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

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

The AP [11/18/2025 11:24 AM, Staff, 31753K] reports the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact is a trilateral agreement between Canada, Finland and the United States (US) to enhance our collective capabilities to produce world-class icebreaking vessels needed to assert our polar and Arctic sovereignty. With the second-largest icebreaking fleet in the world and shipyards experienced in building icebreakers, Canada’s expertise in Arctic and polar capabilities is essential to the success of the ICE Pact. Today, on behalf of the Honourable Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, Kirsten Hillman, the Ambassador of Canada to the US, joined Kristi Noem, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, and Sakari Puisto, Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, to sign a joint statement of intent (JSOI). The JSOI strengthens industrial cooperation among the 3 nations, aiming to build and maintain icebreakers and related capabilities while supporting domestic shipbuilding industries and creating well-paying jobs in the marine sector. By pooling expertise and resources, Canada, the US and Finland are expanding their icebreaker fleets to better address Arctic challenges. Key priorities under the JSOI include: Enhancing industrial collaboration across all stages of icebreaker production launching trilateral workforce development initiatives aligning international promotion and cooperation activities advancing joint research and development frameworks. Officials from all 3 countries will also meet to outline actionable steps to achieve the JSOI objectives, with follow-up meetings planned next year to track progress. An Industry Day on November 20 will further engage private-sector partners in this collaborative effort. The Hill [11/18/2025 12:40 PM, Jordan Perkins, 12595K] reports “Today is a major milestone in the race to secure the Arctic for all of our countries. The Arctic is the world’s last, most wild frontier, and our adversaries are racing to claim its strategic position and its natural resources for their own,” Noem said during a news conference Tuesday. “If we give up that high ground, then we will condemn future generations to permanent insecurity,” she added. In a joint agreement signed by Noem, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman and Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto, 11 new icebreakers will be built over the next several years. Finland previously provided the U.S. with the Storis icebreaker in July, which was the first one to be added to the polar fleet in 25 years. Noem said this will also strengthen the economy and provide more jobs for Americans, as workers will be trained by Canada on how to build the icebreakers. A shipyard was recently purchased in Texas, where the U.S. will later build its own ships once training is provided.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/18/2025 12:36 PM, Staff, 40621K] Video: HERE
NewsNation [11/18/2025 11:45 AM, Jordan Perkins, 8017K]
NewsMax [11/18/2025 12:00 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K]
Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 5:20 PM, Mike Brest, 1394K]

The AP [11/18/2025 5:28 PM, Jack Brook and Sara Cline, 31753K] reports around 250 federal border agents are set to descend on New Orleans in the coming weeks for a two-month immigration crackdown dubbed “Swamp Sweep” that aims to arrest roughly 5,000 people across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and three people familiar with the operation. The deployment, which is expected to begin in earnest on Dec. 1, marks the latest escalation in a series of rapid-fire immigration crackdowns unfolding nationwide — from Chicago to Los Angeles to Charlotte, North Carolina — as the Trump administration moves aggressively to fulfill the president’s campaign promise of mass deportations. Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander tapped to run the Louisiana sweep, has become the administration’s go-to architect for large-scale immigration crackdowns — and a magnet for criticism over the tactics used in them. His selection to oversee “Swamp Sweep” signals that the administration views Louisiana as a major enforcement priority for the Trump administration. Once “Swamp Sweep” begins, Louisiana will become a major testing ground for the administration’s expanding deportation strategy, and a focal point in the widening rift between federal authorities intent on carrying out large-scale arrests and city officials who have long resisted them. CBS News [11/18/2025 11:12 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 39474K] reports that the plans would make the Big Easy the latest Democratic-led city to be in the crosshairs of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign, spearheaded in part by green-uniformed Border Patrol agents who have been directed to enforce that crackdown far away from the U.S.-Mexico border. This past week, Border Patrol agents led by controversial commander Gregory Bovino launched a series of immigration roundups in the Charlotte area. As of Tuesday morning, Border Patrol had recorded more than 200 arrests as part of that operation, which the Trump administration has dubbed "Charlotte’s Web," a DHS official familiar with the data told CBS News. A DHS official said Border Patrol’s operation in Charlotte is expected to wind down this week. Previously, Bovino and teams of Border Patrol agents conducted sweeping immigration raids in Chicago and Los Angeles, arresting suspected unauthorized immigrants at Home Depot parking lots, worksites and other locations across those metropolitan areas. Border Patrol’s operations in these Democratic-led cities have sparked protests and tense confrontations with local residents, and accusations that federal agents have been heavy-handed and have engaged in racial profiling. Trump administration officials have denied those claims, saying arrests are based on suspicions that individuals are in the U.S. illegally, not their race. It has also rejected criticism that federal agents’ use of force has been excessive, citing attacks against law enforcement officials. Bovino told CBS News last month his agents’ use of force in the Chicago operation had been "exemplary.” In the case of New Orleans, Border Patrol is setting its sights on a city with a Democratic mayor but a Republican governor. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is an ally of Mr. Trump’s who has worked with the administration on immigration enforcement. The internal plans obtained by CBS News indicate Border Patrol requested armored vehicles and special operation teams for the operations in Charlotte and New Orleans. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] FOX News [11/18/2025 10:37 PM, Bonny Chu, 40621K] reports that operations will stretch from New Orleans through Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes, reaching north toward Baton Rouge, The AP said. Additional enforcement is being planned in southeastern Mississippi, though details remain limited. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. "For the safety and security of law enforcement we’re not going to telegraph potential operations," spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the outlet. Spokespeople for Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves — both Republicans who have previously backed President Donald Trump and his agenda — also did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Reeves announced in August that he "approved the deployment of approximately 200 Mississippi National Guard Soldiers to Washington, D.C., to support President Trump’s effort to return law and order to our nation’s capital.” In May, Landry similarly touted a partnership with "the federal government to crack down on criminal illegal aliens in the great State of Louisiana.” The expansion into Louisiana and Mississippi comes as the Trump administration accelerates its nationwide immigration enforcement strategy. Federal immigration officers have already been sent to major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and, most recently, Charlotte, North Carolina. Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan told Fox News earlier Tuesday that additional operations are being prepared for New York City, signaling the crackdown is poised to widen even further in the weeks ahead. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] CNN [11/19/2025 2:00 AM, Taylor Romine, 18595K] reports "Criminal records of those arrested include known gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon, felony larceny, simple assault, hit and run, possession of stolen goods, shoplifting, DUI, DWI, and illegal re-entry after prior deportation, a felony," a Tuesday DHS statement said. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday the Charlotte operation was based on previous investigative work, specifically citing "a high number of child abuse, trafficking, neglect type of instances that we had identified over our work there.” Two men were also federally charged in Charlotte for allegedly using their vehicles in separate incidents to assault federal officers who were conducting immigration enforcement, the US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina announced Tuesday. The charges don’t stem from protests in the area, the US attorney said. Immigration enforcement extends to more southern cities. While the spotlight has been focused on North Carolina’s most populated city, immigration enforcement action has started to spread to other areas of the state, and is expected to reach New Orleans within weeks. Gregory Bovino, the top Border Patrol official charged with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, is expected to arrive in New Orleans the first week of December, according to two sources familiar with the planning. President Donald Trump has previously floated New Orleans as a destination for his federal crackdown, saying in an Oval Office meeting this year that the administration was "making a determination.”

Reported similarly:
Reuters [11/18/2025 6:28 PM, Staff, 36480K] r

Breitbart [11/18/2025 5:03 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2416K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is warning that Immigration officers are increasingly being threatened by activists for migrants using cars and pickup trucks to ram federal vehicles. DHS added that the attacks are "driven by hateful rhetoric from sanctuary politicians, leftist activists, and the mainstream media," the department said in a statement published on Tuesday. The statement added that there have been nearly 100 vehicle attacks this year, endangering both law enforcement officers and the public who might be in the path of these dangerous acts. "We are seeing the results of the Left’s constant demonization of the men and women of law enforcement. Dangerous criminals – whether they be illegal aliens or U.S. citizens – are turning their vehicles into weapons to attack ICE and CBP," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "Still, the brave men and women of DHS will not be deterred and will continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. Anyone who attacks law enforcement, especially using their vehicles, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." DHS noted that since January 20, there have been 71 vehicular attacks against members of Customs and Border Protection — a 58 percent increase over 2024 — and 28 against Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a 1,300% increase. NewsMax [11/18/2025 1:15 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports McLaughlin praised the response of agents and said DHS personnel will continue carrying out enforcement operations. Data released by the department shows 71 vehicle attacks against Customs and Border Protection since Jan. 20. Forty-five were recorded during the same period in 2024. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported 28 attacks this year, compared with two in the same period last year. Recent cases cited by the department include a Nov. 13 incident in Adelphi, Maryland. Federal officials say illegal alien Ever Gabriel Alvarez Campos, who has pending criminal charges, was involved in a directed collision with an ICE vehicle before hitting a second car and attempting to flee. Officers later arrested him. Blaze [11/18/2025 3:05 PM, Cooper Williamson, 1442K] reports that Fox showed Tricia McLaughlin a montage of Democrat leadership, particularly from Chicago, seemingly advocating resistance against law enforcement. In response to these speeches, McLaughlin said, "It really is a shame that the Democrat Party has decided that violence against law enforcement is OK. We will continue to do our jobs each and every day and get these violent criminal illegal aliens out of Chicago’s streets and out of sanctuary cities all over the country."

FOX News [11/18/2025 1:52 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports that Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino reports on the success of ‘Operation Charlotte’s Web’ after agents arrested 207 illegal aliens despite protests and attacks. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [11/18/2025 7:43 AM, Emily Crane, 42219K] reports awanted terrorist from Uzbekistan managed to illegally enter the US — then get a commercial truck driver’s license after being released under the Biden administration, according to outraged federal officials. The terror-tied illegal immigrant, Akhror Bozorov, 31, was arrested in Kansas earlier this month while already working as a commercial truck driver, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. "Not only was Akhror Bozorov — a wanted terrorist — released into the country by the Biden administration, but … he was also given a commercial driver’s license by Governor [Josh] Shapiro’s Pennsylvania," DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "This should go without saying, but terrorist illegal aliens should not be operating 18-wheelers on America’s highways."

Breitbart [11/18/2025 5:19 PM, John Binder, 2416K] reports states across the country have potentially illegally issued about 194,000 Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) to foreign truck drivers who would not meet English language standards set by the Department of Transportation (DOT), Secretary Sean Duffy reveals. Duffy revealed the alarming statistic in an interview on Fox Business Channel, stating that some 200,000 CDLs have been issued to foreign nationals and that of those, 194,000 are suspected of having been issued illegally. Duffy also pointed to so-called "CDL mills" where foreign nationals are arriving in the U.S. and being pushed through such mills to secure CDLs despite their having hardly any knowledge of American driving rules. The result is stagnant wages in the trucking industry, Duffy said.

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 2:49 PM, Staff, 1394K] reports that a suspected terrorist arrested in Kansas earlier this month is a licensed truck driver in Pennsylvania, according to federal authorities. Akhror Bozorov fled his native Uzbekistan after law enforcement there issued an arrest warrant in late 2022. The 31-year-old, not an American citizen, is accused of recruiting on behalf of an unnamed jihadist terrorist group and distributing its propaganda online. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Bozorov crossed the southern border in February 2023, where he was apprehended, released, and given work authorization before receiving a commercial truck driver’s license in Pennsylvania in July. In a statement issued Monday, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin skewered the former Biden administration for allowing "countless terrorists to come into our country." "Not only was Akhror Bozorov – a wanted terrorist – released into the country by the Biden administration, but he was also given a commercial driver’s license by Governor Shapiro’s Pennsylvania," she said. "This should go without saying, but terrorist illegal aliens should not be operating 18-wheelers on America’s highways.” The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication in getting a comment from Shapiro.

FOX News [11/18/2025 1:52 PM, Madison Colombo, 40621K] reports that a wanted terror suspect from Uzbekistan entered the United States and secured a commercial driver’s license. Now, White House border czar Tom Homan is revealing how he believes many criminal migrants entered the country under the Biden administration. "The Biden administration was lying to the American people, and they said everybody they released in the country was properly vetted. They weren’t," Homan warned on "America’s Newsroom" Tuesday. Akhror Bozorov was wanted in Uzbekistan for belonging to a terrorist organization, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 2022, accusing him of being a member of a terrorist group, distributing propaganda, and calling for jihad online. Bozorov was arrested Nov. 9 in Kansas while working as a commercial truck driver. His license was issued in January 2024 in Pennsylvania. "This should go without saying, but terrorist illegal aliens should not be operating 18-wheelers on America’s highways," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. Both Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have taken aim at sanctuary states for allegedly allowing illegal immigrants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses.

FOX News [11/18/2025 2:46 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports that Pennsylvania lawmakers warned Harrisburg officials of a potential crisis on their hands before Monday’s arrest of an Uzbek illegal immigrant trucker in Kansas who held a PennDOT commercial driver’s license (CDL). Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee chairman Jarrett Coleman shared a letter with Fox News Digital that he sent just days earlier to PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll asking for answers to how illegal immigrants were receiving CDL licenses despite stated rigorous identity checks. Coleman, R-Allentown, said Monday’s incident was "deeply disturbing but not surprising" and another example of the Shapiro administration "prioritiz[ing] political optics over public safety." He said that Pennsylvanians deserve accountability in situations like this and that if the administration will not provide public answers, then there is a "much bigger problem on our hands." "Public safety is not negotiable," he said. "Ten days ago, I and several colleagues formally requested answers from PennDOT about what safeguards they have in place to prevent individuals who are in this country illegally, and in some cases have criminal records, from obtaining CDLs." A spokeswoman for Carroll confirmed PennDOT received Coleman’s letter and is in the process of responding.

The AP [11/18/2025 6:19 PM, Gary D. Robertson and Tim Sullivan] reports federal agents expanded their North Carolina immigration crackdown to the area around the state capital of Raleigh on Tuesday, with fear spreading in at least one one immigrant-heavy suburb where restaurants closed and many people stayed home. The North Carolina operation began over the weekend in the state’s largest city, Charlotte, where officials said more than 130 people have been arrested. Speaking at a Raleigh City Council meeting, Mayor Janet Cowell said there had been “confirmed sightings” of Border Patrol officers operating in Wake County, which includes Raleigh, and nearby Durham County, which includes the city of Durham. She said earlier that she did not know how large the operation would be or how long agents would be present. Federal officials have said the crackdowns will reduce crime, though leaders in both Charlotte and Raleigh said crime was down. The officials have also criticized so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents in a handful of jurisdictions. Breitbart [11/18/2025 11:19 AM, Amy Furr, 2416K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration has been working hard to target criminal illegals, with a recent sweep in Charlotte, North Carolina, Fox News reported Tuesday, noting over 130 illegals were arrested there in a span of two days. Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell said, "We have been made aware that Customs and Border Protection are coming to Raleigh.” "While RPD is not involved in immigration enforcement, we are committed to protecting our residents and to following the law. I can confirm that the Raleigh Police Department has not participated in any immigration planning activities. Above all, Raleigh is a safe city, with crime down year-over-year. Public safety is a priority for me and this City Council," she added. The news comes after federal officials began making arrests of illegals in Charlotte on Saturday, per Breitbart News. The outlet later reported that U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said officials had detained up to 81 illegals during the first day of "Operation Charlotte’s Web.” In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said, "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors. We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed. There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President [Donald] Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t.” ABC News [11/18/2025 6:21 AM, Jon Haworth, 30493K] Video: HERE reports Charlotte is the latest city targeted by the Trump administration to enforce immigration laws, in a nationwide effort that has included Los Angeles and Chicago, which are so-called "sanctuary" cities and states that limit actions their local authorities take to aid the work of immigration agents. The Department of Homeland Security in announcing its action in North Carolina said the state also has "sanctuary" politicians. "We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Axios [11/18/2025 2:45 PM, Mary Helen Moore and Zachery Eanes, 12972K]
FOX News [11/18/2025 9:34 AM, Alex Nitzberg, 40621K]
Daily Wire [11/18/2025 5:43 PM, Jennie Taer, 2494K]
Univision [11/18/2025 10:14 AM, Staff, 5004K]

NBC News [11/18/2025 9:03 PM, Suzanne Gamboa and Julia Ainsley, 34509K] reports men wearing vests and green uniforms were seen detaining people around the Raleigh-Durham area Tuesday, but an escalated operation like the one in Charlotte for the past three days did not materialize. Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell had said late Monday that officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection were already in Raleigh. But Tuesday, a senior administration official told NBC News that Customs and Border Protection did not have plans for an operation in Raleigh at this time. Gregory Bovino, the U.S. Border Patrol commander at-large overseeing the Charlotte operation, planned to remain there, the official said. Asked about the conflicting information, Cowell’s spokeswoman referred to comments Cowell made Tuesday at a meeting of the Raleigh City Council. "Our law enforcement partners have confirmed that Border Patrol is in Wake County — there have been several confirmed sightings — and Durham County," Cowell said. Wake County includes Raleigh. She urged residents to stay safe, call in any illegal activity they see, protest peacefully and "just be kind to your neighbors today.” Cowell’s words follow several days of an escalated immigration crackdown in Charlotte dubbed "Operation Charlotte’s Web" — using the title of a beloved children’s book — that had resulted in 207 arrests as of Monday night, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The enforcement action has also led to complaints from local residents and groups that federal agents used heavy-handed tactics and profiled residents, including U.S. citizens, frightening residents and leading to the closings of several businesses in the area. DHS did not immediately reply to questions about whether Border Patrol was in Raleigh or about videos posted by an immigration group that appear to show the presence of immigration enforcement in Raleigh and surrounding areas. Siembra NC, an advocacy group for immigrants, posted video and photos of what appeared to be some Border Patrol arrests in Cary, Raleigh and Durham. The agents in the videos are masked with green uniforms and vests. In at least one photo, an officer’s U.S. Border Patrol patch can be clearly seen. DHS said that all the people arrested in Charlotte had broken immigration laws and that some had serious criminal records, including gang membership, aggravated assault, possession of dangerous weapons, felony larceny, assault, drunk driving and other crimes. "We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [11/18/2025 9:44 AM, Max Rego, 12595K] reports federal immigration officers arrested over 130 individuals across the first two days of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) operations around Charlotte, N.C., the agency said Monday. Among those arrested are 44 undocumented migrants with serious offenses on their record and two known gang members, DHS alleged. The Hill has reached out to the agency for specifics on whether those arrested have been charged with crimes and if the individuals have legal representation. A spokesperson for DHS said in a release that those arrested are "here illegally and should never have been here in the first place.” The Trump administration launched the endeavor, which it is calling "Operation Charlotte’s Web," on Saturday. It said in a release that it will target migrants lacking certain documentation who have committed crimes. "We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Hill on Saturday.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/18/2025 3:00 PM, Staff, 40621K] r

FOX News [11/18/2025 12:28 PM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Adriana James-Rodil, 40621K] reports federal agents broadened President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Charlotte, North Carolina, arresting 130 people in the first 48 hours, including an MS-13 gang member. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), among those taken into custody amid "Operation Charlotte’s Web" were 44 criminal illegal aliens whose criminal records include aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer, battery, driving under the influence and hit-and-run. Among the arrests were two known gang members, DHS said. Greg Bovino, commander-at-large spearheading the crackdown for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), vowed in a social media post on Sunday that his agents would "hit Charlotte like a storm.” Footage from the crackdown captured agents fanning across the state in tactical gear and arresting migrants alleged to be in the country illegally. In a joint statement, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County elected officials, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, slammed the CBP operations, saying they are "causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community.” "It is critical for all residents to feel secure in our community and know they can live their lives without being fearful while walking down the street, going to school, work or the grocery store.” Approximately 20,935 students were absent from school across 185 schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg district, according to WBTV, citing school officials. The local outlet reported that 31% of the student population are Hispanic. On Monday, Fox News reported on an officer being injured after two separate vehicle ramming incidents during operations on Sunday. "Today, Customs and Border Protection agents in Charlotte faced another vehicle ramming while in a parking lot. Agents were preparing for an operation, when a car jumped a curb to enter the parking lot and drove toward agents," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News in a statement. "The driver was warned to stop and back up. The driver then moved the vehicle toward the exit of the parking lot to box in Border Patrol," the statement continued. "As agents went to confront the driver, the car rammed a law enforcement vehicle and fled the scene. Agents pursued the aggressor, eventually stopping the car in a cul-de-sac where the driver was arrested.” McLaughlin went on to note that the suspect in that incident was "a transgender perpetrator.”

New York Times [11/19/2025 3:45 AM, Eduardo Medina, Emily Cataneo and Meredith Honig, 330K] reports federal Border Patrol agents expanded their operations in North Carolina on Tuesday to include Raleigh, the state capital, and nearby Democratic cities in the latest escalation of President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Since Saturday, the Border Patrol had been focusing its efforts in North Carolina on Charlotte, the state’s largest city, which is home to a growing population of immigrants, especially from Latin America. The expansion to the state’s heavily Democratic Research Triangle region, which includes Durham and Chapel Hill as well as Raleigh, puts a purple state firmly at the center of one of the Trump administration’s most visible immigration strategies. The full scope of the operation was not immediately clear. Border Patrol agents were seen detaining people on Tuesday at a Home Depot in Cary, N.C., just west of Raleigh, at an apartment complex and outside a beauty shop in Durham. Volunteers for immigrant advocacy groups were beginning to station themselves at other home improvement stores in the area; one person brought whistles for the volunteers to use if they saw any Border Patrol activity. Federal officials say that more than 200 people have been arrested in Charlotte since Saturday, and the action there has drawn criticism akin to what opponents said about similar operations in Los Angeles and Chicago this year: that Hispanic people were being profiled, and that the agents’ aggressive tactics had provoked communities, disrupted businesses and incited fear. Two men were charged in separate incidents and accused of using their vehicles to assault, resist or impede federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations in Charlotte. The leader of those operations, Gregory Bovino, has posted comments online about some of the people arrested in Charlotte, saying that they had criminal histories and declaring their arrests successes in the Border Patrol’s mission to deport people who are deemed dangerous. The Department of Homeland Security said 44 of the people arrested in Charlotte as of early Monday had criminal histories. Several episodes in Charlotte over the weekend prompted widespread criticism, including one in which agents approached a landscaper who was hanging Christmas decorations, and another in which an agent smashed in the window of a U.S. citizen’s truck and the man, who is Hispanic, was temporarily detained. Videos posted on social media have shown agents approaching people at grocery stores, Home Depots and construction sites in and around Charlotte. Some people have posted comments online encouraging the operation, especially on X, where Mr. Bovino often responds to both critics and supporters. One supporter thanked him for having immediately detained “Juan illegal alien,” using an offensive pun for a Hispanic person. “We had a record day today!” Mr. Bovino replied. “Massive numbers in Charlotte. Some good criminals also.” Mayor Janet Cowell of Raleigh, a Democrat, said in a statement that “as the capital city, it is important to us that everyone who lives, works, plays and learns in Raleigh feels safe.” She added that the city’s police department would not be involved in immigration enforcement.

FOX News [11/18/2025 3:31 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports several North Carolina Democrats who criticized or opposed federal immigration authorities in Charlotte were largely silent when asked about the dozens of criminals arrested during the operation. U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino – who hails from Watauga County and attended Appalachian State University in Boone – returned to familiar soil and was seen on-the-ground in Charlotte after weeks in Chicago. By Monday, the Department of Homeland Security recorded 130 arrests of illegal immigrants, including at least 44 with violent criminal records ranging from aggravated assault to known gang activity, in its latest "worst of the worst" cache.

ABC News [11/18/2025 5:13 AM, Armando Garcia and Faith Abubey, 30493K] reports anxiety is high across Charlotte, North Carolina, residents and the city’s mayor pro tem told ABC News, with a surge of border patrol agents conducting the third day of immigration enforcement under "Operation Charlotte’s Web." The Department of Homeland Security said agents arrested over 130 people in Charlotte during the first 24 hours of the operation. The arrests include CBP and ICE arrests, according to DHS. Since Saturday, at least two people have been detained in a Charlotte plaza, where resident David Rebolloso runs his businesses, a laundromat, he told ABC News. Over the weekend, he says, Border Patrol agents chased a man through the laundromat and out the back door. Customers who were doing laundry at the time scrambled in terror. Rebolloso said that the plaza, which caters predominantly to the Hispanic community, is usually bustling. Today, only two of the 18 businesses are open. "They’re just trying to instill fear in the community, you know, so that people don’t come out and so it’s hurting businesses," he said. "...really instilling fear for no reason, and just the racism as well, racial profiling. That’s that’s really all it is, you know, because they’re just targeting Latinos … as far as I know here in Charlotte." In a statement on Monday, DHS said all 130 people arrested in Charlotte had "broken the immigration laws of our country." "We will not stop enforcing the laws of our nation until every criminal illegal alien is arrested and removed from our country," the agency said.

Blaze [11/18/2025 5:35 PM, Cooper Williamson, 1442K] reports with the launch of Operation Charlotte’s Web in North Carolina over the weekend, some have speculated that law enforcement has stumbled upon a large number of illegal aliens in a major city. Social media was set ablaze on Monday and Tuesday as early reports were released about school attendance in one of the largest school districts in the country. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, highlighted the report, saying, "So a conservative estimate is that one-seventh of a major southern public school district is here illegally." Data from November 17 reveals that 30,399 students were absent, a number significantly higher than early reports suggested. Only 79.0% of the 145,030 students enrolled in the district attended school on Monday. The vast majority of those absences, moreover — 28,136 — were marked as unexcused. On Nov. 10, 132,043 of the 144,909 students enrolled, or 91.1%, were in attendance. Only 12,866 students were absent, most, again, unexcused. This constitutes a roughly 12% drop in attendance week over week, though there are likely other factors that contributed to this significant drop.

CBS News [11/18/2025 8:14 PM, Staff, 39474K] reports Cristina Rojas, who became a U.S. citizen in March, says she has temporarily closed The Batchmaker, the bakery she owns in Charlotte, North Carolina, fearing for her community’s safety amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. "I became a citizen but I don’t stop being Honduran. I don’t stop being Hispanic," Rojas told CBS News. "The fact that a paper tells me you’re now a citizen of this country doesn’t take away from the fact that I look the way I look." Rojas said her family’s safety outweighs her economic concerns. She is taking the closure day by day, only doing pick-up service for customers who have long-standing preorders. "I think there’s going to be a huge loss, but I don’t think that there’s a price I am willing to pay to risk it," Rojas said. More than 200 people have been arrested since Friday, when the Department of Homeland Security launched what it’s calling "Operation Charlotte’s Web." Immigration enforcement agents also moved into the Raleigh, North Carolina, area on Tuesday, with DHS maintaining it’s targeting the "worst of the worst." "I see myself through the people that have been detained," Rojas told CBS News. "I see myself through the people that are being terrorized and not able to go to work and school," she added. "So while, yes, I am a citizen, it doesn’t take away from who I am, where I was born, and what makes me, and I am Hispanic. I am an immigrant." Across Charlotte, students have staged walkouts to protest the immigration enforcement. Officials for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said more than 30,000 students, roughly 22% of the entire district, were absent on Monday. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein criticized Border Patrol’s tactics Tuesday, saying they don’t promote public safety. "If this were targeted to going after known people who are criminals or known people who are drug traffickers who are engaged in violent crime, that would be a good thing, but they’re just sweeping sidewalks, they’re sweeping parking lots," Stein said. "They’re going into stores and churches. This is causing widespread fear, widespread uncertainty. This is not about public safety, and I wish that it were."

NBC News [11/19/2025 2:32 AM, Staff, 34509K] reports hundreds rally against Border Patrol in North Carolina. [Editorial note: consult video at source link].

Bloomberg Law [11/18/2025 3:40 PM, Suzanne Monyak, Celine Castronuovo, 803K] reports the Trump administration’s legal opinion backing the use of military lawyers as immigration judges is drawing scrutiny from legal scholars who say the move represents an unprecedented expansion of the executive branch’s authority. The advisory opinion found that detailing hundreds of military lawyers, including with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, to be temporary immigration judges wouldn’t violate the Posse Comitatus Act, a 19th century law aimed at keeping the military separate from civilian law enforcement. Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser, who leads the Office of Legal Counsel, penned the memo. But the opinion is light on the Justice Department’s plans to ensure the lawyers operate completely outside their military chain of command while serving as immigration judges. The limited analysis on how the policy squares with Posse Comitatus could invite legal challenges from immigrants whose futures in the US hinge on rulings from these judges, former military lawyers and other legal analysts say. The opinion, which follows firings of immigration judges, was issued more than two months after the Justice Department agency that oversees the immigration courts asked the Pentagon to detail up to 600 lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges for six-month stints. The detailed judges could arrive in 150-person cohorts, and their terms could be renewed, according to the opinion.

CBS News [11/18/2025 10:31 AM, Haley Ott, 39474K] reports Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro indicated Monday that he is open to direct talks with the Trump administration, calling for diplomacy instead of confrontation as the U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier joined almost a dozen other American warships off his country’s shores in a tense standoff. The administration accuses Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking into the United States, but the Venezuelan leader says the U.S. is trying to overthrow him. "Those who want to speak with Venezuela will speak," Maduro said in Spanish, adding in English: "Face-to-face.” The Venezuelan leader made the remarks on his television program, which aired in Venezuela on Monday. He was asked by an interviewer about reports that President Trump was considering speaking with him. "Venezuela’s position is unwavering: Absolute respect for international law. We firmly reject the threat or use of force to impose rules between countries," Maduro said. "We reaffirm what the U.N. Charter, our Constitution, and our people say: Only through diplomacy should free nations understand each other. Governments must seek common ground on mutual interests only through dialogue.” Maduro’s comments came hours after President Trump said he would be willing to talk with the Venezuelan leader, while not ruling out deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela. Mr. Trump accuses Maduro of working in conjunction with drug cartels that traffic narcotics into the U.S., and the Venezuelan leader has been indicted in a U.S. court on narco-terrorism charges. President Trump recently told CBS News’ 60 Minutes that he believed Maduro’s days in power were numbered. Maduro has denied all accusations that he works with cartels and said he believes the drug trafficking claims are a pretext for a U.S. military operation to remove him from power. Maduro has "done tremendous damage to our country, primarily because of drugs, but really because we have that problem with other countries too, but more than any other country, the release of prisoners into our country has been a disaster," Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. "He’s emptied his jails. Others have done that also. He has not been good to the United States. So we’ll see what happens. At a certain period of time, I’ll be talking to him.”

Chicago Tribune [11/18/2025 11:12 AM, Daniel I. Dorfman, 4829K] reports the Lake Bluff village board could vote later this month on policies outlining how the village will respond to actions by the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within its boundaries. At a Nov. 10 Committee of the Whole meeting, trustees reviewed a draft ordinance addressing the village’s interactions with ICE amid concerns tied to the federal government’s Operation Midway Blitz. "We are also projecting a message of respect and dignity for people," Village President Regis Charlot said. Charlot initiated the push for policy changes after raising concerns at the board’s Oct. 27 meeting about immigration enforcement activities occurring in nearby communities. Trustee Susan Rider agreed on Nov. 10. "Those videos we are seeing from other communities are chilling," she said. Under the proposed ordinance, immigration officials would be prohibited from using village-owned property, such as parking lots or garages, as staging areas, processing locations, or operational bases for civil immigration enforcement. "We believe the village can prohibit them from utilizing village property for staging areas, processing centers, or an operations base because that would violate the anti-commandeering doctrine of the 10th Amendment," Village Attorney Peter Friedman said after the meeting. Friedman told the board the village must comply with both the Illinois Trust Act, enacted in 2017 to bar local law enforcement from participating in civil immigration enforcement, and the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prevents the federal government from requiring state or local governments to allocate resources to federal operations.

New York Times [11/18/2025 3:45 PM, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, 330K] reports a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that the Trump administration filed against New York State in hopes of enabling immigration agents to conduct arrests in state and local courthouses. The judge, Mae A. D’Agostino, ruled late Monday in favor of New York, finding that a 2020 state law and two executive orders that limit civil arrests near local courts and in state facilities were not unconstitutional, as the Department of Justice had argued in June. The 41-page ruling marked another defeat for President Trump’s efforts to strike down laws passed by cities and states that limit cooperation between localities and the federal government on immigration matters. In July, a federal judge in Illinois dismissed a lawsuit that had argued that state and local officials there were violating the Constitution by enforcing so-called sanctuary measures. The Justice Department filed a similar lawsuit against New York City’s sanctuary laws in late July that is ongoing. The ruling on Monday night has no effect on the arrests that federal officers have been conducting in immigration courthouses in New York City, which are federal property. Scores of migrants showing up for routine court hearings have been arrested this year. “The court made the right decision in upholding New York’s sovereignty, and the state will continue to work with federal and local law enforcement in cracking down on violent offenders while keeping our communities safe and enforcing our laws,” Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement. New York lawmakers passed the 2020 state law, known as the Protect Our Courts Act, during Mr. Trump’s first term, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began arresting undocumented immigrants at state and local courts. Other states, including California and Washington, have similar policies barring ICE agents from courthouses. The New York law allows agents to arrest people at or near courthouses only if they have a court order or criminal warrant signed by a judge — provisions that make it much harder for ICE to conduct arrests at the courthouses. In June, Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Albany that argued that the state law shielded criminals while endangering public safety, saying that the state was helping “prevent illegal aliens from apprehension.” The lawsuit argued that the state law violated the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which says that the Constitution and federal statutes take priority over any conflicting state laws. But Judge D’Agostino, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011, ruled that the state policies were not pre-empted by federal law and that New York was within its rights in deciding not to help the federal government with immigration enforcement. She wrote that the state’s measures reflected New York’s “decision to not participate in enforcing civil immigration law — a decision protected by the Tenth Amendment and not preempted” by federal immigration laws. Letitia James, the New York State attorney general and a Democrat, celebrated the ruling. “Everyone deserves to seek justice without fear,” Ms. James said in a statement. “This ruling ensures that anyone can use New York’s state courts without being targeted by federal authorities.”

Reported similarly:
The Hill [11/18/2025 8:59 AM, Zach Schonfeld, 12595K]
Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 12:10 PM, Jack Birle, 1394K]

New York Times [11/18/2025 6:42 PM, Ana Ley and Luis Ferré-Sadurní, 135475K] reports President Trump’s top border adviser said on Tuesday that federal officials would ramp up immigrant detentions in New York City, repeating a threat that carried additional weight after the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor. Speaking on Fox News, the official, Thomas Homan, said that he was targeting New York City because of its so-called sanctuary policies, which prevent local law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on most matters. “We know we have an issue there with public safety,” Mr. Homan said of New York. “If they don’t want to assist and they want to keep pushing back and impeding our efforts, then we’re going to just send more teams there. We’re going to flood the zone.” The city’s sanctuary laws, most of which were passed in 2014 when Bill de Blasio was mayor, strictly limit communication and cooperation between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and city departments. Mr. Homan’s warning came as New York’s leaders have been preparing for the possibility that Mr. Trump will deploy the National Guard or more immigration agents to New York after Mr. Mamdani’s victory on Nov. 4. Mr. Mamdani, a Democrat and democratic socialist, ran for mayor arguing that only he could stand up to Mr. Trump, whom he described as a threat to democracy. Mr. Trump has belittled Mr. Mamdani for months, calling him a danger to New York. (Mr. Mamdani reached out to the White House recently to set up a meeting with the president.) Gov. Kathy Hochul, who met with Mr. Mamdani last week to discuss Mr. Trump’s threats, said on Monday that state officials had been conducting exercises ahead of a potential federal deployment, adding that the city’s business leaders, some of whom have ties to Mr. Trump, would have a “very important” role to play. “I’ve had conversations with a lot of business leaders and saying, ‘When the time comes, make sure that you also convey your concerns about what this would do to destabilize New York City and the outsize impact that this would have across America,’” she said in Albany on Monday.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [11/18/2025 4:27 PM, Jasper Ward, 36480K]

CBS New York [11/18/2025 7:14 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement will increase operations in New York City due to its status as a sanctuary city, White House border czar Tom Homan said Tuesday. "We’re increasing enforcement presence in New York City again because they’re a sanctuary city, and we know we have an issue. There are public safety threats in the street every day," Homan said on Fox & Friends. "I’m willing to meet with anybody. President Trump is willing to meet with anybody, but let’s get together and work it together. We’d much rather work with these sanctuary cities than keep, you know, putting our officers at extreme risk," Homan added. City Hall responded with the following statement: "The job of a mayor is to protect the safety of every single person in their city -- and that’s exactly what Mayor Adams has worked to do every day for nearly four years. Keeping New Yorkers safe also means making sure they feel safe, and Mayor Adams has been clear: no one should be afraid to dial 911, send their kids to school, or go to the hospital, and no New Yorker should feel forced to hide in the shadows," a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said. "But we have also been clear that our administration will always follow the law, and that means we do not collaborate with the federal government on civil immigration enforcement.” Homan’s remarks come as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Trump are working on plans to meet in Washington. Mamdani said he plans to speak with the president about affordability issues. "New York City’s more than 3 million immigrants are central to our city’s strength, vitality, and success. The Mayor-elect remains steadfast in his commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every single New Yorker and upholding our sanctuary laws," Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said.

New York Post [11/18/2025 12:18 PM, Ariel Zilber, 42219K] reports New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is reportedly teaming up with Wall Street executives in an effort to talk President Trump out of sending National Guard troops to New York City in the wake of socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory earlier this month. A top aide to Hochul, a Dem, has reached out to leaders of the Big Apple’s finance industry in hopes of convincing the Republican Trump administration to refrain from deploying federal troops to the city — arguing that doing so would harm the economy, according to The Wall Street Journal. Jackie Bray, Hochul’s director of homeland security and emergency services, is spearheading the effort and has reportedly met one-on-one with top executives in New York to get their buy-in. According to The Journal, Bray shared data with executives showing that National Guard troop deployments would harm local businesses, as well as tourism. Hochul’s team has yet to ask business leaders to convey the concerns directly to Trump since there is no immediate threat of a federal takeover, the publication reported. Along with sending the National Guard to the city, Trump has reportedly weighed funding cuts in response to Mamdani’s shocking victory. The mayor-elect has promised to stop all cooperation with federal authorities on combating illegal immigration — restoring New York’s status to what he called the "strongest sanctuary city" in the country.

AP [11/18/2025 4:51 PM, Larry Neumeister, 31753K] reports New York City’s chief fiscal officer Brad Lander, who was arrested two months ago protesting conditions at an immigration holding facility, chose Tuesday to go to trial on a misdemeanor obstruction charge rather than accept a deal that would have made the case go away in six months. “I want a trial,” said Lander, the city’s comptroller and an ally of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. He spoke after emerging from a federal courtroom in Manhattan, where he’d waited to hear what action authorities would take over his Sept. 18 protest alongside several lawmakers. He vowed to keep protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and said a trial would “bring to light” what federal authorities are doing. It’s not the first time Lander, a liberal Democrat who ran for mayor this year, has been arrested over this issue. He was taken into custody in June at an immigration court in Manhattan after he linked arms with a person authorities were trying to detain. The arrest elevated the star power of the typically even-keeled politician known for a technocratic style. He and Mamdani cross endorsed one another in the final weeks of the primary, and Lander is now rumored to be considering a run for Congress. Lander was singled out by Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement after his arrest. She called him “another sanctuary politician pulling a stunt in attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees,” referring to so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents in a handful of jurisdictions nationwide. Lander was among 11 officials arrested and given summonses before their release after they tried to inspect holding rooms on the 10th floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, which houses an immigration court, the FBI’s New York field office and other federal offices. The building has become a focal point amid the ongoing federal immigration operations, which President Donald Trump says are needed to fight what he calls runaway crime. The officials said they wanted to see if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was complying with a judge’s ruling requiring the agency to limit capacity, ensure cleanliness and provide sleeping mats, among other remedies. Some of the other officials have accepted the deferred prosecution deal.

Washington Post [11/18/2025 8:34 AM, Jennifer Hassan, 24149K] reports a Tennessee judge has temporarily blocked use of the National Guard in Memphis, ruling that the state’s use of troops — initiated during President Donald Trump’s sweeping crackdown on crime across cities he deems “troubled” — is probably unlawful. The ruling by Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal of the Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville doesn’t go into effect immediately. She gave the state five days to appeal, according to court documents. Moskal wrote that “no rebellion or invasion” is taking place in the Democratic-led city that would warrant officials deploying military troops there, nor any disaster or emergency that might warrant National Guard activation. Moskal’s ruling came after Democratic state and local officials opposed the deployment of 150 National Guard troops in Memphis, saying it violates Tennessee’s constitution. Plaintiffs included Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris; Memphis City Council member JB Smiley Jr.; Shelby County Commissioners Henri E. Brooks and Erika Sugarmon; state Reps. G.A. Hardaway and Gabby Salinas; and state Sen. Jeff Yarbro. The lawsuit against Gov. Bill Lee (R), Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Maj. Gen. Warner A. Ross II, the adjutant general for Tennessee’s National Guard, was filed Oct. 17. Skrmetti said in a statement Tuesday that the state would appeal.

AP [11/18/2025 10:09 PM, Todd Richmond, 30493K] reports plea negotiations with a Wisconsin judge accused of helping an immigrant evade federal agents are underway as her trial nears, the newly minted federal prosecutor overseeing the case said Tuesday. Interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that attorneys are "discussing potential resolution" of the case against Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, but her attorneys haven’t shown they’re willing to accept any offer. A plea agreement would mark a surprising de-escalation by prosecutors in a case that has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Schimel said plea negotiations are part of a "normal process to resolve a case and eliminate risk for both sides, to find a resolution that makes sense. That’s all.” Dugan’s defense attorneys said she’s innocent and they’re preparing for a trial next month. According to court documents, federal agents in April learned that an immigrant who was in the country illegally was scheduled to appear before Dugan in a state battery case. The agents traveled to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to apprehend the man, 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz. Dugan learned the agents were in the courthouse and showed Flores-Ruiz out of her courtroom through a private door. Flores-Ruiz was able to make his way outside, but agents captured him following a foot chase. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that he had been deported. Dugan was arrested at the courthouse a week after the chase and a federal grand jury indicted her on charges of obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest in May. Dugan has argued she did nothing wrong and she has complete authority over movement in her courtroom. Her trial is set to begin Dec. 15. She could face up to six years in prison if convicted.

The Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 12:13 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 1394K] reports the registered Republican mayor of a small Kansas town is facing deportation for allegedly illegally voting in three elections. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach accused Coldwater Mayor Joe Ceballos, a green card holder from Mexico, of the deeds earlier this month. If convicted in the case, Ceballos could be deported after more than four decades living in the United States. He would also lose his status as the town’s mayor and could be imprisoned for years. Ceballos has yet to enter a plea. Kobach announced the charges right after Ceballos was reelected for a second term. Ceballos faces three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. "This alien committed a felony by voting in American elections. If convicted, he will be placed in removal proceedings. President Trump and Secretary Noem gave states access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to ensure only Americans vote in American elections," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. The Washington Post [11/18/2025 6:00 AM, Caroline O’Donovan, 24149K] reports Joe Ceballos has been winning elections in this tiny ranching town for more than a decade, securing his second mayoral term in a landslide earlier this month. But Ceballos’s version of the American Dream — a Mexican immigrant who became an integral part of a close-knit Kansas community — has run smack into a newer American phenomenon: the aggressive prosecution of alleged voter fraud by noncitizens. Ceballos, who has a green card, came to Coldwater as a teenage ranch hand. When he turned 18, a teacher at his high school took him to the county courthouse to register for the draft and to vote, friends of Ceballos and his family said, adding that it was common for teachers in town to do so at that time. He was hired as a city employee as a young man and, eventually, ran for city council. His family hosts an annual mud-bogging competition in town, and friends say he has done electrical work on most of their homes. But the day after he was reelected mayor, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) said Ceballos had illegally voted in three elections, starting in 2022, charging him with voter fraud and perjury — felonies that could strip him of his elected office and land him in prison for years. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in Kansas and in all but a small number of localities across the United States. Ceballos has been voting regularly as a registered Republican since 2020, according to the Comanche County clerk’s office. He could be deported after more than four decades in the country if convicted. He hasn’t entered a plea.

San Diego Union Tribune [11/18/2025 11:38 AM, Alex Riggins, 1538K] reports on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review the Trump administration’s appeal in a San Diego case related to the practice of “metering,” which involved U.S. border officials turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, forcing them to wait in Mexico if they determined that a border crossing was overwhelmed. This practice, implemented during the Obama administration and later formalized by the first Trump administration, was abolished by the Biden administration. However, lawyers for the current Trump administration argued that the measurement is a “fundamental tool for addressing migration flows at the border and preventing overcrowding at ports of entry,” and that such a tool may be necessary in the future. The central issue in the case that the Supreme Court agreed to review is what exactly it means to arrive in the United States, since, according to federal law, any immigrant “who is physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States... at a designated port of entry... may apply for asylum.” The Trump administration wanted the phrase “reach” the U.S. to be defined literally as someone who sets foot on U.S. soil at least once at a port of entry. However, a judge in San Diego and later the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the administration’s interpretation was too literal and illegal.

NPR [11/19/2025 5:00 AM, Juliana Kim, 34837K] reports again and again, President Trump’s efforts to send National Guard troops to U.S. cities have been met with resistance in the courts. In his second term, Trump has continued to push the boundaries of military involvement in domestic matters, whether it comes to addressing public safety, quelling protests or safeguarding federal buildings and personnel, including ICE agents. In response, local and state Democratic leaders have forcefully pushed back and made strides in the courts, where judges have deemed the use of military force as unnecessary or unlawful. Some judges have also expressed wariness around having the military get involved in civilian affairs. "This principle has been foundational to the safeguarding of our fundamental liberties under the Constitution," U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut wrote in her ruling freezing Trump’s deployment to Portland, Ore. earlier this month. The latest court to push back was in Tennessee, where a judge temporarily blocked the state’s use of the Guard in Memphis. That deployment was ordered by the governor at the behest of Trump. As the legal challenges mount, the Defense Department over the weekend ordered hundreds of troops in Chicago and Portland to return to their home states after federal courts stalled deployments, NPR previously reported.

NBC News [11/18/2025 4:37 PM, Lawrence Hurley, 34509K] reports seizing on allegations of federal law enforcement officials’ committing constitutional violations as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, Democrats have launched a new effort to allow civil rights claims against rogue agents. Lawmakers reintroduced legislation Tuesday that would ensure federal officials, including immigration agents and other law enforcement officers, can be sued individually for constitutional violations. The bill, introduced in the House and the Senate by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., would amend a post-Civil War-era law that allows such claims against state and local officials to make it clear that federal officials are covered, too. "Under this lawless administration, federal officers are using excessive force and violating constitutional rights in our streets with impunity," Johnson said in a statement. "If federal officials violate the Constitution, they should be held accountable, full stop.” The legislation also comes as Republican senators have come under fire for including a provision in the bill that ended the government shutdown that would allow eight GOP senators to sue the Justice Department after their cellphone records were obtained without their knowledge. Since Trump began his second term in January, his administration has launched an aggressive immigration crackdown. Civil rights groups charge that agents have regularly committed constitutional violations by, among other things, using excessive force or carrying out allegedly unlawful entries.

New York Times [11/19/2025 3:45 AM, Nick Corasaniti, 330K] reports a coalition of 10 top state election officials sent a letter on Tuesday pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over whether their agencies had been forthcoming about their use of private voter data. “We write to express our immense concern with recent reporting that the Department of Justice (D.O.J.) has shared voter data with the Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.), and to seek clarity on whether D.O.J. and D.H.S. actively misled election officials regarding the uses of voter data,” the secretaries of state, who are all Democrats, write. The secretaries follow with a list of questions demanding further information from both departments. They ask whether the Justice Department had “shared, or does it intend to share, information from voter files” with any other federal agency, and whether the Homeland Security Department had received information about voters from other sources. The Justice Department has embarked on an effort to compile the largest set of national voter roll data it has ever collected, to essentially establish a national voting database. The push, which is meant in part to bolster unsubstantiated claims by President Trump and his allies that large numbers of undocumented immigrants have voted illegally, has worried election officials and voting rights experts who say the data could be used to try to discredit future election results. Nearly every request for the private data was initially rebuffed by top state election officials, who said they needed more information on how the list would be used, leading the Justice Department to sue at least eight states this year. In the letter, the election officials cite what they view as potentially contradictory information. They state that Heather Honey, a top election official at the Homeland Security Department and previously a leader of the right-wing election activist movement, told a private gathering of secretaries of state that the department “had not received voter data or requested it” and “had no intention of using voter data.” The letter continues, “The same day, D.H.S. publicly contradicted her representation and confirmed that they had received this data” and would put it through a program the agency developed that checks immigration status. The secretaries of state also recounted a meeting in August with a top Justice Department official, who told them that the department “intended to use voter information to assess compliance” with the rules for maintaining federal voter lists. “The first step to repair any relationship with the federal government is clear and transparent communication,” Jena Griswold, the Democratic secretary of state in Colorado and one of the officials who signed the letter, said in an interview. She criticized many of the administration’s actions regarding elections, arguing that they “make our elections less secure and decrease the level of confidence and trust from Democratic secretaries of state with federal counterparts who used to be trusted partners.”

NewsMax [11/18/2025 9:53 PM, Claire Rush, 4109K] reports ten Democrat secretaries of state asked the Trump administration Tuesday to provide more information about its wide-ranging efforts to seek statewide voter registration lists, citing concerns that federal agencies have apparently misled them and might be entering the data in a program used to verify U.S. citizenship. In a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the secretaries of state expressed "immense concern" over reports that the Justice Department has shared voter data from states with the Department of Homeland Security. "Given the unprecedented nature and scope of the DOJ’s requests, we require additional information about how this information will be used, shared, and secured," they wrote. In response to a request for comment, the Justice Department shared a previous statement from Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. "Clean voter rolls and basic election safeguards are requisites for free, fair, and transparent elections," she stated. "The DOJ Civil Rights Division has a statutory mandate to enforce our federal voting rights laws, and ensuring the voting public’s confidence in the integrity of our elections is a top priority of this administration.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The Republican administration’s request for detailed voter data this year has become a major point of contention with Democrat states, with the 2026 midterm elections on the horizon. The Justice Department has asked at least 26 states, including some led by Republicans, for the data in recent months and has sued eight for the information. At the same time, voting rights groups have sued the administration, arguing that recent updates to a federal tool for verifying citizenship could result in voters being unlawfully purged from voter lists. Some states have sent redacted versions of their voter lists that are available to the public or declined the requests for voter data, citing their own state laws or the Justice Department’s failure to fulfill federal Privacy Act obligations. But the Justice Department has on multiple occasions expressly demanded copies that contain personally identifiable information, including voter names, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/18/2025 6:18 PM, Trisha Thomas, 31753K] reports Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday strongly backed U.S. bishops who condemned the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, as he urged the American people to listen to them and treat migrants humanely. History’s first American pope was asked about the “special message” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted during the bishops’ general assembly last week. The text criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportation of migrants and the “vilification” of them in the current migration debate. It lamented the fear and anxiety immigration raids have sown in communities, and the denial of pastoral care to migrants in detention centers. Leo, who has previously urged local bishops to take the lead on speaking out on matters of social justice, said he appreciated the U.S. bishops’ statement and urged Catholics and all people of goodwill to listen to what they said. “I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” said the Chicago-born Leo. “If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice.” Speaking to reporters as he left the papal country house south of Rome, Leo acknowledged there are problems in the U.S. migration system. But he stressed that no one has said the U.S. should have open borders, and that every country has the right to determine who can enter and how. “But when people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful to say the least — and there’s been some violence unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said,” he said. “I would just invite all people in the United States to listen to them.” The bishops’ “special message” was rare, the first time since 2013 the bishops had penned such a single-issue statement at one of their meetings. It was accompanied by an Instagram video of individual bishops reading the text on camera, to hammer home its message.

The Hill [11/18/2025 6:21 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12595K] reports Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) on Tuesday read aloud a passage of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s memoir in which she describes shooting her pet dog, Cricket, during a committee markup on a bill related to deporting migrants who harm animals. In the House Judiciary Committee meeting, Moskowitz offered up a "spirited reading" of Noem’s book, after first correcting his colleagues who had been referring to Cricket as a dog. "Actually, it was a puppy. It was 14 months old," Moskowitz insisted. "And that puppy had a name. Say its name: Cricket. OK? That puppy had a name.” Several of Moskowitz’s colleagues snickered as he proceeded to read the passage. "It starts: ‘I hated that dog … . The dog, on the way home from a pheasant hunt, was untrainable, and it went to go attack the chickens. And, at that moment, I realized I had to put her down. So, I grabbed a gun and led Cricket to a gravel pit. It wasn’t a pleasant job, but it had to be done.” Moskowitz laughed as he continued his dramatic reading: "‘And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done, and so I went and got the family goat and brought that to the gravel pit, and unfortunately, I wasn’t able to kill that goat with one shot.’". The congressman said the passage is relevant to the bill under consideration, H.R. 4638, which would "amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable." The bill would also apply to those who are not convicted but who admit to committing the acts. Moskowitz said he and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) are trying to remind their colleagues that "the secretary of Homeland Security also did not treat an animal in which we believe the animal should be treated.” Moskowitz’s remarks came after Goldman urged colleagues to support his amendment to rename the bill "The Kristi Noem Canine Relief Act of 2025.”

FOX News [11/19/2025 5:00 AM, Joe Abraham, 10085K] reports when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached out to ask if they could honor my daughter Katie through "Operation Midway Blitz," I had questions. I couldn’t agree to anything in my daughter’s name sight unseen. But after speaking with DHS and understanding the goals of this operation — to enforce the laws that are supposed to protect families like mine and to amplify Katie’s tragic story — I was convinced that her death would not be in vain. Katie was violently killed on Jan. 19, 2025, in a way no parent should ever have to imagine. She was a passenger in a car stopped at a red light when an illegal alien, driving drunk at nearly 80 miles per hour, slammed into the back of their vehicle. The driver, Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national in the country illegally and using false Mexican identification, stole from us a bright, loving young woman with her whole life ahead of her. Adding to the horror of that night, after violently destroying the car and the lives inside it, he fled the scene — without a second thought to the people he had just maimed and killed. He didn’t try to render aid. He didn’t call for help. He ran, selfishly and cowardly, leaving others to face the devastation he caused. That’s the true measure of the man who should never have been in our country to begin with. It seems painfully simple: if this man had not been allowed into our country against federal law, he would not have been on that road, and my daughter would be alive today. If Illinois had real leadership willing to prioritize public safety over politics — and if the state hadn’t doubled down on the sanctuary policies that shielded this coward — Katie might still be with us.

FOX News [11/18/2025 12:15 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports White House border czar Tom Homan joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss the arrest of a terror suspect from Uzbekistan who entered the U.S. and obtained a commercial driver’s license amid growing pushback to immigration enforcement efforts. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 5:43 PM, Christopher Tremoglie, 1394K] reports as Democrats continue to demonize and vilify the nation’s law enforcement officers, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers keep protecting communities from violent criminal illegal immigrants. Once again, DHS and ICE collaborated to remove some of the "worst of the worst" illegally residing in the United States. While Democrats, and their accomplices in the legacy media, regularly promote narratives denigrating illegal immigration enforcement operations, the fact is, as DHS has regularly highlighted, "70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens convicted or charged with a crime in the U.S." And while Democrats insist on prioritizing the safety of the criminal class over the welfare of the innocent, DHS and ICE continue to protect Americans from bad people. These bad people include illegal immigrants convicted of manslaughter, murder, and lewd acts with minors. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on these violent people when speaking to the Washington Examiner.

Breitbart [11/18/2025 11:21 AM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports federal agents in Tulsa charged a Mexican national illegally residing in the U.S. and his Houston-based son with trafficking more than 75 firearms and bulk ammunition purchased at local gun shows, following a multi-agency investigation by ICE, ATF, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. State and federal law enforcement officials arrested Andres Avila, a 48-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, and his son, 22-year-old Anthony Avila, a Texas border U.S. citizen, on charges of trafficking firearms and ammunition purchases at gun shows in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area. Officials also charged the father with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms and ammunition, according to information released by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. "Oftentimes, illegally trafficked firearms end up in the hands of the drug cartels, terrorists, foreign adversaries, or other bad actors," said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. "By working alongside our partners to uncover this scheme and seize these firearms, we’ve prevented a large cache of deadly weapons from potentially being used to sew chaos or fueling other illicit criminal activity or acts of violence.” Federal agents observed the father-son duo engaging in practices they say are consistent with "straw purchases" and" firearms trafficking," officials reported. Court records show that the duo paid cash to purchase firards from private sellers and avoid background checks.

CNN [11/19/2025 2:27 AM, Elizabeth Wolfe, 18595K] reports the Trump administration admitted it "inadvertently" deported a transgender woman to Mexico this month after a judge ordered she not be removed to the country over fears she may be tortured or violently persecuted. The government has said it will allow Britania Uriostegui Rios, a Mexican national, to return to the US if she is able to make it to the border. Once she has returned, she will be placed back in ICE custody while the administration tries to deport her to a different country, court documents show. The case marks the latest example of the Trump administration wrongfully removing someone protected by court orders or special status as it works to carry out the president’s goal of a history-making mass deportation program. Uriostegui Rios is at least the fifth such case this year, including the administration’s dramatic legal showdown over the removal – and eventual return – of Salvadoran man Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Uriostegui Rios’s attorneys are suing the administration and demanding that she not be required to return to federal custody once she is back in the US – "if she happens to make it to a port of entry without dying.” Mexico is one of the deadliest countries in the world for transgender people, according to the Trans Murder Monitoring Project. Though the full scope of risk to transgender people in Mexico is unclear, journalists and advocacy groups have documented pervasive – and often fatal – violence. Since entering the US in 2003, Uriostegui Rios has racked up a lengthy criminal history that includes convictions for disorderly conduct, sexual solicitation and DUI, according to court filings from a Department of Homeland Security official. An immigration judge ordered her deportation in March after she was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Las Vegas. But the judge simultaneously blocked the government from removing Uriostegui Rios to her native Mexico, finding there was a likelihood she could face "torture" there. Even so, Uriostegui Rios was flown from a detention center in Louisiana to Texas on November 11, where her attorneys say she was taken across the border to Mexico without money, her daily medications or a cell phone. She was able to borrow a phone and call her attorneys, who say they were not notified Uriostegui Rios had been deported. "ICE confirmed that your client was removed to Mexico inadvertently," Department of Justice attorney Shannon Smitherman wrote in an email filed in court. The next day, she wrote, "ICE stands ready to remedy the inadvertent removal by allowing your client to voluntarily reenter the United States if your client wishes to do so.” CNN has sought comment from DHS and the White House.

Politico [11/18/2025 7:36 PM, Kyle Cheney, 2100K] reports the Trump administration has acknowledged that officials improperly deported a transgender woman to Mexico last week in violation of an immigration judge’s order in March concluding she was likely to face torture in her home country. Now, the administration is working to bring Britania Uriostegui Rios back to the U.S. from Tijuana — perhaps as soon as Tuesday afternoon — while it attempts to find an alternative country for her deportation. Uriostegui Rios is suing to force the administration to release her from custody when she returns to the U.S. Uriostegui Rios, a Nevada resident with a long criminal rap sheet, lost her status as a lawful permanent resident in 2023, after pleading guilty to a felony assault with a deadly weapon. After she received a suspended criminal sentence, Uriostegui was quickly placed in deportation proceedings, and an immigration judge ordered her deported from the country earlier this year. However, the judge also barred the administration from sending Uriostegui Rios to Mexico, finding a likelihood she would be tortured or killed as a result of her transgender status. Despite that order, lawyers for Uriostegui Rios say that on Nov. 11, without warning, she was abruptly transported from Louisiana to Texas and placed on a bus that dropped her off in Mexico. After the attorneys inquired about the deportation, the Justice Department acknowledged the error. “ICE confirmed that your client was removed to Mexico inadvertently,” a DOJ attorney wrote in a Nov. 12 email filed in federal court. The attorney added a day later: “ICE stands ready to remedy the inadvertent removal by allowing your client to voluntarily reenter the United States if your client wishes to do so.” A Department of Homeland Security official said in a statement that Uriostegui Rios would be brought back to the U.S. until another country is found for her deportation. “The end result will be the same — Rios will not be able to remain in the U.S. and will be removed,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “The fact of the matter is those who are in our country illegally have a choice — they can leave the country voluntarily or be arrested and deported. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the days of criminal illegal aliens indefinitely remaining in the U.S. are OVER.”

Washington Examiner [11/19/2025 5:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is stepping up efforts to combat fake news stories, viral artificially generated videos, and misinformation online that claim Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are abusing and kidnapping illegal immigrants as well as Americans. Asked on Tuesday if the federal department should contact Facebook and social media companies to do more to stop the rampant misinformation and disinformation circulating online, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner it would do just that. “Yes and we are also putting resources forward to ensure DHS combats this,” McLaughlin wrote in an email. “It’s like an hourly game of whack-a-mole debunking the scourge of lies, smears and AI deepfakes that are designed to deceive Americans,” McLaughlin added. “These fake stories don’t slow us down — they just finish off the last shreds of credibility the mainstream media has left.” Made-up stories about federal police kidnapping people off the street began to surface earlier this year when Border Patrol and ICE arrived in Los Angeles as part of a city-specific crackdown on illegal immigrants. Federal police are permitted to detain or arrest people without warrants, but these types of encounters have been mischaracterized as kidnappings.

FOX News.com [11/18/2025 10:49 AM, Ryan Gaydos, 40621K] reports Mark Teixeira, a World Series champion with the New York Yankees who is running for Congress in Texas, stepped up for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers after officials said agitators are creating "AI videos to gin up hate.” The Department of Homeland Security wrote on social media that "anti-ICE radicals" were trying hard to "demonize American law enforcement.” "We have to stand up for ICE officers and law enforcement against these dangerous threats," the former MLB first baseman wrote in a post on X. DHS warned that the AI videos being shared online are causing more harm. "The REALITY: these disgusting smears and lies are fueling the 1000% increase in assaults and nearly 8000% increase in death threats against our brave @ICEgov officers," the agency said. "The SICKOS spreading this filth must stop before they get someone killed.” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons warned in July that AI technology could lead to safety risks for agents. "If legislation passes to try to unmask ICE agents, they are not allowed to wear them, it runs the risk of agitators, different groups, you know, these fringe organizations using reverse technology, AI, to try to dox their families, try to get their identity, their home addresses," Lyons told Fox News Digital at the time. "We’ve heard elected officials say there shouldn’t be any rest for ICE agents or their families. "So, they’re definitely concerned about that. They’re also concerned about their own well-being when they go out to effectuate these arrests because now we have to send more officers out into the communities because where we can send four or five to make arrests in the past, now we had to send up to eight or 10 just to protect the four that are making the arrests of one individual.”

Blaze [11/18/2025 3:55 PM, Andrew Chapados, 1442K] reports Hendrick Motorsports Technical Solutions is under fire for its willingness to engage in commerce with the federal government. The company, founded by former NASCAR driver Rick Hendrick, is related to Hendrick Motorsports, one of NASCAR’s top teams. Originally reported by the Washington Post, Hendrick recently sold more than two dozen vehicles to the Trump administration for use with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The federal government paid $2.25 million for the Tahoes from Hendrick in North Carolina and dished out another $174,000 to other companies for custom wrappings, the Post reported. Due to the lack of an open-bidding process, ICE was required to submit their justification for skipping any competitive bargaining. The lack of bidding was not the point of focus for anti-ICE activists online. Rather, it was the simple fact that Hendrick was working with the federal agency.

NPR [11/18/2025 4:48 PM, Adrian Florido, 28013K] Video: HERE reports As President Trump expands his aggressive immigration crackdown to major cities across the country, U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents have been detained or arrested, sometimes held for days.

NPR [11/19/2025 3:05 AM, Xavier Lopez, Jasmine Garsd, B.A. Parker, Leah Donnella, Courtney Stein, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports that, today on the show, NPR immigration reporter Jasmine Garsd takes us into the dimly lit living rooms of immigrant families — families trying to figure out how to stay safe as they navigate the overwhelming fear of being detained by ICE. These fears have long existed, but for many, they’ve become stronger and more omnipresent during this Trump administration, with its strong focus on deportation. So parents across the country are finding different ways to exist, protect themselves, and look out for their children.

CBS Boston [11/18/2025 7:55 AM, Brandon Truitt, 39474K] reports a protest was held at Boston University Monday night after a student there claimed his tip led to an immigration raid at the Allston Car Wash last week. The attorney for the nine employees who were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said three had posted bail on Monday, but none of them had been released. Video of the incident on November 4 showed ICE agents pull up to the car wash, put the employees in handcuffs and take them away. "They were asked basically, ‘Do you have any id or documents?’ and when they said ‘Yes, it’s in our lockers,’ they were thrown in the vans and handcuffed and driven away by 22 agents with masks over their faces," the workers’ attorney, Todd Pomerleau, told WBZ-TV. Three days later, Zac Segal, president of the BU College Republicans, posted a message online, saying, "I’ve been calling ICE for months on end. This week they finally responded to my request to detain these criminals. As someone who lives in the neighborhood, I’ve seen how American jobs are being given away to those with no right to be here." Those comments set off a social media firestorm and Monday’s protest on campus. WBZ has reached out to Segal several times in the last week, but he has not returned any requests for comment. Homeland Security rejects "silly rumor". A spokesperson for Homeland Security said Segal wasn’t the reason for the raid. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called it "a targeted immigration enforcement operation.” "The operation was highly targeted and relied on law enforcement intelligence-not your silly rumor," she said in a statement. BU President Melissa Gilliam said the school has "had many concerns raised by our campus community and neighbors" about Segal’s post.

Breitbart [11/18/2025 6:02 PM, John Binder, 2416K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody of a twice-deported illegal alien sex offender who is now accused of molesting girls as young as seven at a TJ Maxx store in Long Island, New York. On Tuesday, ICE officials lodged a detainer against illegal alien Jimmy Harry Velasquez Gomez of Honduras, who has been deported twice from the United States and has been convicted for indecent exposure to children and is currently facing a charge of cruelty toward a child, as well as lewd or lascivious acts with a minor charges. According to Long Island police, Velasquez Gomez would frequent the TJ Maxx store in Medford, New York. On three separate occasions, the illegal alien groped pre-pubescent girls, an ICE press release details. Velasquez Gomez first crossed the southern border in April 2005 near Cotulla, Texas, and was deported to Honduras the following month. In 2019, Velasquez Gomez again illegally crossed the border and was deported. Sometime after that, Velasquez Gomez illegally crossed the border for a third time as an unknown got-away.

FOX News [11/18/2025 9:32 PM, Emma Bussey, 40621K] reports a Turkish national accused of violently resisting arrest and attempting to seize an officer’s taser in a confrontation in Western New York has been taken into custody, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a statement released Tuesday, ICE said the suspect, identified as Saim Irgi, 39, allegedly fought with officers and shouted the Arabic phrase "Allahu akbar" – "God is great" – during the struggle before being subdued and arrested. Before Irgi’s arrest, officers in Buffalo were carrying out a targeted operation in Tonawanda when they spotted a vehicle leaving a home that was connected to their investigation that day. After following the car and initiating a stop, officers identified the driver as Saim Irgi, a Turkish citizen, who, officials say, is in the U.S. illegally, the statement said. Officers repeatedly ordered Irgi to exit the vehicle, but he refused. According to the statement, an ICE officer drew their taser and informed Irgi multiple times that if he didn’t stop resisting, he’d be tasered. While attempting to place Irgi in custody, officials allege Irgi grabbed an officer’s taser while screaming "Allahu Akbar," at which point another officer deployed their taser to get control of the suspect. He was later taken to the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility, where medical staff cleared him for detention. Authorities said Irgi has a history of criminal charges since illegally crossing the southern border in July 2023. According to ICE, U.S. Border Patrol agents first encountered Irgi near Jamul, California, after he’d crossed the border from Mexico. He was subsequently released into the country pending further immigration proceedings. In March, police in Pennsauken, New Jersey, arrested Irgi on charges of simple assault that were later dismissed. The same day, Philadelphia police arrested him on charges including strangling, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. ICE Buffalo acting Field Office Director Tammy Marich described Irgi as "a significant public safety threat," and said in the statement that officers "will continue to work tirelessly to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from the United States.” After Monday’s arrest, Irgi remains in ICE custody as removal proceedings continue. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/18/2025 4:51 PM, Larry Neumeister] reports New York City’s chief fiscal officer Brad Lander, who was arrested two months ago protesting conditions at an immigration holding facility, chose Tuesday to go to trial on a misdemeanor obstruction charge rather than accept a deal that would have made the case go away in six months. He spoke after emerging from a federal courtroom in Manhattan, where he’d waited to hear what action authorities would take over his Sept. 18 protest alongside several lawmakers. He vowed to keep protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and said a trial would "bring to light" what federal authorities are doing. It’s not the first time Lander, a liberal Democrat who ran for mayor this year, has been arrested over this issue. He was taken into custody in June at an immigration court in Manhattan after he linked arms with a person authorities were trying to detain. The arrest elevated the star power of the typically even-keeled politician known for a technocratic style. Lander was singled out by Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement after his arrest. She called him "another sanctuary politician pulling a stunt in attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees," referring to so-called sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents in a handful of jurisdictions nationwide. Lander was among 11 officials arrested and given summonses before their release after they tried to inspect holding rooms on the 10th floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, which houses an immigration court, the FBI’s New York field office and other federal offices.

New York Times [11/18/2025 5:08 PM, Benjamin Weiser and Luis Ferré-Sadurní, 135475K] reports for at least five days, a blind Ecuadorean man who was arrested this month in New York City by U.S. immigration authorities was held in isolation at a county jail, locked in his cell for 24 hours a day and deprived of his cane. “I feel so terrible I cannot see and that I cannot walk, read or do things on my own,” Carlos Anibal Chalco Chango, 40, said last week in a declaration prepared by his lawyers based on their conversations with him. On Monday night, after days of pressure from the lawyers, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency relented: Mr. Chalco Chango was released from the Orange County jail in upstate New York. It was a surprising move by an agency that rarely releases detainees under President Trump. The two-week effort by his lawyers to free him came amid pitched legal battles playing out across the United States, as lawyers file emergency motions to have ICE release migrants who are being subjected to mandatory detention. Unlike Mr. Chalco Chango, many of the more than 60,000 immigrants in detention don’t have lawyers. Most are forced to fight deportation alone, leaving many to consider the Trump administration’s offers to leave the country voluntarily to avoid months in jail. What distinguished the Ecuadorean man’s case was his disability. ICE agents arrested Mr. Chalco Chango on Nov. 4 as he was leaving his home in Corona, Queens, an immigrant-rich neighborhood where advocates and local officials have documented an increase in arrests of mostly Hispanic men this month. The federal immigration agents were seeking to arrest Mr. Chalco Chango’s 20-year-old son, and they approached the older man to show him a picture of their “intended target” on a cellphone, according to government filings. Mr. Chalco Chango told them that he was blind and could not see the image, according to his lawyers, who said the agents pushed him against a wall, handcuffed him and put him inside a car. An agent told him in Spanish to call his son and tell him to turn himself in, his lawyers said. Then, the agent said, Mr. Chalco Chango would be free to go. But when Mr. Chalco Chango’s son showed up, the agents arrested him, too. Both men were whisked away to 26 Federal Plaza, the ICE offices in Lower Manhattan, setting off the legal saga to release him. The federal government said in filings that the agents had “engaged in a consensual conversation” with Mr. Chalco Chango, who they said “freely admitted to the officers” that he had no legal status. After a judge, Andrew L. Carter Jr. of Manhattan federal court, ruled that Mr. Chalco Chango could not be removed from the country, ICE moved him on Nov. 8 to the Orange County jail. There, officials said they had “serious concerns” about safely accommodating him in the jail’s general population because of his blindness, according to a court filing by the office of Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. In a letter on Monday informing Judge Carter of Mr. Chalco Chango’s release, the government said it considered the case moot, a suggestion that no further proceedings over his detention were necessary. The judge directed the parties to send him a joint letter by Thursday addressing whether they agreed that the case was moot, though Mr. Chalco Chango’s separate immigration case still appears unresolved.

Newsweek [11/18/2025 4:05 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports a Chinese immigrant was found dead in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, with his hands and feet tied behind him, an attorney has alleged. Chaofeng Ge died four days after entering ICE custody in Pennsylvania on August 5, with an agency report stating he was found by agents with “a cloth ligature around his neck”. After an autopsy report, his family is calling for more answers from the Department of Homeland Security. “I am devasted by the loss of my brother and by the knowledge that he was suffering so greatly in that detention center,” Yanfeng Ge, the brother of Chaofeng, said in a statement shared with Newsweek. “He did not deserve to be treated that way. I want justice for my brother, answers as to how this could have happened, and accountability for those responsible for his death.” As detention numbers have spiked within ICE facilities under the Trump administration, deaths have also begun to rise. At least 15 immigrants died within ICE facilities, or while under their care, under this administration, compared to 12 for the entire fiscal year 2024. Advocacy groups and attorneys have repeatedly warned that ICE detention conditions are poor, but DHS has said otherwise. Newsweek asked DHS whether Ge had been tied up and whether it was cooperating with the lawsuit filed in New York. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin did not answer these questions, but repeated similar messaging on detention deaths: that ICE takes each one seriously and thoroughly investigates them all.

Axios [11/18/2025 6:20 AM, Chrissy Suttles, 12972K] reports Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop Mark Eckman joined bishops across the nation last week in denouncing policies they say are dehumanizing immigrants. It’s among Eckman’s first public statements on a high-profile political flashpoint since the Vatican appointed him in June to lead the roughly 625,000-member diocese. The diocese spans six politically diverse Southwestern Pennsylvania counties. In an open letter marking the Nov. 13 feast day of Mother Frances Cabrini — the patron saint of immigrants — Eckman refrains from naming President Trump or any politician, but writes that "while church teaching recognizes the right of a nation to enforce its laws and control its border, it also uplifts and defends the rights and dignity of the human person, including the migrant." ICE arrests in Southwestern Pennsylvania nearly tripled in the first half of the year under President Trump — and more than half involved people with no prior criminal record. ICE may be seeking more office space to expand its Pittsburgh presence. White House border czar Tom Homan, a lifelong Catholic, blasted the church on Friday for opposing the Trump administration’s mass deportations. "According to them, the message we should send to the world is if you cross the border illegally, which is a crime, don’t worry about it," he said.

CBS Philadelphia [11/18/2025 6:24 PM, Dan Snyder, 39474K] Video: HERE reports Philadelphia is ramping up efforts to combat human trafficking. City council, as part of the fiscal year 2026 budget, is allocating $500,000 to the city’s first-ever Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Campaign. Councilmember Nina Ahmad, who has spearheaded the effort, made the announcement from the Independence Visitor’s Center Tuesday morning. "This campaign will create what Philadelphia needs, a unified, citywide approach," Ahmad said. Ahmad says that while great work has been done to combat trafficking, it was often done in silos. The effort brings together lawmakers, law enforcement, advocates who have worked in this space for decades and survivors of human trafficking. Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says his department already has a human trafficking task force that it runs with the FBI. But a key component of this new initiative is what he called "the gap": efforts to raise public awareness. "It could be playing out in front of you and you won’t even know," Bethel said. "I think the goal to bring about awareness is critical.” The group of dozens met Tuesday to start the process of laying out what the campaign should look like. Among them was Elly Jo Waller, first lady of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, who has for decades worked to support survivors of human trafficking. She says an important step is stressing that these kinds of activities are not as far away as many people think. "What it’ll do is help people understand we’re not talking about far away. We’re not talking about the Hollywood version. It’s not ‘Taken,’" Waller said. "It’s people who every day are being victimized.”

AP [11/18/2025 5:58 PM, Staff, 31753K] reports cellphone footage captures federal agents from Customs and Border Protection arresting multiple people at a construction site in Cary, North Carolina on Tuesday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/18/2025 6:18 PM, Staff, 31753K] reports a crowd yelled at federal immigration agents after a person was detained in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday. Agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in a sweep through Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [11/18/2025 5:01 AM, Ian Hanchett, 2416K] reports on Monday’s broadcast of “NewsNation Live,” Mecklenburg County, NC Sheriff Garry McFadden (D) discussed immigration operations in the Charlotte area and said that a detainer is “not a legal document.” Host Marni Hughes asked, “What about the statement that local officials were not cooperating in carrying out these detainers? Did your department have any influence in that or any say?” McFadden responded, “Well, [these are] the words that they used and what we call the word salad. A detainer is not a legal document, and the word legal needs to be also understood that it is an official document of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. But it’s not a legal document. So, what we simply [were] asking them is this, we will honor anything that a judicial official would sign, and we will honor that. But our relationship now with ICE, Homeland Security is different because of House Bill 318. House Bill 318 mandates us to cooperate with ICE, but we have always cooperate[d] with ICE because of North Carolina General Statute 162.62 that actually mandates every sheriff in North Carolina to cooperate with ICE, even before this. But we simply are seeing that they are targeting the Democratic black sheriffs. … We are cooperating with them. The detainer is not a legal document, but it is an official document, only signed by an ICE agent. We are simply saying this: If you want us to hold someone, then bring us a legal document. But all of that has changed from a couple of months ago, because what we have, House Bill 318, that now allows us to hold someone in custody for an additional 48 hours, even after a judge or a magistrate releases them. So, it’s simply a wordplay game back and forth.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [11/18/2025 5:01 AM, Ian Hanchett, 2416K] Video: HERE reports on Monday’s “PBS NewsHour,” Mecklenburg County, NC Commissioner George Dunlap (D) argued that “if Border Patrol, ICE agents were doing their jobs, they would be at the border, stopping people from crossing, as they suggested that they would do.” “PBS NewsHour” Correspondent William Brangham asked, “In the last few days, the man who is running these operations, Gregory Bovino, has been posting photographs of some of the people that they allege that they have been arresting. And they are saying that these people are guilty of crimes like DUIs, hit-and-runs, aggravated assaults. And they’re arguing these people should be removed from your community and you should be grateful for this. What is your response to that?” Dunlap responded, “Well, my thought is that, if Border Patrol, ICE agents were doing their jobs, they would be at the border, stopping people from crossing, as they suggested that they would do. Nobody’s upset at the fact that they go after hardened criminals, but we have not heard any information about hardened criminals that they’ve arrested, none at all. I just can’t help but believe that they’re here to wreak havoc on the community, to divide families. People are hurting, people are upset, this community is not accustomed to that. Out of respect, I think they owe the community leaders an opportunity to engage and have conversation. If they really, really wanted to reduce crime in our community, then they should have a target[ed] focus and at least let us know what it is that they’re trying to do. It’s possible that they could get help if they really wanted to go after hardened criminals, but that’s not what they’re doing.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Miami [11/18/2025 5:00 PM, Steven Yablonski, 39474K] reports a woman in Volusia County is facing battery charges and may be deported after police say she threw coffee on another woman, her infant and dog during a heated dispute. According to a report from WKMG in Orlando, police were called to Quail Ranch Road on Friday and learned that the mother and her infant son were walking their dog when they were approached by another woman, identified as 54-year-old Nina Jaaskelainen. According to the report, Jaaskelainen began to yell at the woman to put her dog on a leash and then threw coffee at the pet. That’s when the argument began, and Jaaskelainen allegedly also threw the coffee on the mother and her son. The report said that dried coffee had been observed on the mother, son and dog, and the mother had been able to record some of the incident on her cellphone. Jaaskelainen confirmed that she had thrown coffee on the dog but denied intentionally throwing it on the mother and her infant son, according to the report. Instead, Jaaskelainen claimed that she threw the coffee because it was making her own dog upset, and thought the mother, infant and dog were on her property.

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 12:40 PM, Barnini Chakraborty, 1394K] reports Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said Monday that she has fired a staffer who posed as an immigration lawyer to secure the release of his illegal immigrant "client" from custody. In a letter obtained by Fox News, the Illinois Democrat told Todd Lyons, the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, that "neither I, nor my leadership was aware of, authorized, or directed" the actions of Edward York, a constituent outreach coordinator in the senator’s office. "My office has terminated the employment of said employee, effective November 17, 2025," Duckworth added. Lyons alerted Duckworth to the alleged actions carried out by York, claiming he told federal agents he was the attorney of Jose Ismeal Ayuzo Sandoval, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant who had been deported to Mexico four times and had a DUI conviction on his record. He was issued a final order of removal in 2023. Sandoval, a father and restaurant owner, was taken into custody by ICE on Oct. 29 near Staunton Elementary School. The district’s superintendent said he walks his two children to school every day. Sandoval’s detention sparked protests in Macoupin County, Illinois, last month. "He was transferred to ICE St. Louis for processing where a Duckworth staffer allegedly tried to remove him from ICE custody by claiming to be his attorney," Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. York is captured on video entering an ICE facility in St. Louis on Oct. 29.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [11/18/2025 6:15 AM, Samuel Chamberlain, 42219K]
The Hill [11/18/2025 5:11 PM, Max Rego, 12595K]

CBS Chicago [11/18/2025 6:41 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports new information was released on Tuesday about the deadly shooting by ICE agents in northwest suburban Franklin Park back in September. A Department of Homeland Security official said the agent was trying to make an arrest on the morning of Friday, Sept. 12, but the man resisted and tried to drive his vehicle into agents. An agent then opened fire. The incident ended when the undocumented driver, who was later identified as 38-year-old Mexican immigrant Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez, crashed into a truck. An autopsy report showed that Villegas-Gonzales was shot in the neck at close range and also suffered gunshot graze wounds to two fingers. The toxicology report found he also had cocaine in his system at the time of the shooting. He had just dropped his child off at daycare when he was pulled over. The Trump administration claimed Villegas-Gonzales dragged an ICE agent with his car and severely injured him. However, body cam video captured the agent describing his own injuries as "nothing major.”

CBS Chicago [11/18/2025 3:54 PM, Staff, 39474K] reports the village of Broadview is expanding a designated protest zone outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in the western suburb, even as the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement effort in the Chicago area has begun scaling back, if perhaps only temporarily. Broadview police, Cook County Sheriff’s deputies, and Illinois State Police have been running a unified command center to coordinate public safety and crowd control operations outside the Broadview ICE facility since early October. As part of that security plan, officials established a designated protest zone on Beach Street, where the ICE facility is located, requiring protesters to stay on the sidewalks just north of the building. On Tuesday, officials announced the designated protest zone would be expanded to allow protesters to gather on Beach Street itself, between Lexington Avenue, and the entrance to a large commercial parking lot across the street from the ICE facility. That stretch of Beach Street will be closed to vehicle traffic to reduce the risk to protesters. Officials said a designated vehicle traffic zone south of the protest area will continue to be off limits to protesters to allow vehicles to access local businesses on Beach Street south of Lexington Avenue. The new protest zone will go into effect on Wednesday. "The mission of the temporary Unified Command is to ensure the safe expression of First Amendment rights and protect the safety, property, and access of everyone in the community," officials said in a statement.

Chicago Tribune [11/18/2025 5:24 PM, Shun Graves, 4829K] reports Wilmette’s Village Board unanimously approved a measure on Wednesday, Nov. 12, that goes further than current law in restricting the village’s cooperation with civil immigration enforcement. The rules, which prohibit federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement from setting up on village property, among other new restrictions, mirror earlier efforts by neighboring Evanston and Skokie to mitigate the effects of federal immigration authorities’ Operation Midway Blitz. An outcry by residents over several recent reports of ICE activities in the village spurred the creation of the ordinance. Aside from the rule akin to the "ICE free zones" established in Evanston and elsewhere, the measure forbids village staff from asking people about their immigration status or withholding services based on any person’s legal status. And the village has urged residents to call Wilmette police if they witness civil immigration enforcement in action. "Two weeks ago today, those seemingly impossible scenes that we have witnessed in other communities came to Wilmette," Village President Senta Plunkett said at the meeting. "The juxtaposition of the image of a safe, peaceful street in Wilmette with masked and armed federal agents targeting landscape workers is striking.” Since the initial reports of immigration enforcement on Oct. 29, village officials confirmed subsequent actions on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. As of Monday, Wilmette has not seen any ICE activity since, Plunkett told Pioneer Press in a statement. Landscape workers emerged as another focus of the ordinance, which lifted the requirement, through the end of 2026, that Wilmette landscapers get a business license. Village Manager Michael Braiman cited the "fear permeating the landscaping community" in his presentation of the change. Along similar lines, residents will not need to display construction permits through 2026. Other aspects of the measure do not have an end date, and it does not prevent the village from working with federal officers on criminal matters. The timing of the ordinance drew the attention of some trustees, who unanimously supported the policy during their discussion. The federal government’s Chicago-area surge appears to have started winding down, but Trustee Mark Steen said the ordinance would contribute important steps against future ICE activity. He also said that the village could have acted sooner. "We have to recognize that even if the federal agents can’t handle a northern Illinois winter, they will be back when it becomes warmer again," Steen said. "When that happens, we can, and I think we have to, do better.” Facing residents in mid-October, before federal agents came to Wilmette, Plunkett said she didn’t want to "put a target on ourselves" for immigration enforcement. Her comments during the State of the Village event cast doubt on whether anti-ICE policies in neighboring suburbs would make the situation safer.

FOX News [11/18/2025 4:37 PM, Louis Casiano, Bill Melugin, 40621K] reports a Mexican man who illegally entered the United States at least five times was arrested following his conviction for abducting and enticing a child. Leonardo Ignot-Osto, 40, was in the Scott County Jail in Illinois when he was arrested on Sunday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. "This is who ICE is arresting in Chicago, a criminal alien that repeatedly entered the U.S. illegally and went to commit heinous crimes against a child," said ICE Assistant Director for Public Affairs Emily Covington. Ignot-Osto illegally entered the U.S. at least five times dating back to 2005, ICE said. U.S. Border Patrol encountered him four times in 2005, and each time, he voluntarily returned to Mexico. He snuck back into the country for at least the fifth time prior to his first criminal conviction in the U.S., authorities said. Ignot-Osto is currently being held by ICE pending deportation proceedings.

Chicago Tribune [11/18/2025 1:25 PM, Madeline Buckley, 4829K] reports that the number of detainees held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview has dropped precipitously since a federal judge ordered the government to comply with requirements to improve conditions at the facility, with only four people held there as of Tuesday morning. The figure came out during a court hearing Tuesday at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, illuminating one aspect of the notoriously opaque operations at the west suburban facility. A government lawyer gave the court the new headcount at the controversial site, which has attracted protesters for months. In a class-action lawsuit filed last month, attorneys called the processing center a "black box" where detainees were crammed into dirty holding cells with not enough food and water, among other problems. U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman ordered the Department of Homeland Security to comply with a temporary restraining order that mandated the government to clean the cells regularly, provide enough food and water as well as bedding to any detainee housed overnight. The two-story building is meant as a temporary stopping point following an immigration arrest, but as the Trump administration sought to increase deportations throughout the summer and during "Operation Midway Blitz," the facility became so overcrowded, the lawsuit alleges, that detainees couldn’t lay down to sleep at night. Attorneys for the detainees are seeking detailed data about the numbers of detainees processed and held at the facility over time, but during a daylong hearing earlier this month, detainees recounted times during which more than 150 people crammed into a holding cell.

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 6:22 PM, Jack Birle, 1394K] reports the Trump administration accused Illinois officials of inciting protests, asking in filings to the Supreme Court on Monday to allow the use of the National Guard in Chicago with the argument that local police are not capable of helping protect federal immigration officers from unruly demonstrations. Both the Trump administration and Illinois officials submitted reply briefs to the Supreme Court as part of the Justice Department’s petition to the justices, seeking to lift a stay from a pair of lower federal courts blocking the deployment of National Guard personnel to the city to protect federal assets and officials. "In sum, the President was not required to leave DHS agents to fend for themselves in Illinois while state and local officials incite their attackers and the police drag their feet in responding to life-threatening emergencies," the DOJ brief to the Supreme Court said. "Although the President could send in active-duty soldiers, he acted well within his discretion in determining that National Guardsmen were the more appropriate forces to deploy—and regardless, Section 12406(3) does not require him to make that determination and would not subject him to judicial review even if it did," the brief continued, referring to the law President Donald Trump invoked to deploy troops to Chicago. The new set of briefs centers on whether "regular forces," in the language of 10 U.S. Code §12406, includes the military. The law Trump cited allows the president to federalize and deploy National Guard troops when the "President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States," among other provisions. He has invoked that law in bids to deploy National Guard members to Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago. The administration argues that "regular forces" do not include the military, calling Illinois’s assertion that it does counter to other laws and the history of the statute in question. "Reading it that way would divorce it from the Constitution’s Militia Clause and the 1792 and 1795 Militia Acts, all of which authorized the militia to be called up to execute the laws in cases of domestic disturbances without regard to whether the standing military could do so too," the DOJ’s reply brief said. "Nor do respondents provide any explanation for why Congress would require the standing military to be the first line of defense for civil law enforcement, but not for invasions and rebellions—despite the standing military being far better suited for the latter than the former," the brief added.

New York Post [11/18/2025 8:47 AM, Emily Crane, 42219K] reports a hammer-wielding teenage maniac arrested for allegedly attacking a female jogger in Texas is an illegal migrant who was cut loose by the Biden admin — despite having a lengthy rap sheet, officials said. Sergio Noe de Nova Duarte, a 17-year-old from Mexico, is accused of attacking the woman with the hammer as she was running in Plano’s Bob Woodruff Park on Nov. 13, according to cops. The baby-faced perp then allegedly tried to duct tape the victim before she managed to fight him off and he fled the scene, FOX 4 reported. When cops eventually tracked him down, he was hit with aggravated kidnapping and bodily injury charges. ICE officials on Monday lodged a federal request to detain him — revealing he has been in the US illegally since overstaying his tourist visa in 2016. "This criminal illegal alien should have never been loose in our communities to attack this woman jogging in a park with a hammer," Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Following this illegal alien’s arrest in 2024, the Biden administration released this criminal illegal alien back into our communities." "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure this criminal illegal alien is NEVER able to prey on innocent women in our country again," she added.

Reported similarly:
Daily Wire [11/18/2025 7:23 AM, Jennie Taer, 2494K]

FOX News [11/18/2025 6:21 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K] reports an illegal immigrant wanted since 2023 for allegedly beating a woman with a tire iron before sexually assaulting her was arrested last week by federal authorities in Texas. Cesar Orlando Castro Serrano of El Salvador was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Nov. 10 in the Houston suburb of Katy, the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital. "This barbaric criminal beat a 22-year-old Houston woman in the head with a tire iron and sexually assaulted her before leaving her to die in a wooded area behind an apartment complex in critical condition. This heinous predator should have never been in our country," said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. Castro Serrano had been wanted since 2023, when he was charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping. The gruesome incident allegedly took place in February 2023. "After two years on the run, ICE law enforcement officers arrested this criminal illegal alien and turned him over to local authorities to face justice for his crimes," said McLaughlin. "President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens to continue to victimize American citizens. If you come to our country illegally and victimize Americans, we will find you and arrest you. That’s a promise.”

Breitbart [11/18/2025 9:45 AM, Randy Clark, 2416K] reports a small group of San Antonio residents attended a protest organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) on behalf of approximately 150 illegal aliens arrested during a Sunday morning law enforcement raid. Law enforcement agencies conducted the raid as part of an investigation into the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. The PSL flyer advertising Monday’s protest against the raid accused law enforcement of "Kidnapping and detaining over 150 workers.” Breitbart Texas observed the protest, which began shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Monday, at the intersection of Basse Road and San Pedro Avenue. The intersection is several blocks from the makeshift nightclub raided by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, along with other state and local law enforcement partners, early Sunday morning. Approximately 70 residents attended the protest organized by the San Antonio chapter of the PSL. The group remained at the location for several hours. It included many carrying PSL-provided signs that read, "S.A.P.D. Tearing Families Apart", "SAPD & ICE Stop Terrorizing San Antonio", and "Money for Jobs and Education, Not for Racist Deportations". As several protesters waved signs at passing motorists, others displayed a large Mexican Flag. One protester draped himself in the Nicaraguan flag as he stood watching others in the group shout anti-ICE slogans nearby. The group of protesters marched around the intersection for several hours, chanting slogans critical of ICE deportation actions before dispersing. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the raid, drawing the ire of the Partly for Socialism and Liberation, was a court-approved action related to an ongoing investigation into violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members. Approximately 150 people, believed to be in the United States illegally, were arrested and are citizens of Mexico, Honduras, and Venezuela. The raid took place at a food trailer lot that also served as a makeshift nightclub. The protest was held blocks away from a now-closed migrant shelter operated on San Pedro Avenue by the City of San Antonio and several non-profit organizations, including Catholic Charities. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the shelter, in operation during the last two years of the Biden administration, housed more than 60,000 Venezuelan nationals released into the United States after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

NewsMax [11/18/2025 6:46 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports Boise Mayor Lauren McLean is facing criticism for issuing a statement that did not reference immigration after an 8-year-old girl was killed by a man identified by federal authorities as an illegal alien. The Blaze reported that young Mora Gerety was attempting to cross a Boise street when she was struck and killed by a pickup truck. Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified the driver as Elvin Ramos-Caballero, a Honduran national who officials said is in the country illegally. Ramos-Caballero was taken into ICE custody on an outstanding federal warrant. Federal records indicate he crossed the Texas border as an accompanied minor in 2015 and was released into the United States a month later. He received a deportation order in 2016 after failing to appear in court. McLean issued a public statement on the incident but did not address the driver’s immigration status. "Every child in Boise should be able to run out their front door, safely explore their neighborhood, and make it home for dinner. I’m committed to doing all we can to ensure our city is safe for every child to walk and bike in every neighborhood," McLean said. The Idaho Freedom Foundation sharply criticized the statement. "Boise Mayor Lauren McLean’s response to Mora Gerety’s death is the most pathetic response imaginable. A little girl was killed at the hands of an illegal," the group said in a statement.

Reported similarly:
Blaze [11/18/2025 4:10 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1442K]

NewsNation [11/18/2025 6:05 AM, Salvador Rivera, 8017K] reports attorneys and migrant advocates in San Diego are concerned about a trend happening at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in downtown San Diego. They tell Border Report that federal immigration officers are working inside the building arresting unsuspecting people who are showing up for citizenship and visa appointments. It appears to have happened to Hanne Daguman, who had an appointment Monday morning to continue her path toward citizenship. “ICE agents just came in and arrested her,” said her husband, Joshua Daguman. He said Hanne came to California in 2022 from Norway, and the two were married a little more than a year ago in San Diego. “She’d been here on a student visa, it expired and got a work visa, before that expired we got married,” Joshua said. He said his wife was “out of status,” and that was the reason given for her apprehension. “One moment you’re planning breakfast, next moment you’re planning an attorney,” he said. “It seems like entrapment, seems like they’re having you come in, something you think it’s not going to happen, but it’s the exact opposite.” An ICE spokesperson did not address Hanne Daguman’s arrest, however, they did issue the following statement: “(ICE) is committed to enforcing federal immigration laws through targeted operations that prioritize national security, public safety, and border security. Individuals unlawfully present in the United States, including those out of status at federal sites such as USCIS offices, may face arrest, detention, and removal in accordance with U.S. immigration law.”

Daily Wire [11/18/2025 9:07 AM, Leif Le Mahieu, 2494K] reports the Justice Department sued California on Monday to block the implementation of two bills signed by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom that would regulate the actions of federal agents carrying out immigration enforcement operations in the state. The laws, both signed by Newsom on September 20, block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing masks or concealing their faces while on the job and require them to visibly display identification of their agency. The suit, filed in the Central District of California, argues that the laws violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and endanger federal agents. "The No Secret Police Act and No Vigilantes Act directly regulate the Federal Government by dictating permissible uniforms for federal agents and forcing federal agencies to adopt specified policies," the suit said. "But the Federal Government, not California, has authority to control its own agents and activities.” Named in the suit are Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, another Democrat. The suit argues that the laws would "recklessly endanger the lives of federal agents and their family members and compromise the operational effectiveness of federal law enforcement activities.” The Department of Homeland Security has said that ICE officers have faced a 1000% percent increase in assaults this year and has pointed to efforts to dox and threaten the families of ICE agents. In September, three women were charged after they were accused of following an ICE agent to his home before posting his home address to Instagram. The Justice Department said that the federal government did not intend to comply with the laws, both of which take effect on January 1. The department argued that the laws would "thwart" the use of plainclothes surveillance.

San Francisco Chronicle [11/18/2025 6:09 PM, Sara DiNatale and Bob Egelko, 4722K] reports State Sen. Scott Wiener proposed new legislation Tuesday that would give those who have had their Constitutional rights violated by immigration agents a new pathway to hold them accountable in court. Wiener’s SB 747 — or "the No Kings Act" — aims to close a legal loophole that has made it difficult for those who claim immigration agents violated their constitutional rights to sue government officials and federal officers. Allegations could include freedom of speech violations, unlawful searches or racial profiling. "This will significantly increase the ability of people to hold these lawless thugs accountable when they violate people’s constitutional rights," Wiener (D-San Francisco) said at a news conference at the city’s Civic Center Plaza. "This is long overdue. This is an important step for the rule of law, and to protect Californians from the lawless overreach of the Trump administration and its cronies.” As is, Wiener says there is virtually no accountability, for example, when Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers take U.S. citizens into custody to later face consequences in court. He pointed to the struggles of Los Angeles resident George Retes, a 25-year-old Army veteran, who was arrested by ICE despite being a citizen. He was held in custody overnight after he was doused in pepper spray and tear gas. Similar scenes have played out with ICE agents across the country, according to a recent Propublica investigation. The investigation found 170 cases where citizens were detained and more than 20 cases where the citizens in custody – like Retes – were held for over a day without being able to call an attorney. "They held him for 72 hours without letting him make a phone call or contact an attorney," Wiener said of Retes’ case. "He missed his daughter’s third birthday. All of this was illegal and despicable.” The Department of Homeland Security disputed Retes’ characterization of events and said in a statement Retes was violent and arrested for assault.

NPR [11/18/2025 3:10 PM, Ximena Bustillo, Polina Lytvynova, 28013K] reports the U.S. deported 50 people to Ukraine this week, a Ukrainian border official said on Tuesday, in what appears to be the single largest such deportation from the U.S. since the country has been at war with Russia. The flight landed near the Polish border in the early hours on Monday. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has deported 105 Ukrainians in total, with 13 in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data available in ICE’s publicly available tracker. The Trump administration originally wanted to send 80 people on the flight, according to Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. That original list also included at least one person that Ukraine had previously been unable to claim as a citizen of the country. It wasn’t immediately clear why only 50 people out of the group of 80 ended up in Ukraine. Immigration lawyers have raised concerns that those deported to Ukraine could be conscripted to fight in the war.

Telemundo [11/18/2025 10:32 PM, Shelby Bremer, 57K] reports a man who sought asylum after deserting the Venezuelan army remains in the Otay Mesa Detention Center, six months after being one of the first detainees in the San Diego immigration court in May. The 22-year-old, whose family asked that he be identified only as José for his safety, was an officer in the Venezuelan military who disagreed with the Maduro regime, so he defected and traveled to the United States, arriving in San Diego in January to seek asylum, hoping to one day work for the U.S. military. In what he and his lawyer, Michael Hirman, believed would be a routine hearing on May 21, ICE agents detained José and subjected him to expedited removal proceedings, which is essentially a fast track to deporting a person without appearing before a judge, requiring only an interview to determine whether the person has what is called a "credible fear" of being deported to their home country. Hirman said José passed that interview in June. "The Venezuelan military will kill him when he re-enters the country," Hirman said. "From their perspective, he is a deserter. And they will shoot him." ICE did not respond to a request for comment on José’s case. Hirman stated last week that he had had the first hearing in José’s case since June, but that the San Diego immigration court is so overwhelmed that the documentation he submitted was not accepted and, he said, the court "was not prepared to take on the case." He added that among the documents submitted was an August order from a federal judge temporarily blocking the use of expedited removal nationwide, as applied in the case of José’s arrest. "Unfortunately, these immigration courts are under so much pressure from above that they often operate at the limits of their capacity," Hirman said. "The system needs to slow down. It needs to take a breather and make sure it’s doing things right and correctly." José’s uncle said he came to the United States because his family and people around the world see it as a safe haven from corruption and instability. "There are many places in the world where people can migrate," he said in Spanish. "But when we talk about political persecution, when we talk about torture, I feel that the United States has always presented itself as a country that protects, a country that provides security because we believe in the rule of law." So he said he doesn’t understand why his nephew was arrested and remains in custody, even after passing the credible fear interview. José’s uncle said agents tried to trick him into signing an agreement for his own deportation. "We have to make sure that no criminals enter our country; we have to protect our citizens. I understand that and I applaud it," José’s uncle said. "But what I don’t understand is the unfair manipulation of information. I don’t understand deceiving people. I don’t understand keeping someone detained unnecessarily."

FOX News [11/18/2025 2:43 PM, Morgan Phillips, 40621K] reports that President Donald Trump is keeping the world guessing about his next move in Venezuela, simultaneously labeling President Nicolás Maduro the head of a terrorist organization and hinting the U.S. may be open to talks with the Venezuelan leader. The moment captures a familiar pattern in Trump’s foreign policy of blending threats and outreach to keep opponents uncertain of U.S. intentions. His allies say the ambiguity is leverage; critics call it improvisation that risks miscalculation. "We may be having some conversations with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk," Trump told reporters over the weekend. The comment came shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, a move that expands U.S. legal authorities to pursue Maduro and his inner circle under counterterrorism statutes — and potentially as military targets. Trump suggested the designation allows the U.S. military to target Maduro’s assets and infrastructure inside Venezuela. "It allows us to do that, but we haven’t said we’re going to do that," the president said. Days earlier, Trump had hinted he’d made up his mind about whether to start a direct conflict. "I sort of have made up my mind — yeah. I mean, I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of have," he said. The U.S. now has more military assets in the region than it has in decades, topped off by the arrival of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, on Sunday. The Department of War, the renamed Pentagon under Trump, has carried out 21 strikes on maritime targets allegedly carrying drugs toward the U.S.

Bloomberg [11/19/2025 12:24 AM, Staff, 18207K] reports Hyundai Motor CEO José Muñoz talks on Bloomberg TV about the aftermath of the ICE raid on its Georgia battery plant, on the sidelines of the New Economy Forum 2025. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [11/18/2025 9:58 AM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12595K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved late Monday to make it easier for immigration officers to deny green cards to those who use public benefits like Medicaid or food stamps. The latest iteration of the so-called public charge rule would strike down the Biden-era version of the rule, which returned the country to long-standing criteria that allowed rejections of green cards for those "primarily dependent" on government assistance, such as those who received cash assistance or help with nursing home care. The rule does not revert to the 2019 rule crafted under the first Trump administration that allowed immigration officers to reject applicants who used any number of public programs. But critics say the lack of guidance opens the door to immigration officers arbitrarily rejecting applicants while discouraging immigrants from asking for assistance. The Monday proposed rule described former President Biden’s policy as a "straitjacket [on] DHS officers," barring them from considering "all factors and information relevant to an alien’s likelihood at any time of becoming a public charge." "Consideration of these, in the totality of the circumstances, will allow officers to more accurately assess an alien’s likelihood at any time of becoming a public charge using their good judgment," the rule states. The proposed rule was widely panned by health care groups and immigration advocates.

Courthouse News Service [11/18/2025 8:05 PM, Margaret Attridge] reports the Trump administration told a federal judge Tuesday that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had unfettered discretion to terminate temporary protected status for people from Nepal, Nicaragua and Honduras — and that her decision is unreviewable by the courts. “This case begins and ends with the jurisdictional analysis. The government asserts the TPS statute specifically preludes judicial review with respect to termination or extension,” attorney William Weiland, representing the government, said. The TPS program protects individuals from certain countries due to violence or economic duress. While those with TPS status can’t be deported and can work legally in the U.S., they do not have a path to U.S. citizenship. The National TPS Alliance and individual TPS holders from Nepal, Nicaragua and Honduras sued after Noem ordered the termination of protected status for the three countries, claiming Noem’s actions in terminating protections for the three countries violated the Administrative Procedure Act and were motivated by racial animus.

AP [11/18/2025 4:49 PM, Staff, 31753K] Video: HERE reports The Trump administration is announcing a new initiative for foreigners traveling to the U.S. for the World Cup next year that will allow them to get interviews for visas more quickly.

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 12:00 PM, Ramsey Touchberry, 1394K] reports Republicans in Congress are renewing a push to combat noncitizen voting in federal elections, directing their attention to the registration forms used to vote by mail. The Citizen Ballot Protection Act, spearheaded by Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL), would codify states’ ability to require proof of citizenship on mail voting applications. The legislation, introduced Tuesday, was offered during the previous Congress but failed to gain traction under Democratic leadership and then-President Joe Biden. "Voting in our country is a sacred right that must solely be limited to American citizens," Britt said in a statement. "To allow states to uphold this principle should be simple commonsense.” The proposal would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which says voter registration forms submitted by mail may not include "any requirement for notarization or other formal authentication" and is intended to empower states to enact citizenship requirements for mailed applications. The current requirement includes attesting on the form, under penalty of perjury, that the applicant is an American citizen. The Supreme Court in 2013 struck down an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote, concluding that states could not create new requirements for federal elections under the NVRA. The proposed bill is also in response to Washington, D.C., and cities in Maryland, Vermont, and New York that allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.

NewsMax [11/18/2025 11:46 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a proposed rule that would make it easier for immigration officers to deny green cards to immigrants who use certain public assistance programs, including Medicaid and food stamps. Announced late Monday, the proposal rolls back the Biden-era version of the "public charge" rule, which limited denials to applicants deemed "primarily dependent" on government support — mainly cash assistance or long-term institutional care. While the new plan stops short of fully reinstating the more restrictive 2019 first Trump administration policy, it gives officers broader discretion to factor in an applicant’s use of a wider range of benefits. "DHS proposes to rescind the 2022 public charge ground of inadmissibility regulations," the DHS filing read. "The 2022 regulations are not the best implementation of the statute, inconsistent with congressional intent, unduly restrictive, and hamper DHS’s ability to make accurate, precise, and reliable determinations of whether certain aliens are likely at any time to become a public charge. "Rescission would restore broader discretion to evaluate all pertinent facts and align with long-standing policy that aliens in the United States should be self-reliant and government benefits should not incentivize immigration. "DHS also proposes to address the breach and cancellation of public charge bonds."

Univision [11/18/2025 9:45 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports the Donald Trump administration seeks to further restrict immigrants’ use of public benefits in the United States, so that using them could be an obstacle to obtaining or maintaining permanent residence in the country, according to a proposal to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) intends to repeal a policy from the era of former President Joe Biden known as "public charge" and implement a new definition of it. This reinterpretation includes consideration of any past or future public benefit use, regardless of its duration. This means that certain programs that were considered during Trump’s first term and were later excluded by Biden, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or "food stamps") and Medicaid insurance, will once again be taken into account when determining whether or not to grant a green card. The National Immigration Law Center, an advocacy organization for low-income immigrants, emphasizes that the proposal also includes "the use of ‘public benefits subject to means testing,’ which historically have never been included in the public charge test. Furthermore, it notes that USCIS "could introduce new policies in the future, possibly through agency guidance without seeking prior notice and comment." "The repeal would restore greater discretion to evaluate all relevant facts and would align with the current policy that foreigners in the U.S. must be self-sufficient and that government benefits should not incentivize immigration," the proposal reads. Immigrant advocacy organizations warned that the new grounds for determining the inadmissibility of foreigners in the United States due to public charge are unclear in the proposal. They also pointed out that fear of jeopardizing their future legal status could cause immigrants who need these social benefits and meet the requirements to receive them to choose not to apply for them. "This dangerous proposal puts the nation’s health and economic well-being at risk," said Adriana Cadenas, executive director of the Coalition for the Protection of Immigrant Families. "By creating chaos and confusion, it discourages immigrants with legal status and U.S. citizens from seeking the medical care and assistance they need and are entitled to under federal law," she added. "The Trump administration’s regressive plan to reinstate an outdated wealth test to determine public charge is yet another attack designed to sow fear and confusion in immigrant communities," criticized Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center. "Trump’s obsession with public charge is terribly consistent with his vision of turning the U.S. into a country where only white and wealthy people can fit in and thrive," she said in a statement. Although Trump administration officials have made false statements about the alleged fraudulent use of these benefits by immigrants, the truth is that people without legal status do not have access to SNAP or Medicare and Medicaid insurance, with limited exceptions. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Post [11/18/2025 6:00 AM, Lauren Kaori Gurley, Adam Taylor, Danielle Abril, and Federica Cocco, 24149K] reports the Trump administration’s crackdown on legal immigration is making it tougher for foreign professionals — doctors, engineers, professors, artists — to get permission to work and live in the United States. Federal authorities are denying more of certain work visas and green cards, vetting professionals’ social media platforms and applying enhanced scrutiny to foreign employees’ credentials and work plans in the United States, according to interviews with 15 immigration attorneys, a federal official and three policy analysts. Visa holders also have been subject to more searches, interrogations and denials of entry at airports and border crossings, as well as deportation proceedings and visits to their employers by federal agents, the attorneys and experts said. The administration this year rolled out a travel ban on 19 countries, a new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas and mandatory in-person interviews for most business and temporary work visa applicants at U.S. consulates in their home countries — a policy change that lawyers say could lead to longer wait times. Officials also announced a “continuous vetting” policy aimed at all 55 million U.S. visa holders. For foreign professionals, the crackdown has meant new levels of anguish and fear — indefinite separation from partners and children living in the United States, termination of employment offers, lost income and dashed opportunities. Apple, Accenture, Lyft, Snapchat, Advanced Micro Devices, Pinterest, Silicon Laboratories, Rambus and Datadog have all warned for the first time in recent weeks that the new immigration and visa policies imperil their corporate performance, a review of earnings calls and quarterly reports by The Washington Post found. None of the companies responded to requests for comment. “Laws and regulations, including immigration,” could “materially adversely affect the Company’s ability to recruit and retain a highly skilled, global workforce,” Apple told investors on Oct. 31. Hospitality and biotechnology firms issued similar alerts.

New York Times [11/18/2025 5:01 AM, James Traub, 153395K] reports in September the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a new, harder version of the civics test immigrants take when applying for citizenship. Sample questions include: Name five of America’s original states, which is up from three in the prior version, and explain why the Federalist Papers mattered. Even though the Trump administration no doubt wants to put new impediments on the path to citizenship, it still feels right to expect democratic knowledge from future citizens. The question this inevitably raises is: Why do we expect so much less from current citizens? I spent a year sitting in social studies, government and history classes in public schools across the country while researching my forthcoming book, and I can say several things with confidence. First, very few of the students I met, of any age, could pass the new citizenship test. Second, very few of the schools I visited would even administer it. The requirement to commit dates, names and places to memory is at odds with the pedagogy that has become standard in education schools and among progressive teachers and school officials. In the U.S. history test administered in 2022 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a widely cited federal exam, only 14 percent of eighth graders attained at least a “proficient” level, while 40 percent fell below “basic.” It was the worst performance by that cohort on any subject tested by NAEP that year. (On civics, 22 percent were at least proficient and 31 percent below basic.) The numbers have been dismal for a long time. Many older Americans believe that students learned geography and history in the golden age back when we went to school, but in 1986, a majority of 17-year-olds taking the NAEP did not understand why Jim Crow laws had been enacted and didn’t know when the Civil War was fought. And most were taking an American history class at the time. Was there ever a golden age of American education? In the midst of World War II, the historian Allan Nevins complained that American students reached college with a pitiful stock of historical knowledge. As a standard of ignorance, he cited the fact that students could identify the Stamp Act but not the Molasses Act, Harriet Beecher Stowe but not Hinton Rowan Helper (a Southern abolitionist writer). It’s likely that students who could identify Harriet Beecher Stowe also knew when, and why, the Civil War was fought. My research into the history of this debate leads me to think that over time our expectations, and the level of our knowledge, has fallen.

ABC News [11/19/2025 3:49 AM, Jon Haworth, 30493K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized an estimated $2.6 million of alleged methamphetamine hidden inside of a tractor trailer hauling batteries, officials said. "The bad guys got a bit of a shock this weekend," according to a statement from the CBP, when packages containing approximately 291 pounds of methamphetamine were discovered by officers at Colombia-Solidarity Bridge in Laredo, Texas. "Our frontline CBP officers maintained strict vigilance and short circuited a significant methamphetamine smuggling attempt," said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. "These kinds of enforcement actions validate our ongoing border security efforts and prevent this poison from reaching U.S. streets.” The seizure, which took place last Friday but was announced on Tuesday, happened when a CBP officer referred a box truck hauling a shipment of batteries for secondary inspection, officials said. "Following a canine and nonintrusive inspection system examination, CBP officers discovered 40 packages containing a total of 291 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the shipment," officials said. "The narcotics have a street value of $2,604,215.” CBP confiscated the narcotics and authorities said that Homeland Security Investigations special agents are investigating the seizure. Officials didn’t detail whether any arrests were made in connection with the alleged drugs.

San Diego Union Tribune [11/18/2025 8:00 AM, Caleb Lunetta, 1538K] reports the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego sector has a new chief patrol agent, a 25-year veteran who got his start in Imperial Beach, the agency announced Monday. Justin De La Torre, a San Diego native, replaced acting Chief Patrol Agent Jeffrey Stalnaker in the top job. Stalnaker will remain on as deputy chief patrol agent. "The men and women of San Diego sector have profoundly shaped my leadership by exemplifying our motto of ‘honor first’ in every aspect of their service," De La Torre said in a statement. "Their dedication to the common good of the American people, both here in San Diego and across the nation, has strengthened my commitment to our mission."

Daily Caller [11/18/2025 12:13 PM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports an illegal migrant boat captain allegedly ditched his vessel en route to the United States and left several illegal migrants to die in the ocean. Mexican national David Alfonso Barrera Nunes was charged in federal court on Monday in connection with the deaths of four passengers over the weekend off the California coast, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Federal prosecutors say Nunes not only facilitated illegal immigration into the U.S., a serious federal crime, but also refused pleas from passengers to turn back to Mexico amid signs that his boat was malfunctioning. "This event underscores the very real danger and consequences of crossing the border illegally," San Diego Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre said in a public statement. "The decision of this smuggling organization to carelessly risk the lives of everyone involved is truly inexcusable," De La Torre continued. "We will ensure full accountability for anyone who chooses to violate our Nation’s laws.” Border Patrol agents were notified late Friday night about a small vessel crossing international waters between Mexico and the U.S., with agents spotting a capsized panga in six-foot waves near Imperial Beach, according to the DOJ. Responding Border Patrol agents were able to flip the panga over and transport the survivors to a hospital.

Telemundo52 [11/18/2025 6:49 PM, Robert Kovacik and Karla Rendon, 76K] reports a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was arrested earlier this month after pointing a gun at a teenager during an off-duty altercation in Temecula, according to the young man’s attorney. Gerardo Rodriguez, 45, a Temecula resident, faces charges including assault with a deadly weapon, endangering a minor, and assault by a public official in connection with the incident. According to attorney Greg Kirakosian, Rodriguez pointed a firearm at his teenage client. "My client, a 17-year-old Mexican-American, was simply dropping someone off at their destination," Kirakosian said. Surveillance video captured the altercation, which occurred shortly after 10 p.m. on November 10 in Temecula. At the time, the teenager, a U.S. citizen, was driving down Daybrook Terrace, taking a friend home, when Rodriguez approached him. "Get out of the car. Put it in park," Rodriguez can be heard saying in the video. After learning of the commotion, the young man’s mother arrived at the scene with her son’s passport to prove his citizenship. The father called the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, whose deputies arrived shortly thereafter. In a statement, the department said, "The subject who stopped him showed a badge and ordered the minor to get out of the vehicle at gunpoint. The minor complied and was eventually handed over to his parents, who reported the incident to the authorities." The Sheriff’s Department confirmed that deputies arrested Rodriguez without incident. A search warrant was executed at his residence and evidence related to the case was collected. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Rodriguez posted bail the same day he was arrested. His court appearance is scheduled for December 26. NBCLA is attempting to contact an attorney for Rodriguez. NBC4 has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment but has not received a response. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Investigator Alyssa Morris at the Southwest Sheriff’s Station at 951-696-3000. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [11/18/2025 3:53 PM, Rachel Frazin, 12595K] reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is getting its third major shake-up this year, adding turbulence at the disaster agency that’s in President Trump’s crosshairs. Acting FEMA leader David Richardson is departing, the Trump administration confirmed Monday. His exit follows the high-profile ouster in May of then-FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton, who was fired after saying the agency should not be axed altogether. The administration has repeatedly said it hopes to either eliminate or drastically reform FEMA. More details on the administration’s plans are expected to come into view soon, with the anticipated release of a report from the FEMA review council it set up. During his time at the agency’s helm, Richardson faced significant scrutiny over his handling of the deadly flooding in Texas that killed more than 100 people. The New York Times reported in July that disaster assistance calls went unanswered because key contracts were not extended, and The Washington Post reported in September that key officials had trouble getting a hold of Richardson amid the disaster. The Hill [11/18/2025 6:02 PM, Rachel Frazin, 12595K] reports that more details on the administration’s plans are expected to come into view soon, with the anticipated release of a report from the FEMA review council it set up. "We’ve seen two acting FEMA administrators over the last 10 months," said Michael Coen, who was the agency’s chief of staff during the Obama and Biden administrations. "For the states that are served by FEMA, there continues to be uncertainty on who’s running FEMA. Coen said it is unusual not to have an official nominee to lead FEMA this far into a new administration. "Usually you expect a transition after a change in administration, but you don’t expect that transition to continue into November [or] December of a four-year term," he said. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, said in a statement the report "will inform this Administration’s ongoing efforts to fundamentally restructure FEMA, transforming it from its current form into a streamlined, mission-focused disaster-response force.”

NewsMax [11/18/2025 11:37 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports the Trump administration may move the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Texas and appoint the Lone Star State’s top emergency management official to lead the agency. Politico reports that the administration is considering the move despite the "huge challenges" it would present to FEMA’s ability to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security, according to a former agency official who spoke to the news outlet on the condition of anonymity. The two agencies’ headquarters are currently located in the same city, but would be separated by hundreds of miles if the move is made. Additionally, acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson resigned on Monday after just six months of leading the agency, leaving Karen Evans, the agency’s chief of staff, to serve as acting administrator beginning Dec. 1. Sources at the agency told Politico that the administration may tap Texas Division of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd, who was previously considered for the FEMA post and interviewed by White House officials in February 2025, to head the agency. "The admin wanted him, but he refused to leave Texas," said one FEMA source, who spoke anonymously. "The FEMA Review Council continues its work and will make recommendations in its final report," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, according to a statement received by The Texas Tribune.

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 1:34 PM, Jenny Goldsberry, 1394K] reports that lawmakers have celebrated the resignation of David Richardson, acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Richardson succeeded Cameron Hamilton in May to lead the agency. His brief tenure included weathering the hurricane season in North Carolina, Texas, and Florida. New Mexico received assistance for fires during his time in the role, and Alaska received aid following a typhoon. Richardson’s tenure received largely negative reviews online. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) implied Richardson was hard to find during the floods in Texas. "The admin has been trying to gut FEMA since Trump took office," Castro wrote on X. "They slashed funding and pushed out seasoned emergency management experts. When deadly floods hit Central Texas, David Richardson—the head of FEMA—was nowhere to be found. We owe it to every Texan to demand better." The Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee also issued a response on their X account. "David Richardson was incompetent, inexperienced and had no business running FEMA," they wrote. "He’ll be remembered for vanishing when the families of Texas needed him most. Good riddance." "Hurricane Helene hit western NC more than a year ago, and the federal government has covered only around 10 percent of the storm’s damage. NC needs a FEMA director who will partner to help WNC recover," Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) wrote on X. Other lawmakers who weren’t necessarily affected by any emergencies in recent months also chimed in to ask for better leadership.

CNN [11/18/2025 8:00 AM, Alaa Elassar and Holly Yan, 18595K] reports weeks before 8-year-old Eloise "Lulu" Peck was carried off by the violent Texas floods that swallowed Camp Mystic in a surge of darkness and debris, she had suddenly begun to fear the forces that would one day claim her. She filled a page in her notebook with a drawing of rising water, black skies and the kind of creeping dread that children rarely have words for. "(The drawings were) a quiet reflection of the worries that lingered in her gentle heart," her parents wrote in the lawsuit they filed on her behalf. "That she left this world in the very way she feared most is a truth too heavy to bear." Lulu’s family, along with the families of 17 oth er campers and two counselors, have filed lawsuits against the all-girls Christian camp and its owners, accusing them of gross negligence. The court filings accuse the camp of failing to move cabins out of flood-prone areas, responding poorly to the emergency, and putting profits ahead of the safety of the girls in their care. The four lawsuits, filed last week, are the first attempt by grieving parents to seek accountability for the flood that turned a haven of faith and childhood friendships into a scene of unimaginable loss. "The conditions surrounding their deaths were marked by absolute horror, physical pain, and emotional distress, all of which were foreseeable and preventable had Defendants acted with even minimal care for their safety," the Peck family lawsuit said. The lawsuits provide an account of the living nightmare that unfolded that morning on July 4 and shed light on the last moments of young girls struggling to survive.

FOX News [11/18/2025 6:00 AM, Michael Ruiz Fox, 40621K] Video: HERE reports Thomas Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally last year, firing eight shots, killing a man, critically wounding two others and grazing the president’s ear, according to authorities. Crooks, 20, killed a 50-year-old father of two named Corey Comperatore and sent David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74, to the hospital with gunshot wounds, according to authorities. President Donald Trump, who was vying to return to office at the time, ducked for cover and had blood visible on the side of his face when he got back up. While a recent New York Post op-ed called for the government to release more information on the case, it also argued that the lack of transparency has allowed conspiracy theories to swirl. "The danger Crooks posed was visible for years in public online spaces," an unnamed source said to have uncovered more than a dozen of Crooks’ accounts told the paper. "His radicalization, violent rhetoric and obsession with political violence were all documented under his real name. The threat wasn’t hidden." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [11/18/2025 7:29 AM, Alex Oliveira, 42219K] reports the American people deserve answers about what drove Thomas Crooks to attempt to assassinate President Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Post — after a damning report emerged suggesting the gunman left a trail of digital clues the FBI did not previously share with the public. "Those questions are definitely deserving of answers and I understand why the public wants those answers, and I believe the president does too," Leavitt recently told Miranda Devine on Pod Force One. "It’s a good question, and it’s one I’d like to see the answer to — and I think all Americans would," she added. Leavitt’s comments came as Devine dropped a bombshell report in The Post Monday about newly unearthed social media posts that appear to show Crooks openly supporting political assassinations, ranting against Trump and using they/them pronouns online. Crooks’ motive is just one of the major questions that remain unanswered in the 16 months since the attempt on Trump’s life, which left one beloved firefighter dead and two other Trump supporters critically wounded.

Blaze [11/18/2025 5:00 AM, Staff, 1442K] reports Donald Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ digital footprint has been exposed — but not by the FBI. Rather, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has revealed disturbing comments Crooks allegedly made on social media leading up to his decision to fire at President Trump. This online history dates back years and includes him engaging in conversations in YouTube comment sections where he explains that the "only way to fight the gov is with terrorism style attacks.” Crooks’ Google searches also reveal a mentally unwell young man, with searches as far back as 2019 centering around mass shootings, how to build a bomb, and "firing an AR15 as fast as possible." Prior to 2020, Crooks’ comments appeared to be pro-Trump and against the left. But all that switched, seemingly overnight. While the FBI has countered Carlson’s claims, BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales isn’t buying it. "This is a guy who is not well. And I’m just wondering, with so many people on the FBI radar, and the fact that the FBI radar can be so vast at times — I mean, they can track down anyone for anything. Unless you’re the pipe bomber and unless you try to assassinate the president, then running for office," Gonzales says. "And all of a sudden, we can’t find anything. … I’m telling you guys, this man was on their radar," she says. "They won’t tell you that. This is my opinion."

Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 11:12 AM, Jenny Goldsberry, 1394K] reports "This is — and I’m not using a hyperbole here guys — the most undercovered story of this century. President Trump, as we just saw in that video, as we’ve seen a billion times, came within a centimeter of losing his life and we barely know anything about the shooter, Thomas Crooks. So many unanswered questions 16 months later." Concha questioned how Crooks, 20, was able to evade Secret Service and local law enforcement to "get within 400 feet of the president." Crooks also managed to stash the rifle he used in the shooting behind an air conditioner on site. Concha questioned why Secret Service agents were not already positioned on the same roof Crooks was. "Who was Thomas Crooks working with? We need answers," Concha said. "Legacy media has covered the so-called Epstein files far far more than this assassination attempt of the most targeted person in the world in Butler, Pennsylvania July 13, 2024." The FBI reported a single social media account that it could attribute to Crooks. In the year since that announcement, very little information about the attempted assassin and his motive has been publicized. Crooks did not leave a manifesto.

New York Times [11/18/2025 7:16 PM, Neil Vigdor, 135475K] reports their initials match. So do their surnames. One is a heartbeat from the presidency, and the other, J.D. Vance, was sentenced on Monday to two years in prison in connection with threats made against the vice president and President Trump on social media. The man who made the threats, James Donald Vance Jr., 67, of Grand Rapids, Mich., pleaded guilty to three criminal counts in July, according to filings in U.S. District Court in Kalamazoo, Mich. Secret Service agents arrested Mr. Vance — not the vice president — in June after linking him to a series of social media posts in March and April on Bluesky in which he vowed to kill the president and vice president, the authorities said. Federal prosecutors said he also made threats against the billionaire Elon Musk, whom Mr. Trump previously put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, and Donald Trump Jr., responding to a social media post suggesting that the president’s oldest son might seek the presidency in 2028. “If tRump, Vance, or Musk ever come to my city again, they will leave it in a body bag,” a criminal complaint quoted Mr. Vance as saying. “I will either be shot by a secret service sniper or spend the rest of my life in prison. I’ve only got about 10 years of life left anyway.” In another post, Mr. Vance wrote that he would “murder” Donald Trump Jr., referring to him using an expletive, “before he gets secret service protection.” A federal public defender for Mr. Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. In July, Mr. Vance pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or injure the president and vice president, as well as transmitting interstate threatening communications. Each felony count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. In a filing before Monday’s sentencing hearing, the public defender, Helen C. Nieuwenhuis, wrote that Mr. Vance should receive probation instead of jail time because he was a “first-time offender with serious physical and mental health issues.” “His statements, while unacceptable, were rhetoric — not plans — and he never took any step to harm anyone,” Ms. Nieuwenhuis wrote. “He cooperated immediately, consented to searches and admitted his conduct.” Mr. Vance’s lawyer attributed his mental health issues to abuse during his childhood, writing that he was not properly toilet trained. “Mr. Vance still enjoys wearing diapers,” she wrote of her client, who used the alias “Diaperjdv” on social media.

FOX News [11/18/2025 1:35 PM, Greg Norman, 40621K] reports that authorities in Colorado announced the "shocking discovery" of 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills in an auctioned-off storage unit — the largest drug bust of its kind in state history. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the record-breaking seizure happened on Nov. 11 in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch after the winning bidder opened up the unit, "found multiple items that appeared to be illegal narcotics" and "immediately notified" deputies. "This played out like an episode of a TV show, where a winning bidder legally bought a storage unit and unbeknownst to them, the unit contained 1.7 million counterfeit fentanyl pills and another 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder," Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge David Oleskysaid in a statement. "There is no doubt many lives have been saved by keeping these poison pills off the streets of Colorado.” The DEA added that, "This is the largest one-time seizure of counterfeit pills in Colorado history, and the sixth-largest, single seizure of suspected fentanyl pills in United States history.” Body camera footage released by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office showed deputies lifting the lid of a storage container to reveal the drugs. Following testing, the sheriff’s office confirmed that deputies found 198 kilograms of counterfeit fentanyl pills, 12 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine.

CBS News [11/18/2025 9:19 AM, Emily Mae Czachor, 39474K] reports a man is facing federal charges after a boat carrying migrants from Mexico to the United States capsized near San Diego, killing four passengers on board, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday. Authorities believe that the man, David Alfonso Barrera Nunes, was the captain of the boat. The Justice Department announced two charges against him for bringing people into the country illegally, for financial gain and resulting in death, after his arrest on Saturday. He faces up to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. Barrera Nunes is scheduled to appear at a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Leshner, of the Southern District of California, later this week. He could face the death penalty if convicted. Another man on the boat, Luis Enrique Barreto Goitia, was also federally charged for entering the U.S. illegally after previously being deported, the Justice Department said. Capt. Robert Tucker, commander of the Coast Guard sector in San Diego that assisted with the rescues Friday night, said the incident was an example of the dangers of migrant boats, which are notoriously unsafe. "Our crews and partner agencies responded immediately, but this case demonstrates the severe risks posed to aliens attempting to enter the United States by sea in unstable vessels," Tucker said in a statement, according to CBS affiliate KFMB.

NBC News [11/18/2025 11:57 AM, Rebecca Cohen, 34509K] reports the body of a missing San Diego fisherman popular on YouTube was found in waters off the coast of Mexico, the man’s family said in an update on GoFundMe. Mikey Rijavec, known for his YouTube channel SD Fish and Sips, was on a fishing trip off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, on November 11 when he made a mayday call from his solo skiff, according to a post on the GoFundMe page. Rijavec experienced engine issues with his boat, and while attempting to fix them, the motor dislodged, causing the boat to flip, according to the GoFundMe. While he was able to upright the skiff, it had taken on water. "We know nothing about what happened to Mikey after that," the GoFundMe said. Authorities from both the U.S. and Mexico joined the search and rescue efforts, using both boats and aircraft to look for Rijavec. According to GoFundMe, local boats and private planes hired by the family were also used in the search. The U.S. Coast Guard said the case was transferred to the Mexican Navy and did not have any updates when asked by NBC News. The Mexican Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/18/2025 3:42 PM, Stephen Sorace, 40621K]
San Diego Union Tribune [11/18/2025 2:12 PM, Staff, 1538K]

Reuters [11/18/2025 12:15 PM, David Shepardson, 36480K] reports that the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday called on the Federal Communications Commission to abandon plans to rescind cybersecurity requirements adopted after the massive Salt Typhoon Chinese hacking incident that infiltrated U.S. telecom companies last year. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington urged FCC Chair Brendan Carr to drop the plan to vote to rescind the ruling issued in January, which found that federal law requires telecommunications carriers to secure networks from unlawful access to or interception of communications. The ruling also said that carriers could be in breach if they failed to adopt certain cybersecurity practices. Cantwell called the FCC ruling adopted in the final days of the Biden administration "a commonsense acknowledgement that providers are responsible for protecting public safety against cybersecurity threats." A spokesperson for Carr, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump, did not immediately comment. In January, when the FCC was led by Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel, the agency also issued a proposed rule that sought comment on specific cybersecurity requirements. Senator Ben Ray Lujan, a Democrat from New Mexico, has said China’s alleged efforts likely represent "the largest telecommunications hack in our nation’s history." Hackers targeted telecom companies such as Verizon (VZ.N), AT&T (T.N), Lumen (LUMN.N), and others.

SC Media [11/18/2025 12:04 PM, Staff] reports Cybersecurity Dive reports that intensified hiring efforts will be implemented by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency next year to better combat increasing cyber threats from China. Addressing limited CISA functioning due to significant staffing cuts imposed by President Donald Trump also necessitates an aggressive push to enlist highly qualified professionals in the agency by the end of fiscal year 2026, noted Acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala in a memo to employees. Aside from focusing on recruiting state cybersecurity coordinators and regional cybersecurity advisors, CISA will also make itself more attractive to industry experts and junior practitioners through the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Talent Management System. Additional return-to-office exemptions are also being mulled for certain employees while expanded collaboration with colleges and universities is also in the cards, with CISA moving to revive its internship program. "CISA must immediately accelerate recruitment, workforce development, and retention initiatives to ensure mission readiness and operational continuity," said Gottumukkala.

CyberScoop [11/18/2025 11:40 AM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports a forthcoming Trump administration cyber strategy will have six pillars, two of which will be deterring malicious hackers and partnering with industry, executive branch officials said Tuesday. Top figures in the administration have been slowly unveiling details of the strategy, with a draft being currently reviewed by agencies. It reportedly is taking shape earlier in the second Trump administration than it did in the preceding Biden administration, which published its strategy in 2023. National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said the six-pillar strategy “is going to be a short statement of intent and policy, and then it will be paired very quickly with action items and deliverables.” The administration is striving “to make sure that there is a single, coordinated strategy in this domain, in a way that hasn’t happened before,” he said at the 2025 Aspen Cyber Summit. One of those pillars is deterring U.S. adversaries in cyberspace and other kinds of attackers, like ransomware gangs. “As a top line matter, it’s going to be focused on shaping adversary behavior, introducing costs and consequences into this mix,” Cairncross said. “It is becoming more aggressive every passing day, and as new technology is developed … and AI is folded into this next, it will become more aggressive.” There has been good work done toward responding to and mitigating ransomware attacks, he said, but that’s not enough.

CyberScoop [11/18/2025 5:45 AM, Brian Harrell and David Mussington, 122K] reports CISOs are facing unprecedented challenges to their mental health due to today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. They are often held accountable if a breach or disruption occurs, and the average tenure for a CISO tends to decrease significantly after such incidents. This constant pressure makes it difficult for them to find peace, let alone get a good night’s sleep. Meanwhile, threats are increasing in speed and complexity, but budgets and board interest are starting to decline: a bad combination. Proofpoint reports that CISOs are experiencing a record level of burnout. 76% of CISOs feel they are at risk of experiencing a material cyberattack within the next 12 months. Another survey finds that many CISOs operate in an environment where their roles are misunderstood, under-supported, or burdened with unrealistic expectations. CISOs occupy one of the most pressure-packed seats in modern organizations. They have become accustomed to constant fatigue while protecting intellectual property, customer data, brand reputation, and ensuring regulatory compliance—all while balancing technology, law, business strategy, and crisis management. Yet, while cybersecurity news often highlights major breaches or zero-day exploits, it rarely addresses a quieter, ongoing problem: CISO burnout and the deeper, systemic problem of security exhaustion. Regardless of the industry—be it healthcare, financial services, utilities, or transportation— critical infrastructure will always be a target. This ongoing threat transforms professional fatigue into a national security concern.

NewsMax [11/18/2025 12:53 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports that the leader of an Eastern European neo-Nazi group who tried to recruit an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children and racial minorities has pleaded guilty to soliciting hate crimes. Federal prosecutors said they would seek a sentence of up to 18 years for Michail Chkhikvishvili, a 22-year-old from the Republic of Georgia who also goes by "Commander Butcher." He pleaded guilty Monday before a federal judge in Brooklyn to soliciting violent felonies and distributing information about making bombs and ricin. Prosecutors described Chkhikvishvili as the leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international extremist group that adheres to a "neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology and promotes violence and violent acts against racial minorities, the Jewish community and other groups it deems ‘undesirables.’" They said the group’s violent solicitations — promoted through Telegram channels and outlined a manifesto called the "Hater’s Handbook" — appear to have inspired multiple real-life killings, including a school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this year that left a 16-year-old student dead. Since 2022, Chkhikvishvili has traveled on multiple occasions to Brooklyn, where he bragged about beating up an elderly Jewish man and instructed others, primarily through text messages, to commit violent acts on behalf of the Maniac Murder Cult, according to court papers.

Reported similarly:
AP [11/18/2025 2:30 PM, Staff, 4722K]

ABC News [11/18/2025 5:30 AM, Mike Levine, 30493K] Video: HERE reports on Friday, the FBI arrested a 21-year-old man in New Jersey who, according to authorities, had taken a bizarre mix of concerning actions tied to the online extremist network known as 764: He allegedly tried to blackmail teenage girls into sending him sexually explicit images of themselves, while also planning to launch ISIS-style terrorist attacks inside the United States, even allegedly stockpiling zip ties, body armor, ski masks, and books about bombmaking at his home. Three weeks ago, Seattle-area mother Leslie Taylor wept as she and her husband visited the cemetery that now holds the ashes of their son Jay, a 13-year-old who livestreamed his suicide after authorities say he was pushed to do it by members of 764. And four months earlier, inside a Detroit courtroom, a federal prosecutor nearly broke down in tears telling a judge -- in vivid detail -- about the brutal and gruesome videos of animal torture that another 764 member had allegedly promoted online. Those recent episodes are three stark reminders of the dangers and the depravity of 764, a loosely-knit network of sadistic predators found in nearly every part of the world. And yet, as authorities and experts agree, few Americans have ever even heard of 764. In May, ABC News reported that the FBI was conducting 250 investigations across the country tied to 764 and similar networks. In the six months since, the FBI has opened at least 100 more investigations, and ABC News has dug even deeper into 764, trying to further understand who’s behind it and what can be done to stop it. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

San Francisco Chronicle [11/18/2025 8:02 AM, Allen G. Breed, 4722K] reports Marc Simmons hadn’t heard from his estranged friend in nearly seven years. Then, Nigel Max Edge showed up at his work and falsely accused Simmons of stealing his identity. They met taking community college classes and bonded over their time with the Marines in Iraq. Simmons’ kids once called Edge "Uncle Sean" — back when his name was still Sean William DeBevoise. Simmons was now terrified his old friend would retaliate against him, he told a judge. "The defendant, Nigel Edge, is mentally unstable," Simmons said in a handwritten request for a protective order. "Always has a pistol on him, on high doses of medications that cause defendant to be anxious.” That was back in May, four months before authorities say Edge, a former Marine sniper, guided a motorboat up to a crowded Cape Fear River bar in Southport, North Carolina, and opened fire with an AR-style rifle, killing three and wounding five. Edge, 41, is charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder and has been in jail without bond since the Sept. 27 shooting at the American Fish Company. A November hearing to determine next steps in the case was pushed to January. Prosecutors and Edge’s attorney did not respond to questions about why the case was postponed.

CBS News [11/18/2025 6:51 PM, Marissa Armas, 39474K] Video: HERE reports Texas Gov. Greg Abbott banned two Muslim groups on Tuesday from owning land in Texas, calling them foreign terrorist organizations. The governor’s proclamation would prohibit the Muslim Brotherhood and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its members from purchasing or acquiring land in the state, accusing the groups of supporting terrorism and undermining Texas laws through harassment, intimidation, and violence. This comes months after Abbott signed a law banning so-called sharia compounds in Texas. In a statement, Abbott said in part. "The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world.’". "I think what the governor has realized is that this is all tied together," said Allen West, the chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party. "I think the governor is taking a proactive stance in making sure he cuts that tie of resourcing and support.” CAIR, which was founded in 1994, is the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the country. They responded to Abbott, saying: "CAIR is an independent American civil rights organization that has spent 30 years protecting free speech, advancing religious freedom, and promoting justice for people here and abroad. We have consistently condemned all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and terrorism. In fact, we condemn terrorism so often that ISIS once put a target on our national executive director. "Although we are flattered by Greg Abbott’s obsession with our civil rights organization, his publicity stunt masquerading as a proclamation has no basis in fact or law. By defaming a prominent American Muslim institution with debunked conspiracy theories and made-up quotes, Mr. Abbott has once again shown that his top priority is advancing anti-Muslim bigotry, not serving the people of Texas. "The truth is that Mr. Abbott is an Israel First politician who has spent months stoking anti-Muslim hysteria to smear American Muslims critical of the Israeli government. Unlike Mr. Abbott, who unleashed violence against Texas students protesting the Gaza genocide to satisfy his AIPAC donors, our civil rights organization answers to the American people, relies on support from the American people, and stands up for American values. "We have successfully sued Greg Abbott three different times for shredding the First Amendment for the benefit of the Israeli government, and we are ready to do so again if he attempts to turn this publicity stunt into actual policy.”

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [11/18/2025 12:58 PM, Randy Clark, 2416K]
Axios [11/18/2025 1:46 PM, Shafaq Patel, 12972K]
FOX News [11/18/2025 1:49 PM, Greg Norman, 40621K]
Washington Examiner [11/18/2025 2:37 PM, Pedro Rodriguez, 1394K]
Daily Wire [11/18/2025 8:08 AM, Zach Jewell, 2494K]
DailySignal [11/18/2025 1:11 PM, Tyler O’Neil, 549K]

Blaze [11/18/2025 1:55 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Tuesday announced action against the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Abbott issued a proclamation that designated the two groups as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations under the Texas Penal and Texas Property Codes. The proclamation explained that the Society of the Muslim Brothers is a transnational Islamist organization that was founded nearly 100 years ago. It noted that the group’s founder, Hassan al-Banna, once stated that "jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded," adding that jihad means "the fighting of the unbelievers, and involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship, and smashing their idols." Abbott’s proclamation also stated that the group’s Eighth Supreme Guide, Mohammed Badie, is serving a life sentence in prison for "plotting an armed insurrection in Egypt." Badie "has stated that the organization’s primary goal is to establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world’ and a total reform of all domains of life by resurrecting an Islamic state — or a Caliphate — empowered to forcibly impose Sharia law worldwide," the declaration read. It noted that CAIR, also an Islamist organization, was formed as a "front group" in the U.S. for Hamas, according to the FBI.

Univision [11/18/2025 7:03 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports Marco Antonio López Guerrero, 34, was extradited from Mexico on October 24, 2025, to face federal charges of conspiracy to import and distribute methamphetamine, attempted exportation of unlicensed defense articles, and smuggling firearms and ammunition. López Guerrero, who operated in Mexicali and is allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California in July 2020, the Department of Justice said. He pleaded not guilty before Federal Magistrate Judge Karen S. Crawford on October 27 and remains in custody following a hearing on October 30, 2025. According to information from the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), López Guerrero was arrested in Mexicali, Baja California, in February 2024 and between 2018 and 2020, he was part of the Sinaloa Cartel in Baja California. According to court records, López Guerrero operated by recruiting young people to smuggle methamphetamine through pedestrian crossings at ports of entry in Southern California. The drugs were distributed in San Diego, San Bernardino, and other locations. In addition, he used an ultralight aircraft to transport methamphetamine and weapons to Mexico, including a short-barreled AR-15 rifle without a serial number and more than 150 rounds of ammunition. The investigation, which spanned several years, resulted in the seizure of more than 180 kilograms of methamphetamine, 19 kilograms of fentanyl, 2 kilograms of heroin, as well as firearms and ammunition. López-Guerrero’s next court appearance is scheduled for November 21, 2025, before Federal District Judge Jinsook Ohta for a motion hearing and trial date setting. The charges carry maximum penalties ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment for drug-related crimes, 20 years for illegal exportation of defense articles, and 10 years for smuggling goods. Fines can reach up to $10 million for drug charges. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs assisted in the arrest and extradition of the defendant from Mexico. The United States Marshals Service participated in his transfer to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence A. Casper and Edward Chang are handling the case. The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, which coordinates interagency efforts to combat criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks. Investigative agencies involved include the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Imperial County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Border Patrol – El Centro Sector, and the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Task Force, among others.

Univision [11/18/2025 9:37 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports the Trump administration plans to designate as early as next week a conglomerate of civilian and military officials in Venezuela, allegedly led by Nicolás Maduro and known by an alias dating back to the last century: the Cartel of the Suns, as a foreign terrorist organization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday that his office plans to designate the Cartel of the Suns as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and asserted that "the illegitimate" Maduro heads it. Amid an unprecedented deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean Sea, just a few hundred miles from Venezuela, Rubio accused the cartel of having "corrupted" institutions in that country, trafficked drugs to the United States and Europe, and conspired with other criminal gangs for "terrorist violence". The Cartel of the Suns has been mentioned for years in the press, in US courts and in the rhetoric of politicians critical of Chavismo as a hybrid criminal organization, with hundreds of uniformed members, civilians and members of the Colombian guerrilla, with roots in institutions and even the Maduro family.

USA Today [11/18/2025 6:43 PM, Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Francesca Chambers, 67103K] reports President Donald Trump welcomed Mohamad bin Salman, the Saudi Arabian crown prince with a highly-criticized human rights record, to the White House on Nov. 18 for a glowing meeting brimming with promises of military and economic deals. But ignoring the urgings of human rights advocates, Trump dismissed concerns about bin Salman’s alleged role in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump is also holding a dinner in honor of bin Salman in the White House’s East Room in the evening that’s expected to be attended by more than 100 guests. "It’s an honor to be your friend, and it’s an honor that you’re here," Trump told bin Salman in the Oval Office. Trump confirmed to reporters the day before his meeting with bin Salman that he would sell American-made F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a deal that has raised concerns from experts and, reportedly, from within the Pentagon due to Saudi Arabia’s relationship with U.S. archrival China. The sale would hand Saudi Arabia the most advanced U.S. warplane. The kingdom already has other U.S. military planes, including a fleet of F-15 jets, but the F-35 would take its air force to a whole new level. Equipped with advanced sensors and able to defend against electronic warfare, the F-35 is far harder to detect. "It’s night and day," Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, said of how the plane would elevate Saudi Arabia’s military. It would also raise a point of tension for Israel – the only Middle Eastern nation that currently has F-35s. Israel’s air force wrote to political leaders in the country that Saudi Arabia acquiring the planes risked damaging its air superiority, according to Israeli media reports. The two Middle Eastern nations have a rocky relationship. While they have formed uneasy partnerships in the past, they do not maintain diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia has said that won’t change until Israel gives Palestinians a pathway to their own state. "They’ve been a great ally, Israel’s a great ally," Trump said on Nov. 18. "As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level, where they should get top of the line.” Successive U.S. presidents for decades have made a commitment to allow Israel to maintain a "qualitative military edge" over its neighbors. Israel has used that edge within the past year to pound Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Gaza with airstrikes. It used its F-35s to quickly overwhelm Iran’s air defenses during the 12-day war in June.

NPR [11/18/2025 4:49 PM, Danielle Kurtzleben, 28013K] Video: HERE reports Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is visiting the White House. Greeted with military planes and a procession, he and Trump were friendly with each other as they spoke to reporters in the Oval Office.

AP [11/18/2025 8:50 PM, Aamer Madhani, 31753K] reports President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed U.S. intelligence findings that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely had some culpability in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi as Trump warmly welcomed the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia on his first White House visit in seven years. The U.S.-Saudi relationship had, for a time, been sent into a tailspin by the operation targeting Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the kingdom. But seven years later, the dark clouds over the relationship have been cleared away. And Trump is tightening his embrace of the 40-year-old crown prince, who he said is an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come. Trump in his defense of the crown prince derided Khashoggi as "extremely controversial" and said "a lot of people didn’t like that gentleman." Prince Mohammed denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, who was a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident. "Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen," Trump said of the international incident when asked about it by a reporter during an Oval Office appearance with Prince Mohammed. "But (Prince Mohammed) knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that. You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that." But U.S. intelligence officials determined that the Saudi crown prince likely approved the killing by Saudi agents of U.S.-based journalist inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul , according to U.S. findings declassified in 2021 at the start of the Biden administration. Trump officials, during his first administration, refused to release the report. Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia "did all the right steps" to investigate Khashoggi’s death. "It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake," he said. Trump, who said the two leaders have become "good friends," even commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail. "What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else," Trump said.

FOX News [11/18/2025 4:39 PM, Joseph A. Wulfsohn, 40621K] reports President Donald Trump lashed out at an ABC News reporter Tuesday for a pointed question she aimed at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) over the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi. During Trump’s first term in office, there was international outcry over the brutal killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who wrote for Washington Post and was an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime. The CIA concluded at the time that MBS ordered Khashoggi’s murder. While taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Trump and MBS were confronted by ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce on a multitude of issues, including Khashoggi. "Is it appropriate, Mr. President, for your family to be doing business in Saudi Arabia while you’re president? Is that a conflict of interest?" Bruce began. "And Your Royal Highness, the U.S. intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist; 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you?". "Who are you with?" Trump asked. "I’m with ABC News, sir," Bruce responded. After asking her again for clarity, Trump replied, "Fake news. ABC fake news. One of the worst in the business.” Trump told Bruce he has "nothing to do with the family business," insisting "what my family does is fine. They’ve done very little with Saudi Arabia.” He then gave a full-throated defense of MBS, even contradicting his first administration’s intel reporting about the crown prince’s involvement in Khashoggi’s killing.

NewsMax [11/18/2025 2:49 PM, Jim Morley, 4109K] reports that the wife of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi sent a letter to President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, asking them to seek justice. The president met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, The Hill reported. Seven years after her husband was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Hanan Elatr-Khashoggi continues to push for his body to be returned. The meeting between Trump and the crown prince marked the crown prince’s first visit to the United States since the 2018 murder of Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence agencies have said was approved by the Saudi leader. "As the widow of Jamal Khashoggi, I am writing to ask for your assistance in securing justice and accountability for the murder of my husband," Elatr-Khashoggi wrote. Elatr-Khashoggi invoked Trump’s reputation on the world stage, using his own phrasing, "the president of peace," to highlight what she sees as his ability to pursue justice. "As the Peace President, I believe you are the only person who can help me to finally bring peace between myself, my husband, and the Crown Prince," she wrote in her letter. "The murder of my husband has caused me to lose everything: the love of my life, my livelihood, and my family." "There is unfinished business that remains, including: 1) the recovery of my husband’s body; 2) the return of his cell phones, laptop, and personal effects; 3) real accountability for the men who murdered my husband; and 4) my rightful compensation as his widow," she continued.

DailySignal [11/18/2025 1:45 PM, Jacob Adams, 549K] reports that at a Republican leadership press conference on Tuesday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would vote in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. "I’m going to vote to move this forward," Johnson said, speculating that in the end the tally for the legislation could be unanimous. Spearheaded by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the legislation to release the files on the notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, would force the attorney general to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices," with some exceptions such as national security concerns and the privacy of victims. Johnson’s support comes after President Donald Trump publicly backed the legislation in a social media post this past Sunday. "We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party," the president said on Truth Social. For his part, the speaker highlighted the selective interest in Epstein by House Democrats given that the Biden administration could have released the documents in question related to the disgraced financier but chose not to.

NewsMax [11/18/2025 7:48 PM, Mark Swanson, 4109K] reports Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., posted a video to social media Tuesday urging members of the U.S. military and intelligence community to "stand up" to the Trump administration and reject what she and other Democrat lawmakers called "illegal orders.” The video — titled "Don’t Give Up the Ship" — features six Democrats who previously served in the military or intelligence services. Slotkin, a former CIA officer, appeared alongside Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., and Jason Crow, D-Colo. In her post on X, Slotkin said the group wanted to speak "directly" to service members, claiming "the American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.” Kelly, a former Navy pilot, accused the Trump administration of "pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens," echoing similar claims from Crow and Slotkin. At several points in the video, Kelly, Slotkin, and Deluzio repeat the line: "You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.” Goodlander joined Kelly in reminding viewers that "like us, you swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.” Goodlander is a former naval intelligence officer and wife of former national security adviser in the Biden administration, Jake Sullivan, the Daily Caller reported. Deluzio and Crow went further, warning that threats to the Constitution are coming "from right here at home," a clear swipe at Trump. The lawmakers acknowledged they were asking troops to make difficult judgments during what they called a "hard" moment for public servants. "But whether you serve in the CIA, the Army, the Navy, or the Air Force, your vigilance is critical," they said. "The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.” They closed the video with the repeated message: "Don’t give up the ship.” Under the Constitution, the president is commander in chief of the armed forces and head of the executive agencies that include the FBI and CIA. The Democrats’ message marks one of the most direct appeals yet from elected officials encouraging rank-and-file troops and intelligence officers to resist the authority of Trump. The phrase "Don’t give up the ship" traces back to the War of 1812 and the dying command of Navy Captain James Lawrence aboard the USS Chesapeake. Newsmax reached out to the White House for comment.

New York Times [11/18/2025 7:32 PM, Tyler Pager, Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt, 135475K] reports that, with the largest U.S. aircraft carrier now positioned in the Caribbean, President Trump has approved additional measures to pressure Venezuela and prepare for the possibility of a broader military campaign, according to multiple people briefed on the matter. Mr. Trump has signed off on C.I.A. plans for covert measures inside Venezuela, operations that could be meant to prepare a battlefield for further action, these people said. At the same time, they said, he has authorized a new round of back-channel negotiations that at one point resulted in President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela offering to step down after a delay of a couple of years, a proposal the White House rejected. It is not clear what the covert actions might be or when any of them might be carried out. Mr. Trump has not yet authorized combat forces on the ground in Venezuela, so the next phase of the administration’s escalating pressure campaign on the Maduro government could be sabotage or some sort of cyber, psychological or information operations. The president has not made a decision about the broader course of action to pursue in Venezuela, nor publicly articulated his ultimate goal beyond stemming the flow of drugs from the region. And military and C.I.A. planners have prepared multiple options for different contingencies. Military planners have prepared lists of potential drug facilities that could be struck. The Pentagon is also planning for strikes on military units close to Mr. Maduro. Mr. Trump held two meetings in the White House Situation Room last week to discuss Venezuela and review options with his senior advisers. Any covert action by the C.I.A. would probably come before such military strikes. Both the White House and the C.I.A. declined to comment on Mr. Trump’s order. Even as Mr. Trump has told the C.I.A. to prepare multiple possible secret operations inside Venezuela, he has also opened up back-channel negotiations with Mr. Maduro after cutting off such talks last month for a brief time, people briefed on the matter said. In those informal talks, Mr. Maduro has signaled a willingness to offer access to his country’s oil wealth to American energy companies. Mr. Trump acknowledged those talks, in a fashion, on Sunday. “We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out,” Mr. Trump said. While Mr. Trump emphasizes Venezuela’s role in the drug trade or illegal immigration when he discusses the issue in public, he has discussed in private the country’s huge oil reserves and American companies gaining access to them. Venezuelan officials have told Americans that Mr. Maduro might be willing to step down, after a transition of two to three years, according to the people briefed on the matter. Any delay in Mr. Maduro’s giving up power is a nonstarter with the White House. But despite the apparent impasse, the back-channel negotiations show that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

New York Times [11/18/2025 12:03 PM, Genevieve Glatsky and José María León Cabrera, 153395K] reports President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador has spent months courting Washington. He has met with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago; formed an alliance with the Blackwater founder Erik Prince, a Trump supporter; and pressed to allow U.S. military bases in Ecuador. But voters at home delivered Mr. Noboa a sharp rebuke. They soundly rejected a national referendum on Sunday that he had backed, aimed at authorizing a foreign miliary presence in Ecuador. With more than 98 percent of ballots counted, 61 percent opposed the measure. The vote comes as the region has been roiled by the intensifying U.S. military campaign against boats the Trump administration claims are smuggling drugs. The American military has launched 21 strikes that have killed at least 83 people, though U.S. officials have yet to provide evidence that the boats were ferrying drugs. Many legal experts say the attacks violate international law. Still, analysts said the rejection of the referendum in Ecuador reflected not necessarily unhappiness with the U.S. military campaign but rather widespread distrust and dissatisfaction with Mr. Noboa himself.

Axios [11/18/2025 8:00 PM, Barak Ravid, Dave Lawler, 12972K] reports the Trump administration has been secretly working in consultation with Russia to draft a new plan to end the war in Ukraine, U.S. and Russian officials tell Axios. The 28-point U.S. plan is inspired by President Trump’s successful push for a deal in Gaza. A top Russian official told Axios he’s optimistic about the plan. It’s not yet clear how Ukraine and its European backers will feel about it. The plan’s 28 points fall into four general buckets, sources tell Axios: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, security in Europe, and future U.S. relations with Russia and Ukraine. It’s unclear how the plan approaches contentious issues such as territorial control in eastern Ukraine — where Russian forces have been inching forward, but still control far less land than the Kremlin has demanded. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the drafting of the plan and has discussed it extensively with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a U.S. official said. Dmitriev, who runs Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and is also deeply involved in diplomacy over Ukraine, told Axios in an interview on Monday that he spent three days huddled with Witkoff and other members of Trump’s team when Dmitriev visited Miami from Oct. 24-26. Dmitriev expressed optimism about the deal’s chances of success because, unlike past efforts, "we feel the Russian position is really being heard." Witkoff was expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday in Turkey but postponed his trip, Ukrainian and U.S. officials said. Witkoff discussed the plan with Zelensky’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, in a meeting earlier this week in Miami, a Ukrainian official confirmed to Axios. "We know the Americans are working on something," the Ukrainian official said. "The president has been clear that it is time to stop the killing and make a deal to end the war. President Trump believes that there is a chance to end this senseless war if flexibility is shown," a White House official told Axios. Dmitriev told Axios the basic idea was to take the principles Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to in Alaska in August and produce a proposal "to address the Ukraine conflict, but also how to restore U.S.-Russia ties [and] address Russia’s security concerns." "It’s actually a much broader framework, basically saying, ‘How do we really bring, finally, lasting security to Europe, not just Ukraine,’" he said. The aim is to produce a written document along those lines before Trump and Putin next meet, according to Dmitriev. Plans for a Budapest summit between the leaders remain on hold, for now. Dmitriev said this effort was entirely unrelated to the U.K.-led push to draft a Gaza-style peace plan for Ukraine, which he said had no chance of success because it disregards Russia’s positions. The Russian envoy said the U.S. side was now in the process of explaining the "benefits" of its current approach to the Ukrainians and the Europeans. "It’s happening with the background of Russia definitely having additional successes on the battlefield," he added, contending Moscow’s leverage is growing. The U.S. official confirmed the White House had started briefing European officials about the new plan, in addition to the Ukrainians. The official said the White House thinks there’s a real chance of getting the Ukrainians and Europeans on board, and said the plan would be adapted based on input from the various parties. "We think the timing is good for this plan now. But both parties need to be practical and realistic," the U.S. official said.

Wall Street Journal [11/18/2025 1:51 PM, Abeer Ayyoub, Alexandra Wexler, and Anat Peled, 646K] reports a 19-year-old aspiring college student had been waiting for months to leave Gaza when she finally got a cryptic text message last week: Meet at 5 a.m. at the Fish Fresh restaurant in the border town of Rafah. The trip Shahd Abu Samra had paid for and long anticipated was finally about to happen. The message didn’t say where she would be going. She didn’t care, she said, as long as it got her out of the battered enclave so she could continue her studies. Three days later, a plane carrying Abu Samra and 152 other Gazans touched down in South Africa. It was the second plane that appeared to have ferried Gazans to South Africa with the approval of Israeli authorities in recent weeks. The first landed without incident, but when Abu Samra’s plane arrived, they were held on the plane and interrogated by South African officials for hours. The Gazans didn’t have easy answers. They weren’t able to explain why they had come to South Africa or where they planned to stay, and they had arrived without Israeli exit stamps in their passports or other proof they had left officially. It wasn’t the way Palestinians usually exit Gaza. Israel’s military says more than 40,000 people have left the enclave since the start of the Gaza war, typically for medical care or because they are dual citizens and in either case subject to a formal request from a third country—a major hurdle in an arduous process. This time, Gazans desperate to leave had found a way out via a little-known organization called Al-Majd Europe, the travelers and Israeli officials said.

Reuters [11/18/2025 3:50 AM, Joyce Lee and Jack Kim, 36480K] reports North Korea on Tuesday said South Korea’s plan to build nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. approval would trigger a "nuclear domino" effect. On Friday, South Korea and the U.S. jointly released the details of the agreement struck by President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump at their summit last month, which included a commitment to disarm the North’s nuclear arsenal. The U.S. also gave the green light for South Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines, a goal that had been long harbored by Seoul. The agreement revealed the "true colors of the confrontational will of the U.S. and the ROK to remain hostile towards the DPRK," the state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday, using the acronyms for South and North Korea. That pledge and a series of large-scale joint military drills by the two countries posed grave challenges to the North’s security and aggravated regional tensions, it said. It accused Seoul of secretly advancing a "long-cherished ambition to possess nuclear weapons" that is bound to set off a "nuclear domino phenomenon" in the region and spark an arms race.

{End of Report} RETURN TO TOP