standing U.S. allies and partners, with France now among those who’ve registered objections to the Pentagon-led killings. Speaking to reporters at the start of the Group of Seven ministerial meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his country was troubled by “military operations in the Caribbean region” because they “violate international law” and could lead to escalation in the region, where France holds territories. His comments Tuesday followed reports that Britain, another key European ally, has paused some intelligence sharing with the United States due to concerns about the legality of the U.S. strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats, and as Colombia — long an essential partner in combating the Latin American drug trade — halted all such cooperation over what its president said was a “human rights” imperative. British officials have not publicly addressed the reports, stating they do not comment on intelligence matters. Canadian officials, who are hosting the gathering here, have not said whether they had raised the strikes in Latin America during their meetings here with U.S. officials.

CNN [11/12/2025 6:58 PM, Staff, 18595K] reports the US military has used a variety of drones, gunships and fighter jets in its campaign against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, according to sources familiar with the matter. Each strike typically costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. CNN’s Zachary Cohen reports. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [11/12/2025 11:53 AM, Mike Brest, 1394K] reports Venezuela ordered a “massive” military deployment on Tuesday night in response to the arrival of the largest U.S. military aircraft carrier in the region. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said the government is placing “the entire country’s military arsenal on full operational readiness,” with preparations including the “massive deployment of ground, aerial, naval, riverine and missile forces.” Padrino Lopez said on national television that the mobilization will include "almost 200,000" service members. The arrival of the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group in the Caribbean has been anticipated for weeks, after the Navy said it would relocate from Europe to the region on Oct. 24. The Ford, which is the Navy’s largest and most modern aircraft carrier, has about 4,000 sailors on board. The U.S. military is currently in the midst of its largest buildup of U.S. forces in the Western Hemisphere in decades.

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FOX News [11/12/2025 7:57 PM, Staff, 40621K]
Daily Wire [11/12/2025 11:00 AM, Tim Pearce, 2494K]

Breitbart [11/12/2025 10:13 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports dozens of Venezuelans incarcerated in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT — terrorism confinement mega prison — after being deported from the United States were tortured and subjected to other serious human rights abuses, according to a report out Wednesday. Titled "You Have Arrived in Hell," the 81 page report by Human Rights Watch and regional human rights organization Cristosal details the treatment of 40 Venezuelans during four months of incommunicado detention in the maximum security facility this year. The men were among 252 Venezuelans flown to El Salavador in March and April by U.S. authorities, most of them on the basis of allegations by the U.S. and El Salvadorean governments that they were "terrorists" in the Tren de Aragua organized crime gang, designated a foreign terrorist group by Washington. Detainees told HRW of constant beatings from the moment they were taken off the plane, being held in inhumane conditions, insufficient food, poor hygiene and sanitation, limited access to health care and medicine and zero recreation or education provision. Three said they suffered sexual violence and several reported being severely beaten, apparently as punishment for speaking with the International Committee of the Red Cross when the charity visited CECOT in May. The ill-treatment did not constitute isolated incidents by rogue guards or riot police, but rather systematic violations "designed to subjugate, humiliate, and discipline detainees," Human Rights Watch and Cristosal said.

Bloomberg [11/12/2025 2:38 PM, Tiana Headley, 803K] reports that President Donald Trump plans to nominate a former top aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for a federal judgeship in the state as well as two others for trial court seats in Alaska and Arkansas. Nicholas Ganjei, who’s been serving as a US attorney in Texas this year and was Cruz’s chief nominations counsel, is Trump’s choice for a seat on the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Ganjei joined the Justice Department in 2008 as an assistant US attorney and prosecuted a range of matters that included organized crime, immigration, narcotics, and human trafficking, as well as white collar cases. He also clerked for two US appellate courts, according to a Justice Department bio. Aaron Peterson, a senior assistant attorney general for the state of Alaska, is Trump’s pick for a US district judgeship in the state. He’ll fill one of two vacancy on the court. One vacancy was created by Joshua Kindred’s abrupt resignation last year, following findings that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a former clerk. Both of Alaska’s Republican senators, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, support Peterson. David Clay Fowlkes, the US attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, is Trump’s choice for a judgeship there.

Los Angeles Times [11/12/2025 1:45 PM, Christine Fernando, 14862K] reports that the cyclists arrive at sunrise, rolling through Chicago’s Latino neighborhoods and stopping at tamale carts, elote stands and candy stalls. They buy out every last item — every tamale, every corn cob, every bundle of sweets. Then they load up the food and deliver it to shelters and families in need. Since the start of a federal immigration crackdown that has led to more than 3,200 arrests in the Chicago metropolitan area, streets and storefronts in the city’s Latino neighborhoods have emptied out. Street vendors, fearing arrest, have been afraid to leave their homes to work. Local restaurants have struggled as customers stay home. But as fear spread, so did something else — neighbors stepping up for one another and finding creative ways to show up for vendors and restaurant owners. This includes a grassroots effort to organize so-called "buy out" events meant to allow vendors who fear being detained by immigration agents to go home early. Some Chicagoans have pooled money in their neighborhoods or through local organizations while others have simply bought out taco stands while on their way to work or tamale vendors outside their local bars. In Little Village, Rick Rosales, community organizer with Cycling x Solidarity, helps organize two of these "buy out" rides per week that typically support five street vendors each. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Reported similarly:
AP [11/12/2025 11:52 AM, Christine Fernando, 19051K]

Breitbart [11/12/2025 9:01 AM, Randy Clark, 2416K] reports just days after President Trump threatened the British Broadcasting Corporation with a $1 billion lawsuit over the controversial editing of his January 6, 2021, speech, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now expressing anger at The Guardian, another British-based news outlet. In a Tuesday social media post on X, Trump’s DHS demands that the outlet "Stop publishing criminal illegal aliens’ testimonies as the truth." The news article drawing the ire of the Trump administration’s DHS was published by the British-based outlet The Guardian on Tuesday under a headline that read, "US firefighter detained on the job speaks out after deportation: ‘I feel betrayed’" The article was written by Los Angeles-based Guardian writer Sam Levin. Within hours of the article’s publication, a social media post by DHS proclaimed, "These are NOT firefighters. They’re CRIMINAL ILLEGALS." In the article, the story of the Border Patrol’s arrest of Jose Bertin Cruz-Estrada, a twice-deported illegal alien, was nabbed while unlawfully working in Washington state for an Oregon-based federal contractor that specializes in wildland fire suppression and prevention. In late August, Cruz-Estrada and another illegal alien found working for the contractor, clearing debris and fallen trees as part of the response to the Bear Gulch fire. The article did not mention any of the facts surrounding the arrest, nor did it fail to document Cruz-Estrada’s history in the United States. The author did appear, however, to go to extraordinary lengths to sugarcoat the reality of his illegal presence in the United States, whether by his writing or by using Cruz-Estrada’s narrative of events surrounding his life in the United States and his version of criminal acts and deportations.

Washington Post [11/12/2025 11:06 AM, Michelle Boorstein, 24149K] reports the Trump administration has deported 400,000 people this year and detained some 60,000 others, part of a crackdown on undocumented immigrants that has also swept up some who are in the country legally. Immigration enforcement officials have blocked priests from offering Communion to some incarcerated immigrants. On Tuesday, Catholic bishops from around the country took their first step since President Donald Trump retook office to act collectively in support of immigrants who could be affected by the campaign. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced “You Are Not Alone,” a program that lays out ways for Catholics across the country to provide direct aid and solidarity to immigrants. The action, taken at the group’s first business meeting since Trump’s inauguration in January, goes beyond statements by many individual bishops calling for the dignified treatment of immigrants. A handful of bishops have participated in protests and directly challenged the White House’s crackdown as un-Catholic. Recently, many Catholics decried the refusal of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Chicago to permit priests to enter a detention facility to perform the Eucharist for detainees, prompting Pope Leo XIV to ask officials to respect the “spiritual rights” of detainees. To some, Tuesday’s announcement was a sign that the bishops have begun to stiffen their resolve to support immigrants, who represent one-third of the U.S. church, according to the Pew Research Center; an additional 14 percent of Catholics are the children of immigrants. (Pew does not ask about immigration status.) Others cautioned that the full body of bishops still hasn’t held any votes related to immigration and took a more wait-and-see approach to the new program. On Wednesday the bishops will consider a “special message” on immigration. Such messages are rare — the last one was in 2013 — and require two-thirds agreement. The new program may signal the impact of two consecutive popes who — more than their immediate predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II — emphasize poverty and migration as much as abortion and sexuality.

NPR [11/12/2025 6:59 AM, Aleja Hertzler-McCain, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met in Baltimore this week to elect a new leader and renew their commitment to advocate on behalf of migrants in the U.S. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

New York Times [11/12/2025 7:16 PM, Elizabeth Dias, 135475K] reports America’s Roman Catholic bishops on Wednesday rebuked the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign in a rare and near-unanimous statement that framed the immigration crisis in starkly moral terms. The statement, passed at the bishops’ annual conference in Baltimore, did not call out President Trump by name, but the context was clear. The bishops said they “oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” and “pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.” “We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity,” the statement said. “For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.” The bishops, who were often divided by American politics in the Pope Francis era, showed a united front in standing behind Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, who has spoken out for immigrants and urged U.S. bishops to do the same. The statement, called a special message, is a rare pastoral document that the bishops can issue only at their annual meeting, in order to address pressing circumstances of the day. The last time they issued one was in 2013, in opposition to the contraceptive coverage mandate of the Affordable Care Act under President Barack Obama. For months, Catholic bishops have pushed back against the federal actions. Prelates have accompanied migrants to courthouses and protested Mr. Trump’s domestic policy bill in Congress. But this action sends a particularly strong message not only to the administration, which includes many high-profile Catholics, but also to the millions of the church’s immigrant families. The statement outlined a litany of concerns, which many bishops see as more pastoral than political. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement,” it said. “We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care.

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 11:33 AM, Charles Selle, 4829K] reports like uninvited guests who have overstayed their welcome, a force of camouflaged federal agents may be leaving Lake County shortly. Maybe. If so, it’s none too soon. The Chicago Tribune, citing three sources, reported the other day that Border Patrol honcho Gregory Bovino was moving to another posting and many in his posse will be redeployed elsewhere. However, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson countered that, saying that while Bovino may be spirited away, other federal crews aren’t leaving, despite being unwelcome in most of the region. That being said, a photo of agents posed last week in front of Chicago’s steel-polished Cloud Gate sculpture, aka "The Bean," and circulated widely sure looked like it was taken as a memento of their tour of duty, suitable for framing when back home. Bovino was in Waukegan last week, picking up snacks at a mini-mart, taking a break from patrolling for undocumented residents. Many Lake Countians will be glad to see Cmdr. Bovino and his camouflaged minions pack up their gear and depart the area, if indeed they are clearing out. Cunningham has criticized the presence of lawmen from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol in Waukegan and other county locales for the past two months. The federal squads have been here as part of the DHS "Operation Midway Blitz," which began in September targeting the undocumented.

Los Angeles Times [11/12/2025 6:01 AM, Daniel R. DePetris, 14862K] reports as the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier sails to the Caribbean, the U.S. military continues striking drug-carrying boats off the Venezuelan coast and the Trump administration debates what to do about Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, one thing seems certain: Venezuela and the western hemisphere would all be better off if Maduro packed his bags and spent his remaining years in exile. This is certainly what Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is working toward. This year’s Nobel Prize laureate has spent much of her time recently in the U.S. lobbying policymakers to squeeze Maduro into vacating power. Constantly at risk of detention in her own country, Machado is granting interviews and dialing into conferences to advocate for regime change. Her talking points are clearly tailored for the Trump administration: Maduro is the head of a drug cartel that is poisoning Americans; his dictatorship rests on weak pillars; and the forces of democracy inside Venezuela are fully prepared to seize the mantle once Maduro is gone. "We are ready to take over government," Machado told Bloomberg News in an October interview. But as the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. While there’s no disputing that Maduro is a despot and a fraud who steals elections, U.S. policymakers can’t simply take what Machado is saying for granted. Washington learned this the hard way in the lead-up to the war in Iraq, when an opposition leader named Ahmed Chalabi sold U.S. policymakers a bill of goods about how painless rebuilding a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq would be. We all know how the story turned out — the United States stumbled into an occupation that sucked up U.S. resources, unleashed unpredicted regional consequences and proved more difficult than its proponents originally claimed. To be fair, Machado is no Chalabi. The latter was a fraudster; the former is the head of an opposition movement whose candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won two-thirds of the vote during the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election (Maduro claimed victory anyway and forced González into exile). But just because her motives are good doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question her assertions.

Reuters [11/12/2025 1:34 PM, Raphael Satter, 36480K] reports Democrat-led states are inadvertently making their drivers’ data available to U.S. immigration authorities through a little-understood digital loophole, a group of lawmakers said Wednesday. In letters released Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 39 other Democrat lawmakers urged like-minded governors to ensure that their residents’ data was not being vacuumed up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has become the speartip of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation program. "We urge you to block ICE’s access," the letters said. "This commonsense step will improve public safety and guard against Trump officials using your state’s data for unjustified, politicized actions, while still allowing continued collaboration on serious crimes.” Drivers’ license data is shared between state, local, and federal police forces through a nonprofit organization called Nlets. ICE, and another Department of Homeland Security body, Homeland Security Investigations, also have access to the system, the letter said, and the two agencies together accounted for nearly 900,000 queries against the database in the year prior to Oct. 1. Several Democrat states, as well as scores of counties and cities, put various levels of restriction on law enforcement cooperation with ICE. But the letter said that only a handful of deepest Democrat-controlled states – including New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Minnesota – had obstructed ICE from accessing the data they shared via Nlets, in part because state government employees were not aware of where it was going. "Because of the technical complexity of Nlets’ system, few state government officials understand how their state is sharing residents’ data with federal and out-of-state agencies," the letter said. ICE did not return messages seeking comment.

The Hill [11/12/2025 5:12 PM, Tara Suter, 12595K] reports dozens of congressional Democrats in a series of letters on Wednesday urged states across the country to "block" Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) access to driver data. "We write to alert you to the fact that your state is providing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies with frictionless, self-service access to the personal data of all of your residents," the lawmakers wrote in some of their letters. "We urge you to block ICE’s access, as Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington have already done and Oregon is in the process of doing," they added. The letters are addressed to 19 Democratic governors: Arizona’s Katie Hobbs, California’s Gavin Newsom, Colorado’s Jared Polis, Connecticut’s Ned Lamont, Delaware’s Matt Meyer, Hawaii’s Josh Green, Kansas’s Laura Kelly, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear, Maine’s Janet Mills, Maryland’s Wes Moore, New Jersey’s Phil Murphy, New Mexico’s Michelle Lujan Grisham, North Carolina’s Josh Stein, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, Rhode Island’s Dan McKee, Wisconsin’s Tony Evers, the Virgin Islands’s Albert Bryan Jr. and Guam’s Lou Leon Guerrero. Signatories of the letters include Oregon’s Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Democratic Reps. Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.), Sara Jacobs (Calif.) and Zoe Lofgren (Calif.). In the letters, the lawmakers say all 50 states and Washington, D.C., "have made their residents’ data available to approximately 18,000 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada" for more than two decades.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [11/12/2025 7:05 PM, Jim Thomas, 4109K]
CyberScoop [11/12/2025 4:05 PM, Derek B. Johnson, 122K]

(B) Good Day Seattle at 10AM [11/12/2025 1:30 PM, Staff] reports that the Department of Homeland Security is defending its use of full body restraints on deportation flights. It is known in some law enforcement circles as the wrap. The restraints have been used on flights dating back to 2020, and it has reportedly been used on at least seven people this year, with some people saying they were already in chains and others were not being violent. When asked, DHS did not have exact numbers on how many times the device has been used. There are a number of federal lawsuits comparing improper use of the device to punishment and torture. A Democratic lawmaker is working on a bill to limit use.

New York Post [11/12/2025 1:14 PM, Anthony Blair, 42219K] reports that they got this beast’s number. A convicted killer on El Salvador’s list of most-wanted gang members has been arrested while living illegally in the US, according to the feds — with his mugshot showing "666" tattooed across his forehead. Antonio Israel Lazo-Quintanilla was arrested last month in Maryland for driving without a license — but is wanted in his home country for a slew of terrifying felonies, including extortion, drug possession and aggravated homicide, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday. The illegal immigrant — who has other tattoos covering the rest of his face under the giant "666" — is also "a confirmed member of the 18th Street Gang, a Foreign Terrorist Organization," and was on El Salvador’s most-wanted gang members list, the department said in a statement. "This gang member on El Salvador’s most wanted list is a perfect example of ICE targeting the worst of the worst," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "He may lack a violent rap sheet in the US but this criminal illegal alien is clearly a public safety threat." His arrest was proof that "ICE is arresting criminal illegal aliens BEFORE they can victimize Americans," McLaughlin said. It was not immediately clear when the gangbanger came to the US, but he had been living here unlawfully for some time, officials said. Lazo-Quintanilla remains in federal custody pending deportation and possible extradition to El Salvador, where he faces long-standing felony warrants, according to the DHS.

New York Post [11/12/2025 6:17 PM, Tina Moore, Joe Marino and Amanda Woods, 42219K] reports federal agents pulled a man from a car in a dramatic caught-on-video scene in Washington Heights Wednesday morning – as onlookers filmed and one bellowed, "Show your faces!" Someone even called the cops on the officers as they tried to pull a man out of a black SUV at West 157th Street and Broadway, according to a spokesman from the office of Councilmember Shaun Abreu, who represents the area. The NYPD said cops received a 911 call about "four suspicious males" with guns pulling someone out of a car at 157th Street and Broadway — and drove around looking for the scene when they encountered apparent law enforcement officers chasing someone else blocks further north, at 164th Street, cops said. Those officers were not wearing any outer clothing that identified them as immigration agents, police said, citing bodycam footage. The cops jumped into the fray, and two of them suffered minor injuries during the fracas, police said. It wasn’t until the "very end" of the ordeal that the agents said they were connected with ICE — prompting the NYPD cops to back off.

NBC 6 Miami [11/12/2025 4:25 PM, Staff, 43603K] reports a man accused of possessing child pornography was arrested in Broward County on Sunday, authorities said. John Thorpe Badger, 56, was charged with possession of child porn and has a U.S. Marshals hold, Broward Jail records showed. According to Wilton Manors Police, the investigation on Sunday wasn’t related to immigration, and Homeland Security Investigations were focused on individuals who are believed to have participated in heinous felony crimes. Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, released the following statement: “ICE Homeland Security Investigations executed a federal search warrant against John Badger Thorpe for child pornography distribution. HSI arrested this child predator on November 9. Under Secretary Noem, we will always defend our most vulnerable and get pedophiles off American streets.”

NPR [11/12/2025 6:53 PM, Andrea Henderson, 28013K] reports Jaiden Booth has been keeping a close eye on viral videos in cities across the country where National Guard and immigration enforcement agents have been deployed, especially how people of color are being treated during immigration raids and protests. Over the past few months, Booth, a St. Louis resident, said he has seen federal agents and unmarked vehicles in various immigrant communities around the city, which pushed him to start preparing to better support vulnerable people. He came to a recent federal enforcement safety town hall in a St. Louis gym hosted by local activists and immigration lawyers to learn more about trainings to monitor ICE activity. Booth is opposed to immigration agents or National Guard members policing communities of color, because he said it does not make them safer. Booth fears that the presence of troops and federal agents could set the stage for more negative interactions with Black Americans, including harassment or mistreatment. And this is also a concern for some Black police officials across the country. Like in most American cities, crime is down in St. Louis. Over the past year, violent and property crimes decreased, and the city’s homicide rate is the lowest it has been in years. There have been 123 murders in 2025 to date, compared to 224 in 2020, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Even with crime trending downward, President Trump suggested in September that St. Louis needs help addressing crime. "We’ve got to save these cities," Trump said during a recent interview in the Oval Office. "This isn’t like, you know, we’re gonna do something … We have to save St. Louis.” On Oct. 1, Missouri’s Republican governor activated the state’s National Guard to help ICE agents with clerical duties. St. Louis Public Radio reported that 15 guardsmen will help ICE with tasks such as data entry, logistical support and case management. The aggressive push to send troops into Democratic-led cities and their communities of color drives a wedge between police and residents, said Donny Walters, president of Ethical Society of Police, St. Louis’ Black police officers union. "This type of heavy-handed tactic is pushing us backwards instead of bringing us closer together," Walters said. "What should be done from our federal government is they should be giving us resources to help our Black and brown communities [as] opposed to feeling like, ‘Oh, we got to do more enforcement.’". He is concerned that if federal agents or National Guardsmen mistreat Black St. Louisans or other communities of color, it will erode the trust Black police officers worked hard to build. "Let’s say they come in for six weeks, and whatever they are doing, however they are doing it, when they leave, we now are left with the fallout," he said. "We’re now left with dealing with the community after the fact.”

NBC News [11/12/2025 6:00 PM, Daniella Silva, 34509K] reports Boudylam "Lam" Simmavanh is a welder and father of four who came to the U.S. as a child refugee from Laos 40 years ago. He knew that after President Donald Trump took office and vowed the "largest deportation operation" in U.S. history, his future could be in peril. So he and his family began gathering letters in February from family and community members attesting to his character and his positive impact on their small town of Orrville, Ohio. They hoped the letters would show officials why someone like Simmavanh, 48, should remain in their community. On Oct. 28, after 18 years of regular Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins, Simmavanh’s fears came true. He was detained at an appointment. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Simmavanh is in the country illegally from Laos and was previously charged with carrying a concealed weapon and domestic violence. The agency also said that Simmavanh had been given an order of removal and had "received full due process."

Univision [11/12/2025 5:05 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports amid a growing wave of rumors and misinformation about alleged collaborations between the Houston Police Department and ICE agents, Mayor John Whitmire stepped forward to clarify the city’s official position. During a statement at the Houston City Council, Whitmire made it clear that there are no changes in local policy: the Houston Police Department does not request information about immigration status from residents, neither during nighttime operations nor in everyday arrests. The mayor also lamented the proliferation of fake news on social media, which he attributed to an increase in fear among the immigrant population: "There is not a single case that proves otherwise. The accusations that HPD collaborates with immigration agents are simply false, " he stated. Whitmire noted that in emergency situations, officers prioritize the well-being of minors and refer cases to institutions such as Child Protective Services or hospital entities, reinforcing the message of support to all families, regardless of their legal status.

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 3:01 PM, Madeline Buckley, 4829K] reports that attorneys who are alleging inhumane conditions at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview will be able to take photographs, talk to detainees and include a detention expert in an unusual tour of the west suburban facility, which will unfold over four hours on Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally on Friday said she would order the site visit as part of the evidence production process in a class-action lawsuit that was filed last month. The complaint, filed on behalf of former detainees Pablo Moreno Gonzalez and Felipe Agustin Zamacona, accuses Department of Homeland Security officials of proliferating a dirty, overcrowded and unsafe environment amid the Trump administration’s "Operation Midway Blitz." The suit also alleges that Broadview detainees have been denied access to counsel and coerced into agreeing to voluntary deportation. The parties conferred for more than an hour on Wednesday morning to lay out logistics for the site visit, which will offer the judge and participating attorneys a rare look inside the facility, called a "black box" in the complaint. Also on Wednesday during a separate hearing, the plaintiffs and government attorneys said they agreed to extend the temporary restraining order issued last week by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, which orders DHS officials to provide immigration detainees enough food, water and bed space, among other remedies to improve conditions.

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 8:11 PM, Jason Meisner and Olivia Olander, 4829K] reports congressional candidate and digital creator Katherine "Kat" Abughazaleh vowed Wednesday to fight federal conspiracy charges stemming from an immigration protest last month, saying the case reflects a broader fight against the Trump administration’s arrests of undocumented immigrants. "For speaking up for these people and against this administration’s cruel policies, I have been federally indicted," Abughazaleh told a throng of media shortly after pleading not guilty to the charges at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. "I have been charged with conspiracy for protesting with others. But expressing your First Amendment rights is not a conspiracy, and dissent is not a crime.” Abughazaleh, 26, who is running for the 9th Congressional District seat, was indicted last month along with four other Democrats who participated in the protests — Cook County Board candidate Catherine "Cat" Sharp, 29, 45th Ward Democratic committeeman Michael Rabbit, 62, Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, 38, and Andre Martin, 27, originally of Providence, Rhode Island, who is Abughazaleh’s deputy campaign manager. Joselyn Walsh, 31, of Chicago, was the sixth person charged. Walsh’s attorney said she had no personal connection to her five co-defendants. All six pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges of conspiring to block a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent from entering ICE’s processing facility in west suburban Broadview during one of a string of protests that occurred outside the two-story building in September.

Breitbart [11/12/2025 3:32 PM, Katherine Hamilton, 2416K] reports federal agents busted a Missouri man in Aurora, Illinois, after he allegedly delivered more than 11.5 pounds of suspected fentanyl to an undercover officer in a sting operation tied to a Mexico-based drug trafficking network, CWB Chicago reported. Homeland Security Investigations agents said Gerardo Ayub, 34, met with the undercover agent in a Walmart parking lot on Kirk Road to complete the transaction, according to a criminal complaint filed on Monday, per CWB’s report. The agent allegedly told Ayub to put the bag with pounds of fentanyl in it into the trunk of his vehicle and to retrieve a bag of cash that was inside, according to the report. The bag contained fake money used as part of the sting. Ayub allegedly took the bag of fake cash and drove away, only to return moments later to the parking lot, per the report. According to the report, investigators said the bag Ayub placed in the trunk of the undercover agent’s vehicle contained five brick-shaped packages wrapped in tan tape, and field tests revealed the substance contained fentanyl powder. The sting was part of a larger federal investigation into a drug trafficking operation based in Mexico led by a man who goes by "Cabrera," the report states, citing the complaint.

FOX News [11/12/2025 9:12 PM, Lindsay Kornick, 40621K] reports University of Chicago students, staff and faculty union members demanded that the school stop "sitting on [its] hands" and take a stance against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the city during a press conference on Friday. Representatives from five school unions spoke out against the university’s alleged "inaction" regarding Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement initiative targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records in Chicago. The operation drew intense backlash from some local residents, including University of Chicago assistant professor Eman Abdelhadi, who was arrested last month on felony charges at an anti-ICE rally. "Violent kidnappings and assaults by federal agents are not happening in some distant Chicago, beyond ‘the life of the mind,’" assistant professor Diana Schwartz Francisco said, according to The Maroon, the school’s student newspaper. "They’re happening in our neighborhoods. They’re happening right here.” SEIU Local union executive vice president Jeffrey Howard said that, as a higher institution, the University of Chicago has a duty to push back against what he called the "fascist regime" enacted through the ICE raids. "To just idly stand on the sideline and say, ‘We’re doing what’s legally required’—it’s not enough.… It’s sad that one of the leading institutions in the United States chooses to sit on their hands instead of taking the fight to this president and this fascist regime," Howard said. He added, "University of Chicago, do what you’re charged to do: educate the leaders of the future. And you can’t do that sitting on your hands, allowing the things that are happening on this campus to happen.” According to the Hyde Park Herald, the union representatives gave the school a list of demands that included barring ICE agents from entering buildings without a judicial warrant, notifying the school community about ICE activity in the area, posting signs barring ICE agents from entering buildings and publicly affirming students’ right to learn without federal interference. The University of Chicago’s website updated guidelines regarding ICE activity on Nov. 5 and noted that federal officers "are required to present valid warrants to access locked or other non-public spaces on University property absent certain exigent circumstances or approval.” However, the guidelines also state that the University of Chicago "cooperates with outside agencies as required by law, while protecting the rights and privacy of students, faculty, and staff.” Francisco called the guidelines "patronizing and negligent.” "It implies that the threat of encounter with ICE or federal agents is an individual problem that can be remedied with individual action, when in reality, this is an institutional problem that requires proactive, clear policies and protection from the university," Francisco said. In a comment to Fox News Digital, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, "These smears referring to ICE law enforcement as fascists and calling for violence against them is disgusting and God forbid it is going to get a law enforcement officer killed. Our officers’ risk their lives every day to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists.” University of Chicago spokesperson Gerald McSwiggan referred to the school’s guidelines when reached for comment.

Chicago Tribune [11/12/2025 6:17 PM, Meredith Colias-Pete, 4829K] reports newly released, a Gary teen is slowly getting back to daily life after his family was upended in an immigration raid last month. Being home was "wonderful," Eli Carrillo, a U.S. citizen, now 15, said Tuesday night. He spent about two weeks at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center after he was swept up in an immigration raid on Oct. 23 on their Gary home targeting his father, Rosario Carrillo Lopez. Eli was released Friday, his family said. He turned 15 on Monday. After Carrillo Lopez took Eli to school on Oct. 13 at Gary Lighthouse Charter School, immigration agents attempted to arrest the father on the way back. The family is disputing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement allegation that the man hit a government vehicle trying to escape. They alleged ICE hit his mini GMC SUV in an attempt to force him off the road. Days later, immigration agents raided their Gary home at around 6 a.m. on Oct. 23. They arrested the family. Carrillo Lopez’s oldest son Arnoldo Carrillo, 26, was released after several hours. Sarai, who is a U.S. citizen like her brothers, was released after a day in Porter County Jail. Carrillo Lopez remains jailed. His arraignment is Nov. 24 in federal court in Hammond. Federal prosecutors have charged him with allegedly hitting an ICE vehicle — saying his vehicle was a deadly weapon used against agents. His wife, Martha, was taken to the Broadview immigration facility outside Chicago, then sent to a detention center in El Paso, Texas. Originally, they thought she may be taken to Kentucky, Arnoldo said, before she borrowed someone’s tablet to say she was in Texas. Arnoldo said Tuesday that he’s paid his mother’s bond to be released, but he’s awaiting further travel details from ICE. If released, he would have to travel, whether to El Paso or elsewhere to get her. Federal prosecutors charged Sarai, alleging she pushed a federal agent with body armor. In a previous interview, she denied it, noting she is 5-foot-1. Her case is pending. Eli Carrillo was charged with assault on an official, interference of an arrest and resisting arrest, Arnoldo said. His next hearing is in January. Federal prosecutors are alleging he "interfered" with the arrest by grabbing the neck of a U.S. Marshal and trying to grab one agent’s gun.

Houston Chronicle [11/12/2025 2:37 PM, Eleanor Klibanoff, 2983K] reports that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Harris County for allocating county funds to programs that help immigrants get access to legal support. The county, home to Houston, created the Immigrant Legal Services Fund program in 2020 and last month appropriated an additional $1.3 million to keep it going. The program sends funds to five organizations that help people facing deportation get lawyers. In a statement, Paxton called the program "evil and wicked," as well as unconstitutional. This is the latest in a flurry of headline-grabbing lawsuits filed by Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, aimed at organizations that support immigrants. The Harris County Jail leads the nation in ICE detainers — a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to hold a person for deportation — as federal and state immigration enforcement has kicked into high gear under President Donald Trump. The lawsuit was filed in Harris County District Court. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement that the program was "perfectly legal" and his office would defend it in court. "This lawsuit is a cheap political stunt," he said. "At a time when the president has unleashed ICE agents to terrorize immigrant neighborhoods, deport U.S. citizens, and trample the law, it’s shameful that Republican state officials are joining in instead of standing up for Texans."

Houston Chronicle [11/12/2025 1:27 PM, Abby Church, 2983K] reports that Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday defended the Houston Police Department’s work and denounced "inflamed rhetoric" on social media from politicians protesting the city’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On Saturday, Whitmire spoke at a conference with Bill King of Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy about how the city is cooperating with ICE after denying and giving vague answers about the extent to which police were involved with the agency for months. "I’m not going to say that we’re not cooperating with ICE, because that’s frankly not true," Whitmire said. Following Whitmire’s statement, Council Member Mario Castillo and council candidate Alejandra Salinas took to social media to denounce the cooperation and call for more transparency. Castillo, in addition to calling for a public explanation of the extent of the city’s involvement with ICE, said he was going to pause his office’s requests to fund overtime for HPD officers until he knew the dollars were not going toward cooperating with ICE. "Reports that HPD has been coordinating with ICE contradicts months of public statements to the contrary," Castillo posted on X. Salinas also posted on X, saying the cooperation and lack of information was "wrong" and said one of her relatives was wrongly detained by the federal agency. "I am profoundly disappointed in the lack of transparency by the administration," Salinas wrote. "Our city should not enable wrongful actors."

CNN [11/12/2025 6:49 PM, Ellen Rittiner, 18595K] reports an emotional plea from a Hillsboro teen at a city council meeting about families impacted by an increase in ICE arrests garners national attention. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reason [11/12/2 53:49 PM, C.J. Ciaramella] reports Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the Portland area busted out the car windows of a U.S. citizen, dragged her out of her vehicle, and detained her for roughly seven hours before releasing her without charges in late October. Two weeks later, the woman says ICE still has her cell phone and engagement ring. Berenice Garcia-Hernandez, 25, says that all she did to draw the ire of ICE agents was take photos of their car in a Chick-fil-A parking lot near Gresham, Oregon. Garcia-Hernandez’s case, first reported by The Oregonian, is yet another case of federal immigration officers allegedly retaliating against U.S. citizens for recording them. Garcia-Hernandez told The Oregonian that she saw a Facebook post about ICE activity near the fast-food restaurant and drove over in her fiancé’s car, which has government-issued plates, to take photos. In response to the Trump administration’s mass deportation program, activist networks and social media accounts have sprung up to track ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activity. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what probable cause officers had to arrest Garcia-Hernandez. However, in a statement to the Oregonian, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin accused Garcia-Hernandez of aggressively following and obstructing ICE officers, as well as resisting arrest. "Her reckless and dangerous behavior included driving over a curb and coordinating with another unlicensed vehicle to block and intimidate law enforcement officers," McLaughlin told the outlet.

CNN [11/13/2025 2:49 AM, Lex Harvey, 18595K] reports British journalist Sami Hamdi, who was detained by United States immigration officers for more than two weeks, will return to the United Kingdom Thursday, Hamdi and his legal team said in a statement. The London-based journalist and commentator was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 26 at San Francisco International Airport, one day after speaking at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) California’s annual gala. Authorities told Hamdi he was being held after overstaying his US visa. However, Hamdi and his legal team claimed he was in the US on a valid visa and was detained for speaking out about Israel’s war in Gaza. Hamdi said he was leaving the US "voluntarily," in a statement Thursday. "I am profoundly grateful to my family, my legal team and every individual in the global community who prayed, protested and refused to be silent. Let the record show: I broke no law and posed no threat. My only ‘offense’ was speaking the unvarnished truth about the genocide in Gaza," Hamdi said. Hamdi is known for his analyses on developments in the Middle East and appearances on British TV. He had recently spoken about the US-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza and international plans for the enclave’s post-war governance. Hamdi said he endured "harsh" conditions in ICE detention, where he said he was held in a small room with dozens of men and forced to wait more than eight hours for medical care, according to the statement. Hamdi also said he was kept in shackles despite never being charged with a crime, according to the statement. CNN has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment. In a statement Monday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN ICE was "happily arranging (Hamdi’s) removal from the country," calling him "an illegal alien and terrorist sympathizer.” "Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country," the statement said. Hamdi’s family said in a statement Thursday that "no family should ever have to go through what we have.” "For the last 18 days, (Hamdi) has been detained in a room with 80–90 other people, living in terrible conditions. All this because Sami, a journalist, political commentator, and human rights defender, spoke out against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza," the statement said. Hamdi said his "detention was a stark demonstration that a Muslim journalist can be held captive because extremists, amplified on social media, seek to weaponize state policy against inconvenient speech.”

Daily Wire [11/12/2025 10:50 AM, Jennie Taer, 2494K] reports an illegal immigrant who was working as a police officer in Illinois was released from federal detention last month. An immigration judge granted Radule Bojovic, a 25-year-old illegal immigrant from Montenegro, a $2,500 immigration bond just two weeks after he was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency told CBS News. His deportation case, however, is still ongoing. Bojovic overstayed a B2 tourist visa that required him to leave the United States on March 31, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security said at the time of his arrest. All the while, Bojovic was working as a police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department. During his arrest, Bojovic told Real America’s Voice reporter Ben Bergquam that he was authorized to carry a firearm while on duty. He also claimed to have a permit to work in the United States. DHS blamed Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s sanctuary policies for allowing the illegal immigrant to serve as a cop. "Governor J.B. Pritzker doesn’t just allow violent illegal aliens to terrorize Illinois’s communities, he allows illegal aliens to work as sworn police officers," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Radule Bojovic violated our nation’s laws and was living ILLEGALLY in the United States for 10 years — what kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns? It’s a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm. A so-called law enforcement officer who is actively breaking the law." "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem ICE is restoring law and order. Criminal illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities, especially on our police forces," McLaughlin added. The Hanover Police Department previously said that they confirmed that Bojovic "was legally authorized by the federal government to work in the United States" before hiring him.

San Francisco Chronicle [11/13/2025 12:12 AM, Jessica Flores, 4722K] reports seven immigrants held at the newly opened detention center in California City (Kern County) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday, alleging inhumane conditions in which detainees do not have access to adequate food, water and medical care. The detainees alleged that immigration officials at the CoreCivic California City Immigration Processing Center have restricted family visits, denied access to attorneys with weeks-long delays, neglected people with disabilities by not providing sign language interpreters and have excessively put detainees in solitary confinement, according to the lawsuit. People have been held in dirty units with freezing temperatures, and some have had their prayer mats, head coverings and holy texts confiscated, the lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit was filed against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. Spokespeople from those two federal agencies and CoreCivic, the Tennessee-based company that operates the detention center, did not immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment.

Los Angeles Times [11/12/2025 6:00 AM, Andrea Castillo, 14862K] reports for more than a year, detainees at a California immigrant detention center said, they were summoned from their dorms to a lieutenant’s office late at night. Hours frequently passed, they said, before they were sent back to their dorms. What they allege happened in the office became the subject of federal complaints, which accuse Lt. Quin, then an administrative manager, of harassing, threatening and coercing immigrants into sexual acts at the Golden State Annex in McFarland. A person with that nameworked in a higher-ranking post, as chief of security, at the Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana until August — the same month The Times sent questions to the company that operates the facilities. The Department of Homeland Security said it could not substantiate the allegations. According to an attorney for one of the detainees, the California Attorney General’s office opened an investigation into the matter. In three complaints reviewed by The Times that were filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), to a watchdog agency and with DHS, detainees accused Quin of sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct. The complainants initially knew the lieutenant only as "Lt. Quinn," and he is referred to as such in the federal complaints, though the correct spelling is "Quin." Asked about the accusations, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant Homeland Security public affairs secretary, said in a statement that allegations of misconduct by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees or contractors are treated seriously and investigated thoroughly. "These complaints were filed in 2024 — well before current DHS leadership and the necessary reforms they implemented," McLaughlin wrote. "The investigation into this matter has concluded, and ICE — through its own investigation reviewed by [the DHS office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties] — could not substantiate any complaint of sexual assault or rape."

Los Angeles Times [11/12/2025 9:30 AM, Gustavo Arellano, 14862K] reports that Jimmy Rhoades was spraying pesticide on orange trees in San Juan Capistrano on Aug. 28 when a yell went up in the air: Immigration agents were staging a raid. Mexican nationals working alongside Rhoades ran into the groves and hid for hours. But la migra stuck around until the naranjeros reemerged and detained them. Agents then spotted the blond-haired, blue-eyed, 15-year-old Rhoades hiding inside a spraying rig. They "threw me into their truck without asking any questions," he told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. That’s when the teen’s 11-hour hell began. This episode took place nearly 75 years ago, but for Latinos in Southern California and beyond, the same kind of drama is sadly becoming just another day of life in President Trump’s America. La migra’s long history of cruel and sloppy enforcement. Rhoades and his co-workers — including a Mexican American — were driven down to Oceanside and stuffed into a room. When he asked to call his mother in Yorba Linda, an agent shoved him into a chair and shouted, "We’ll ask the questions." After hours in custody, Rhoades and the others were moved to an immigration processing center in Chula Vista. It was there when la migra finally asked him for ID and determined what he was insisting all along was true: He was a U.S. citizen. Rhoades was finally released but offered no ride home, let alone an apology. His boss had to pick him up all the way from north O.C. At least he was let free; three other workers were deported. Tales of reckless raids are becoming more and more common.

Daily Wire [11/12/2025 10:46 AM, Virginia Kruta, 2494K] reports a number of recent headlines offer a terrifying glimpse into the stark reality of human trafficking, showing just how pervasive the threat is even in the United States. In June, a 21-year-old man in Fresno, California, was caught using multiple dummy accounts on the popular gaming platform Roblox to lure young girls into dangerous situations. Manuel Coronado Gonzalez was caught when he attempted to set up such a meeting with a decoy who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. The plan, according to local news reports, was for Coronado Gonzalez to meet the decoy in a public bathroom for sex. Coronado Gonzalez was caught thanks to a local independent group called Schlep, which has worked with local law enforcement to apprehend similar predators and has aided in investigations that led to five arrests. "Every single arrest that I have gotten, if it wasn’t us, it would have been a real kid. It would have easily been a headline," one member of the group, identified only as Michael, explained.

Univision [11/13/2025 1:40 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports the alleged presence of ICE agents around food banks or distribution events has generated fear among immigrants in California. The NorCal Resist organization issued a statement, through its social media, denying the rumors and reminding people which spaces are protected from immigration operations and which are not. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Post [11/13/2025 5:00 AM, Lauren Kaori Gurley and Hannah Natanson, 32099K] reports the Trump administration directed visa officers to consider obesity — and other chronic health conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes — as reasons to deny foreigners visas to the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told U.S. consulates and embassies around the world about the changes in a Nov. 6 cable, according to a copy obtained and verified by The Washington Post. The move broadens current medical screening beyond contagious diseases and gives visa officers new justification to reject applicants, in the Trump administration’s latest effort to curb the flow of immigration. “You must consider an applicant’s health,” the State Department cable said. “Certain medical conditions — including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions — can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care.” The cable then suggests that consulates consider obesity in determining whether to grant visas, mentioning that it can cause sleep apnea, high blood pressure and clinical depression. The cable was drafted by the agency’s political leadership and did not go through normal channels for review — which typically includes input from career staff, according to a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. “This guidance gives consular officers wide discretion to deny both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas based on common health conditions that, by themselves, have never been treated as disqualifying,” said Vic Goel, an immigration attorney in Reston, Virginia. Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement that “for 100 years, State Department policy has included an authority to deny visa applicants who would pose a financial burden to taxpayers, such as individuals who were seeking publicly-funded health care in the U.S. and could further drain health care resources from American citizens. “President Trump’s Administration is finally fully enforcing this policy, and putting Americans first.” She added that “low-level bureaucrats may have run autopen Joe Biden’s administration, but under President Trump, directives come from the top — not whiny deep staters who complain to The Washington Post.”

Daily Caller [11/12/2025 12:00 PM, Jaryn Crouson, 835K] reports a group of professors is asking a federal court to broaden a prior ruling on student speech to protect foreign nationals in the United States from any visa consequences for openly supporting terrorism. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in September won a lawsuit against the Trump administration which determined “non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us.” Now, AAUP has presented a list of pro-Palestine statements to the court asking it to prevent the federal government from retaliating against foreigners for expressing “support or sympathy for terrorism or a designated foreign terrorist organization such as Hamas,” according to The Harvard Crimson. The AAUP is asking the court to apply the order to all foreigners residing in the U.S., the Crimson reported. Harvard’s chapter of the AAUP joined the previous court battle and is also part of the new filing.

USA Today [11/12/2025 4:13 PM, Zac Anderson, 67103K] reports President Donald Trump ignited a wave of MAGA criticism in defending the use of the H-1B visa program, telling an interviewer the United States needs to "bring in talent" and pushing back on the idea that the country already has enough talented workers. Fox News host Laura Ingraham questioned Trump on the H-1B visas this week, saying they hurt wages for American workers. "I agree but you do also have to bring in talent," Trump said. When Ingraham countered that "we have plenty of talented people," Trump responded "no you don’t.” "You don’t have certain talents," he added. Trump’s comments align with the view of many business leaders, especially in the tech industry, who have used the H-1B program to bolster their skilled workforce. The issue has been a sore spot for MAGA, though, and a point of tension for the Trump administration in the past. Former Trump adviser Elon Musk, a tech billionaire, advocated for the H1-B program, drawing a rebuke from Steve Bannon, who served as White House chief strategist during Trump’s first term and is a prominent MAGA figure. Trump’s comments to Ingraham about American workers "broke everyone’s heart," Mike Cernovich, a prominent conservative commentator, wrote on social media. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote in a Nov. 12 social media post that "I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs.” Savanah Hernandez, a contributor to the conservative group Turning Point USA, called Trump’s comments "disheartening.” "Trump needs to get out of his bubble and back on the ground listening to the American people who elected him to work for us," Hernandez wrote on X. "His H-1B comment shows how out of touch with the base he has become.” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called the $100,000 fee a "significant first step to stop abuses in the system and ensure American workers are no longer replaced by lower-paid foreign labor.”

Reported similarly:
The Hill [11/12/2025 8:54 AM, Brett Samuels, 12595K]

FOX News [11/12/2025 5:06 PM, Diana Stancy Fox, 40621K] reports President Donald Trump drew criticism from those within his "Make America Great Again" base after he reinvigorated debate on one of his party’s most controversial issues: H-1B visas. The visas allow U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers for up to six years. The issue resurfaced after Trump told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in an interview that aired Tuesday that bringing foreign workers to the U.S. on H-1B visas is important to "bring in talent" to the U.S. While Ingraham argued that the U.S. has talent at home, Trump said that wasn’t the case. "No, you don’t. No, you don’t. You don’t have, you don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn!" Trump said. "You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say I’m gonna put you into a factory where we’re gonna make missiles.” Trump also defended past remarks endorsing allowing up to 600,000 Chinese students to come to the U.S. to Ingraham, claiming that they must study in the U.S. so U.S. colleges don’t "go out of business.” While proponents of the program argue that the program is key to U.S. competitiveness, critics argue that the visa holders are taking away jobs from Americans. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., promptly spoke out against the statements, claiming that she is "America First and America Only.” "I believe in the American people. I am one of you.I believe you are good, talented, creative, intelligent, hardworking, and want to achieve. I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs," Greene said. "I am solidly against allowing foreign students into our colleges and universities, like 600,000 Chinese students, just to financially prop them up. If they fail, they fail. The system in place isn’t helping our young people anyway.” Other Republicans weighed in and said the policy could play out poorly for the GOP in the 2026 midterms. "This is insane—we’re going to lose the mid-terms so badly," Anthony Sabatini, a Republican county commissioner in Florida, said in a Tuesday post on X. "We’ve never seen an administration crash & burn in its first year so badly—for no reason other than to appease donors and special interests.”

The Hill [11/12/2025 11:49 AM, Julia Manchester, 12595K] reports Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) dug in on her criticism of President Trump in a social media post Wednesday, appearing to take aim at the president’s recent comments on H-1B visas and foreign policy. "I believe you are good, talented, creative, intelligent, hard working, and want to achieve," Greene said in a post on social platform X addressed to "the American People.” "I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs," she continued, referring to a visa that allows companies to bring in nonimmigrant workers for specialty work. The H-1Bs are particularly used by tech companies, and Trump during an interview this week with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham said the visas were necessary to bring in "talent.” "Well, I agree, but you also do have to bring in talent when a country," Trump told Ingraham, who has said the H-1Bs did not lead to higher wages for U.S. workers. The host interjected, "Well, we have plenty of talented people here.” "No, you don’t," the president replied. "No, you don’t have certain talents and people have to learn.” Greene in her post said she was "solidly against allowing foreign students into our colleges and universities, like 600,000 Chinese students, just to financially prop them up. If they fail, they fail. The system in place isn’t helping our young people anyways," she said. Greene went on to say she is "against foreign aid, foreign wars, and sending a single dollar to foreign countries" and "against bringing any foreign leader that is a terrorist or oversees killing innocent people into our country and into the Oval Office.”

Telemundo51 [11/12/2025 4:01 PM, Staff, 182K] reports the U.S. Department of Justice announced a formal indictment against former Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez for alleged immigration fraud, misuse of visas and official documents, and making false statements to a federal agency. According to information released by federal prosecutors, González-Pardo Rodríguez, 64, could face a 15-year prison sentence if convicted of the charges. The Cuban pilot is allegedly involved in the operation that resulted in the downing of two "Brothers to the Rescue" planes in 1996. According to the indictment, on April 20, 2025, González-Pardo Rodríguez allegedly filed an application for permanent residence with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that contained false statements. The investigation is being led by the FBI in Miami, with support from its Jacksonville office, as well as USCIS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) —Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)— and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). In a letter addressed to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security of the United States, leaders of the Cuban exile community had requested clarifications about the arrival in the country of Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.

Reported similarly:
AP [11/12/2025 4:41 PM, Staff]

Washington Times [11/12/2025 11:39 AM, Stephen Dinan, 852K] reports Texas authorities said Wednesday they have arrested an illegal immigrant who had stolen the identity of a U.S. citizen child, resulting in the boy losing his Medicaid coverage. State Attorney General Ken Paxton identified the migrant as Antonio De Jesus Moreno Escobar and said he used the identity of a 13-year-old boy from Hutto, near Austin, to work at seven different jobs over a three-year period. When earnings from that work started showing up in government systems, the boy’s mother was told that his Medicaid coverage was being canceled because of his income. “This case is a disturbing example of how illegal aliens drain our resources, hurt innocent Texans, and even deprive children of vital healthcare,” Mr. Paxton said in announcing the arrest. He said Mr. Escobar bought an entire fake identity package, including a stolen Social Security number, a Texas identification card and a federal immigration green card, for $120.

Axios [11/12/2025 7:21 AM, Alex Fitzpatrick, 12972K] reports Texas is among six states where the majority of the nation’s 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants live, per new estimates — yet growth has likely slowed (and perhaps even reversed) since then. The report, from nonpartisan think tank Migration Policy Institute (MPI), offers insight into a group that’s notoriously hard to count — and thus understand. The overall U.S. unauthorized immigrant population grew by three million between 2019 and mid-2023, MPI found, noting the country "has not experienced a pace of change this rapid ... since the early 2000s." : California (21.2%), Texas (14.3%), Florida (8.9%) and New York (6.1%) have the highest shares of the country’s overall unauthorized immigrant population. Harris County (4.4%) — which encompasses Houston — has one of the highest shares among U.S. counties, while Bexar County’s share is 0.7%.

AP [11/12/2025 8:39 PM, Josh Funk, 31753K] reports California plans to revoke 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given to immigrants after the Trump administration raised concerns about people in the country illegally improperly receiving licenses to drive a semitruck or a bus. But Gov. Gavin Newsom said that isn’t the reason. The licenses were revoked because state officials discovered their expiration dates went past when the drivers were legally allowed to be in the United States, based on DMV documents, the California’s State Transportation Agency said. Both the Democratic governor’s office and the Republican Trump administration’s Transportation Department agreed that these licenses violated the existing standard that were in place before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently tightened the rules following a nationwide commercial driver’s license audit launched after a driver in the country illegally made a U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. Fatal truck crashes in Texas and Alabama earlier this year also highlight questions about these licenses. A fiery California crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver last month that killed three more people only added to the concerns. Duffy said Wednesday that California’s action to revoke these licenses is an admission that the state had acted improperly even though the state had previously defended its licensing standards. California launched its review of commercial driver’s licenses the state had issued after Duffy raised concerns. Duffy previously imposed new restrictions on which immigrants can qualify for one of these commercial driver’s licenses. He said earlier this fall that California and five other states had improperly issued commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens, but California is the only state Duffy has taken action against because it was the first one where an audit was completed. The reviews in the other states have been delayed by the government shutdown, but the Transportation Department is urging all of them to tighten up their standards. Duffy revoked $40 million in federal funding because he said California isn’t enforcing English language requirements for truckers, and he reiterated Wednesday that he will take another $160 million from the state over these improperly issued licenses if they don’t invalidate every illegal license and address all the concerns. But revoking these licenses is part of the state’s effort to comply. “After weeks of claiming they did nothing wrong, Gavin Newsom and California have been caught red-handed. Now that we’ve exposed their lies, 17,000 illegally issued trucking licenses are being revoked,” Duffy said. “This is just the tip of iceberg. My team will continue to force California to prove they have removed every illegal immigrant from behind the wheel of semitrucks and school buses.” The new rules for commercial driver’s licenses that Duffy announced in September make getting commercial driver’s licenses extremely hard for immigrants because only three specific classes of visa holders will be eligible. States will also have to verify an applicant’s immigration status in a federal database. These licenses will be valid for up to one year unless the applicant’s visa expires sooner than that. Under the new rules, only 10,000 of the 200,000 noncitizens who have commercial licenses would qualify for them, which would only be available to drivers who have an H-2a, H-2b or E-2 visa. H-2a is for temporary agricultural workers while H-2B is for temporary nonagricultural workers, and E-2 is for people who make substantial investments in a U.S. business. But the rules won’t be enforced retroactively, so those 190,000 drivers will be allowed to keep their commercial licenses at least until they come up for renewal.

New York Times [11/12/2025 6:10 AM, Natalie Kitroeff, 153395K] reports as the Trump administration ramps up its crackdown on illegal immigration, it has turned to Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official, to try to increase deportations. He has been at the center of some of the most aggressive raids and tactics being used in American cities. Hamed Aleaziz, who covers immigration policy, speaks to Mr. Bovino about his career and why his militaristic approach may be here to stay. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

NewsNation [11/12/2025 5:24 PM, Staff, 12595K] reports Customs and Border Patrol Protection is offering double pay to retirees who previously left the agency as a way of adding to its ranks amid a staffing shortage that has existed for at least 10 years. The federal immigration enforcement agency recently announced re-employment initiatives for retirees, seeking to add to a workforce that President Donald Trump pledged to grow by more than 20,000 federal agents and officers as part of his crackdown on illegal immigration. But as CBP continues to struggle to maintain its staffing levels, retired agents are being offered a dual compensation waiver that would pay them their full retirement pay plus a full salary, the agency announced. The commitment involves accepting an appointment that lasts anywhere from 1 to 4 years, all while continuing to keep their retirement benefits intact. “These initiatives recognize the invaluable experience and dedication of our former personnel,” Melvin Harris, CBP’s acting assistant commissioner for Human Resources Management, said in a statement issued by the federal agency. “Their expertise is an asset to CBP, and we’re honored to welcome them back.” CBP is seeking to hire re-employed Border Patrol agents and CBP officers as part of the staffing push. To qualify for the dual compensation waiver, applicants must have been retired for at least a year. However, a 2024 report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office indicated that chronic staffing shortages continue to exist despite increased recruiting efforts and incentives. Last year, the U.S. Border Patrol offered a $20,000 signing bonus and an additional $10,000 bonus for new hires willing to accept jobs in remote locations. By comparison, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is offering $50,000 signing bonuses and reimbursement of educational costs to incentivise applicants to join ICE. Homeland Security officials have previously told NewsNation that more than 18,000 job offers have been extended to applicants.

Daily Wire [11/12/2025 6:32 AM, Jennie Taer, 2494K] reports the Trump administration has set its sights on Charlotte for its next round of immigration sweeps, The Daily Wire has learned. Federal law enforcement sources said some Border Patrol agents already in Chicago for the Department of Homeland Security’s "Operation Midway Blitz" raids may be heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, as early as this week. Border Patrol chief for California’s El Centro sector, Gregory Bovino, will also head to Charlotte, sources said. He will later go on to New Orleans, according to NewsNation. Last month, Bovino posted on X, "We’ll put Charlotte on the list!!!" in response to a request that the feds deploy there. On Wednesday, Bovino wrote, "Crime way down in Chicago thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership. This is Homeland Security in action." DHS didn’t confirm or deny the plans in a statement shared with The Daily Wire. "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations," Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Axios [11/12/2025 3:14 PM, Alexandria Sands, 12972K] reports Charlotte officials are responding to a handful of unverified reports that U.S. Border Patrol teams are expected to conduct an operation in the city this month. Panic is spreading throughout Charlotte’s large immigrant community. Meanwhile, the federal government is staying silent, even keeping the state and local governments in the dark. Gov. Josh Stein, asked by reporters Wednesday, said he’s reached out to the White House about the reports and hasn’t heard back. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office both said they have not been contacted by any Border Patrol representatives. The sheriff also requested that any Border Patrol activities planned for Mecklenburg County be communicated with the sheriff’s office and local law enforcement to "help ensure the safety of all parties involved." "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country. We do not discuss future or potential operations," Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Axios.

(B) NBC 5 News at 6am [11/12/2025 7:05 AM, Staff] reports Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino is leaving Chicago as soon as this week. Along with Bovino, some of his team will be leaving, too. The Department of Homeland Security says immigration enforcement will continue. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Border Patrol numbers will go from 250 down to 100, but then in March, that number could go back up to 1000 agents. Local leaders say they are staying on guard. Bovino is at the center of multiple federal court hearings with allegations of constitutional violations. His next assignment is Charlotte, North Carolina.

Univision Chicago WGBO [11/12/2025 3:06 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports on the facade of the Aguascalientes Butcher Shop and Taqueria there is more than one sign that warns what for its owners is a rule: no federal agent can enter without a legal and valid arrest warrant. Even so, on the morning of Saturday, November 8, Gregory Bovino, chief of the Border Patrol in Chicago, entered the premises accompanied by several agents. The tense encounter was captured on the business’s security cameras. The videos show the Border Patrol chief entering with several agents and being confronted by Eli Gutiérrez, the cashier, who was the first to refuse them service. However, the exchange didn’t end there. According to the family, Bovino and his agents remained in the parking lot of the establishment for some time.

AP [11/12/2025 5:39 PM, Ed White, 31753K] reports a Chinese scientist charged in Michigan with smuggling biological materials pleaded guilty Wednesday but was given no additional time in jail beyond the five months she already spent in custody. Yunqing Jian, who was a temporary researcher at a University of Michigan lab, will be released and quickly deported. A judge called it a “very strange” case involving an “incredibly accomplished researcher.” Jian, 33, was arrested in June and accused of conspiring with a boyfriend to study and nurse a toxic fungus at a campus lab. A pathogen known as Fusarium graminearum can attack wheat, barley, maize and rice. Zunyong Liu was caught carrying small samples while arriving at a Detroit airport in 2024. In China, Jian and Liu specialized in studying Fusarium graminearum, which is widely found in U.S. fields, depending on weather and growing conditions. But it is illegal to bring it into the U.S. without a government permit, which carries strict conditions. The university had no permits. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Martin said there was potential for “devastating harm,” though he didn’t elaborate. “I don’t have evidence that she had evil intent,” Martin told a judge, referring to Jian. “But I don’t have evidence that she was doing this for the betterment of mankind either.” Roger Innes, an Indiana University expert who looked at the evidence for Jian’s attorneys, said there was “no risk to U.S. farmers, or anyone else” or any intent to create a more virulent strain. He noted that Liu likely wanted to work with a unique microscope at the lab. Martin asked for a two-year prison sentence for Jian — four times higher than a maximum six-month term scored under sentencing guidelines. U.S. District Judge Susan DeClercq settled on five months in jail, time already served by Jian. Jian, wearing chains around her ankles and waist, apologized but said little, relying instead on a letter filed with the court. “I did not follow the rules because I was under pressure to proceed with research and produce results,” Jian wrote. “The research was not to harm anyone, but instead to find ways to protect crops from disease.”

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [11/12/2025 8:52 PM, Brady Knox, 1394K]

NewsMax [11/12/2025 11:44 AM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 4109K] reports that Michigan Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed, who is running in the primary for the state’s open Senate seat next year, called Border Patrol agents "white supremacists" and said the U.S. government was to blame for causing illegal immigration in a now-deleted social media post. The Sept. 24, 2021, post on X, which was accessed by The Washington Free Beacon before El-Sayed deleted it, commented on a photo that he claimed showed a federal agent on horseback holding a whip while apprehending illegal aliens. The agent, who was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, was reportedly holding the horse’s rein. "Blaming horses for the dudes riding them to whip Haitian refugees is like blaming Haiti for the fact they’re coming," El-Sayed wrote, according to a screenshot. "How about asking how our policies decimate Caribbean & Central American (and so many other) countries—and why we allow white supremacists to police our borders?" The deletion comes amid growing scrutiny of El-Sayed’s past social media remarks and fundraising messages. In a June interview with a controversial anti-Israel media personality, El-Sayed criticized U.S. support for Israel and said, "you can both condemn Hamas terrorism and Israel’s murder since." El-Sayed’s spokesman told CNN that he "is challenging government choices that defund food, healthcare, and social services while militarizing agencies like ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] in sharp contrast to Donald Trump’s presidency because real safety comes from investing in people — not in tanks and tear gas."

NewsMax [11/12/2025 12:47 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports that the U.S. Border Patrol on Wednesday released a video announcing the arrest of a man identified as a Mexican national who had previously protested outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon. In the video, which was posted on social media, Border Patrol shows a clip of a man reportedly saying in Spanish, "This video is especially for immigration. Don’t try to stop me because I’m not going to leave." The video then includes a clip from the cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants" reading "a few moments later ...," followed by footage of Border Patrol officers taking a man into custody. The video did not release the man’s full name, but in a comment, Border Patrol wrote: "Hi Jesus! We got your message. Please enjoy a one-way trip back to Mexico courtesy of the U.S. government."

Daily Caller [11/12/2025 11:39 AM, Staff, 835K] reports a 29-year-old Simi Valley woman allegedly stole a minivan Monday and led a 155-mile pursuit from Ventura County to the San Ysidro Port of Entry before crossing into Mexico, authorities said. She reentered the U.S. on Tuesday and turned herself in to Ventura County deputies. The run took a little more than two hours, with speeds often near the flow of traffic and multiple failed spike-strip attempts, according to ABC7’s live coverage. "We don’t want this car forcing its way through the entry, hurting other people," California Highway Patrol Sgt. Esteban Hernandez said, according to the Los Angeles Times, explaining why units were canceled near the border around 1:19 p.m. Monday. Deputies said the gray 2004 Toyota Sienna was taken from a sober living home on the 1900 block of East Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks shortly after 10:30 a.m, ABC7 reported. A traffic stop in Simi Valley failed, and the driver entered State Route 118, then the southbound 405, 5 and 805 freeways before reaching the border just before 1:30 p.m. CHP notified U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 1:08 p.m. that the van was nearing San Ysidro, then terminated the pursuit on State Route 905 for public safety; by 1:24 p.m., officers were told the minivan had crossed into Mexico, according to the Times. Officials reportedly said the woman was experiencing a mental health crisis; charges are pending.

AP [11/12/2025 9:42 PM, Claire Savage, 14862K] reports that a Virginia transportation security officer is accusing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of sex discrimination over a policy that bars transgender officers from performing security screening pat-downs, according to a federal lawsuit. The Transportation Security Administration, which operates under DHS, enacted the policy in February to comply with President Trump’s executive order declaring two unchangeable sexes: male and female. According to internal documents explaining the policy change that the Associated Press obtained from four independent sources, including one current and two former TSA workers, "transgender officers will no longer engage in pat-down duties, which are conducted based on both the traveler’s and officer’s biological sex. In addition, transgender officers will no longer serve as a TSA-required witness when a traveler elects to have a pat-down conducted in a private screening area." Until February, TSA assigned work consistent with officers’ gender identity under a 2021 management directive. The agency told the AP it rescinded that directive to comply with Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order. Although transgender officers "shall continue to be eligible to perform all other security screening functions consistent with their certifications," and must attend all required training, they will not be allowed to demonstrate how to conduct pat-downs as part of their training or while training others, according to the internal documents. A transgender officer at Dulles International Airport, Danielle Mittereder, alleges in her lawsuit filed Friday that the new policy — which also bars her from using TSA facility restrooms that align with her gender identity — violates civil rights law. "Does the AP want female travelers to be subjected to pat-downs by male TSA officers?" Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin asked in a written response to questions by the AP. "What a useless and fundamentally dangerous idea, to prioritize mental delusion over the comfort and safety of American travelers."

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FOX News [11/12/2025 10:23 AM, Michael Dorgan Fox, 40621K] r
Washington Examiner [11/12/2025 2:35 PM, Emily Hallas, 1394K]

Reuters [11/12/2025 11:11 AM, David Shepardson, 36480K] reports U.S. flight cancellations have fallen sharply over the last day as air traffic control absences shrank just hours before the House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill on Wednesday to end a record-setting government shutdown. Airlines in the United States canceled nearly 900 flights on Wednesday - the fewest in six days - under a Federal Aviation Administration requirement they cancel 6% of flights at the 40 busiest airports to address safety concerns. Some airlines told Reuters they think the FAA will reduce a planned 8% flight cut on Thursday to 6%. Air traffic control absences accounted for just 1% of delays on Tuesday, compared with 5% on average before the shutdown, the FAA said. Several airlines have canceled only around 6% of flights for Thursday. Mandated flight reductions are set to rise to 10% on Friday. Flight operations are improving dramatically, with just 750 delays on Wednesday compared with 4,000 on Tuesday and nearly 10,000 on Monday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers will get a lump sum payment equal to 70% of their back pay within 48 hours of the shutdown ending.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [11/12/2025 2:34 PM, Kevin Shalvey, 30493K]

FOX Business [11/13/2025 1:49 AM, Elizabeth Pritchett, 10085K] reports the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order Wednesday evening freezing flight reductions at 6% amid a "rapid decline" in air traffic controller callouts. Flight reductions were initially implemented as airports and air traffic control towers suffered significant staffing shortages caused by the government shutdown, which President Donald Trump officially ended Wednesday night. The order from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said that staffing levels have improved, as there were only four staffing triggers on Wednesday compared to the 81 on Nov. 8. "Such strong staffing levels suggest a further ramp up in-flight reductions are not necessary to keep the traveling public safe. As the federal government reopens and controllers receive their backpay, the FAA will continue to monitor staffing levels and review key trend lines," the order stated. The 6% freeze will remain in place until the FAA can confirm it is safe to return to normal operations. "The FAA safety team is encouraged to see our air traffic control staffing surge, and they feel comfortable with pausing the reduction schedule to give us time to review the airspace," Duffy said, adding that "the safety of the American people comes first." Bedford echoed those sentiments, stating that the FAA’s top priority "is, and always will be, safety." "The data shows that controller staffing is improving rapidly, which allows us to hold flight reductions at 6% while maintaining the highest levels of safety in our airspace," Bedford said. "We’ll continue to monitor system performance hour by hour, and we won’t hesitate to make further adjustments if needed." The new order stated that the list of 40 affected high-impact airports that was issued last week remains unchanged.

Reuters [11/12/2025 12:06 PM, Doyinsola Oladipo, 36480K] reports Americans are increasingly booking buses and trains to their Thanksgiving destinations this year, while some have outright canceled their plans following the worst disruptions to air travel since the start of the government shutdown. Travelers frustrated by the rise in flight cancellations and long TSA lines are making alternative plans for trave,l even though the U.S. Senate moved to reopen the government as it is expected to take some time for air travel to go back to normal. Bus and train bookings for the Thanksgiving holiday period have increased 12% year-on-year, led by a rise in demand for bus travel, according to travel search engine Wanderu. Several departure dates are seeing as high as a 20% to 30% year-over-year increase in bookings, a spokesperson said, with noted growth in demand for travel to the suburbs of St. Louis, New York City and Washington, D.C. Just weeks shy of one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, airlines canceled on Nov. 10 about 2,400 flights and delayed over 9,500 flights. On Nov. 9, about 2,950 flights were canceled and nearly 11,200 were delayed in the single worst day for flight disruptions since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1. Megabus said it started seeing a significant increase in purchases last week. Greyhound-owner Flix said searches for buses are trending higher, especially around peak days, Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and Sunday return, according to Kai Boysan, CEO of Flix North America, which operates the continent’s largest intercity bus network. "We anticipate more travelers may turn to ground transportation in the days ahead, and we’re monitoring demand closely and prepared to add capacity where needed to ensure people can keep moving," said Boysan. Wanderu said in the past week it has seen elevated levels of train ticket purchases for over 200 miles. Amtrak said it is anticipating record-breaking 2025 Thanksgiving travel, with double-digit growth in early bookings relative to last year. The company said to meet demand, it is expanding capacity for its Northeast regional routes, including Boston and Washington. Last year, more than 1.2 million passengers traveled with Amtrak during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Axios [11/12/2025 7:21 AM, Jason Clayworth, 12972K] reports a TSA training program at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) is unlikely to restart for the spring semester with the federal shutdown ongoing, school officials tell Axios. The school was one of the few places to offer the courses, helping thousands of TSA screeners across the country earn a Homeland Security certificate over the past decade, DMACC president Rob Denson recently told Iowa PBS. The TSA halted the program effective July 1, months before the current shutdown, after indicating it lacked the authority to continue funding the program, Jeanie McCarville Kerber, an executive academic dean at DMACC, tells Axios. The school reassigned six faculty members while the pause continues and is working with Iowa’s congressional delegation to restart it, per Denson.

FOX News [11/12/2025 8:52 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40621K] reports the FBI was called Sunday after a loaded gun magazine was found on a Frontier Airlines plane at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Just after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, officers assigned to the airport responded to a call about a gun magazine found near Frontier Airlines Gate C-6 in Concourse C, according to a news release from the Atlanta Police Department (APD). A passenger on the Airbus A320 aircraft discovered what appeared to be a loaded magazine containing ten hollow point rounds near seat 7A, according to the release. Police said the magazine, marked with the initials "K H," was found during boarding for a turnaround return flight to Cincinnati. Officers coordinated with TSA, DOA, Frontier Airlines, Homeland Security and Atlanta Police K-9 units, and the aircraft was evacuated, according to the release. After a thorough search by officers, no additional items of concern were found. TSA screened all passengers a second time, and the flight departed safely just before 8 p.m., according to officials. The FBI was notified of the matter, according to APD. "No active threats were indicated at this time," the agency wrote in the release. A Frontier Airlines spokesperson told affiliate FOX 5 Atlanta the ammunition belonged to a member of law enforcement who was on an earlier flight. "Customers were asked to deplane while a security sweep of the aircraft was conducted, along with additional passenger screening prior to the flight’s departure," the airline told the outlet. "A subsequent investigation confirmed that the ammunition belonged to a law enforcement officer who was on an earlier flight on the same aircraft. The ammunition and magazine were taken into the custody of the Atlanta Police Department, and the property owner was referred to Atlanta P.D. to retrieve his items.” However, an APD source told FOX 5 investigators have not confirmed who the magazine belonged to. "I’ve heard of a lot of delays, canceled flights, but I’ve never heard of this before," passenger Terry Foster told the outlet. "This is brand new.” Another passenger, Janyia Davis, told FOX 5 she didn’t feel anyone was in danger, but "something bad could still happen.” Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [11/13/2025 12:55 AM, Zoe Hussain, 42219K]

Washington Post [11/12/2025 6:35 PM, Salvador Rizzo, 24149K] reports violent crime networks in Southeast Asia in recent years have begun to coerce people into working at heavily guarded compounds in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, where they assume online personas designed to scam Americans by striking up relationships on social media or via text messages. The scams are intricate, with fake websites and smartphone apps made to look like real investment platforms, and they often run for weeks or months as victims are enticed to invest more after being shown reports of an initial profit. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top prosecutor in the District of Columbia, said Wednesday that her office had launched the first investigative task force in the country focused on cryptocurrency scams, with the goal of neutralizing the overseas crime organizations draining billions of dollars from unsuspecting Americans. About 150,000 people reported losses of $9.3 billion from the scams in 2024, a 66 percent increase over the previous year, according to an FBI report. The Scam Center Strike Force already has seized more than $401 million linked to crypto scams, and officials filed legal documents Wednesday to recoup another $80 million for victims, Pirro said. Hundreds of those victims were targeted on dating apps, according to the U.S. Secret Service, which is part of the task force along with officials from the FBI and the State and Treasury departments. The scammers often have ties to organized crime in China or violent militarized groups in Myanmar, officials said. "The Department of Justice will not stand by while Chinese organized crime victimizes Americans and bleeds dry the hard-earned investments of American citizens," Pirro said Wednesday at a news conference unveiling the task force. "The most important thing that we can tell someone who becomes victimized by this is, you know, don’t be disappointed in yourself," she added. "Don’t be upset with yourself that you fell to this kind of scam, because these people are experts. In some cases, their livelihood depends upon how much money they bring in to the scam center.” A woman in Redmond, Washington, lost $9.6 million to one such scam. The fake online personas often use photos of real people. A 63-year-old tai chi, yoga and fitness instructor from California said his photo had been used multiple times over 15 years by scammers posing as romantic interests for women, ABC News reported. Officials are working with U.S. companies, such as internet service providers and social media services, to shut down the websites and user accounts associated with crypto scams, Pirro said. Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has told officials it will collaborate with the task force, and Microsoft and AARP also "want to work with us," she said.

(B) CBS Mornings [11/12/2025 7:57 AM, Staff] reports that after more than three weeks, West Palm Beach leaders say the FAA owes the community answers. Mayor Keith James has sent a formal letter to the FAA and Secret Service, calling out a year-round flight restriction linked to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The city says the restrictions were imposed without warning, input, or any notice to people living under it.

Washington Times [11/12/2025 3:04 PM, Mike Glenn, 852K] reports the Coast Guard exceeded its recruiting goals this year, ending a personnel drought that forced the service to shutter bases and temporarily beach some of its vessels. The surge, with the service branch recruiting more than 5,200 active duty personnel in fiscal 2025 versus 4,300 the previous year, means a need for more training space. The Coast Guard wants a home for at least 1,200 recruits and 400 staff members. It should be in an area of 150 acres to 250 acres, have at least 14 classrooms, hold a cafeteria for 400 people and be no more than 30 miles from an airport. The Coast Guard’s new Force Design 2028 initiative is supposed to help eliminate the service’s huge training space deficit. The projected workforce growth of up to 15,000 additional personnel calls for an increase of 1.3 million square feet. Kristi Noem, secretary of Homeland Security, said a new training center is needed to help the Coast Guard respond to challenges of the 21st century. The Coast Guard didn’t indicate when it will make a final decision on the new training area.

CyberScoop [11/12/2025 1:03 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports Amazon’s threat intelligence team said it observed an advanced persistent threat group exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Cisco Identity Service Engine and Citrix NetScaler products before the vendors disclosed and patched the defects last summer. Amazon’s MadPot honeypot service detected active exploitation of the critical defects — CVE-2025-5777 in Citrix and CVE-2025-20337 in Cisco — and through further investigation determined a highly resourced threat actor was behind the attacks, CJ Moses, chief information security officer of Amazon Integrated Security, said in a blog post Wednesday. “We assess with high confidence it was the same threat actor observed exploiting both vulnerabilities,” Moses told CyberScoop in an email. Amazon said its discovery reinforced multiple trends afoot, including threat groups’ increased focus on identity and network edge infrastructure and their ability to quickly weaponize vulnerabilities as zero-days before vendors disclose or patch defects in their products. The origins and identity of the threat group behind the attacks remains unknown, yet Moses said “prolonged access to the target for espionage is the most likely objective.”

CyberScoop [11/12/2025 2:04 PM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports Google on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against pesky text message scammers — like those who flood targets with notices that they have unpaid road tolls, or have a package waiting — in an attempt to disrupt a “phishing for dummies” operation the company accuses of victimizing more than 1 million people. The lawsuit against 25 unnamed individuals believed to reside in China takes aim at those behind the phishing-as-a-service kit known as Lighthouse and its “staggering” scale. “Defendants are a group of foreign cybercriminals who have engaged in relentless phishing attacks against millions of innocent victims, including Google customers, to steal personal and financial information,” the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York reads. “These attacks have collectively swindled innocent victims out of millions of dollars and harmed Google through the unauthorized use of its trademarks and services.” Google alleges that the defendants violated multiple laws in their SMS phishing, or “smishing,” operation: the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the Lanham Act that governs trademark law and the main federal anti-hacking statute, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Some of the smishing messages make use of Google product logos, and target Google customers. The civil suit seeks a temporary restraining order and damages against the unnamed individuals. Google is asking the court to compel hosting providers to block Lighthouse-connected IP addresses and fraudulent domains from using those services. The company also hopes that it can help raise user awareness by filing the suit.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [11/12/2025 6:00 AM, Staff, 39474K]

Blaze [11/12/2025 7:45 PM, Joseph M. Hanneman and Steve Baker, 1442K] reports the Biden FBI is guilty of "gross misconduct and/or fraud" for calling off surveillance of an early person of interest in the Jan. 6 pipe-bomb case, an FBI whistleblower alleges in a letter to Congress. The letter refers to events that occurred nearly five years before Blaze News disclosed that the surveillance subject lived next door to a Capitol Police officer who is now a potential forensic match to the gait of the bomb suspect. After reading the Nov. 10 protected whistleblower disclosure from an FBI supervisory special agent who is still at the bureau and a Nov. 8 Blaze News investigation of the pipe-bombs case, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie believes the FBI "has been engaged in a cover-up" or has been "grossly incompetent.” "Either way," Massie (R-Ky.) told Blaze News in a statement, "these latest revelations about the pipe-bomb investigation require answers from the new FBI director.” The Blaze News investigation said former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Rae Kerkhoff, 31, appears to be a forensic match to the gait of the pipe-bomb suspect. A forensic gait analysis arranged by Blaze News rated Kerkhoff’s stride as a 94% match to the individual shown on video planting pipe bombs the night of Jan. 5, 2021. The gait analysis used a computer algorithm to analyze walking parameters including flexion (knee bend), hip extension, speed, step length, cadence, and variance. The veteran analyst who ran the study said based on visual observations the program can struggle with, he personally pegged the match at closer to 98%. Kerkhoff has not been charged with any criminal conduct by any law enforcement agency in connection with the pipe-bomb incident. The FBI has not responded to Blaze News requests for comment. Attorney Kurt Siuzdak of Madison, Conn., filed a 10-page protected disclosure on behalf of his client, the whistleblower, with Massie and U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), among the most active lawmakers still investigating Jan. 6 and its aftermath. Loudermilk is the chairman of the House Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding Jan. 6. The FBI supervisor said that "after FBI agents came within yards of the person who has been identified" in Blaze News’ reporting, "the FBI surveillance team agents were ordered to cease their investigation, denied permission to conduct at least one logical interview, immediately removed from surveillance, and reassigned to do general leads work," Siuzdak wrote. "The ‘neighbor’ identified below [in the whistleblower complaint] lived within feet of [Person of Interest 3] and she appears to be the same individual as investigative reporter Steve Baker identified as a former U.S. Capital [sic] Police officer, who is currently associated with a U.S. intelligence agency," Siuzdak wrote.

Washington Examiner [11/12/2025 2:09 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1394K] reports that the Justice Department is weighing conspiracy and civil rights charges after violent protests erupted Monday at the University of California, Berkeley, during a Turning Point USA event, as federal investigators are also scrutinizing whether university and police officials failed to protect attendees. The Civil Rights Division of the DOJ directed UC Berkeley Police Chief Yogananda Pittman and the university system president, James Milliken, to preserve all records related to the Monday incident, including officer communications, use-of-force reports, arrest logs, and security footage. Letters sent to both Pittman and Milliken on Tuesday by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon cite possible violations of federal civil rights statutes and outline an expansive preservation order that could extend to both the university and Berkeley city police. "We are determining whether recent events provide a basis for additional investigation of violations of federal rights, including, without limitation, violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments," Dhillon wrote. Dhillon said in separate interviews with Fox News and CNN that her division is exploring charges under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242, which criminalize conspiracies to deprive individuals of constitutional rights and the deprivation of rights under color of law. UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said the university is "fully cooperating" with federal authorities and conducting its own investigation "to identify the outside agitators responsible."

FOX News [11/12/2025 10:04 AM, Andrew Mark Miller, 40621K] reports that two days after agitators violently disrupted a TPUSA event in Berkeley, California, the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, broke his silence and spoke out on the matter through a spokesperson. "Violence is not a legitimate exercise of First Amendment rights," a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital on Wednesday afternoon. "While people have the right to protest, it must be done peacefully." Newsom’s office pointed out that the majority of demonstrators peacefully protested, with 6 arrests out of a total of more than 900, and that the agitators were controlled by state and local law enforcement. The incident unfolded on Monday night on the campus of UC Berkeley at a Turning Point event featuring actor Rob Schneider and author Frank Turek, a Christian mentor of the organization’s late founder, Charlie Kirk. Left-wing agitators swarmed Zellerbach Hall, where the event, which was the last stop on the "This is the Turning Point" tour, was held. Four students at the university were arrested, according to The Daily Californian, which omitted the suspects’ names from its report. They were described as females between the ages of 20 and 22. Each was reportedly charged with felony vandalism. The UC Berkeley Police Department confirmed that two other men were arrested during the night’s activities. Christopher Joseph Benton, 48, who is unaffiliated with the school, was arrested for trespassing, resisting or obstructing an officer and being unlawfully present on campus, all misdemeanors. Jay Eduardo Maytorena, 22, listed as a current or former student, was arrested for trespassing and resisting or obstructing an officer.

Free Beacon [11/12/2025 6:40 PM, Adam Kredo, 411K] reports the South African official who spearheaded a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), arguing it was guilty of genocide, is scheduled to enter the United States on Thursday. The official, Naledi Pandor, spoke by phone with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh shortly after Oct. 7, 2023, and has supported Islamist terrorism. Pandor, a convert to Islam, has professed her support for terrorism on numerous occasions. "We as Muslims, we are a peaceful people," she said during an event in Cape Town in September. "But we are permitted to engage in jihad when necessary.” She told an audience last month that "armed struggle may become a necessity if there is no movement toward fundamental change.” Pandor served as South African foreign minister from 2019 to 2024, leading the country’s lawfare campaign against Israel that culminated in a formal accusation of genocide in December 2023. She spent the preceding months making diplomatic rounds that took her to Tehran for meetings with top Iranian officials and to Hamas-friendly Qatar, according to the Times of Israel, which published an open letter on Monday calling on the Trump administration to revoke Pandor’s visa. A senior administration official told the Washington Free Beacon that Pandor’s leadership role in the ICJ case and support for terrorism may prevent her from entering the country. "The State Department is aware of this individual’s pro-terrorism background," the official said. "The matter is currently under review.” Pandor is set to appear as the keynote speaker for Muslim Network Television’s Milwaukee premiere on Friday night, according to an online invitation. Organizers say that during the event, held at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield, she will "support American Muslims in taking control of our own story by backing Muslim media.” The Chicago-based Muslim media organization Sound Vision, which is known for disseminating anti-Israel propaganda accusing the Jewish state of genocide, is organizing the event. A poster celebrates how Pandor "led South Africa to sue Israel for genocide.” "While leaders in the Muslim world remained inactive in preventing genocide in Gaza, Dr. Pandor, as South Africa’s foreign minister, brought Israel before the International Court of Justice for its acts of genocide against Palestinians," the promotional materials state.

Breitbart [11/12/2025 1:23 PM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports that Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s far-left, pro-cocaine president, announced on Tuesday the suspension of all intelligence sharing with the United States until the U.S. stops attacking drug traffickers in Caribbean international waters. Petro made the announcement in a post on his official Twitter account, quoting a CNN report claiming that, according to unnamed sources, the United Kingdom suspended intelligence sharing with the U.S. "because it does not want to be complicit in U.S. military strikes and believes the attacks are illegal." "All levels of law enforcement intelligence are ordered to suspend communications and other dealings with US security agencies. This measure will remain in effect as long as missile attacks on boats in the Caribbean continue. The fight against drugs must be subordinate to the human rights of the Caribbean people," Petro’s message reads. Petro vehemently opposes the United States’ military deployment in Caribbean international waters and the strikes against drug-trafficking vessels as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb the flow of drugs entering the United States. At press time, at least 76 people have reportedly been killed in the strikes since September. The Colombian president has repeatedly accused President Trump of "murder" over drug-fighting actions, claiming that none of the men on board the struck drug-trafficking vessels were drug traffickers, a designation that he appears to have taken offense at. Instead, he suggested in late October that they should be called "drug trafficking workers" instead.

FOX News [11/12/2025 12:56 PM, Efrat Lachter, 40621K] Video: HERE reports as President Donald Trump warns of "zero tolerance" for narco-states in America’s backyard, China is tightening its grip on Venezuela — a high-risk economic and political bet that could soon collide with U.S. power. U.S. defense officials confirmed to Reuters last month that a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group had entered the Southern Command region, which covers the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America, to monitor narcotrafficking routes linked to Venezuela’s military leadership. The Pentagon said the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, carrying more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft, would "bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities." It added that the mission aims to "degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.” Within weeks, Venezuelan officers were reportedly training for guerrilla-style defense against a possible U.S. strike — an acknowledgment, according to Reuters, of "rising anxiety inside Caracas." Into this standoff, Beijing unveiled a "zero-tariff" trade agreement with Caracas at the Shanghai Expo 2025, announced by Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade Coromoto Godoy. Venezuelan officials said the accord covers roughly 400 tariff categories, removing duties on Chinese and Venezuelan goods. While final implementation details remain pending verification, the goal is clear: Beijing is moving fast into a sanctioned economy that Washington has sought to isolate.[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [11/12/2025 1:39 PM, Carlotta Gall, 153395K] reports Syria was once a stronghold for the Islamic State. Now, its government has pledged to cooperate with international efforts to fight the group. President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria visited the White House for the first time on Monday and met President Trump. On Tuesday, Syria’s minister of information, Hamza al-Mustafa, said Mr. al-Shara had recently signed a declaration of political cooperation with the U.S.-led coalition that combats the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Mr. al-Shara was once imprisoned by U.S. forces in Iraq, and then went on to found the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda. He had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head until December of last year, shortly after he led a rebel offensive that ousted Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian leader has been discreetly cooperating with the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and Al Qaeda since he took control of a slice of rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria in 2016, according to Syrian officials and Western diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with diplomatic protocol. Since December, Syrian security forces have been cooperating with the global anti-ISIS coalition, according to Mouaz Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a humanitarian and advocacy group in the United States.

Reuters [11/12/2025 4:34 PM, Jaidaa Taha and Muhammad Al Gebaly, 36480K] reports U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday its forces assisted and enabled more than 22 operations against the Islamic State in Syria in which five members of the group were killed and 19 captured. Syria recently signed a political cooperation declaration with the Global Coalition to Defeat Islamic State and has been carrying out nationwide pre-emptive operations against the group. The operations took place from October 1 to November 6, CENTCOM said.

Reuters [11/12/2025 2:07 PM, Erin Banco, 36480K] reports that the U.S. gathered intelligence last year of Israeli officials discussing how their soldiers had sent Palestinians into Gaza tunnels the Israelis believed were potentially lined with explosives, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The information was shared with the White House and analyzed by the intelligence community in the final weeks of former President Joe Biden’s administration, the officials said. International law prohibits the use of civilians as shields during military activity. Officials inside the Biden administration had long raised concerns about news reports that indicated Israeli soldiers were using Palestinians to potentially protect themselves in Gaza. Washington’s collection of its own evidence on the subject has not been previously reported. The U.S. intelligence gathered in the final months of 2024 raised questions inside the White House and the intelligence community about how widely the tactic was being used and whether Israel’s soldiers were acting on guidance issued by military leaders, the U.S. officials said. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security information, did not provide details on whether the Palestinians referenced in the intelligence were prisoners or civilians. Reuters could not determine whether the Biden administration discussed the intelligence with the Israeli government.

Reuters [11/12/2025 3:28 PM, Staff, 36480K] reports China agreed on a plan to stop fentanyl-related chemicals as part of its deal with the Trump administration to crack down on the lethal opioid, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Wednesday. Patel said the agreement resulted from his trip to Beijing last week, a visit that followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit last month with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. "The People’s Republic of China has fully designated and listed all 13 precursors utilized to make fentanyl," Patel said at a news briefing. "Furthermore, they have agreed to control seven chemical subsidiaries that are also utilized to produce this lethal drug." He did not provide additional details. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters previously reported Patel’s trip to China, which took place last weekend. The trip was not previously officially announced by either the United States or China. China’s Commerce Ministry announced on Monday that the country will make adjustments to the catalog of drug-related precursor chemicals and will require licenses for export of certain chemicals to the United States, Canada and Mexico. The anti-drug authority also tightened oversight of production and export of drug-making chemicals not on its control list to keep them out of illegal channels, it said in a notice. It underscored criminal risks exporters could face when shipping chemicals to certain "high-risk" countries such as the United States. Trump halved the tariffs on Chinese goods imposed as a punishment over the flow of fentanyl to 10% after reaching the agreement during last month’s talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Xi will work "very hard to stop the flow" of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of American overdose deaths, Trump told reporters after the talks. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the details of the fresh consensus would be hashed out through a new bilateral working group.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/12/2025 1:39 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K]
FOX Business [11/12/2025 5:06 PM, Staff, 10085K] Video: HERE

Reuters [11/12/2025 11:51 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports the United States on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on a Myanmar militia group for supporting a cyber scam operation that targeted Americans from territory it controls. Hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked by criminal gangs across Southeast Asia in recent years and forced to work in scam centers, many of them located inside war-torn Myanmar. The latest U.S. sanctions aimed at scam networks target the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and four of its leaders, as well as entities and an individual linked to Chinese organized crime, the U.S. Treasury Department said. "Criminal networks operating out of Burma are stealing billions of dollars from hardworking Americans through online scams," said John Hurley, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, using an older name for the country. "These same networks traffic human beings and help fuel Burma’s brutal civil war. The Administration will keep using every tool we have to go after these cybercriminals—wherever they operate—and to protect American families from their exploitation."

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