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.

Breitbart [11/14/2025 11:31 AM, John Binder, 2416K] reports President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is launching an operation aimed at rescuing Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs), placed with unvetted adult sponsors under the Biden administration, from sex trafficking and labor exploitation. On Friday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the UAC Safety Verification Initiative, which will see Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents working with local and state law enforcement agencies to locate and conduct welfare checks of hundreds of thousands of UACs that the Biden administration resettled with adult sponsors from 2021 through 2024. “Secretary Noem is leading efforts to rescue and stop the exploitation of the 450,000 unaccompanied children the Biden administration lost or placed with unvetted sponsors,” DHS’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: Many of the children who came across the border unaccompanied were allowed to be placed with sponsors who were smugglers and sex traffickers. The Trump administration has located more than 24,400 of these children in-person, in the United States, through visits and door knocks.We’ve jump-started our efforts to rescue children who were victims of sex and labor trafficking by working with our state and local law enforcement partners to locate these children. President Trump and Secretary Noem are laser-focused on protecting children and will continue to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to reunite children with their families.

New York Post [11/14/2025 7:02 PM, Victor Nava, 42219K] reports President Trump’s tightening of border enforcement has allowed federal judges to close more immigration cases than open new ones for the first time since 2008 – chipping away at a massive backlog that ballooned under the Biden administration. Nearly 3.9 million immigration cases – more than the population of Chicago – were pending at the end of fiscal year 2024, and the load of new cases taken on outnumbered closures by over 1 million. Under Trump, the backlog of active cases has fallen by more than 87,000 through the third quarter of 2025, according to Justice Department data. Additionally, immigration judges have completed about 588,000 pending cases – well over the 448,000 new ones they’ve received. Data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, also demonstrates the decline. "This is the first time it’s happened in 17 years," Andrew R. Arthur, a former immigration judge and resident fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, told The Post. "We’ve seen this steady accretion of cases, particularly during the Biden years, as people were released at the border and given notices to appear in immigration court, which just expanded the immigration court backlog," Arthur explained. Under former President Joe Biden, the country faced one of the largest immigration influxes in US history. An average of 2.4 million immigrants per year poured into the US between 2021 and 2024, according to the Congressional Budget Office. About 60% crossed into the US illegally, a Goldman Sachs analysis found. "The Biden numbers would be a whole lot worse than they are if they hadn’t terminated, dismissed and closed 700,000 cases," Arthur said, noting that the previous administration may have been closing cases, but not necessarily removing migrants. "Those aliens are still out there. If they didn’t have status then, they don’t have status now," he said. "I don’t want to call it a game changer," Arthur said of the backlog decline under Trump, "because there’s a whole lot of game yet to go, but so long as [the Trump administration] can keep the border numbers low, and so long as they can start to get more judges onboarded, and crank the number of orders, the more that the backlog is going to decline.” Arthur noted that aside from sealing up the southern border, the Trump administration has also moved to add immigration judges from the Department of War and Attorney General Pam Bondi has implemented policies that "enable judges to hear asylum cases a lot more quickly.” Asylum cases take up the bulk – more than half – of the immigration court backlog.

NewsMax [11/14/2025 9:40 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s point man for border security and mass deportations, told Newsmax on Friday that the administration’s first 300 days have produced historic results on illegal immigration — but the White House still faces a major challenge in communicating those accomplishments to millions of Americans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Homan contrasted Trump’s record on "Finnerty" with the surge of illegal immigration under President Joe Biden. The border czar pointed to days when more than 13,000 migrants crossed the southern border during the Biden years compared with what he described as just 131 encounters in the latest data he saw Friday — and "not a single one" released into the country. "We went from 13,000 to 131," said Homan, appearing as part of Newsmax’s exclusive "Trump 300" special that explored the first 300 days of the president’s second term. "Thank God" former Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t win the election, he said, "or we’d have unprecedented numbers still coming across.” Homan credited Trump, not himself, for the reversal. He said Trump’s day 1 executive orders, aggressive regulatory shifts, and direction to Border Patrol agents to fully enforce immigration law ended what he called the "taxicab driver" role forced on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the previous administration. He also said ICE is sending a message to the world by detaining and deporting illegal immigrants rather than releasing them. "That means less aliens are dying. Cartels are losing billions of dollars," Homan said. "ICE has a lot to do for why we have the most secure border in the history of this nation.” Homan said the majority of people ICE arrests are either criminal offenders, national-security risks, or fugitives who ignored final removal orders after due process. He said critics frequently highlight cases of long-term residents with U.S.-citizen children while ignoring the broader picture of mass illegal entry under Biden. "Remember, these 10.5 million people that came across during Biden — they cheated. They cheated the system," Homan said. "They put themselves in front of the line, ahead of millions of people who are taking their tests, doing their background investigations, paying the fees to be part of the greatest nation on Earth. "These people are asylum-seeker frauds, and they cheated the system," he said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/14/2025 3:58 PM, Josh Funk, 31753K] reports the Transportation Department’s new restrictions that would severely limit which immigrants can get commercial driver’s licenses to drive a semitrailer truck or bus have been put on hold by a federal appeals court. The court in the District of Columbia ruled Thursday that the rules Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in September a month after a truck driver not authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people can’t be enforced right now. The court said the federal government didn’t follow proper procedure in drafting the rule and failed to "articulate a satisfactory explanation for how the rule would promote safety." The court said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s own data shows that immigrants who hold these licenses account for roughly 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses but only about 0.2% of all fatal crashes, the court said. Duffy has been pressing this issue in California because the driver in the Florida crash received a license in California, and an audit of that state’s records showed that many immigrants received licenses in California that were valid long after their work permits expired. Earlier this week, California revoked 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses because of that problem. Those licenses were invalidated under the older existing rules — not by the new proposed restrictions affected by this court order. Neither Duffy nor California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded immediately Friday to questions about the ruling. Newsom’s office has said the state followed guidance it received from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security about issuing these licenses to noncitizens.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/14/2025 1:45 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40621K] r

The Hill [11/14/2025 8:06 AM, Ryan Mancini, 12595K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials could move in on Charlotte, N.C., as early as Saturday amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown across the country, according to local law enforcement. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden was notified by two CBP officials on Wednesday that agents could arrive over the weekend or early next week, and that officials have not disclosed any information about their operations, according to a statement from McFadden’s office. The statement continued, noting that the police department "will remain vigilant and continue to address and focus on the needs of our community as it does each and every day," but his officers will not be "involved with any measures" of enforcement with CBP or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The sheriff added that the department has not been asked to be part of any operations. "We value and welcome the renewed collaboration and open communication with our federal partners," McFadden said in the statement. "It allows us to stay informed and be proactive in keeping Mecklenburg County safe and to maintain the level of trust our community deserves." Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declined to comment on any operations in Charlotte, according to The Associated Press. The Hill has also reached out to the DHS for comment. CBS News [11/14/2025 2:25 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 39474K] reports that the planned Border Patrol operation in Charlotte, where an operations center is being stood up, is expected to start soon, as early as next week, two sources familiar with the plans told CBS News. Garry McFadden, the sheriff of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, said Thursday he had been "contacted by two separate federal officials confirming US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel will be arriving in the Charlotte area as early as this Saturday or the beginning of next week." Border Patrol’s focus is then expected to shift to New Orleans, where as many as 200 CBP agents could be deployed, according to the sources and internal DHS documents. DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said the department does "not discuss future or potential operations."

Reported similarly:
NPR [11/14/2025 7:16 AM, Leila Fadel, 28013K] Audio: HERE
USA Today [11/14/2025 1:06 PM, Christopher Cann, 67103K]
NewsMax [11/14/2025 11:02 AM, Theodore Bunker, 4109K]
Washington Examiner [11/15/2025 5:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K] r

FOX News [11/14/2025 9:17 PM, Landon Mion, 40621K] reports officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, are preparing for a looming federal immigration crackdown that they described on Friday as an invasion, with the city pledging to stand up for migrants against the federal raids. Local leaders encouraged Charlotte residents to protest peacefully and record agents’ actions from a distance, condemning the Trump administration’s actions in targeting migrants during sweeps in other cities across the country. "We are living in the strangest of times," Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, the granddaughter and wife of immigrants, said on Friday. "A time when a felonious reality TV personality is occupying the White House. Unfortunately, we have seen this movie before, and now they want to film an episode of the ‘Shock and Awe’ show here in our city.” The leaders came together a day after Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden announced that federal officials notified him that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents would begin an immigration enforcement operation in the community by Saturday or early next week. The community is now gearing up for the types of federal actions seen in other cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles, where agents raided local businesses, churches and other venues targeting migrant residents. "We’ve seen what has taken place in other cities across this country when the federal government gets involved," Democrat state Rep. Jordan Lopez said. "We have seen the undisciplined agents pointing weapons at unarmed civilians, the indiscriminate rounding up of civilians who are sleeping in their homes in the middle of their night in Chicago. We have seen the worst of law enforcement.” Local and state officials said they have received no formal notification from the president’s administration about an operation for Charlotte. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has affirmed that it does not have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws and is not involved in planning or carrying out the operations. Volunteers are being trained by local groups on how to protest while safely documenting any attempts to perform a migrant sweep and notifying migrants of their rights as they prepare for the federal crackdown. Héctor Vaca, training and immigrant justice director for the group Action NC, said the community is responding to an "invasion" and "racist campaign of terror" by the federal government.

AP [11/14/2025 11:46 PM, Ed White, 30493K] reports local authorities say federal immigration agents plan to target North Carolina’s largest city, prompting activists, elected officials and community groups to monitor any sweeps and support vulnerable Charlotte residents.1 The federal government has not publicly announced the move. But Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said he was informed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection could start an enforcement operation Saturday or soon after the weekend. It would be another step in the Trump administration’s strategy of putting immigration agents or the military on the streets of some of America’s largest cities run by Democrats. The push has caused fear and anxiety, especially among people who don’t have legal status in the U.S., and sparked a number of lawsuits challenging the tactics. Charlotte is a racially diverse city of more than 900,000 residents, including more than 150,000 who are foreign-born, according to local officials. It is run by a Democratic mayor, though North Carolina’s two U.S. senators are Republican and President Donald Trump won the state all three times that he’s run for office. Crime was down this year, through August, compared to the same eight-month period in 2024, with homicides, rapes, robberies and motor vehicle thefts decreasing by more than 20%, according to AH Datalytics, which tracks crime across the country using local data for its Real-Time Crime Index. But the Trump administration has used the August fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskaha on a Charlotte light-rail train as evidence that Democratic-led cities fail to protect residents. A man with a lengthy criminal record has been charged with murder. There is no indication, however, that border agents could or would have a role in enforcing local or state laws. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has said it has no authority to enforce federal immigration laws and is not involved in operations by Customs and Border Protection. There is no sign that the National Guard will go to Charlotte, though three Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation have urged Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, to make that request. The governor’s office said local police are a better choice to keep neighborhoods safe. The Trump administration has deployed the Guard to the District of Columbia and the Los Angeles area, citing crime and a need to protect immigration agents, and Memphis, Tennessee. A judge so far has stopped the Guard from working in the Chicago area.

AP [11/14/2025 2:38 PM, Erik Verduzco, 1538K] reports that officials and community leaders opposing a pending federal immigration crackdown in North Carolina’s largest city characterized it Friday as an invasion, and urged Charlotte residents to protest peacefully and record agents’ actions from a distance. "We are living in the strangest of times," said Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, the granddaughter and wife of immigrants. "A time when a felonious reality TV personality is occupying the White House. Unfortunately, we have seen this movie before, and now they want to film an episode of Shock and Awe show here in our city." The gathering comes a day after Sheriff Garry McFadden confirmed that federal officials, whom he declined to identify, told him U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents would start an enforcement operation there by Saturday or early next week. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, won’t comment on future or potential operations. But the community is preparing for the types of enforcement actions seen in Chicago and other Democratic-led cities. "We’ve seen what has taken place in other cities across this country when the federal government gets involved," said state Rep. Jordan Lopez. "We have seen the undisciplined agents pointing weapons at unarmed civilians, the indiscriminate rounding up of civilians who are sleeping in their homes in the middle of their night in Chicago. We have seen the worst of law enforcement."

AP [11/14/2025 11:39 AM, Staff, 31753K] reports Charlotte, North Carolina, is the latest U.S. city preparing for a potential immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. Local leaders held a news conference Friday to make it clear they didn’t want the federal agents. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Univision [11/15/2025 4:40 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports organizations that support immigrant communities in North Carolina, such as PSL Triangle, are calling for a peaceful protest against the arrival of the Border Patrol in Charlotte and ICE operations. The demonstration will take place this Sunday, November 16, starting at 3:00 pm in Raleigh. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [11/14/2025 3:11 PM, Ali Bradley and Jeff Arnold, 8017K] reports that as the U.S. Border Patrol shifts to another American city as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, the agency’s chief is backing other top federal officials despite controversy that has kept federal agents in national headlines for months now. Michael Banks, the Border Patrol chief, says that an agency traditionally known for its work along the U.S.-Mexico border has been operating in more than 25 U.S. cities since President Donald Trump took office in January. This comes as Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino is slated to arrive in Charlotte as early as Saturday, just days after shifting many of his agents out of Chicago. More than 2,000 federal agents are spread across the country as part of an at-large operation that recently led to the arrest of more than 3,000 people in Chicago. As more Border Patrol agents move into Charlotte as part of a multi-agency effort in which Border Patrol agents are working collaboratively with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, Banks said his agency’s main priority remains the same. "No city in America is going to be a sanctuary city for anyone who is in this country illegally," Banks told NewsNation in an exclusive interview. "We are going to locate those in this country illegally. We’re going to prosecute them and deport them. There’s going to be more cities to come. This operation is not going to go away; it’s been highly successful."

AP [11/14/2025 6:00 PM, Carolyn Thompson, 31753K] reports a federal judge has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit challenging the city of Rochester, New York’s practices as a “sanctuary city.” Judge Frank Geraci ruled on Thursday that the lawsuit became moot when the city made changes to its policies, making them stronger, after the lawsuit was filed. He gave the Justice Department a month to amend its lawsuit to reflect the changes. The administration sued the western New York city in April, claiming its rules for city employees violate the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution by barring them from assisting in federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit was filed after Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said local police officers who had aided U.S. Border Patrol agents at a March traffic stop appeared to have violated city policy. But in Thursday’s ruling, Geraci said the 2017 policies that were targeted were no longer in effect, and that even though the versions approved in August reinforced the city’s self-designation as a sanctuary city, the lawsuit could not move forward as filed. He said the administration could file an amended complaint by Dec. 19, “presuming that the United States wishes to challenge the 2025 amendments on the same grounds as the 2017 directives.”

New York Times [11/14/2025 6:07 PM, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, Dana Rubinstein and Hamed Aleaziz, 135475K] reports the Trump administration has explored whether to use a Coast Guard facility on Staten Island to hold detained immigrants, a move that could expand the federal government’s detention capacity in New York as it seeks to escalate immigration roundups in the city. Last week, officials from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency visited the Coast Guard base on Fort Wadsworth, a former military installation overlooking New York Bay, to assess the site, according to a person familiar with the visit, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Two other people familiar with the discussions confirmed that ICE has considered the Staten Island facility. It is unclear if ICE has determined whether the site is a suitable place to hold detainees or if the agency will proceed with the idea. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, declined to comment. But the search for more bed space in New York comes amid speculation that President Trump will widen his immigration crackdown in the city following the election of Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and democratic socialist, as mayor. The idea of using the Coast Guard site to hold migrants for short periods quickly provoked a response from Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican from Staten Island, who said the base is ill-suited to hold detainees. Her office said that she had shared her concerns with Trump officials based on the site’s strategic importance for Coast Guard operations and significance as a historical landmark, and that she believed that ICE was disinclined to proceed. “The site is not suitable to house migrants,” Ms. Malliotakis said in a statement. “We’ve made this very clear, both publicly and privately, and we do not anticipate any such plans.” The Coast Guard’s office in New York did not respond to requests for comment.

Reuters [11/14/2025 2:27 PM, Sarah N. Lynch and Brad Heath, 36480K] reports that the U.S. Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors to provide examples of "unusual judicial system obstacles" they have faced during criminal or civil proceedings tied to immigration, assaults on law enforcement or "antifa," according to a government email reviewed by Reuters. The highly unusual request to collect examples of what the department sees as judicial pushback was sent on Thursday evening by a senior official in Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office to U.S. Attorneys. It suggests an escalation in a series of confrontations between federal district courts and the Trump administration. Trump and his allies have repeatedly called judges who have ruled against his administration "crooked," "conflicted" and "rogue." Many of the judges have been subjected to threats or harassment after issuing rulings against the Trump administration. A Justice Department spokesperson, when asked on Friday to comment on the email, reiterated criticism of certain judges’ actions. "Across the country, judicial activists - liberals in robes - continue to obstruct lawful efforts to protect the American people, even in cases where the Supreme Court has already made the law unmistakably clear," the spokesperson said.

Breitbart [11/14/2025 2:44 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2416K] reports that a federal judge ruled Thursday that New Jersey Democrat Representative LaMonica McIver must face trial for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer outside an immigration detention facility in Newark. U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper denied McIver’s demand to drop two of the three charges leveled against her. The judge rejected the Democrat’s claims that the charges were excessive due to a motive of political retribution, and that because she is an elected official she is immune from prosecution, Bloomberg reported. McIver was charged with assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers during a riot at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark in May. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba announced the charges, pointing out that that "no one is above the law." "After a thorough review of the video footage of Delaney Hall and a full investigation from HSI, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey had made the determination to charge Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers," Noem wrote in a post on X. "No one is above the law. If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” "We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation," Noem added. DHS later dismissed Mayor Baraka’s charges.

AP [11/14/2025 6:00 PM, Carolyn Thompson, 30493K] reports a federal judge has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit challenging the city of Rochester, New York’s practices as a "sanctuary city.” Judge Frank Geraci ruled on Thursday that the lawsuit became moot when the city made changes to its policies, making them stronger, after the lawsuit was filed. He gave the Justice Department a month to amend its lawsuit to reflect the changes. The administration sued the western New York city in April, claiming its rules for city employees violate the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution by barring them from assisting in federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit was filed after Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said local police officers who had aided U.S. Border Patrol agents at a March traffic stop appeared to have violated city policy. "The challenged law and policies are designed to deliberately impede federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities in those jurisdictions," the Justice Department wrote in the lawsuit, which sought to prevent the city from enforcing them. But in Thursday’s ruling, Geraci said the 2017 policies that were targeted were no longer in effect, and that even though the versions approved in August reinforced the city’s self-designation as a sanctuary city, the lawsuit could not move forward as filed. He said the administration could file an amended complaint by Dec. 19, "presuming that the United States wishes to challenge the 2025 amendments on the same grounds as the 2017 directives.” The Justice Department did not immediately say whether it would file an amended complaint. "The Department is in the process of reviewing the decision," a spokesman said via email Friday. "We will continue to enforce federal immigration law and work to eradicate harmful sanctuary policies across the country that are putting the American people at risk.” Rochester became a Sanctuary City in 1986 and reaffirmed the designation in 2017 during President Donald Trump’s first term. "The City intends to continue to fully comply with federal and state laws while vigorously preserving our local autonomy and rights under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," Evans said in a statement. The city sits less than 10 miles from Lake Ontario, which straddles the U.S.-Canadian border.

Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 6:46 PM, Steve Sadin, 4829K] reports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security closed its command center Friday afternoon at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago, ending a two-month-plus stay in conducting immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area as part of Operation Midway Blitz. Gregory Jackson, the chief of staff to North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., said he learned from an official at the naval base that DHS was leaving the building it has used as its command center since Sept. 5. It was not immediately clear what the closing of the naval station command center means to the future of federal immigration enforcement operations in Lake County and the rest of the Chicago area. Rockingham said everyone in Lake County can rest a little easier with DHS, the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leaving North Chicago. "The departing of DHS (and) ICE operations from Naval Station Great Lakes provides our residents, especially our Latino community, with a sigh of relief, but I am certain it does the same for Lake County," he said. For more than two months, federal immigration enforcement agents have apprehended hundreds of allegedly illegal residents in the Chicago area — some of whom were actually U.S. citizens — and, according to local officials, spread fear in the community. "Nothing positive can come from fear, and that is what has been prevalent in many communities throughout the greater Chicagoland area," Rockingham said. Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, whose city was the target of numerous raids by Border Patrol and ICE agents, said in an email Friday afternoon that his city’s values are unchanged, even as the immigration enforcement agents appear to be leaving Lake County.

NewsNation [11/14/2025 8:50 AM, Mills Hayes, 8017K] reports hundreds of people swept up in immigration raids across the Chicago area could be freed in a matter of days. The federal government faces a noon CST deadline to release 13 detainees after a judge ruled they were held in violation of a 2022 consent decree that prevents Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making arrests without a warrant. More than 600 other detainees in the area could be released as early as next week. The Department of Homeland Security must also decide whether any of the 615 people detained without warrants between June and October pose a danger or flight risk. So far, at least 313 of those detainees have been flagged as low-risk and eligible for release on a $1,500 bond and GPS monitoring, under that same settlement. Federal prosecutor William Weiland said at least 12 of the 615 people in federal custody pose a significant security risk, according to the Chicago Tribune. "This will allow a lot of people to return to their communities because they never should have been arrested in the first place," said Michelle Garcia, deputy legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. Those with a serious criminal history or deemed likely to flee will remain in federal custody.

Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 4:18 PM, Molly Morrow, 4829K] reports that after a lengthy debate, Batavia’s City Council in a split vote recently approved an ordinance banning federal immigration enforcement actions on city property, as President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown stretches into its third month. The ordinance — which generated comments, largely in support, from dozens of residents when the City Council discussed it last month — is one of many similar local measures being approved by municipalities in the Chicago area and its suburbs in the wake of the Trump administration’s surge of immigration law enforcement in Chicago, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz." Nearby Elgin, for example, recently passed a resolution limiting federal immigration enforcement on city property. Aurora, too, passed a similar measure on Wednesday. The ordinance passed Monday in Batavia adds to the city’s portion on restricted uses of city property in its municipal code. The first section of the ordinance approved Monday prohibits civil immigration enforcement staging, processing and operations on city-owned property, and allows the city administrator to share documented violations of its policy with local, county and state officials. Subsequent sections of the ordinance say that a judicial warrant should be presented when federal agents conduct federal civil immigration enforcement actions on city property, that federal agents must remove face coverings and ensure their badges are visible, and that the city will not permit the use of or provide access to city data to support or assist civil immigration enforcement.

New York Post [11/14/2025 11:30 AM, Chadwick Moore, 42219K] reports border cops deployed to Chicago are doing their best to put a lighthearted spin on the dangerous situation on the ground. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Midway Blitz has resulted in agents being shot at and met with resistance and violence daily — including being rammed with cars — as they round up gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers. "You know those signs that say ‘This many days since a workplace accident’? We have one of those for car rammings. It always stays at zero," one Border Patrol officer told The Post on a recent visit to Department of Homeland Security headquarters outside Chicago. And he’s being serious, telling The Post crazed activists really are running their cars into Border Patrol officers in the Windy City since the operation got underway on Sept. 8. And Border Patrol boss Greg Bovino says its not just the illegal criminals they are fighting, but the hostile attitude of the city and state leadership. "When you start calling us barbarians and Nazis and jackboots and things like that, that really appeals to those weaker minded people that are actually going to act on what a [Chicago Mayor Brandon] Johnson or a [Governor JB] Pritzker says," Bovino told The Post in an exclusive interview. "And instead of tamping down some of this rhetoric and this heated situation that’s out there, they’re increasing it. "Not just a little bit, but they’re increasing it a lot to, the point where people are taking their own vehicles and trying to kill Border Patrol agents right out in the open," Bovino, 55, said.

CBS Chicago [11/14/2025 7:48 PM, Sabrina Franza, Rebecca McCann and Christopher Selfridge, 39474K] Video: HERE reports the Trump administration has released the names of more than 600 people detained by immigration agents, and whose arrests might have violated a court order, and only 16 of them have been identified by the federal government as a "high public safety risk" because of their alleged criminal histories, according to court documents. The list includes names, country of citizenship and whether they’ve been deported, remain in custody or voluntarily deported. The list is topped by 16 people deemed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a "high public safety risk" because of their alleged criminal histories. Charges include aggravated assault, aggravated DUI, domestic battery and kidnapping. One person was deemed a national security risk, and another was identified as a "foreign criminal," but no details were given. The government was required to provide the list in court as a judge prepares to potentially release most of those people by next Friday, because their arrests potentially violated the terms of a court order restricting warrantless arrests. The disclosure comes as sources said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino left Chicago on Thursday, following two months of controversial enhanced immigration enforcement efforts under Operation Midway Blitz. The Department of Homeland Security has said more than 3,300 people have been arrested during the ongoing immigration enforcement effort in the Chicago area, Operation Midway Blitz. Meantime, it has been two weeks since Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she could provide a full list of names of people detained during Operation Midway Blitz. A federal judge is also waiting on the same list, but Homeland Security has yet to make that list public. The Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 6:21 PM, Jason Meisner, Madeline Buckley, Gregory Royal Pratt, Rebecca Johnson, and Laura Rodríguez Presa, 4829K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security has claimed since the outset of the operation that they were going after the "worst of the worst," including convicted murderers, rapists and other violent offenders who were allegedly taking advantage of Illinois’ sanctuary policies to terrorize the citizenry. But the government’s own data, provided in a filing posted to the public docket Friday, appeared to show otherwise. Of the 16 arrestees with criminal histories — or about 2.6% of the 614 people — five involved domestic battery, two were related to drunken driving, and one allegedly had an unidentified criminal history in another country. One person was deemed a national security risk, another had a narcotics conviction, and five more had been accused of various forms of battery, including two involving guns, the records indicated. No one had any convictions for murder or rape. Meanwhile, the other 598 people on the list had no listed criminal history at all. Another 42 people were still classified by the DHS has having a "high" security risk, though the reasons for that assessment were not explained. The government said in a supplemental filing later Friday that those with a high risk should remain in detention. The people on the list were all arrested by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prior to Oct. 7. In the coming weeks, the government was expected to produce a much lengthier list of more than 3,300 arrestees, including those arrested by Border Patrol later on in the operation.

AP [11/14/2025 2:59 PM, Jaimie Ding, 2983K] reports that a federal judge on Friday said the Trump administration is still violating detained immigrants’ constitutional rights by restricting their access to attorneys at a detention facility in Los Angeles and ordered the government to remedy the matter. Immigrant advocacy groups filed the lawsuit in July accusing the administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people in Southern California during its ongoing immigration crackdown. Immigrant advocates accused immigration officials of detaining someone based on their race, carrying out warrantless arrests, and denying detainees access to legal counsel at a holding facility in downtown LA. Judge Maame E. Frimpong in Los Angeles said the ruling builds on a temporary order in July that required the government to provide detainees with access to free confidential phone calls with their lawyers. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The judge said that the plaintiffs had provided evidence that the government had not fully abided by the July order. It required the detention facility to be open for attorney visitation seven days per week, for a minimum of eight hours per day on weekdays and a minimum of four hours per day on weekends and holidays. While the government has complied with that, the court also required officials to notify the plaintiffs in the lawsuit within four hours if they needed to close the detention facility for any reason, and that the closure not stretch longer than "reasonably necessary."

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [11/14/2025 3:55 PM, Brittny Mejia, 14862K]

Washington Examiner [11/14/2025 4:33 PM, Jack Birle, 1394K] reports California officials have asked a federal district judge to enjoin the Trump administration from using the National Guard in Los Angeles, arguing the high appeals court order allowing the federalization has been treated as a "blank check" to use the forces beyond the Golden State. In a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, officials argue that there is "no lawful basis" for keeping troops deployed as fiery protests of immigration enforcement operations have died down since their peak in June, when the deployment of National Guard troops began. A panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has allowed California National Guard troops to be federalized and deployed to Los Angeles to protect federal assets amid unruly immigration protests since June, after quickly halting U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer’s ruling blocking the deployment. The filing asks Breyer to issue a renewed injunction over subsequent extensions of the deployment, something the federal judge has declined to do so far, citing that the Ninth Circuit is still weighing the merits of the case.

CBS San Francisco [11/15/2025 1:56 AM, Kayla Moeller, 39474K] reports California is pulling 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given to immigrants. This comes following the discovery that the expiration dates on the licenses had passed the drivers’ legally allotted time to stay in the U.S. The federal government says California issued them illegally, while the state says the feds are overreaching. Now, some people in the trucking industry say they’re the ones caught in the middle. "I think the DMV of California messed it up, not those guys," said Parmander Dayal, former trucker and the owner of the 99 truck wash and smog check near Yuba City. Dayal says he’s already seeing licenses pulled. "Yeah, obviously, I’m going to lose some customers. There’s a lot of guys that will probably lose their licenses in the Yuba City area, too. So it’s going to have a huge impact," he said. The announcement comes on the heels of two crashes involving drivers from the Northern California area. Raman Dhillon, the CEO of the North American Punjabi Trucking Association, says the blame shouldn’t fall on all the drivers. "The cause of the problem is that your schools, your DMVs, they’re issuing licenses wrongfully. Schools are training people wrongfully. There’s a lot of factors involved. With one click, you take away licenses from all these people and disrupting the whole thing is not a wise decision," said Dhillon. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy put out a press release this week stating in part, "The California DMV has admitted to illegally issuing 17,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to dangerous foreign drivers.” Governor Gavin Newsom’s office says the revocation is not due to dangerous foreign drivers, but due to inconsistency with California law. It was discovered that these license expiration dates went past the drivers’ legally allotted time to stay in the United States. "Once again, Sean ‘Road Rules’ Duffy fails to share the truth - spreading easily disproven falsehoods in a sad and desperate attempt to please his dear leader," Newsom’s office said in a statement. "Doing it like this, not everyone is a culprit. Not everyone is a wrong person," said Dhillon. "Some people are in the business five, 10 years and they invested in trucks, bought the houses, bought all kinds of stuff with it.” The U.S. Department of Transportation says notices have been issued stating their license no longer meets federal requirements and will expire in 60 days. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/14/2025 5:34 PM, Ben Finley, 31753K] reports the U.S. military’s 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. military said Friday, coming as the Trump administration escalates its campaign in South American waters. The latest strike happened Monday, according to a social media post on Friday by U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America. The latest strike brings the death toll from the attacks that began in September to 80, with the Mexican Navy suspending its search for a survivor of a strike in late October after four days. Southern Command’s post on X shows a boat speeding over water before it’s engulfed in flames. The command said intelligence confirmed the vessel “was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.” Southern Command’s post marked a shift away from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s practice of typically announcing the attacks on social media, although he quickly reposted Southern Command’s statement. Hegseth had announced the previous two strikes on Monday after they had been carried out on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is expanding the U.S. military’s already large presence in the region by bringing in the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. The nation’s most advanced warship is expected to arrive in the coming days after traveling from the Mediterranean Sea. Hegseth on Thursday formally named the mission “Operation Southern Spear,” emphasizing the growing significance and permanence of the military’s presence in the region. Once the Ford arrives, the mission will encompass nearly a dozen Navy ships as well about 12,000 sailors and Marines.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [11/14/2025 4:23 PM, Mosheh Gains, Courtney Kube and Alexandra Marquez, 34509K]

CNN [11/15/2025 6:55 AM, Michael Rios and Sophie Tanno, 18595K] reports the United States will hold new military drills in Trinidad and Tobago for five day starting Sunday, the Caribbean nation says. The announcement followed a move by the US last month to send a guided-missile destroyer to the country for training exercises, a step that nearby Venezuela denounced as a “military provocation.” On Thursday, Trinidad and Tobago’s attorney general was quoted by the Financial Times as saying that the US would “intensify” exercises in the twin-island nation, which sits a few miles off the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign minister Sean Sobers on Friday denied that next week’s exercises would be a precursor to any potential US military action near the country, particularly in Venezuela. While there are signs of unease globally over US action in the region, the Caribbean nation’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has championed US presence and has feuded with Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. The drills will include the US Marine Corps’ 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, already deployed in the region to support what Washington says is a mission to “disrupt illicit drug trafficking” in the Caribbean. The government of Trinidad and Tobago said the exercises would allow US and its own troops to become familiar with each other’s tactics and techniques, and that its forces would be trained by the Americans to deal with domestic issues such as drug-related crime and gang violence.

Wall Street Journal [11/14/2025 5:34 PM, Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman, and Michael R. Gordon, 646K] reports a classified Justice Department brief authorizing strikes on drug-smuggling boats describes fentanyl as a potential chemical weapons threat, according to a House member and another person familiar with the memo. The lengthy document by the department’s Office of Legal Counsel outlines the Trump administration’s still-secret legal justification for the continuing military operation, which has sparked sharp criticism from Democrats and some Republicans since the strikes began in September. The mention of fentanyl is one of many points in the brief, which was drafted over the summer to justify the use of military force against drug traffickers. It notes that fentanyl has been weaponized in the past. In 2002, Russia used aerosolized fentanyl to quell a hostage crisis at a Moscow theater, killing more than 100 of the roughly 700 people being held in the rescue attempt. The legal case for military action doesn’t rest on concerns about chemical-weapons use by drug organizations, a Justice Department spokesman said. “The opinion explicitly states it doesn’t rely on the counterproliferation argument,” the spokesman said. The main argument in the memo is that President Trump’s designation of drug cartels as foreign terrorists makes them legitimate military targets, asserting that the groups are smuggling drugs to fund deadly and destabilizing actions against the U.S. and its allies, according to lawmakers and others who have read it. Venezuela, a base for one of the criminal groups designated as a terrorist organization, has long been a transit route for Colombian cocaine. There is no evidence it produces or traffics fentanyl, which is typically made in Mexico and smuggled over land, experts note.

New York Times [11/14/2025 9:45 PM, David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt, Tyler Pager and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, 135475K] reports the Trump administration is rapidly escalating its pressure campaign against Venezuela, with America’s largest aircraft carrier, the Ford, about to take up a position within striking distance of the country, even as President Trump’s aides provide conflicting accounts of what, exactly, they are seeking to achieve. Mr. Trump held back-to-back days of meetings at the White House over the past two days, reviewing military options, including the use of Special Operations forces and direct action inside Venezuela. It is still not clear whether Mr. Trump has made a decision about what kind of action to authorize, if any. On Friday, he told reporters on Air Force One that “I sort of made up my mind.” “I can’t tell you what it is,” he said, “but we made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.” It is possible Mr. Trump is relying on the arrival of so much firepower to intimidate the government of Nicolás Maduro, who the United States and many of its allies say is not Venezuela’s legitimate president. Mr. Maduro has put his forces on high alert, leaving the two countries with their weapons cocked and ready for war. There were signs that the administration was moving into a new and more aggressive posture. Shortly after a meeting on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media that the mission in the Caribbean now had a name — “Southern Spear.” He described its goal in expansive terms, saying the operation “removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere.” “The Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood,” he wrote, “and we will protect it.” With the arrival of the Ford and three accompanying missile-firing Navy destroyers, there are now 15,000 troops in the region, more than there have been at any time in decades. The only thing missing is a strategic explanation from the Trump administration that would clarify why the United States is amassing such a large force. Mr. Hegseth’s posting on X was only the latest in a series of statements from administration officials that, at best, are in tension with one another. Some are outright contradictory. Mr. Trump has been the most consistent, saying it is all about drugs. But that would not explain why the Ford was rushed from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean region, adding to an American force that has now reached 15,000 soldiers and sailors, to attack small boats that until early September had been intercepted by the Coast Guard. Nor would it explain why Colombia or Mexico — Mexico being the main conduit for fentanyl — are not in the Navy’s sights. So far, the United States has launched 20 strikes on speedboats, killing at least 80 people in an operation that legal experts said might violate international law. In private, Mr. Trump has talked to aides about Venezuela’s huge oil reserves, estimated at 300 billion barrels, the largest in the world. He had an offer from Mr. Maduro that would have essentially given the United States rights to much of it, without resorting to military action. Mr. Trump called off those talks, though on Friday a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation, said the talks were not entirely dead — and that the deployment of the aircraft carrier was a means to gain leverage over Mr. Maduro. If so, it would be a return to the era of “gunboat diplomacy,” a phrase that became popular in the 19th century as great powers used their naval capabilities to intimidate lesser powers — including Venezuela, which was the target of a European-led naval blockade from 1902 to 1903. Just as the blockade was ending, the U.S. Navy intervened to support Panama’s secession from Colombia, paving the way for the construction of the Panama Canal.

CBS News [11/14/2025 8:46 PM, Jennifer Jacobs, Margaret Brennan, 39474K] reports President Trump said Friday he’s "sort of" decided how to proceed on Venezuela, as top officials weigh potential military operations in the Latin American country. "I sort of have made up my mind" about the administration’s next steps in Venezuela, he told CBS News aboard Air Force One, but "I can’t tell you what it would be.” Top Trump administration officials, military and senior staff gathered at the White House for at least the third day in a row Friday to discuss possible military operations in Venezuela, according to sources familiar with the matter. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among those who spoke with Mr. Trump at the White House on Friday, the sources said. Venezuela was discussed as part of the president’s daily intelligence briefing on Wednesday. CBS News has previously reported that Hegseth, Caine and other military officials presented Mr. Trump on Wednesday with options for potential operations in Venezuela in the coming days, including possible strikes on land. Caine and others also briefed the president on Thursday. Friday’s session included a larger group, the sources said. At this point, the U.S. has not briefed allied countries on its precise intentions regarding Venezuela, two Western allies told CBS News. The U.S. has asserted that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is complicit with armed criminal gangs that smuggle drugs into the U.S., allegations that Maduro has rejected. And over the last two months, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against at least 21 vessels it alleges were ferrying drugs from South America to the U.S., killing at least 80 people. But some Western European countries with interests in Latin America have said they do not have specific information directly linking Maduro to any cartel, despite U.S. assertions and a 2020 federal indictment claiming Maduro is a top narco trafficker. Earlier this week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the U.S. strikes violate international law and law of the sea. "We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside," Barrot said in Ontario, at the G7 summit of foreign ministers. Earlier this week, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group entered the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. Southern Command is the primary combatant unit for operations in the Caribbean and South America. The Ford joins a flotilla of destroyers, war planes and special operations assets that are already in the region.

CNN [11/14/2025 8:01 PM, Patrick Oppmann, 606K] reports a Latin American strongman accused of drug trafficking and rigging elections openly defies the White House despite threats of military action. It was 1989 and the then military dictator of Panama Manuel Noriega, much like Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro today, had become public enemy number one in Washington, amid allegations that he took millions of dollars to allow drug cartels to operate in his country. The US invasion of Panama led to Noriega’s capture and restored democracy to the Central American nation. To some pushing for military action against Maduro, the Panama invasion seems like a model – however imperfect – for what the US is trying to accomplish in Venezuela. "Bush 41 took Panamanian leader Noriega down under similar circumstances," Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) posted on X Thursday. "There is a drug caliphate in our backyard that includes Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba. I am very glad President Trump is dedicated to ending this reign of terror," he added. Officials from all three countries have denied any ties to trafficking. Unlike Maduro, a committed socialist and longtime thorn in the side of US foreign policy aims in the region, Noriega, at least initially, presented himself as a US ally. Through much of his bloody rise to power in Panama – the small but geopolitically key country with its canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans – Noriega was a CIA asset, assisting to stamp out the spread of leftist governments in Latin America. But as CIA arms flowed through Panama to support anti-communist rebels in Central America, Noriega had a secret: He was also allowing tons of cocaine to pass north to the US. Noriega’s fungible loyalties led former US Ambassador to Panama Ambler Moss to declare of the Panamanian dictator, "You can’t buy him, but you can sure as hell rent him.” By 1989 Noriega’s double dealing and brutal crackdown on civil society led to Washington issuing an ultimatum: Go into exile or else. Like Maduro today – who vehemently denies US allegations of drug trafficking – Noriega had to choose whether to flee or face off with a military far superior to his own.

Washington Post [11/15/2025 5:00 AM, Karen DeYoung, 32099K] reports last week, after President Donald Trump made clear he was not intending to show up, the Dominican Republic announced the postponement of the Summit of the Americas, the triennial gathering of Western Hemisphere leaders to address shared priorities and concerns. “Deep divisions … currently hinder productive dialogue,” the Foreign Ministry said, noting that the meeting it was due to host in early December would be rescheduled. The White House had indicated that the event conflicted with Trump’s plans to be at the final draw for the 2026 World Cup, slated to be held Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center. Trump’s withdrawal came as fewer than half of the 29 countries that have participated in past summits had agreed to attend, according to regional officials familiar with the planning, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss hemispheric tensions. But even without his presence, Trump’s policies promised a diplomatic slugfest. His transactional approach — benefits for those who cooperate and punishment for those who criticize or impede his plans — has forged a deep chasm among Latin American governments. Having the summit now, one senior Latin American official said, was “not conducive to having a friendly meeting of any type. … The atmosphere … is just toxic.”

Washington Examiner [11/14/2025 1:49 PM, David Zimmermann, 1394K] reports that just over half of Americans oppose the Trump administration’s military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean region and Pacific Ocean, according to a new poll released Friday. Fifty-one percent of respondents for the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey said they were opposed to the military operations that have been killing alleged drug traffickers, who work for drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations, without the involvement of a court or judge. Only 29% of all respondents said they supported the strikes. The issue reflects a partisan divide. A majority of Republicans, 58%, supported the extrajudicial approach, and a minority of Democrats, 8%, answered the same. The poll demonstrates how unpopular the strikes ordered by President Donald Trump are among American citizens. So far, at least 80 people have been killed in 20 drone strikes since they started in early September. South American leaders have also criticized the strikes, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleging an ordinary fisherman was killed in international waters. "All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists, as affirmed by U.S. intelligence, bringing deadly poison to our shores," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, "and the president will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice."

Daily Caller [11/14/2025 3:12 PM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports Kilmar Abrego Garcia allegedly called a convicted migrant smuggler and another co-conspirator hundreds of times in a single year while running a human smuggling operation. Federal prosecutors allege Abrego Garcia, an illegal migrant who has become one of the biggest names in the Trump administration’s national deportation agenda, used multiple phones to communicate with co-conspirators while smuggling foreign nationals across the U.S., according to court documents. The Salvadoran national purportedly called Jose Hernandez-Reyes, an illegal migrant previously convicted of alien smuggling, and another co-conspirator more than 500 times in 2022 alone. The details were submitted in court as the Trump administration says it’s accumulated mounting evidence that Abrego Garcia participated in a years-long conspiracy to smuggle illegal migrants across the southern border while he lived unlawfully in the U.S. The charges stem from a December 2022 traffic stop in which Tennessee Highway Patrol officers suspected Abrego Garcia of human smuggling upon noticing he was driving at least eight passengers across the country with no luggage. Not only was Abrego Garcia driving a vehicle owned by Hernandez-Reyes, but prosecutors say cell phone data indicates he called the convicted human smuggler that very night. Abrego Garcia has denied the human smuggling accusations, chalking up the charges as vindictive prosecution by the Trump administration.

Univision [11/14/2025 10:04 AM, Patricia Clarembaux, 5004K] reports at ‘Alligator Alcatraz ,’ little has changed regarding detention conditions and access to legal counsel for the immigrants held there. Immigration attorney Zachary Perez has represented more than a dozen people confined in this state-run facility. He now has three clients, and believes they remain exposed to the same "level of injustice" he has witnessed since its rushed opening on July 1, 2025. The only change he identifies—and which is confirmed by other lawyers and an activist—is that his clients can be located at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) online search engine. Beyond that, he says over the phone, there are "the same difficulties as in July." “Getting a phone call, even for just five minutes, with our clients is an ordeal,” he tells Univision News. If he sends an email with a request, it’s common to receive a response like, “Your email went to the spam folder and there’s no one there to review it.” He says he’s sent documents to his clients but doesn’t believe they’ve even been shown them: “I try and try… I don’t think anyone bothered to print them out or show them on a tablet.” And when the hearings arrive at the ICE Krome processing center—established as the immigration court for “Alligator Alcatraz”—he doesn’t know if his clients will be brought in by the government itself: it’s happened before that they didn’t show up. Pérez says that the immigrants are afraid their conversations are being overheard: "They are being watched by someone they don’t trust."

APNews.com [11/14/2025 8:57 AM, Edward Acquah and Mark Banchereau, 31753K] reports nineteen West African nationals deported by the U.S. to Ghana have been moved to an unknown location, a lawyer for one of the deportees said. Ana Dionne-Lanier, who represents one of the nationals, told The Associated Press on Thursday the group arrived in Ghana on Nov. 5 and were put in a hotel. They are protected from deportation to their home countries due to the risk of torture, persecution or inhumane treatment, she said. “We don’t know the location of any of them,” Dionne-Lanier said, adding that neither she nor her client’s family has been able to reach him. She said part of the group was sent by bus to an unknown border location between last weekend and Monday, while a second group, which included her client, was moved “under heavy armed guard” from the hotel around Wednesday. The Ghanaian government didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

NPR [11/14/2025 4:57 PM, Erika Beras, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports Planet Money talks to immigrants in the U.S. and people in Honduras to try to figure out why remittances are surging to some countries right as it is harder for immigrants here to find work.

Washington Post [11/14/2025 5:00 AM, Maria Sacchetti, Marianne LeVine, Siobhán O’Grady, and John Hudson, 24149K] reports the Trump administration is preparing to deport some Ukrainians with final orders of removal back to their war-ravaged homeland as the government seeks to ramp up deportations and Ukraine moves to tighten its relationship with Washington. The Justice Department said in a court filing Wednesday that the government has plans to deport Roman Surovtsev, 41, to Ukraine as early as Monday. His attorneys said it appears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be attempting to remove “a significant number” of Ukrainian nationals and that other detainees are being told they will be removed “via military flights to Ukraine or Poland on Monday.” Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, said the embassy is aware of “approximately 80 Ukrainian nationals” who have final orders of removal “due to violations of U.S. law.” She said U.S. authorities were working on the logistical arrangements to carry out removals, “taking into account the absence of direct international air service to Ukraine.” “It should be noted that deportation is a widely used legal mechanism provided for by the immigration laws of most countries around the world,” Stefanishyna said. “It is a routine procedure applied to all foreign nationals and stateless persons who violate the terms of their stay in the United States, regardless of their nationality.” Ukraine has a history of not fully cooperating with U.S. efforts to remove certain immigrants, such as Surovtsev, who was born under the Soviet Union and whose citizenship has been unclear for decades. But that may be changing as Ukraine strains to fend off Russian attacks, recruit soldiers and retain support from Washington. “The U.S. can deport as many as they want,” said an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a policy matter. “We’ll find good use for them.” Surovtsev’s lawyers, Eric Lee and Chris Godshall-Bennett, said they are worried that Ukrainians and other former citizens of the Soviet Union are at risk of being removed without being given a chance to protest their deportations.

NPR [11/14/2025 5:09 PM, Linah Mohammad, Scott Detrow, Jeanette Woods, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports Norman Rockwell’s granddaughter Daisy has condemned the Department of Homeland Security’s use of his paintings, saying DHS is misappropriating his art to support policies he would not have endorsed.

The Washington Examiner [11/14/2025 7:38 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 1394K] reports White House border czar Tom Homan criticized the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday after they issued a statement earlier this week opposing "the indiscriminate mass deportation of people.” "The Catholic Church is wrong," Homan told reporters at the White House. "I’m a lifelong Catholic, but I’m saying it not only as a border czar, but I’m also saying this as a Catholic," he added. The conference said it was its first time in 12 years to invoke a "particularly urgent way of speaking" to address immigration. The body overwhelmingly approved the special message. "We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. 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," the message said in part. "Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation," they continued. "We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity.” Both Pope Leo XIV and the late Pope Francis had expressed their concerns about immigration enforcement in the United States. Leo compared the immigration debate to abortion last month. "Someone who says I’m against abortion but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life," Pope Leo said. "And someone who says I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.” Homan argued that a secure border ensures the safety of Americans. "A secure border saves lives. We’re going to enforce the law, and by doing that, we save a lot of lives," Homan said Friday. "ICE is sending a message to the whole world.” The Hill [11/14/2025 3:43 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K] reports "A secure border saves lives. We’re going to enforce the law and by doing that we save a lot of lives," Homan said Friday. "ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] is sending a message to the whole world.” As a result of the stepped-up enforcement measures, southern border crossings have significantly dropped from previous years. Homan said Friday, "They have a right to protest, have at it. You have the right to protest, just don’t cross the line. "If people would just look at the data and see that the vast majority of what ICE is doing is public safety threats. A lot of media say that a lot of people in ICE detention aren’t criminals — wrong," he added. "A lot of these people are national security threats, a lot of them don’t have criminal history records. It’s not okay to be in the country illegally. It’s a crime.”

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [11/14/2025 6:18 PM, Ruben Vives, 14862K]

Federalist [11/14/2025 10:54 AM, Joy Pullmann, 785K] reports Indiana’s attorney general took two major enforcement actions this week targeting potential migrant trafficking. This week, Todd Rokita’s office sent subpoenas to several Indiana entities, including Fort Wayne, the state’s second-largest city; Amazon; and Catholic Charities. "I believe these entities have vital information to root out labor trafficking right here," Rokita said in a press conference at the Allen County courthouse Nov. 13. His office declined to disclose the subpoena contents beyond mentioning business, financial, and client records and relationships, saying confidentiality is legally required because subpoenas do not accuse recipients of wrongdoing but solely seek information. On Nov. 6, Rokita’s office sued the state’s second-largest school district, Indianapolis, over its alleged refusal to comply with a state anti-sanctuary law: "In our estimation, they are clearly operating a sanctuary jurisdiction," Rokita said in response to a Federalist question. So-called "sanctuary" policies that nullify federal immigration laws are illegal under a 2024 Indiana law that gave the attorney general’s office power to sue entities for noncompliance. "[S]chool policies that limit cooperation and communication with federal immigration authorities create incentives for criminal illegal aliens to exploit school locations as havens in which to evade detection by federal authorities," the AG’s lawsuit says.

Washington Examiner [11/15/2025 5:00 AM, Staff, 1394K] reports first in Washington, D.C., and now in Memphis, President Donald Trump has surged federal law enforcement officers and National Guard to high-crime neighborhoods, and the results have been unequivocally successful: lower crime, safer streets, and a quiet but telling rise in law-abiding behavior. When Trump first announced his law enforcement surge for the district, Democrats lost their minds, as though crime were a good thing. At large D.C. Council member Robert White called it an “occupation” and “the opening move in a national move toward authoritarianism.” Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) called Trump a “dictator” who was “pushing democracy to the brink.” There was a lot more nonsense where that came from. Four weeks later, however, Mayor Muriel Bowser was thanking Trump. “We know that we have had fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides, and we have experienced an extreme reduction in carjackings,” Bowser said. “We greatly appreciate the surge of officers.” According to the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department data, compared to the previous year, violent crime fell by half during Trump’s surge — burglaries were down by 48%, and car thefts were down by 36%. Fare evasion became nonexistent at the Metro as National Guard troops were visibly present at every gate.

Bloomberg [11/14/2025 6:00 AM, Staff, 18207K] reports America’s enemies are growing bolder and more sophisticated in cyberspace. To fend them off, the government must stop unilaterally disarming. Two recent reports underscore the danger. In mid-October, Seattle-based cybersecurity firm F5 Inc. acknowledged a “catastrophic” breach of its systems, which may have allowed Chinese hackers to penetrate networks used by federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies. Less than a week later, a congressionally mandated watchdog, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, warned that US cyber readiness had for the first time regressed since the body was formed five years ago. Nearly a quarter of the group’s recommendations judged to have been “fully implemented” had lost that status. Much of the damage has occurred at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, responsible for coordinating defense of the nation’s civilian networks. Launched in 2018, the agency has generally won plaudits for helping secure election systems around the country, providing early warning of attacks, and helping companies and infrastructure managers bolster their cyberdefenses. Since January, the agency has lost nearly a third of its personnel — including most of its senior staff — to layoffs, buyouts and early resignations. About two-thirds of the remaining employees were furloughed during the government shutdown, while others have been transferred to agencies focused on deportations. At one point, fewer than 900 were still on the job. Although the White House defends the cuts as streamlining the agency’s mission, cybersecurity professionals and members of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission are alarmed.

USA Today [11/15/2025 4:01 AM, Jonathan Jean-Baptiste, 67103K] reports that, when I read headlines about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and National Guard deployments in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, – and now possibly Charlotte, North Carolina, and New Orleans – childhood trauma resurfaces. As a Black, first-generation citizen born in the United States, who grew up in an overpoliced immigrant community, I feel echoes of painful memories. I lived in a mixed-immigration status household in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, a melting pot of Caribbean ethnicities including St. Lucian, Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican and Guyanese. I was always struck by how normal the militarization of our neighborhood seemed to some locals, even though it was anything but. When I visited Manhattan or somewhere more racially diverse, I noticed people there didn’t face constant police checkpoints, frequent stops or fear of armed officers – conditions proven to traumatize those repeatedly exposed to them. I’m extremely disappointed when I hear some Black Americans say this war on immigrants doesn’t affect them or isn’t their fight – when our communities have frequently been overpoliced, too. Let’s remember alliances between immigrant and Black communities have historically advanced all civil rights movements. Additionally, Black communities are being terrorized right before our eyes as well. In early October, federal agents raided an apartment complex in Chicago’s predominantly Black South Side with the stated intention of arresting undocumented residents who might have warrants. The Department of Homeland Security called it “Operation Midway Blitz.” They ultimately arrested many Black residents, according to a witness, with four U.S.-citizen children among those taken. Those children weren’t criminals, but they witnessed ICE agents without warrants break down doors and zip-tie neighbors for hours, a trauma likely to last a lifetime. According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 5 Black people in the United States is either an immigrant or the child of one. And, unfortunately, Black immigrants tend to face disproportionate enforcement compared with their peers. Analysis of federal data by the Black Alliance for Just Immigration shows that Black immigrants with a criminal conviction have a 76% chance of being deported compared with 45% of the overall immigrant population with criminal convictions. If you’re Caribbean, that chance is 83%.If there ever was a time for solidarity, the time is now. The end of due process for immigrants is the end of due process for everyone. But I must admit, I have particularly deep concern for the psychological and emotional well-being of youth who experience ICE and Border Patrol raids in their neighborhoods. Those experiences can shape a young person’s sense of belonging and cause them to associate their own home or community with danger or punishment. It can even create lasting fear, confusion or distrust in law enforcement. At Children’s Defense Fund-New York, where I work, we are intentional about ensuring that young people are equipped with the knowledge they need to vote, volunteer and engage in civics later in life. The situation facing America’s immigrants now serves as an opportunity for Black children to see their parents be good leaders and speak out against injustice. Once children see what their parents are capable of, they learn they can do the same. Leaders raise leaders.

The Hill [11/14/2025 7:30 AM, Fabián Basabe, 12595K] reports the arrest of a Florida man who made online death threats against ICE officers should be a wake-up call to every American. Free speech is sacred, but threats and incitements to violence are not speech — they are crimes. This man’s action was not one of courage. It was weakness hiding behind a screen, pretending to be strength. The suspect in this crime — who is innocent until proven guilty — allegedly posed online as clean cut, polished, and put together. In reality, he is anything but. That staged image was a mask for anger and resentment — a desperate attempt to look powerful while attacking those who actually serve their country. He is alleged to have posted the following threats and incitements to violence against ICE agents: “Shoot the ICE Nazis down like the rabid dogs they are” “Just get a gun and shoot the ICE Nazis down” “Start by shooting ice thugs dead” “Shoot those ice thugs dead” “Shoot the ICE agents down.” “They come near me, and I shoot to kill. Be warned” “Shoot these thugs dead” “Get out your guns and shoot them down” “Shoot ICE Gestapo dead” That is not bravery. It is moral failure. Florida takes the safety of our law enforcement seriously. We have strengthened penalties for assaulting officers, expanded protections for their families, and made it clear that threats made online or in-person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. When you attack an officer, you attack the rule of law itself, and in our state we defend both.

USA Today [11/14/2025 5:07 AM, Mark T. Esper, 67103K] reports President Donald Trump has made it clear that the safety and security of the American people are not up for debate. His tough measures to secure the southern border and ongoing military actions against alleged drug traffickers are proof positive of this. The United States is sending a clear signal that it will not tolerate bad behavior in its hemisphere. While some measures are controversial, if not legally dubious, they are part of a broader truth: Regional security demands not only American strength and focus, but also shared action and responsibility by our partners. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum seems to understand that message. Despite sharp rhetoric between our two countries at times, she has cooperated with President Trump. Under her leadership, the Mexican government has extradited key cartel leaders, deployed troops to help secure the border and resisted the temptation to overreact when the White House imposed tariffs on Mexican goods. I agree with President Trump on some issues and disagree with him on others. Border security is one, however, where he is right to apply appropriate pressure. Our southern neighbors must uphold their end of the bargain when it comes to addressing regional threats. Mexico needs to be a stronger partner to ensure border security.

NewsMax [11/14/2025 6:14 PM, Michael Katz, 4109K] reports the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Friday the arrests of several illegal immigrants, including those convicted of sexual crimes against children, kidnapping, injury to a child, and sexual battery, Newsmax has learned. "Our law enforcement officers risk their lives every single day to arrest the worst of the worst," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. "Just yesterday, we arrested illegal alien pedophiles, kidnappers, and child abusers.” The spokesperson added that President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem "are rapidly removing dangerous illegal alien child predators, rapists, and sex offenders from our streets. These dirtbags should have never been able to step foot in America.” DHS said Thursday’s arrests include: Jorge Luis Rodriguez-Perez, an illegal alien from Cuba, convicted of having oral sex with a child under 14 and robbery in Los Angeles. Alexander Alarcon-Servellon, an illegal alien from El Salvador, convicted of indecent liberties with a child in Cabarrus County, North Carolina.

NBC News [11/14/2025 6:07 PM, Laura Strickler and Julia Ainsley, 34509K] reports Immigration Customs and Enforcement has yet to purchase new translation technology it promised nearly four months ago would replace a Spanish language course requirement for officers as part of an effort to speed up the agency’s hiring process, according to two Homeland Security Department officials. In August, ICE officials told reporters that the agency had purchased new "robust translation services" for officers to use in the field while pursuing immigration arrests as part of President Donald Trump’s deportations policy. Caleb Vitello, who was the head of training for new ICE recruits at the time, described the new technology as "so much more efficient" than the five-week-long Spanish course. ICE had considered providing officers with body-worn translation services, powered by AI, that can be used on body cameras but has not purchased any, the two DHS official said. The lack of Spanish classes or the body-worn translation devices for new ICE officers as they carry out arrests has sparked concern about potential communication misunderstandings that could endanger the agents and people in the communities they are targeting, the officials said. The Trump administration has sought to speed up ICE’s hiring process to meet its goal of hiring 10,000 new officers by the end of the year. An ICE spokesperson said in a statement that ICE has replaced the five-week Spanish course that was until July required for new officers with "a more robust translation service," but declined to say what type of translation services the agency provides. The U.S. Border Patrol still mandates Spanish training for new agents, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

CNN [11/15/2025 5:00 AM, Josh Campbell, 18595K] reports that, mere hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot a suspect last month – wounding a member of the arrest team in the process – the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles effectively exonerated the agent who opened fire. "PSA: A vehicle is a deadly weapon," First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. "Using it against law enforcement justifies their use of deadly force in self-defense.” Essayli alleged the man who was shot had rammed his car into vehicles driven by immigration agents trying to arrest him, "causing agents to worry for their safety," and prompting one of them to discharge his weapon, wounding the man and, inadvertently, a deputy US marshal. Under policy, immigration agents can use deadly force against someone who poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. Still, federal law enforcement agencies have historically spent weeks or even months conducting exhaustive investigations before deciding whether an agent’s use of force was appropriate. But after recent high-profile use of force encounters, federal officials have rushed to offer full-throated defenses of immigration agents, raising questions about whether previously enshrined mechanisms meant to hold law enforcement accountable for wrongdoing have been all but abandoned in President Donald Trump’s second term. The administration has argued agents are immune to prosecution by state or local officials. And any federal prosecutions seem unlikely due to Trump’s installation of political loyalists atop the Justice Department and FBI – the agencies traditionally tasked with investigating and prosecuting suspected civil rights violations by law enforcement. And since many immigration agents typically do not wear body cameras — a point of contention that has at times led to intense friction among the enforcers themselves — there has often been scant ability to verify competing narratives following use of force incidents. "If it’s purely the ICE agent’s word against someone else, game over," one federal law enforcement source said. "Unless it’s beyond egregious and on film, they are basically untouchable.” A Presbyterian minister said he was praying outside a suburban ICE facility during demonstrations there last month when he was struck in the head by pepper balls. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the protesters had blocked an ICE vehicle from leaving the facility and threw rocks and bottles and launched fireworks at agents – a claim the pastor disputed.

FOX News [11/14/2025 4:52 PM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE reports ‘Border czar’ Tom Homan weighs in on a violent incident at a Chicago I.C.E. facility that led to arrests on ‘The Will Cain Show.’

ABC News [11/14/2025 6:47 PM, Laura Romero and Meredith Deliso, 30493K] reports the undocumented man allegedly helped by a Minnesota judge to evade arrest at a Milwaukee courthouse has been deported, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and charged in a two-count federal indictment alleging obstruction of official DHS removal proceedings and knowingly concealing the man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, from immigration authorities. According to federal prosecutors, Dugan encountered federal agents who were at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on April 18 to arrest Flores-Ruiz, who was appearing in her courtroom on a battery charge. Prosecutors say that after speaking to the agents, Dugan directed them to the chief judge’s office down the hall and then sent Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a non-public door in an alleged attempt, authorities claim, to help him evade arrest on immigration violations. Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, was later arrested and charged with unlawful reentry into the U.S. ICE removed him on Thursday, according to DHS. DHS said Flores-Ruiz illegally entered the U.S. twice and has a "violent criminal history including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse.” "Judge Hannah Dugan’s actions to obstruct this violent criminal’s arrest take ‘activist judge’ to a whole new meaning," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Friday. "Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal is OUT of our country.

Reported similarly:
AP [11/14/2025 6:06 PM, Todd Richmond, 19051K]

Washington Examiner [11/15/2025 5:00 AM, Cooper Smith, 1394K] reports on October 22, progressive members of the House Oversight Committee launched an investigation into the Department of Homeland Security, claiming that “at least 170 U.S. citizens have been unlawfully detained by the agency.” Within hours, other politicians and media figures quickly piled on, repeatedly accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers of breaking the law by wrongfully arresting American citizens, rather than illegal aliens. The message they sent was clear: President Donald Trump and DHS are acting as rogue authoritarians, callously arresting those who oppose their political agenda. This narrative is nothing new. Smearing DHS and the president, especially with respect to immigration policy, is designed to score political points whilst ignoring public safety. But their claims collapse under basic scrutiny. The Oversight Committee’s letter cites a ProPublica report published on Oct. 16, which claims to identify “more than 170 cases this year where citizens were detained at raids and protests.” As usual with the media outrage machine, they failed to read the full report — and federal law.

New York Times [11/14/2025 5:16 PM, Miriam Jordan, 135475K] reports on a recent evening in Fulton, N.Y., an industrial town that straddles the Oswego River, Maribel Lopez’s three children huddled around a cellphone glowing on the kitchen table. She smiled at them from thousands of miles away, wiping away tears. Ms. Lopez has been separated from her children since early September, when federal agents raided the nutrition-bar factory where she worked in Central New York. Ms. Lopez was detained and deported to Guatemala, leaving behind her 2-year-old son. Ms. Lopez was supposed to be protected from deportation because she had a pending asylum case on appeal, after fleeing years of abuse in her home country. With immigration agents under intense pressure to deport thousands of people each day, Ms. Lopez was pushed through the system swiftly and was deported within four days of the factory raid. As a result, Jorge is now cared for by two siblings who are barely adults themselves. The government returned Ms. Lopez to the United States late on Thursday because of the mistake. But she is still apart from him, held in a detention center while her asylum appeal works its way through the courts. The case is one of a growing number of family separations that, to some, recall the policies of the first Trump administration, when children were pried from their parents’ arms soon after they crossed the southern border into the United States. Immigration officials say parents who are being deported are given the option of bringing their U.S. born children with them as they are removed from the country. But Ms. Lopez said she was offered no such choice. Rather, her deportation was an error, email communications between her lawyers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicate, and the speed at which it took place appears to have separated her from her son. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said that ICE, which carries out deportations, “does not separate families.”

Newsmax [11/14/2025 2:32 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K] reports cooperation exhibited by Florida state and local law enforcement officials with federal officers is "in sharp comparison" to that seen in Illinois, Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Relations Lauren Bis told Newsmax on Friday. Appearing on "Newsline," Bis told host Bianca de la Garza that DHS officers carrying out Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois have faced riots, harassment, and even attempted assaults outside the Broadview detention facility near Chicago. The crackdown, launched in September to target criminal illegal migrants drawn to the state’s sanctuary policies, has led to more than 4,000 arrests, she said, including murderers, rapists and pedophiles. "These are people that no one should want loose in their communities," Bis said, arguing that the operation has helped drive a sharp decline in crime in Chicago, where official data shows homicides and shootings down by roughly a third this year. Bis blasted Democrat officials for undermining front-line officers. She addressed video released by DHS showing an aide to Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., allegedly posing as an attorney at an ICE facility and attempting to free a Mexican national who had been deported four times and had a DUI conviction. The staffer, she said, filled out a DHS form claiming legal representation even though "for all we know, we can’t verify that he is" a lawyer. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has formally asked Duckworth’s office for an explanation, Bis noted, but "we’re waiting for a response." By contrast, Bis said, Florida officials have become a model of cooperation. Operation Dirtbag, a joint effort between DHS and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, resulted in the arrest of more than 230 illegal aliens, including at least 150 sex offenders and other violent criminals. "These were child predators, attempted murderers that were loose in American neighborhoods," she said. "Thanks to our partnership, they are now off our streets and will soon be out of our country."

News Max [11/14/2025 2:09 PM, Theodore Bunker, 4109K] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan told Newsmax on Friday that a major operation in Florida led to more than 230 arrests, including 150 suspects accused of sexual crimes against children. Sheahan, in an interview with Newsmax’s "National Report," credited the success of "Operation Dirtbag" to the leadership of President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She emphasized that partnerships under the agency’s 287(g) program allowed ICE to coordinate closely with state and local law enforcement. "Our job as law enforcement is to protect the most vulnerable," Sheahan said. The 10-day operation, conducted with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, targeted "the worst of the worst" criminal illegal aliens. Sheahan said the partnership with Florida serves as a national model for cooperation between federal and state governments. She also criticized sanctuary policies in states such as Illinois and California, saying they attract criminal illegal migrants who "know that they’re safe." Despite those challenges, she said ICE agents will continue enforcement efforts in those areas, even without state or local cooperation. Sheahan said "Operation Dirtbag" reflects the broader law enforcement momentum under Trump’s direction. She noted that more than 1.7 million people nationwide have final removal orders and accused previous administrations’ open-border policies of making enforcement more difficult.

Washington Examiner [11/15/2025 6:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K] reports Florida state troopers have arrested 6,200 illegal immigrants off the streets and turned them over to federal immigration authorities for deportation proceedings, the Washington Examiner has learned. Florida Highway Patrol officers have arrested thousands across the state since Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) directed state and local police to assist Department of Homeland Security agencies, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles spokesman Gatlin Nennstiel told the Washington Examiner in an email on Friday. The figure puts the state at the forefront of red state efforts to help the Trump administration carry out its nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration. “The state of Florida is leading. We’re showing what can be done when you work collaboratively with the federal government on an issue that’s very, very important to so many people,” DeSantis said in a video message posted to X Thursday. The governor’s statement followed an announcement from ICE of the arrests of 150 illegal immigrants in Florida who are known sex offenders.

Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 11:26 AM, Jim Woods, 4829K] reports during Monday’s snowstorm, an Indiana State Police trooper’s routine traffic stop on Ind. 49 in Valparaiso turned into a major drug trafficking case with the discovery of 11.64 pounds of cocaine, according to police. Daniel Aguilar Ramirez, 35, of Turlock, Calif., is charged with a Level 2 felony of dealing cocaine. Ramirez told the trooper that he had recently moved to Knox but had not yet obtained an Indiana driver’s license. A further check found that he was an undocumented immigrant, which led to a detainer being filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Indiana State Police said in a release.

The AP [11/14/2025 5:11 PM, Staff, 34509K] reports that authorities arrested 21 protesters Friday outside a Chicago-area federal immigration facility that activists say functions as a de facto detention center and is plagued by inhumane conditions. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said the arrests were made by midday, and that it was working on verifying identities and potential charges. The mayor of Broadview, Katrina Thompson, said four officers were injured in the confrontation. "The violence by out-of-town protesters that has led to two Village of Broadview police officers, one Illinois State police officer, and a Cook County Sheriff’s deputy being injured this morning, with the two Broadview officers and the sheriff’s deputy being transported to Loyola hospital, is unacceptable and outrageous," Thompson said in a statement. "I have repeatedly pleaded to protesters to raise their voices, not their fists. They have chosen their fists." Just moments before the clash, demonstrators were singing and chanting. Around 10 a.m., a large group, knowing they were going to be arrested, allegedly crossed the protest barrier and attempted to walk up toward the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. The officers included Illinois State Police and Cook County sheriffs’ police. The aggressive tactics used by agents from Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have repeatedly come under fire through legal challenges as well as street protests. The New York Post [11/14/2025 2:34 PM, Michael Dorgan, 42219K] reports large crowd of protesters had gathered outside the facility, some waving placards reading "God Demands Freedom" and "Protest Is Patriotic," while others held colorful signs shaped like butterflies. A group then tried to move beyond concrete barriers and walk down the street toward the ICE facility, a move police considered a major violation, according to sources. Last week, a group known as the "Suburban Moms" staged a peaceful sit-in on the same street. The scene appeared to calm later in the afternoon, with no additional arrests reported. Those detained were taken to the Broadview ICE Processing Facility, officials said. Reuters [11/14/2025 2:48 PM, Eric Cox and Diana Novak Jones, 36480K] reports Michael Woolf, minister at Lake Street Church of Evanston, was among those arrested, a Reuters photo showed. The ICE center in Broadview has become a flashpoint for Chicago activists opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city, a Democratic stronghold that limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Since Trump intensified ICE operations in Chicago in September, demonstrators have regularly clashed with authorities, who have fired tear gas, less-lethal rounds, flash-bang grenades and pepper balls. A federal judge in October reined in some aggressive crowd-control tactics used by ICE and Border Patrol in the city, including the deployment of tear gas without adequate warning. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Friday’s protests. The Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 5:31 PM, Madeline Buckley, 4829K] reports the Broadview officers and sheriff’s deputy were taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. A spokeswoman for the Illinois State Police said the trooper was treated on scene for minor injuries.

Reported similarly:
AP [11/14/2025 5:05 PM, Nam Y. Huh, 31753K]
Blaze [11/14/2025 4:58 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K]

Washington Times [11/14/2025 1:31 PM, Staff, 852K] reports ICE is drawing a hard line on dental hygiene for migrants in short-term processing facilities, telling federal judges that toothbrushes pose too much danger to hand out freely. “Due to health and safety concerns, it is not advisable to provide everyone with a toothbrush as they can be used as weapons, or to destroy property,” the government told a judge overseeing conditions at a facility near Chicago. The toothbrush skirmish reflects a larger battle over migrant detention and ICE itself. The agency survived calls for its abolition during the first Trump administration but again faces criticism from Democrats who compare it to “Nazis,” activists who accuse it of “kidnapping,” and federal judges struggling with immigration law complications. Facilities like Broadview in Chicago’s suburbs have become focal points. Migrants report spending days in cells smelling like urine, without mattresses or soap. One detainee said an officer grabbed his head and pressured him to sign deportation papers. Federal judges have ordered improvements, including toothbrushes. ICE initially offered dental wipes instead, then said it would provide toothbrushes upon request. The agency is now exploring specialized brushes with flexible handles that bend under slight pressure — products already used in prisons and jails.

Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 6:45 PM, Sam Charles, 4829K] reports the Chicago Police Department on Friday released 13 heavily redacted body camera videos depicting the initial response to a crash and shooting in Brighton Park involving federal immigration agents that ended in tear gas. The videos also captured an order relayed to rank-and-file officers from CPD’s chief of patrol to "clear out from there, we’re not sending anybody over to that location." That order remains the subject of a CPD internal affairs investigation. With a siren in the background and a helicopter above, the videos show Chicago police officers trying to clear Kedzie Avenue of vehicles involved in the Oct. 4 crash and secure an ambulance for a person taken into custody by immigration agents. Minutes earlier, a federal agent shot a woman who allegedly "boxed in" and rammed a car carrying federal agents. The woman, Marimar Martinez, 30, survived the shooting, and she and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, both of Chicago, have since been charged in connection with the crash. Soon after CPD officers arrived at the scene, Brighton Park residents began to gather in the 3900 block of South Kedzie. The videos show a woman approach a group of CPD officers and tell them that a man held by agents "needs a f-- ambulance!" "They got into a car accident, that’s not a crime scene," she said. Five minutes later, a dispatcher relayed a message from CPD Chief of Patrol Jon Hein. "Per 999 (a supervisor in the CPD district where the crash and shooting occurred), chief of patrol said all units clear out from there," the dispatcher said. "We’re not sending anybody over there." An officer soon responded, "We’re gonna clear out as soon as we can, squad. We’re, like, blocked in over here, so we’re gonna do the best we can." In a statement to the Tribune, a CPD spokesperson said an internal investigation into that order remains open. The 13 videos were so heavily redacted, CPD added, because "the time it would take to review and redact each video, it would be unduly burdensome to conduct the standard redaction process on each video. As a result, CPD has placed a generic redaction blur throughout the entirety of the videos released."

Chicago Tribune [11/14/2025 9:03 AM, Tess Kenny, 4829K] reports with a goodbye to their mom, Sam and Ben Luhmann walked out the screen door of their West Chicago home on a recent weekday morning. A few minutes shy of 7:30 a.m., Ben pulled their midsize sedan out of the garage as Sam stood in the driveway, adjusting the straps around his shoulders and checking his phone. But the brothers weren’t gunning to beat the first bell at school. They were racing to find ICE. At 16 and 17 years old, Sam and Ben for the past two months have made it their mission to follow, investigate and capture federal immigration activity across the Chicago area. It’s an undertaking the brothers say happened naturally after growing up in a household where social justice and civic duty were as much a part of their homeschool curriculum as math and science. "If I get the opportunity to fight like this for the rest of my life, I would be totally OK with that," Ben said. Their efforts in the vast resistance movement against the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation in Chicago, represent the wave of youth activists who have been galvanized into action by Midway Operation Blitz, following a long tradition paved around the world by young activists, experts say. From Students of a Democratic Society protesting the Vietnam War to today’s Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, the sense of injustice draws young people to act.
West Chicago brothers are on the front lines against ‘Operation Midway Blitz.’ And they’re only teenagers.

Breitbart [11/14/2025 2:29 PM, Randy Clark, 2416K] reports that the suspect who allegedly shot and killed three co-workers at a landscape supply business in San Antonio on November 8 has been identified by authorities as an illegal alien who entered the United States as a minor in 2019. The suspect, 21-year-old Jose David Hernandez-Galo, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on the day of the shooting. According to the San Antonio Police Department, three employees of a landscaping company located in the 4400 block of Stahl Road were fatally shot just before 8 a.m. on Saturday. Several other employees were able to flee from the scene and avoid injury. Police identified the deceased employees as 48-year-old Selvin Chacon, his 38-year-old brother Sergio Chacon, and 24-year-old Karen Bautista. According to a report by KSAT News, suspect Jose Hernandez-Galo, who was also an employee of the company, arrived at the worksite and began to shoot other employees. All three victims of the shooting were pronounced deceased at the scene. According to San Antonio police officials, shortly before noon, the suspect, Jose Hernandez-Galo, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound a short distance from the business. Authorities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have issued a statement indicating the deceased suspect was in the United States illegally. According to ICE, Hernandez-Galo illegally entered the United States in April 2019. Hernandez-Galo, according to ICE, was a minor at the time and was accompanied by other family members.

Reported similarly:
Blaze [11/14/2025 9:55 AM, Cortney Weil, 1442K]

CBS News [11/14/2025 11:02 PM, S.E. Jenkins, 39474K] reports a federal grand jury indicted nine alleged "North Texas antifa cell" operatives on Thursday with offenses ranging from rioting to attempted murder related to the July 4 attack on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Alvarado, the Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson announced on Friday. Seven others were also "charged by information," a formal charging document, outlining alleged crimes and an alternative to an indictment. The night of July 4, several masked individuals dressed in black, some of them armed, arrived at the Prairieland ICE detention facility in Alvarado, vandalizing vehicles and security cameras in the parking lot, according to authorities. When an Alvarado police officer tried to engage with a person from the group, an unknown number of people opened fire. At least one bullet struck the officer in the neck, police said. Body camera footage captured the chaos as gunfire erupted. Authorities said more than 50 weapons were seized in connection with the group. The Prairieland facility houses between 1,000 and 2,000 immigration detainees. The Prairieland facility had no security the night of the shooting, according to a witness, who also mentioned significant staffing shortages around that time. The facility now has a 24/7 armed officer in three different locations. The indictment claims that at least 11 of the defendants rioted and attacked the detention facility. Thursday’s indictment charges Cameron Arnold, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada with multiple offenses for their roles related to the Prairieland attack. The nine defendants face the following charges: Riot: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, I. Soto. Providing material support to terrorists: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, I. Soto. Conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and using and carrying an explosive: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, I. Soto. Attempted murder of an officer: Song, Arnold, Evetts, Morris, Rueda. Discharging a firearm during a violent crime: Song, Arnold, Evetts, Morris, Rueda. Conspiracy to conceal documents: Sanchez-Estrada, Rudea. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Univision [11/14/2025 1:24 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports that a former gym and martial arts instructor in Alvin was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after being found guilty of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas reported. The convicted man, identified as 42-year-old Franklin Joseph Perkins, admitted his guilt in February of this year. Federal Judge Jeffrey V. Brown imposed a sentence of 168 months in prison, followed by a decade of supervised release. During the hearing, the prosecution also presented testimony showing how Perkins used his position as an instructor to gain the trust of teenage girls, offering them massages without a professional license. One of the victims recounted in her testimony the emotional damage and betrayal she felt upon discovering that her coach had abused her trust, even attempting to physically assault her when she was a minor. The court also heard how Perkins told a 13-year-old girl she had a sexy body and that, after she turned 14, he gave her alcohol, touched her breasts, and attempted to rape her. Authorities traced a Google account to Perkins from which files containing child exploitation material had been uploaded. The investigation conducted by agents from ICE, Homeland Security, and the Pearland Police Department confirmed that the instructor managed multiple online profiles and used his cell phone to store this type of illegal material.

Bloomberg [11/14/2025 3:17 PM, Linda Poon, 18207K] reports in Estancia, New Mexico, some 550 people sit in a private detention center that has fueled the economic engine of the small town nestled inside Torrance County. Since signing the contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement six years ago to open the detention facility — owned and managed by CoreCivic Inc. — the county’s commissioners have voted to approve regular extensions. But in October, the contract lapsed. Now, Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico is demanding that ICE close or immediately transfer people out of the facility, calling the continued detention of immigrants there "extremely concerning." A Bloomberg investigation earlier this year reported deteriorating conditions at the center, including allegations of inadequate medical treatment.

Blaze [11/14/2025 4:30 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1442K] reports a popular online liberal account attempted to spread panic about immigration officials trying to deport a Native American, but the Trump administration fired back against the story. The Occupy Democrats account posted a story about the arrest of Leticia Jacobo, a 24-year-old woman and member of Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona. Jacobo, who was born in Phoenix and is an American citizen, was arrested for allegedly driving without a license in September and was being detained at a Polk County Jail in Des Moines, Iowa. The woman was scheduled to be released on Nov. 11, but her family was informed that she was being held on a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The detainers are often issued when federal officials request time to determine whether federal immigration law has been violated. The family scrambled to have Jacobo’s birth certificate delivered to officials before she was to be remanded to federal custody. She was released a day later, on Nov. 12. A spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was the result of a clerical error. Lt. Mark Chance said the detainer was intended for a different inmate. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Dept. of Homeland Security, fired back on social media. "Dead wrong. This woman was never in ICE custody," she responded. Jacobo’s family says they are considering legal action over the incident. They also claimed that Jacobo had her tribal identification with her at the time of her arrest and accused officials of discrimination.

FOX News [11/14/2025 3:21 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K] reports a Mexican migrant allegedly assisted by a Wisconsin judge in evading arrest by immigration authorities earlier this year has been deported, officials said Friday. Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, who has a lengthy criminal history, was sent back to his native country on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said. "Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a previously removed illegal alien, has a laundry list of violent criminal charges including strangulation and suffocation, battery, and domestic abuse. Judge Hannah Dugan’s actions to obstruct this violent criminal’s arrest take activist judge to a whole new meaning," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

NewsNation [11/15/2025 1:50 AM, Heather Willard, 8017K] reports a Colorado combat veteran who earned a Purple Heart was deported from America on Friday, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson confirmed. Jose Barco-Chirino, 39, came to the U.S. when he was four years old, later joining the military where he served two tours in Iraq and was injured in combat. He applied for citizenship while deployed in 2006. His representatives say that, unfortunately, Barco-Chirino’s paperwork was lost. Advocate Anna Stout told NewsNation affiliate KDVR that his family had fled Cuba and gone to Venezuela after his father was exiled, then came to the U.S. as political refugees. Stout said that Barco has no ties in Venezuela or Cuba and asserted this puts him at an elevated risk if he were to be removed to either country. On Friday, Stout said that Barco-Chirino’s family received a call from a detainee at the Aurora GEO facility, which is contracted by ICE, saying that Barco-Chirino had been removed from the detention facility. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the family was told Barco-Chirino was at a staging area in Arizona, and on Friday, at about 8:15 a.m. ET, the family reportedly received a text saying their family member had been removed from the U.S. ICE said that Barco-Chirino was deported to Nogales, Mexico, after receiving a final order of removal on Feb. 12, 2025. "Jose Barco-Chirino was arrested by ERO Denver officers Jan. 21, 2025, at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado," an ICE spokesperson told FOX31 on Friday. "Barco was released after serving time for a conviction of attempted murder, extreme indifference, and felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon. He was served with a notice to appear and will remain in ICE custody pending the resolution of his immigration proceedings.” Stout and Barco-Chirino’s attorney told KDVR in August that Barco-Chirino served 15 years in prison for attempted murder after he left the military, where he had been stationed out of Colorado Springs. He was arrested by ICE immediately after he was paroled. Attorneys had argued for Barco-Chirino to be sent to Mexico, over Venezuela or Cuba, where he could still receive treatment for his PTSD and past suicidal ideations. The family said they feared he would be tortured if he was sent to Venezuela or Cuba due to his military service. The ultimate goal was to have him released back into the U.S.

FOX News [11/14/2025 8:00 AM, Peter Pinedo Fox, 40621K] reports after a 71-year-old California man was killed in a hit-and-run involving an illegal alien driving under the influence, the Trump Department of Homeland Security asked: "How many Americans must be killed before [Gov. Gavin Newsom]’s sanctuary state of California works with federal law enforcement—instead of against them?" Mexican illegal Humberto Munoz-Gatica, 57, was driving under the influence when he struck 71-year-old Barry William Tutt in Orange County, California, last Friday, according to a Homeland Security statement. Munoz-Gatica left the scene after the collision and was later located with the help of witnesses and arrested, according to a statement by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. He is now facing charges related to hit-and-run and suspicion of driving under the influence. Tutt, meanwhile, was found severely injured at the scene by sheriff’s deputies. He was transported to a local hospital and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the department. In its statement, DHS said it has lodged a request for authorities to hold Munoz-Gatica and turn him over to ICE. DHS posted on X, asking: "How many Americans must be killed before @GavinNewsom’s sanctuary state of California works with federal law enforcement—instead of against them?". In the statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin lamented that "unfortunately, Gavin Newsom’s California is a sanctuary state and does not cooperate with ICE." She called this killing "yet another example of sanctuary and open border policies putting American lives at risk." In response, Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Newsom, told Fox News Digital that "Despite the Trump Admin’s repeated false claims, California cooperates with the federal government when it comes to criminals — as has been reported by Fox regularly."

Los Angeles Times [11/14/2025 6:00 AM, Hannah Fry, 14862K] reports the August sun was already warming the San Fernando Valley when Anton Perevalov dressed in athletic shorts and decided to take an early morning stroll with his miniature pinscher, Ben, while his wife slept. As he turned right onto Hillcrest Drive - a route he’d taken so many mornings before - an unmarked car stopped in front of him and a man he’d never met emerged and peppered him with questions: "Are you Anton Perevalov?" "Are you a citizen of Russia?" When Perevalov, 43, answered in the affirmative, two other men exited the car and approached him. One took his phone and the other slapped handcuffs on him, ushering him and Ben into the car. As they drove toward his home, they instructed Perevalov to call his wife so she could come out and get the dog. Perevalov pleaded with the men, saying that there had to be a mistake. He had documents proving he was legal to live and work in the United States. It didn’t matter, one of the men told him. "You overstayed your visa," he said. "You are under arrest and coming with us." Tatiana Zaiko sprinted out of the house in her pajamas and slippers, telling her 17-year-old son that his dad had been arrested and to lock the door. She’d be right back, she recalled telling him. She wasn’t. Friends would later find the boy huddled under his parents’ bed, fearful that immigration agents may return for him too. "I never imagined that something like this could happen in this country," Zaiko, 43, said. For years, Russian nationals and others seeking asylum in the United States were allowed to live and work here while their cases were being decided. That began to change in 2024 under the Biden administration and has been completely upended in the wake of President Trump’s efforts to boost deportation numbers, experts say. Under Trump, those with a pending asylum claim aren’t exempt from being detained and deported. In fact, targeting asylum seekers in the United States makes it easier for immigration agents to carry out Trump’s stated plans of deporting at least 1 million people annually because they’re known to the government and easier to find, said Dara Lind, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council. "People who have done everything right are arguably easier for this administration to go after and more of a target than people who are actively trying to evade the law," Lind said. The Department of Homeland Security did not answer questions from The Times about the status of the couple’s immigration case. "Perevalov and Zaiko will receive full due process and all their claims will be heard by an immigration judge," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email. "For the record: a pending asylum claim does NOT protect illegal aliens from arrest or detention." The couple’s arrest - along with examples of others in similar circumstances being detained by federal officials - has spread fear through the Russian immigrant community in Southern California.

NewsMax [11/14/2025 3:41 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports a Honolulu man has been sentenced to life in prison after a federal jury convicted him in April of sex trafficking, racketeering, and related offenses. The Justice Department said Isaiah McCoy, 37, was found guilty of trafficking three adults and one minor, obstructing a trafficking investigation, and traveling across state and national lines to support his criminal enterprise. McCoy is also ordered to pay just over $1 million in restitution. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said the sentence reflects the seriousness of a case involving victims who were targeted because of personal problems and vulnerabilities. Dhillon said McCoy used force, threats, manipulation, and psychological pressure to control victims and profit from commercial sex. Lucy Cabral-DeArmas, Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, said the case shows the agency’s commitment to confronting sex trafficking in Hawaii.

New York Times [11/14/2025 2:50 PM, Hamed Aleaziz and Madeleine Ngo, 135475K] reports the Trump administration is planning a policy change that could make it harder for immigrants to get green cards and other approvals if they are from countries subject to the president’s travel ban, according to internal documents from the Department of Homeland Security. As part of the expected change, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would consider what it called “country-specific factors” included in President Trump’s travel ban as “significant negative factors” when reviewing applications for many immigration requests, with certain exceptions, according to draft documents reviewed by The New York Times. The policy is still being finalized. The shift would make it more challenging for those who arrived in the country before the travel ban to remain. In the draft documents, the agency said some countries might not share enough vetting and screening information. Some countries also do not have adequate authorities for issuing passports and other documents, which affected the agency’s ability to decide whether an immigrant from that country qualified for a benefit, according to the documents. The change would apply to certain applications for green cards, asylum, parole and other statuses that require a “discretionary analysis,” a review that involves an immigration officer assessing the positive and negative factors of a person’s application before approving it. The change would not apply to applications for citizenship.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [11/14/2025 3:53 PM, Staff, 4109K]

AP [11/15/2025 12:01 AM, Deepti Hajela, 31753K] reports that, when he first came to the United States after escaping civil war in Sierra Leone and spending almost a decade in a refugee camp, Dauda Sesay had no idea he could become a citizen. But he was told that if he followed the rules and stayed out of trouble, after some years he could apply. As a U.S. citizen, he would have protection. It’s what made him decide to apply: the premise — and the promise — that when he became a naturalized American citizen, it would create a bond between him and his new home. He would have rights as well as responsibilities, like voting, that, as he was making a commitment to the country, the country was making one to him. "When I raised my hand and took the oath of allegiance, I did believe that moment the promise that I belonged," said Sesay, 44, who first arrived in Louisiana more than 15 years ago and now works as an advocate for refugees and their integration into American society. But in recent months, as President Donald Trump reshapes immigration and the country’s relationship with immigrants, that belief has been shaken for Sesay and other naturalized citizens. There’s now fear that the push to drastically increase deportations and shift who can claim America as home, through things like trying to end birthright citizenship, is having a ripple effect. What they thought was the bedrock protection of naturalization now feels more like quicksand. Some are worried that if they leave the country, they will have difficulties when trying to return, fearful because of accounts of naturalized citizens being questioned or detained by U.S. border agents. They wonder: Do they need to lock down their phones to protect their privacy? Others are hesitant about moving around within the country, after stories like that of a U.S. citizen accused of being here illegally and detained even after his mother produced his birth certificate. Sesay said he doesn’t travel domestically anymore without his passport, despite having a REAL ID with its federally mandated, stringent identity requirements. Immigration enforcement roundups, often conducted by masked, unidentifiable federal agents in places including Chicago and New York City, have at times included American citizens in their dragnets. One U.S. citizen who says he was detained by immigration agents twice has filed a federal lawsuit.

US News & World Report [11/14/2025 7:15 AM, Staff, 19051K] reports the Trump administration has directed U.S. visa officers to consider chronic health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and mental health disorders when deciding whether to approve a foreigner’s entry into the country. The directive was shared with U.S. embassies and consulates in a Nov. 6 cable from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a copy reviewed by The Washington Post. The new policy goes beyond checking only for certain diseases and now allows visa officers to deny applications if they think a person’s health problems could lead to high medical costs in the U.S. "You must consider an applicant’s health," the 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," it added. The cable lists obesity as a factor that may influence visa decisions, pointing out that it can be linked to sleep apnea, high blood pressure and depression. What’s more, "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," Vic Goel, an immigration attorney in Virginia, told The Post.

USA Today [11/14/2025 11:08 AM, Brie Anna J. Frank, 67103K] reports President Donald Trump this week ignited a wave of criticism from conservatives when he suggested the United States needed a path for highly skilled foreign workers to enter the country. Trump’s comments on the H-1B visa program echo the perspective of business leaders but have been controversial among members of his base who want a more hardline approach to immigration. At the same time, the Trump administration has been quietly pushing a series of new restrictions on other visas targeting students and foreign journalists, raising a different set of concerns for some over the future of academic and press freedom. A proposed Department of Homeland Security rule would change existing policy by granting visa holders with F, J or I classifications – academic students, exchange visitors and members of foreign media – admission to the U.S. for a fixed time period. Such individuals are currently permitted to stay indefinitely as long as they’re abiding by the terms of their visa. If the new rule, first outlined in August, is implemented, foreign students and exchange visitors would be allowed to stay in the U.S. for the duration of their programs, up to four years. Foreign journalists would be authorized to stay in the U.S. for up to 240 days with the exception of those from China, who would be permitted up to 90 days in the country. Individuals could apply for an extension if they need to be in the U.S. beyond those time periods, according to the department’s proposal.

Bloomberg [11/14/2025 4:29 PM, Hadriana Lowenkron, 18207K] reports even as his administration is carrying out widespread deportations, Donald Trump is stirring up some of his MAGA base over immigration. The president has stunned at least some his most loyal supporters with recent comments in support of enrolling foreign students at American universities and doling out H-1B visas for high-skilled workers. Blocking students from overseas would “destroy our entire university and college system — I don’t want to do that,” Trump said in an interview with Laura Ingraham that aired this week on Fox News. He later pivoted to H-1B visas and the need to import talent from overseas that’s not available in the US. “You can’t take people off, like an unemployment line, and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory. We’re going to make missiles,’” he said. That rankled the America First crowd. In a post on X, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had been a reliable and staunch Trump supporter, said she wants to eliminate the H-1B program and reiterated that she is “America First and America Only.” Some other conservative House Republicans, like Representatives Chip Roy and Eli Crane, told my Bloomberg Government colleague Mica Soellner that they disagree with the president on the visas. It may seem like the president is modifying some of his approach on immigration. But his policies suggest otherwise.

Blaze [11/14/2025 2:15 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) plans to introduce a bill to eliminate a controversial visa program. On Thursday, Greene announced that she would propose legislation to "aggressively" phase out the H-1B program, which allows foreign nationals to enter the U.S. to fill "specialty occupations." The requirements of the program state that the individual must provide "theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge." However, critics of the program argue that it has been exploited to flood the U.S. labor market with foreign labor, resulting in fewer jobs and depressed wages. "For far too long, Big Tech, AI companies, hospital systems, and corporations across the board have abused this system to undercut hard working Americans," Greene said in a statement provided to Blaze News. She explained that her bill would eliminate the program to ensure American workers are prioritized in every industry. "I believe in the strength, talent, and incredible potential of the American people," Greene declared. Greene stated that the bill would allow only one exception: a 10,000-per-year cap on visas issued to medical professionals. However, she noted that even this exception would be phased out over a 10-year period. "My bill will also restore the original intent of the visa, for it to be temporary. These visas were intended to fulfill a specialty occupational need at a given time. People should not be allowed to come and live here forever," Greene said in a video posted to X. "My bill will take away the pathway to citizenship, forcing visa holder to return home when their visa expires."

NewsMax [11/14/2025 3:12 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports a Bosnian-born U.S. citizen has pleaded guilty to lying about her violent past during the Balkan conflict to fraudulently obtain American citizenship, according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors said Nada Radovan Tomanic, 53, concealed her role in the abuse of civilian prisoners during the 1990s war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti said Tomanic "obtained the privileges of U.S. citizenship through lies and deceit," adding that she hid "the violent crimes she committed" while serving with a military unit involved in human rights abuses. According to court records, Tomanic served in the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the regional conflict. Prosecutors said she joined other soldiers in physically and psychologically abusing Bosnian Serb civilian detainees. When she applied for U.S. naturalization in 2012, Tomanic denied ever serving in a detention facility or participating in the detention of others. Authorities said she also lied about committing crimes for which she had not been arrested, including inflicting serious bodily harm under Yugoslav-era law. Her deception continued during a sworn interview with a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer. Prosecutors said she repeated the false statements despite being legally obligated to answer truthfully. Tomanic pleaded guilty to one count of procuring citizenship contrary to law, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 3. The conviction may lead to the revocation of her citizenship in a separate legal process. The FBI led the investigation with support from the Department of Homeland Security’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, the USCIS Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, and the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit.

Telemundo20 [11/14/2025 3:12 PM, Cecilia Treviño, 57K] reports lawyers told Telemundo that they have witnessed alleged arrests outside the USCIS immigration office. The lawyer says his client’s immigration status had expired and they were trying to renew it, and that he had no criminal record. His client remains in custody. In a statement, USCIS spokesperson Matthew J. Tragesser said in part: “The agency protects public safety and the national security interests of the American people by screening and verifying aliens coming to this great nation. Aliens in our country must respect our laws or face the consequences.”

NewsMax [11/14/2025 2:01 PM, Blake Brittain, 4109K] reports that the U.S. International Trade Commission decided Friday to hold a new proceeding to determine whether imports of Apple’s updated Apple Watches should be banned as part of a patent dispute with medical monitoring technology company Masimo. The ITC said in an order that it would investigate whether Apple Watches that were redesigned to circumvent a previous import ban issued by the commission still infringe Masimo patents covering blood-oxygen measurement technology. The commission set a target to finish the investigation within six months. Spokespeople for Apple and Masimo did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case is part of a contentious, multi-front patent fight between Apple and Masimo, an Irvine, California-based medical monitoring technology company that has accused the tech giant of hiring away its employees to steal its pulse-oximetry innovations. The commission blocked imports of Apple’s Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in 2023 after finding that Masimo’s patents were infringed. Apple removed blood-oxygen reading technology from its watches to avoid the ban, but reintroduced an updated version of the technology in August with approval from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Masimo has sued Customs over the approval, while Apple has separately challenged the ITC’s ban at a federal appeals court. Masimo separately sued Apple in California federal court for patent infringement and trade-secret theft. A jury in Santa Ana is now weighing Masimo’s allegations that Apple owes as much as $749 million in damages for infringing Masimo’s patents.

Bloomberg [11/14/2025 8:30 AM, Aaron Gordon, 18207K] reports Ian Patterson had Global Entry for about seven years before it was revoked this summer. The nonprofit executive from the Dallas area had traveled in July, then got an email a month later saying there had been a change in his status for Global Entry, a Customs and Border Protection program for faster entry into the U.S. for “low-risk” travelers. When he logged into the CBP portal, he saw a circle with a diagonal line through it. “It said ‘information incorrect,’” Patterson said. “Which I don’t understand.” Patterson is one of tens of thousands of Global Entry members who lost their membership as part of a surge in revocations since the start of 2024, according to CBP data obtained by Bloomberg News via a public records request. CBP revoked 17,281 Global Entry memberships in 2024, a 47% jump over the prior year, a trend that has continued into 2025. And many aren’t told why, leading to theories about everything from flagged Shein packages to political retaliation.

Washington Examiner [11/14/2025 5:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K] reports the amount of fentanyl being seized by federal law enforcement at the nation’s border has decreased sharply over the past year as President Donald Trump has commanded the government to shut down the border to the deadly drug. Customs and Border Protection interdicted almost half as much fentanyl in fiscal 2025, which ended in September, as in 2023. Government officials and private sector experts suggested a variety of reasons for the decrease in seizures, including the drug being produced in a new, non-pill form, reduced demand in the United States, problems with production in Mexico, and better evasion of U.S. federal police at the border. Fentanyl is a legitimate pharmaceutical drug reserved for rare medical situations and has been knocked off by Chinese chemical suppliers and Mexican cartel manufacturers in recent years. More than 6 billion possibly lethal doses of fentanyl were seized by federal law enforcement at the border in fiscal 2023. It was enough to kill all 330 million people in the U.S. 18 times — but plenty more have made it into the country undetected. In 2025, CBP interdicted 12,000 pounds of fentanyl, 11,500 pounds of which were stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border. Roughly 85% of all fentanyl was caught by CBP’s Office of Field Operations officers at the ports of entry as opposed to Border Patrol agents, federal data show. This suggests that smugglers are trying to bring the drug in through commercial vehicles and body carriers as opposed to moving it between the ports of entry, where illegal immigrants walk across the border. Fentanyl seizures dropped about 50% since the November 2024 election and early 2025. Nearly 22,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized by CBP in 2024, compared to 12,000 in 2025.

FOX Business [11/14/2025 10:14 AM, Rachel Wolf, 10085K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is warning Americans to check their lists — and their gifts — twice this holiday season to avoid purchasing counterfeit goods. The agency said that buying knockoff products threatens the U.S. economy and could harm consumers. "CBP is on the front line of stopping illicit goods from entering the country. It is crucial that shoppers understand that buying cheap, inauthentic goods is not victimless," Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner Diane J. Sabatino, of CBP’s Office of Field Operations, said in a statement. CBP noted that in fiscal year 2025 (FY25) it seized nearly 79 million counterfeit products, which had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price value of over $7.3 billion, had they been authentic. Among the top items were clothing, consumer electronics, toys and medication. Beyond the illegality of selling the phony goods, CBP sounded the alarm over the possible "health and safety risks" the fake products pose.

Univision Chicago WGBO [11/14/2025 4:38 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports several sources say that Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino is leaving Chicago this week. Bovino arrived in the city on September 16 to command Operation "At Large. Operation "At Large" joined Operation "Midway Blitz," announced on September 8 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which sought to detain migrants with criminal records and/or deportation orders. Bovino is only in command of Operation "At Large," and although it’s unclear how many Border Patrol agents will remain in Chicago to continue the operation and how many will go to North Carolina, Operation Midway Blitz continues, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

NewsMax [11/14/2025 4:36 PM, Jim Thomas, 4109K] reports Texas Republicans intensified their push Friday for federal agencies to release more than $11 billion owed to the state for border security expenses, arguing that the money must be prioritized now that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has created a dedicated reimbursement pool. In a press release, Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, led members of the Texas congressional delegation in urging the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to expedite payments to Texas for border security operations conducted during the Biden administration. Their letter follows the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes $13.5 billion for states that assumed border enforcement responsibilities. They highlighted costs expended during Operation Lone Star, the state’s multiyear response launched by Gov. Greg Abbott in March 2021, after Texas officials described the federal enforcement as inadequate.

San Francisco Chronicle [11/15/2025 12:03 AM, Brooke Park, 4722K] reports a federal grand jury has indicted a Bay Area woman accused of verbally and physically assaulting two flight crew members, as well as assaulting an airport security officer and a federal agent after exiting the aircraft, the Department of Justice announced Friday. Reshma Kamath, 40, was a passenger on Air India Flight 173 heading into San Francisco International Airport in late June when the melee unfolded, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday. Kamath is accused of verbally abusing, threatening and striking two crew members during the flight. After exiting the plane, Kamath is accused of assaulting an SFO security staffer and striking a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer trying to arrest her. Kamath, of the Contra Costa County community of Bethel Island, did not respond to phone calls and an email seeking comment Friday. The indicted woman appears to be the controversial Bay Area attorney rebuked by the State Bar of California in May for using inflammatory or racist language against white judges and court staff and accused of practicing law even after being disbarred from federal courts in August 2024. She was no longer eligible to practice in California as of Nov. 8, according to the state bar website. The state bar in June accused Kamath, a civil litigation attorney in San Mateo County, of filing numerous court documents filled with vulgar and abusive insults of court personnel. In one document, the bar said, she described a white federal judge as "racist" and added that the judge and other white lawyers and judges "are used to their WHITE ASSES GETTING LICKED BY NON-WHITES — i.e., non-white staff, non-white judges, and non-white attorneys — BUT NOT ME.” In another document, the bar accused Kamath of writing, in all capital letters, that she "cannot believe how dumb the court is getting maybe just believing the s— hit that clerks write, and/or maybe the court is just racist when they see a white attorney and want to preserve what courts perceve as white people’s law in America that is slipping away each day.” After being muted for yelling and interrupting the judge during a hearing conducted remotely, Kamath posted a response that called the judge a "dirty white racist whore bitch," the bar said. Kamath, who graduated from Northwestern University law school and has been practicing law since 2021, described the state bar accusations as "just a bunch of trashy Whites offended when their racism and misogyny was called out.”

The Hill [11/14/2025 7:13 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K] reports a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer received a 15-year prison sentence for allowing smugglers to transport vehicles filled with drugs across the southern border, according to a Thursday release from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The former officer, Diego Bonillo, was charged with conspiracy to import controlled substances and importation of controlled substances, which both carry a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. Bonillo, 31, admitted that he allowed at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 11.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than 1 kilogram of heroin into the United States, officials said. He used a second phone that was unknown to law enforcement to inform smugglers of his lane assignments. Once the vehicle arrived at Bonillo’s inspection area, he would allow it to pass through without examining the vehicle or its contents, according to the DOJ release. Officials said he allowed at least 15 vehicles to enter the country uninspected from October 2023 to April 2024. "This sentence holds Bonillo accountable for betraying the public trust," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. "He weaponized his badge for personal profit, funneling deadly narcotics through a port of entry and putting communities at risk. Corruption like this will be met with the full force of the law — and we will not hesitate to pursue and punish those who trade duty for dollars," he added. Bonillo used the funds from the illegal activity to purchase luxury gifts, buy tickets to a boxing match and spend time at a gentlemen’s club in Tijuana, Mexico. Authorities also said he attempted to buy property in Mexico. "Former CBP Officer Diego Bonillo allowed massive amounts of drugs into the U.S. without regard for the deadly consequences it could have on our communities," Mark Dargis, special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego Field Office, said in a statement. "He disgraced the badge and violated his oath to protect the American people. This conduct betrays the public’s trust and is contradictory to the values and standards expected of a federal law enforcement officer. FBI San Diego and our partners will not tolerate such dishonorable behavior. This sentence reflects the FBI’s commitment to hold accountable anyone who corrupts their role at the expense of our citizens’ safety.”

CBS Los Angeles [11/14/2025 4:56 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports body camera and security footage show a U.S. Border Patrol agent fighting Long Beach police officers after he allegedly pulled out a gun inside a women’s restroom at a local restaurant in July. The Long Beach Post was the first to obtain the body camera footage. The Long Beach Police Department responded to the Shoreline Village Yard House on July 7 after an intoxicated Isaiah Anthony Hodgson, 29, allegedly went into the women’s bathroom, approached a woman who saw his handgun and a firearm magazine. Surveillance cameras show Hodgson leaving the restaurant and pulling out a handgun in the parking lot. He approaches a nearby security guard with the pistol in his hand. The security guard asked Hodgson to leave and told him that firearms are not allowed on the property, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said. Security cameras track Hodgson leaving the parking lot as officers arrive. He walks around a nearby park and dumps his handgun, which had Department of Homeland Security serial numbers, shortly before officers find him. Bodycams show Hodgson resisting officers and slurring his words as he shouts, "I’m BP." It takes a handful of officers to wrestle Hodgson to the ground. Officers tased him before they could finally place him in handcuffs. "Are you guys stupid?" Hodgson said during the struggle. Officers found the handgun and said it had "DHS" in the serial number. In the body camera footage, officers said the serial number did not appear in their database. After being placed in the back of a patrol vehicle, still slurring his words, Hodgson repeatedly shouts expletives at the officers while claiming he’s a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and demands officers call "Bovino," referring to U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. In the bodycam footage, he also claims to have been with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office and a Hemet Police Department SWAT officer. "What is my arrest?" said Hodgson, while shouting another expletive-laced tirade. Hodgson’s belligerence continues as more supervisors arrive and officers close the door to the patrol vehicle. The officers’ body cameras captured the rest of Hodgson’s muffled berating.

CBS News [11/14/2025 6:09 PM, Staff, 39474K] reports the disruptions to air travel from the government shutdown are still causing headaches for flyers, but things are improving compared to the start of the week. TSA Chief of Staff Adam Stahl joins "The Takeout" to discuss when things will be back to normal and more. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [11/14/2025 12:01 PM, Staff, 18207K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced $10,000 bonus checks for Transportation Security Administration officers who worked without pay during the six-week government shutdown, calling the payments a reward for “exemplary service” under strain. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [11/14/2025 8:50 AM, Carolyn Stein, 39474K] reports a powerful storm is pummeling California with rain and high winds, helping fuel a fast-growing wildfire in the northern part of the state. The rain could help control the fire, but in Southern California, flooding and mudslides are a concern. CBS News’ Carter Evans reports. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The New York Post [11/14/2025 5:34 PM, Victor Nava, 42219K] reports FBI Director Kash Patel shared details Friday about the bureau’s investigation into Thomas Crooks, after Tucker Carlson alleged President Trump’s would-be assassin left digital warning signs that he was planning an attack. The former Fox News host has accused the FBI of lying about Crooks’ "online footprint" and revealed disturbing social media comments Friday purportedly made by the 20-year-old in the years leading up to the July 13, 2024, shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa. – suggesting he may not have been a "lone wolf." The FBI has not released a motive for why Crooks’ opened fire at the Butler Farm Show Fairgrounds last year. The shooting left Trump wounded, two rally-goers severely injured and fire chief Corey Comperatore dead. Crooks, who took aim at the president from an unsecured rooftop less than 200 yards from the stage, was shot dead by a Secret Service counter-sniper just moments after opening fire. The Washington Examiner [11/14/2025 8:55 AM, David Zimmermann, 1394K] reports that the FBI quickly disputed Carlson’s statement. "This FBI has never said Thomas Crooks had no online footprint. Ever," FBI Rapid Response said Thursday. The conflict between the FBI and Carlson raises the question of whether the bureau ever said Crooks had no presence on social media. Past FBI statements suggest that isn’t the case.

Washington Post [11/14/2025 9:18 PM, Natalie Allison, 24149K] reports a law enforcement officer was hospitalized Friday night after a “serious” crash occurred in Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade in Tennessee. The crash happened in Maryville, Tennessee, as Vance’s motorcade made its way to a Republican National Committee fundraiser at the luxury Blackberry Farm resort, according to law enforcement officials briefed on the incident. Vance was traveling with his wife, Usha Vance, for the event. The couple was unharmed. U.S. Secret Service “is closely monitoring a serious traffic incident involving local law enforcement personnel that occurred this evening in Maryville, Tennessee, while they were supporting a protective motorcade movement,” said Katherine Pierce, the agency’s resident in charge in Knoxville. “The safety and movement of our protectees were not impacted by this incident,” Pierce said in a statement to Washington Post, adding that the Secret Service’s “thoughts are with those officers, their families and their agencies.” A Maryville police officer traveling on a motorcycle was transported by ambulance to the University of Tennessee Medical Center after a crash involving a state trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, according to Jason Pack, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. Authorities have not disclosed the officer’s condition. The dinner fundraiser was set to bring in at least $2.5 million for the RNC, according to a person with knowledge of the event who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The vice president was tapped to lead the party’s fundraising efforts this year and has regularly traveled the country, appearing at dinners and receptions.

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New York Times [11/14/2025 10:33 PM, John Yoon, Christina Morales and Bernard Mokam, 135475K]
AP [11/14/2025 11:04 PM, Staff, 30493K]

NBC News [11/14/2025 10:05 PM, Mirna Alsharif and Cristian Santana, 43603K] reports a former federal contract worker for the U.S. Coast Guard and Team USA athlete is suing the government after he says he was fired for making comments on Facebook about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Peter Souders, an engineer and project manager for government contractor Advanced Concepts Enterprises Inc. (ACES), alleges that he was fired "in retaliation for his private speech on a matter of significant national interest and attention," violating his First Amendment rights, the lawsuit states. He had been working at the Coast Guard’s headquarters since July. Souders was also a member of the USA fencing team up until 2016. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday and names the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as the defendants. The deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy, Michael Cogar, and the chief of staff to the undersecretary for management at the DHS, Greyson McGill, were also named as defendants. According to the lawsuit, Cogar emailed McGill about alleged "inappropriate behavior" from a Coast Guard contractor on Sept. 17. McGill then contacted the office of the chief security officer about "a social media post linked to Peter Souders," asking it to confirm if he was a DHS contractor. After receiving confirmation, McGill allegedly ordered DHS and Coast Guard personnel to "execute all necessary offboarding and access termination actions without delay," the lawsuit states. Souders and his attorneys believe the social media activity in question were comments he made on Facebook on or around Sept. 10 about Kirk’s death, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit does not share what Souders wrote on Facebook.

FOX Weather [11/14/2025 2:09 PM, Alexandra Myers, 3739K] reports that the U.S. Coast Guard rescued a father and son on Nov. 5, after their boat capsized near Chinook, WA during rough weather. The father and son spent two hours clinging to their overturned vessel before they were saved. Officials said that a family member reported them missing after they didn’t return home when they were expected to. The U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, from Air Station Astoria, OR, left the base shortly after they received the call. Within hours, the rescue crew was able to locate the pair in the middle of the ocean, huddled together while they barely hung on to the boat. The Coast Guard team hoisted the family members safely into the aircraft. "We have both survivors in the cabin," said a Coast Guard Officer. Once secured, emergency personnel carefully buckled the survivors into their seats. The video showed a man shaking in the corner while a crew member helps him with his harness. A crew member later noted over the radio that the pair remained quite cold, so they were working on turning on the heat to help them. But they would be back on land shortly. The survivors were then flown to an awaiting emergency medical services where they were treated for hypothermia. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [11/14/2025 10:42 AM, Mikella Schuettler, 42219K] reports a Californian fishing influencer has disappeared off the coast of Mexico, sparking a cross-border search. Mikey Rijavec, best known for his "Fish and Sips" YouTube channel, was last heard from on Tuesday afternoon, when a mayday call was made from his boat as he fished off the coast of Baja California. The US Coast Guard and Mexican Navy all helped in the search, with Rijavec’s turquoise boat found floating upside down in the same area on Thursday. "What could have happened? Oh my god, it’s endless," Phil Friedman, a friend helping in the search, told NBC San Diego. "It could be foul play. You never know, it’s something that happens at sea sometimes," he speculated. "It could be a whale, it could be a shark." Still, Friedman insisted that friends still hold out hope that he survived. The US Coast Guard had stopped searching for Rijavec by Friday, leaving it to Mexican authorities, according to a statement sent to NBC. However, friends will continue looking for as long as necessary, they aid, with Rijavec’s brother, Gregory, starting a GoFundMe to pay costs for those helping.

The New York Post [11/14/2025 7:37 AM, Emily Crane, 42219K] reports a Russian military spy ship has been detected just miles off the coast of Hawaii, according to the US Coast Guard, which said it is actively monitoring it. The Russian vessel, Kareliya, was spotted roughly 15 nautical miles south of Oahu — near US territorial waters — on Oct. 29, the Coast Guard said Thursday. A Coast Guard helicopter and ship immediately responded and have been monitoring Russia’s Vishnya-class intelligence ship ever since. "Acting in accordance with international law, Coast Guard personnel are monitoring the Russian vessel’s activities near US territorial waters to provide maritime security for US vessels operating in the area and to support US homeland defense efforts," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Under international law, foreign military vessels are permitted to operate outside another country’s territorial seas as long as they’re 12 nautical miles out, according to the Coast Guard. "The US Coast Guard routinely monitors maritime activity around the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific to ensure the safety and security of US waters," said Capt. Matthew Chong, chief of response, Coast Guard Oceania District. "Working in concert with partners and allies, our crews monitor and respond to foreign military vessel activity near our territorial waters to protect our maritime borders and defend our sovereign interests." The Russian Embassy in Washington hasn’t commented on the Coast Guard response. CBS News [11/14/2025 11:12 AM, Stephen Smith, 39474K] reports that an HC-130 Hercules helicopter and a Coast Guard cutter were dispatched to monitor the ship by "conducting a safe and professional overflight and transiting near the vessel," officials said. The Daily Wire [11/14/2025 11:45 AM, Leif Le Mahieu, 2494K] reports that the Russian vessel was an intelligence ship built in 1986 for the Soviet Union and was equipped with close-in weapon systems and surface-to-air missile launchers.

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The Hill [11/14/2025 4:03 PM, Filip Timotija, 12595K]
SFGate [11/14/2025 6:19 PM, Christine Hitt, 13945K]

FOX Business [11/14/2025 11:09 AM, Morgan Phillips, 10085K] reports artificial intelligence company Anthropic says it has uncovered what it believes to be the first large-scale cyberattack carried out primarily by AI, blaming the operation on a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group that used the company’s own tool to infiltrate dozens of global targets. In a report released this week, Anthropic said the attack began in mid-September 2025 and used its Claude Code model to execute an espionage campaign targeting about 30 organizations, including major technology firms, financial institutions, chemical manufacturers and government agencies. According to the company, the hackers manipulated the model into performing offensive actions autonomously. Anthropic described the campaign as a "highly sophisticated espionage operation" that represents an inflection point in cybersecurity. "We believe this is the first documented case of a large-scale cyberattack executed without substantial human intervention," Anthropic said. The company said the attack marked an unsettling inflection point in U.S. cybersecurity. "This campaign has substantial implications for cybersecurity in the age of AI ‘agents’ — systems that can be run autonomously for long periods of time and that complete complex tasks largely independent of human intervention," a company press release said. "Agents are valuable for everyday work and productivity — but in the wrong hands, they can substantially increase the viability of large-scale cyberattacks.”

Reported similarly:
CyberScoop [11/14/2025 12:25 PM, Derek B. Johnson, 122K]

CBS News [11/14/2025 8:58 AM, Staff, 39474K] reports the AI firm Anthropic says Chinese hackers used its artificial intelligence tools to spy on tech companies, financial institutions and government agencies in what it believes is the first documented case of a worldwide cyberattack with minimal human involvement. CBS News contributor Chris Krebs, the former head of the federal government’s cybersecurity agency, joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss what this could mean for the future and how to prevent it. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Blaze [11/14/2025 12:20 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports that the Trump administration has designated several Antifa groups as foreign terrorist organizations. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in September that declared Antifa a domestic "terrorist threat," claiming that the group "explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law." The EO accused the anarchist group of using "illegal means" to launch "a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide," including obstructing the enforcement of laws and routinely doxxing political figures. Trump’s action called on federal agencies to "investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations" tied to Antifa. However, designating the enterprise as a foreign terrorist organization would allow for more enforcement options, including making it a federal crime to provide material support to the group. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday that four European Antifa-affiliated groups — Antifa Ost in Germany, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front in Italy, and Greek-based groups Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense — were named "Specially Designated Global Terrorists." Rubio noted that the department "intends to designate all four groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, effective November 20, 2025."

ABC News [11/14/2025 10:24 AM, Staff, 30493K] reports Elizabeth Neumann, the former DHS assistant secretary for counterterrorism, discusses the move by the State Department and an alleged cyberattack by Chinese hackers using AI. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [11/15/2025 5:14 AM, Beatrice Peterson, 30493K] reports Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s path to service began in the uncertain moments after 9/11 when fears of terrorism reshaped both the country and her own sense of duty. She’s a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and the first person in U.S. history to serve as DNI while in military uniform. Two decades later, she told ABC News in an exclusive interview, the same early lessons still guide her approach to leadership, and that the resurgence of terrorism remains her greatest concern. Allies often describe Gabbard as disciplined and mission-driven, shaped by the rigors of military life. Yet some former colleagues say the former Democrat’s views increasingly aligned with the Republican Party she once criticized. Admirers see a principled independence; detractors see a political evolution that mirrors Washington’s shifting winds. Gabbard, however, says her compass has never changed, only the terrain around her. From her congressional campaigns to the 2020 presidential race, Gabbard was one of the only candidates treating foreign policy as a defining issue. While some of her domestic exchanges on the trail went viral, her presidential campaign remained grounded in her foreign policy message. Her events drew a mix of supporters across party lines, many of whom responded to her foreign policy message of a once-rising Democrat whose view of the world at times clashed with her party’s establishment. For Gabbard, the focus of her public life and private moments has always been service, and days like Veterans Day are personal. "It’s a day where I think about the great Americans I’ve had the opportunity to serve with now for 22 and a half years," she said. "What does it mean for me in the mission that I have as director of national intelligence? It’s personal, because it’s about people. It’s both the people that I’ve had the opportunity to serve with and had the opportunity to lead, and it’s the people who paid the ultimate price who never got to make that trip home."

NBC News [11/14/2025 12:46 PM, Ryan J. Reilly, 34509K] reports the FBI on Thursday threw cold water on a story on a right-wing website that named a former Capitol Police officer as a potential match for the individual who planted pipe bombs at the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In a letter to a Republican congressman who leads a new committee investigating Jan. 6, the FBI explained that it had been tracking a separate person of interest who took photos near the RNC on Jan. 5 and then took the Metro back to his friend’s home, where he was staying to attend a Jan. 6 rally. The FBI said it had focused on the home because the person taking the photos used the homeowner’s SmartTrip card on the Metro. The congressman, Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, posted a section of the letter on X, which was amplified by the FBI Rapid Response account. The owner of the home happened to be a neighbor of a former Capitol Police officer named in a story as a potential suspect in the pipe bomb incident on the conservative news site, The Blaze. The Blaze cited a "gait analysis" — a study of how a person walks — saying that it found a 94% match between the officer and the suspect. The former officer now works in campus security for the CIA, a source with knowledge of the person’s employment told NBC News. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posted Thursday that some reporting about "prior persons of interest is grossly inaccurate and serves only to mislead the public." NBC News is not naming the former officer, as the person has not been credibly accused of any wrongdoing. A text sent to a phone number associated with the person was not returned, and it was not clear if the individual had legal representation.

Washington Post [11/14/2025 5:00 AM, Aaron C. Davis, 24149K] reports in the weeks after a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the FBI dedicated more than 50 agents to one task: Finding the person who had planted a pair of pipe bombs near the Capitol. Again and again, agents thought they were closing in on the culprit. Early on, they questioned a Capitol Hill-area gym employee who had purchased the same Nike shoes as a person captured in grainy security camera footage crisscrossing the area the night before the riot. Then they suspected a man who had been spotted snapping photos of locations outside the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters before the bombs were placed there. Later, agents found an actual bombmaker — he just turned out to be the wrong one. Nearly five years later, the identity of the D.C. pipe bomber is one of the enduring mysteries from the day that triggered the largest investigation in the Justice Department’s 150-year history. It has also become the focus of conspiracy theories — and claims that the crime was an inside job, often accompanied by assertions that it was not vigorously investigated. This account of investigative steps taken by the Justice Department shows that the nation’s premier law enforcement agency marshaled significant resources in the first year after the attack, mounting a coast-to-coast digital dragnet. The contours of the probe were first described in a report released in January by a congressional committee. But new details are drawn from reporting for the book “Injustice,” including interviews with law enforcement officers and government officials with knowledge of the investigation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, which remains open. Some said they were eager for the public to know how intensively the Bureau had investigated the crime.

CBS News [11/14/2025 10:42 AM, Dan Raby, 39474K] reports that the man arrested at the Atlanta airport after his family reported he had threatened to shoot up the terminal is pleading not guilty to federal charges. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, appeared in court on Friday for a hearing where he made his plea. Atlanta police arrested Cagle in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s South Terminal on Oct. 20, after his family alerted the Cartersville Police Department that he threatened to "shoot up" the airport on a FaceTime call while driving, abruptly ending the call after saying, "I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat," prosecutors alleged. Cagle arrived at the airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked outside the doors to the terminal. When police went to the vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition. The FBI says they are working to find out how Cagle obtained the weapon. Officer Myesha Banks, who has been with the Atlanta Police Department for nearly three years and at the airport for about two years, identified and arrested Cagle. A day after his arrest, Federal prosecutors said that they had charged Cagle with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Locally, he was charged with making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a felon. The Cartersville man remains in federal custody after a judge denied him bond in late October.

AP [11/14/2025 12:39 PM, Jeffrey Collins, 31753K] reports that authorities have charged a man with murder in a mass shooting that killed four people and injured 15 more last month at a bar on a South Carolina island. Anferny Freeman, 27, was already in jail on a charge of possessing a machine gun when investigators served arrest warrants on him Friday, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said. About 350 people were at a 25th high school reunion party in the early morning of Oct. 12 when gunfire broke out at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, deputies said. Freeman and a man who ended up being killed in the shooting had an encounter "that was not very friendly" and started shooting at each other, Tanner said. Freeman was shot in the stomach and driven to the hospital, the sheriff said. Investigators have determined through bullets, shell casings, videos and interviews that there was a third person shooting too, said the sheriff, who expects more arrests. "I expect more charges to be made. We have not forgotten about the other 15 victims," Tanner said. A judge denied bond for Freeman on the four murder charges. Jail and court records did not list a lawyer representing him. The shooting happened near last call for drinks at a party celebrating the 25th anniversary of the class of 2000 at Battery Creek High School in Beaufort. Tanner said the shooters were firing indiscriminately.

New York Times [11/15/2025 3:23 AM, Lazaro Gamio, Keith Collins and Ana Swanson, 330K] reports that, just under half of all goods that enter the United States are now subject to tariffs, a New York Times analysis of Census Bureau trade data shows, a stark sign of how President Trump has reshaped American trade since returning to office in January. Throughout the year, Mr. Trump has issued wave after wave of new duties, targeting almost every country in the world at levels not seen in roughly a century. The legality of the bulk of the new tariffs is now in jeopardy, as the Supreme Court on Wednesday began hearing a case that challenges Mr. Trump’s use of an emergency powers law to impose the levies. If the court rules against the president, it will nullify a major tool in Mr. Trump’s trade agenda. He has used the law under question, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose tariffs on an estimated 29 percent of all U.S. imports, the Times analysis found. During oral arguments on Wednesday, justices appeared skeptical about Mr. Trump’s legal authority. So far this year, these emergency tariffs have hit more than $300 billion in imported goods. This illustrates both how much the president has transformed longstanding U.S. trade policy in favor of protectionist tariffs and how much is at stake for him in the unfolding legal battle. The Times analysis, based on years of product-level import data, provides one of the fullest glimpses yet of the White House’s attempt to rewire the global trade order. Before Mr. Trump’s second term, almost all imports entered under long-established trade rules that were agreed upon within the World Trade Organization, the analysis shows. By July of this year, when many of Mr. Trump’s tariffs began taking effect, that trend had been inverted. Now, more than 90 percent of imports are subject to some aspect of Mr. Trump’s trade policy — a tariff he announced this year or during his first term, or a sweeping exemption granted to some products, at least temporarily. Mr. Trump has used a broad range of presidential authorities to issue tariffs this year. He has imposed industry-specific duties on steel, automobiles, lumber and other products, using a national security provision known as Section 232. Those tariffs — as well as levies issued under separate legal authorities, some of which stem from his first term — are not being challenged at the Supreme Court. That means that regardless of what the justices decide, nearly 16 percent of American imports will remain heavily tariffed. Every nation is affected by a different mix of these new trade rules, meaning that a court ruling overturning the emergency powers act could be far more consequential for some countries than for others. Take China and countries in the European Union. China was already subject to protectionist tariffs that were imposed during Mr. Trump’s first term, then expanded under the Biden administration. These tariffs, which affect more than half the country’s exports to the United States, would also remain in effect regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision. The emergency power tariffs imposed a higher rate on all Chinese imports, and in many cases, they are added on to existing duties. That means that China’s trade-weighted average rate — more than 40 percent — is one of the highest in the world.

Reuters [11/14/2025 6:16 AM, Alexandra Valencia, 36480K] reports Ecuadoreans grappling with a surge in violent crime will head to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases — which President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime - and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution. Once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, Ecuador has become a key drug transit hub in recent years because of its location on the Pacific, triggering an unprecedented security crisis and battering its already-fragile economy. Recent polls show majority support for convening the constitutional assembly, but voters appear divided on the military bases. Noboa argues the current constitution, drafted under former leftist President Rafael Correa, must be revised to reflect the country’s new reality and expand international cooperation in combating crime. "They wrote the rules to protect themselves. Today, Ecuador chooses a different path," Noboa wrote this week on X. Washington, which has praised Noboa as an "excellent partner" in efforts to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking, has carried out strikes on more than a dozen suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, resulting in over 70 deaths.

Reuters [11/14/2025 11:14 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports Iranian forces intercepted an oil products tanker and diverted it into Iranian territorial waters on Friday, a U.S. official and maritime security sources said, the first report of Tehran seizing a tanker since Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran in June. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the Talara, had been sailing off the United Arab Emirates’ coast, maritime sources said, and was carrying a cargo of high-sulphur gasoil through the Indian Ocean en route to Singapore from Sharjah in the UAE. The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident was surprising because Iran, known for intercepting ships in the Gulf in the past, had not carried out such operations in recent months. Iran has curbed its military activities in the region since the 12-day Israeli bombing campaign in June, which was joined by the United States. There was no official confirmation of the incident from Tehran, and the UAE and Iranian foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "Contact was lost at around 0822 local time (0422 UTC) on Friday ... approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates," the vessel’s manager Columbia Shipmanagement said in a statement, adding that it was working closely with relevant parties, including maritime security agencies and the vessel’s owner, to restore contact.

Reported similarly:
AP [11/14/2025 1:40 PM, Jon Grambrell, 30493K]
Washington Examiner [11/14/2025 10:50 AM, Brady Knox, 1394K]

New York Times [11/14/2025 6:18 PM, Farnaz Fassihi, 135475K] reports an effort by the United States to win support from the United Nations Security Council for President Trump’s Gaza peace plan ran into a significant hurdle on Friday, when Russia introduced its own counterresolution, according to three Council diplomats. The Trump administration wants the Security Council to adopt a U.S. resolution that has the 20-point American plan annexed, effectively making it international law. The American resolution seeks to provide a mandate for an international stabilization force and a governing board. Arab countries, in particular, which are concerned with being seen as occupiers, have called U.N. support necessary for their participation in such a force. Russia, as one of the five veto-holding powers of the Security Council, could block the U.S. resolution. Its counteraction suggested that the Council could be heading to another showdown and stalemate over Gaza. The 10-point Russian resolution, among other points, calls for Palestinian statehood and does not mention the stabilization forces and the governing structure favored by the United States. China, another veto-holding power, informed the United States and the Council that its position aligned with Russia’s, according to diplomats who asked not to be named because they were discussing sensitive negotiations. Anticipating the Russian move, the U.S. mission to the United Nations issued a statement on Thursday saying, “Attempts to sow discord now — when agreement on this resolution is under active negotiation — has grave, tangible and entirely avoidable consequences for Palestinians in Gaza.” Tensions have been brewing all week between the United States and the 14 other members of the Council, including European allies and Algeria, the only Arab member, as proposed changes to the U.S. resolution volleyed back and forth in negotiations. The United States had sought to add its entire 20-point plan to the draft U.N. resolution. The United States made minimal changes to its resolution, deferring most of the major questions on statehood and the Palestinian Authority to language in Mr. Trump’s peace plan. In its third revised draft, the United States added that conditions for a “pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” might be possible after the Palestinian Authority completely reformed. The United States made minimal changes to its resolution, deferring most of the major questions on statehood and the Palestinian Authority to language in Mr. Trump’s peace plan. In its third revised draft, the United States added that conditions for a “pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” might be possible after the Palestinian Authority completely reformed. It also included a new mandate for reporting on progress to the Council every six months, according to copies of the revised resolutions seen by The New York Times. The references to the Board of Peace still remains vague, and a U.S. official who spoke anonymously in order to discuss sensitive issues said it would not be possible to add details before the resolution was put to a vote. On Friday evening, the United States told Council members that it had finalized the resolution and there would be no more revisions. It asked for a vote to be scheduled no later than Monday afternoon. “What is confusing the Council members is the U.S. rushing through the text, a nod to the Council but actually cutting them out,” said Richard Gowan, the U.N. director of the International Crisis Group, which works to prevent conflicts. He added that Russia, China, Algeria and the members of the U.N.’s Arab Group wanted “cast-iron guarantees” that the Council retains authority over the situation in Gaza. Russia’s counterresolution does not mention the Board of Peace or the stabilization forces, according to a copy seen by The Times. It also welcomes the initiatives in Mr. Trump’s peace plan and asks the U.N. secretary general to identify provisions to carry it out.

Reuters [11/14/2025 1:14 PM, Staff, 36480K] reports that Washington has accused online marketplace company Alibaba (9988.HK) of providing technological support for Chinese military operations against targets in the United States, the Financial Times said on Friday, citing a White House memo. The national security memo includes declassified top-secret intelligence on how the Chinese group supplies the People’s Liberation Army with capabilities that the White House believes threaten U.S. security, the FT reported. The report did not specify which capabilities or operations were involved, or whether the U.S. was seeking to respond in any way. Alibaba shares traded in the U.S. were down 4.2% after the news. "The assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false," Alibaba said in a statement. "We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits that they cannot verify. This malicious PR operation clearly came from a rogue voice looking to undermine President Trump’s recent trade deal with China." The Chinese embassy in Washington denied the report, and said China opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with law. "Without valid evidence, the US jumped to an unwarranted conclusion and made groundless accusations against China. It is extremely irresponsible and is a complete distortion of facts. China firmly opposes this," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a statement. The White House declined to comment.

FOX Business [11/14/2025 8:28 AM, Staff, 10085K] reports Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., explains how Beijing’s control of rare earth supply chains poses a threat to U.S. national security and manufacturing independence on ‘Mornings with Maria.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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