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 New York Times [11/21/2025 5:32 PM, Andrew Duehren, 153395K] reports a federal judge placed on hold a Trump administration effort to use typically confidential tax information to deport migrants, writing on Friday that the Internal Revenue Service had illegally disseminated the tax data of some migrants this summer. The order comes in a case, brought by a taxpayer advocacy group, that challenged an I.R.S. decision to provide migrants’ addresses, as included on their tax returns, to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal law tightly controls the use of taxpayer information, and several top I.R.S. officials quit this spring over concerns that giving tax records to ICE on a large scale could be illegal. Still, officials from the two agencies worked for months to create a process for ICE officials to access addresses on record with the I.R.S. In June, ICE asked the I.R.S. for information on roughly 1.3 million people, and in August, the I.R.S. turned over the last known addresses of roughly 47,000 people, according to court documents. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, nominated by former President Bill Clinton, said on Friday that the I.R.S. plan to share information with ICE was too broad. She said that federal law only allows for the I.R.S. to share tax information with other government officials who are directly involved in an ongoing investigation. The judge paused the existing data-sharing agreement between I.R.S. and ICE and said she would need to review any other attempts to share taxpayer information. Previously, she had ordered the I.R.S. to disclose any other ICE requests for tax records. Politico [11/21/2025 4:41 PM, Danny Nguyen, 2100K] reports U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Washington-based Clinton appointee, ordered the tax agency not to disclose the confidential address information of tens of thousands of undocumented taxpayers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement until the court can review the case further. Kollar-Kotelly also blocked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who also serves as the IRS’s acting commissioner, from disclosing any taxpayer information to the Department of Homeland Security unless the person receiving it is working on a relevant non-tax criminal investigation. On August 7, under a controversial agreement between Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the IRS disclosed confidential address information for about 47,000 taxpayers to ICE to aid in the Trump administration’s deportation agenda. The Center for Taxpayer Rights, joined by several other groups, has sued to halt the exchange of information, saying it violated a federal law that heavily limits taxpayer data sharing except when it’s necessary for a non-tax federal criminal investigation or proceeding in which a federal agency has obtained approval from a court or agency head. Court filings showed the IRS and ICE worked for months to get around these restrictions, partly by slapping a federal criminal penalty for failure to leave the country on the undocumented immigrants whose information ICE requested. Bessent and Noem signed off on the effort. In her opinion, Kollar-Kotelly wrote that the Center for Taxpayer Rights and the other plaintiffs had shown that the IRS’s sharing of the addresses with ICE was illegal because it didn’t comply with some requirements in the taxpayer confidentiality law. She also said the plaintiffs have “plausibly alleged” that the agreement violated federal administrative procedure rules. NewsMax [11/21/2025 5:06 PM, Sam Barron, 4109K] reports federal law allows the use of taxpayer information in criminal investigations. Immigration advocacy groups filed suit over the move, saying it could lead to immigrants to stop filing tax returns or seek under-the-table jobs. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said the Trump administration is doing what other administrations should have done decades ago. The Washington Times [11/21/2025 3:16 PM, Stephen Dinan, 852K] reports “Plaintiffs have shown that the IRS’s implementation of the Address-Sharing Policy was arbitrary and capricious because the IRS failed to recognize that it was departing from its prior policy of strict confidentiality, failed to consider the reliance interests that were engendered by its prior policy of strict confidentiality, and failed to provide a reasoned explanation for the new policy,” she wrote. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had sought access to IRS data to help track down illegal immigrant targets. According to documents revealed in the case, ICE initially sought information on more than 7 million IRS taxpayers, then settled on 1.28 million “immigrant taxpayers,” the judge said. At least 47,000 records were provided, the judge said. The IRS initially denied ICE’s request but decided to cooperate after the immigration agency narrowed its scope to the 1.28 million people and said they were being investigated for the criminal offense of remaining in the U.S. 90 days after they were ordered deported. Judge Kollar-Kotelly suggested that ICE’s claim was suspicious because the agency represented that one individual was “personally and directly engaged” in the 1.28 million investigations.

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Wall Street Journal [11/21/2025 5:23 PM, Louise Radnofsky, 646K]
Washington Post [11/21/2025 5:59 PM, Jacob Bogage, 24149K]
Bloomberg Law News [11/21/2025 5:03 PM, Tristan Navera, 91K]
CNN [11/21/2025 5:16 PM, Marshall Cohen, 18595K]
NBC News [11/21/2025 6:00 PM, Dareh Gregorian and Raquel Coronell Uribe, 34509K]
Univision [11/21/2025 9:56 PM, Staff, 5004K]
Telemundo [11/21/2025 6:18 PM, Staff, 2218K]

Politico [11/21/2025 7:14 PM, Tyler Katzenberger and Josh Gerstein, 2100K] reports the Trump administration on Friday informed a federal judge it intends to resume giving immigration officials access to personal information about Medicaid recipients from 22 states, over objections from Democratic state attorneys general. The notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opens the door for the administration to potentially resume transferring tranches of confidential Medicaid data, including phone numbers, addresses and immigration statuses, to Immigrations and Customers Enforcement as soon as next month. It comes despite California and 21 other states suing in July to prevent the transfers and initially winning a temporary freeze, though states will have another opportunity to challenge the move at a court hearing scheduled for Dec. 9. Justice Department attorney Michael Gerardi said during a court hearing Friday that the CMS notice, as well as a related Nov. 17 ICE memo, met court-imposed requirements to resume sharing Medicaid info with immigration officials. His arguments came in response to a preliminary injunction handed down in August from San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria. Chhabria’s order temporarily blocked Medicaid data from being shared for immigration enforcement but said the injunction would be lifted 14 days after the agencies completed a “reasoned decisionmaking process.”

Bloomberg [11/21/2025 2:39 PM, Lauren Clason, 91K] reports that the Department of Health and Human Services will relay data from Medicaid recipients to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, the HHS said in a memo Friday. The official notice of the policy comes in response to a preliminary injunction on the data sharing by Judge Vince Chhabria of the US District Court for the Northern District of California in a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration. Chhabria said in August that the agency had likely acted in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner that violates the Administrative Procedure Act by forgoing a formal notification process. Chhabria said the injunction would be lifted 14 days after the HHS and the Department of Homeland Security "completed a reasoned decision-making process." The DHS on Nov. 17 also released a proposal that would toughen restrictions on immigrants who rely on public assistance. It’s the latest step in President Donald Trump’s mission to oust undocumented immigrants, which has triggered protests and backlash against ICE officers. The move has also splintered some in the Republican Party, as immigrant-heavy labor sectors such as agriculture lobby for relaxed restrictions. In the memo, the HHS said the decision to share Medicaid data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services with ICE did not undergo formal notice-and-comment rulemaking because it is "at the most, a policy statement," and therefore not subject to the lengthy rulemaking process.

NewsMax [11/21/2025 3:43 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports the Trump administration has begun a hiring campaign for what Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called "deportation" judges. "If you are a legal professional, the Trump Administration is calling on YOU to join @TheJusticeDept as a Deportation Judge to restore integrity and honor to our Nation’s Immigration Court system," Noem posted on X. Her post mentioned the potential of full-time remote work. Otherwise, the positions are offered at 70 locations nationwide with a salary range of $159,951 to $207,500. The administration said it wants immigration judges who can restore integrity and trust in the nation’s immigration court system. Bloomberg Law [11/21/2025 2:12 PM, Ellen M. Gilmer, 803K] reports that the Justice Department is seeking to stock the immigration court system with "deportation" judges, an informal title that nods to the Trump administration’s hardline enforcement agenda. DOJ posted a recruitment ad Thursday telling prospective applicants they can "become a deportation judge" and "define America for generations." The official job title, immigration judge, still appears on the application portal. The informal rebranding highlights the administration’s focus on ramping up immigrant arrests and deportations in a nationwide campaign to boot out people in the US without authorization. The Trump administration has fired dozens of immigration judges this year and turned to military lawyers to fill the gap in the already backlogged court system. The recruitment ad notes that those hired in courts across the US will have the power to "determine whether an alien has to leave the United States or gets to stay" and to "ensure that only aliens with legally meritorious claims are allowed to remain."

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USA Today [11/21/2025 4:51, Christopher Cann, 67103K]

Breitbart [11/22/2025 1:08 AM, Elizabeth Weibel, 2416K] reports President Donald Trump announced that he is terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amnesty for Somali migrants in Minnesota, stating that "BILLIONS of Dollars are missing.” "Minnesota, under Governor Waltz, is a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "I am, as President of the United States, hereby terminating, effective immediately, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS Program) for Somalis in Minnesota. Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing.” TPS is described as "a government protection" that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants "to eligible foreign-born individuals who are unable to return home safely due to conditions or circumstances preventing their country from adequately handling the return," according to the National Immigration Forum’s website. Trump’s post comes after a report from the City Journal found that "federal counterterrorism sources confirm that millions of dollars in stolen funds have been sent back to Somalia, where they ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab": In many cases, the fraud has allegedly been perpetrated by members of Minnesota’s sizeable Somali community. Federal counterterrorism sources confirm that millions of dollars in stolen funds have been sent back to Somalia, where they ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab. As one confidential source put it: "The largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.” Breitbart News’s Warner Todd Huston reported that in the City Journal article, it was revealed that the state’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program "paid out $21 million its first year," and that in each subsequent year "the program ballooned to $42 million": The money paid out by Minnesota’s scandal-plagued welfare schemes is monumental. The state’s failed Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services program, for instance, was kicked off in 2021 with expenses expected to ring in at $2.6 million. But instead, the program paid out $21 million its first year. In each subsequent year the program ballooned to $42 million, then $74, and then $104 million, respectively. During the first half of 2025, costs had already reached $61 million, according to City Journal. Fraud is also endemic in many of Minnesota’s other welfare programs. City Journal noted that a Somali woman named Asha Farhan Hassan has been charged with defrauding the state’s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program of $14 million over fake diagnoses of autism in children of Somali migrants. The AP [11/21/2025 10:45 PM, Staff, 30493K] reports that a report produced for Congress in August put the number of Somalis covered by the program at just 705 nationwide. Congress created the program granting Temporary Protective Status in 1990. It was meant to prevent deportations of people to countries suffering from natural disasters, civil strife or other dangerous conditions. The designation can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary and is granted in 18-month increments. The president announced his decision on his social media site, suggesting that Minnesota was "a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” "Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from," Trump wrote. "It’s OVER!". Trump promised while campaigning to win back the White House last year that his administration would deport millions of people. As part of a broader push to adopt hardline immigration policies, the Trump administration has moved to withdraw various protections that had allowed immigrants to remain in the United States and work legally. That included ending TPS for 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians who were granted protection under President Joe Biden. The Trump administration has also sought to limit protections previously extended to migrants from Cuba and Syria, among other countries. CBS News [11/21/2025 11:23 PM, Faris Tanyos, Nick Lentz, 39474K] reports TPS is a federal program that allows migrants from unstable countries to live and work legally in the U.S. Somalia’s TPS designation runs through March 17, 2026, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency that is part of the Department of Homeland Security. As of March 31, there are 705 Somali immigrants in the U.S. approved for TPS, according to Congress.gov. Minnesota also has the largest Somali population in the U.S., the Associated Press reports. CBS News has reached out to DHS and Walz for comment. The Trump administration has also moved to end TPS protections for Afghan, Venezuelan, Syrian and South Sudanese nationals. Those actions have faced significant legal challenges. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [11/21/2025 9:29 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports President Donald Trump received 26 former Israeli hostages at the White House on Thursday, among them 17 who were freed only weeks ago in the ceasefire deal mediated by the president. "You’re not a hostage anymore; today you’re heroes," Trump told the former hostages and their families. "It’s an honor to get to know all of you." "I know some of you already. I know some of the previous hostages that we got out very well," he added. "We love you all, and our country loves you all … you’re amazing people." In another short video clip of Trump’s address, he highlighted Matan Angrest, saying, "Because he was a soldier, Matan was subjected to great violence by his captors, to the point of losing consciousness. Alone and under special guard, he went through a genuine hell … Matan, you are a true inspiration to all of us." Trump then presented each survivor and their families with the presidential challenge coin, serving as a symbol of respect and recognition with a unique theme. They also met several senior American officials, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Reuters [11/21/2025 8:15 PM, Ted Hesson, 36480K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration intends to focus on New Orleans in the next stage of its city-to-city immigration crackdown, one current and two former U.S. immigration officials said on Friday, confirming plans reported earlier this month. U.S. Border Patrol agents could arrive in the Southern city as soon as Saturday, and the operation could run into January, the current official said, requesting anonymity to discuss plans. Operations were expected to decrease over the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday and Christmas, the official said. New Orleans, with a population of around 384,000, would be the latest city with a Democratic mayor targeted in Trump’s mass deportation push. Since the summer, federal immigration officials have surged to Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C., sparking criticism over aggressive tactics and arrests of non-criminals. The deployment in New Orleans would follow an operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, led by U.S. Border Patrol’s roving commander Gregory Bovino. Local officials said on Thursday that operation had concluded while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would continue. Reuters and other outlets reported earlier this month that Bovino planned to take the enforcement push to New Orleans after Charlotte. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Border Patrol, declined to comment on future actions in Charlotte or New Orleans. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said in a statement that she welcomed the arrival of Border Patrol but the department would not take part in immigration arrests. The office of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NewsMax [11/21/2025 1:49 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports that President Donald Trump will deploy 250 federal troops to New Orleans next week as part of a large-scale immigration crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants across Louisiana and Mississippi, federal officials have confirmed. The operation, known as "Swamp Sweep," is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 and will be led by Border Patrol Commander at large Gregory Bovino. Officials intend to arrest about 5,000 people in both states. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said the agency would not preview details of potential operations. New Orleans becomes the latest Democrat-led city to see federal immigration raids after similar actions in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who has made immigration enforcement a central issue, has partnered with Trump through Operation GEAUX, which expands the authority of state and local agencies to enforce federal immigration laws. Louisiana is home to roughly 110,000 undocumented immigrants, while about 40,000 live in Mississippi, according to 2023 estimates from the Pew Research Center. The deployment comes after the New Orleans Police Department was released from a long-standing federal consent decree that had limited its ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The New York Times [11/22/2025 5:02 AM, Shannon Sims and Rick Rojas, 153395K] reports Angel Maras, wearing a paint-splattered T-shirt and lugging a tool bag, wove his way along Bourbon Street in New Orleans, passing daiquiri shops, street performers and a woman in a thong trying to lure tourists into a strip club. It was a day like any other in his eight years of working construction jobs in the French Quarter. But as he loaded his bag into his car on Thursday evening, Mr. Maras said he worried about how long the normalcy would last. The New Orleans area is expected to be the next focus of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, and he and many others were bracing for masked federal agents to swoop in, carrying out the kind of raids that residents of Chicago and Charlotte, N.C., have seen this fall. “I know I should be OK because I have a work permit, but many of my other Honduran friends don’t,” said Mr. Maras, 24. “And my family and friends have reached out to me to say they are really worried. They are afraid they will see a video of me being hauled away.” The timing of the planned operation remains unclear, but many immigrants, fearful of being swept up, have started hunkering down. Some have avoided work this week and have kept their children home from school. Businesses that serve largely Hispanic clienteles have experienced a sudden drought of customers. The presence of United States Border Patrol officers in Charlotte in recent days, which led to the arrests of more than 250 people, had a similarly paralyzing effect. In New Orleans, some people are also wondering whether the looming action could have broader implications for a city that has already had a remarkably turbulent year. The city suffered a deadly terrorist attack early on New Year’s Day, had its mayor indicted in August and is now grappling with a budget crisis. The economy in New Orleans is largely powered by the tourism industry, which is, in turn, sustained by thousands of service workers: cleaners, cooks, dishwashers, cashiers, ride-share drivers and people working in maintenance and construction. Many such jobs are filled by immigrants. The Hill [11/21/2025 12:21 PM, Ryan Mancini, 12595K] reports in a response to the AP regarding the upcoming deployment to New Orleans, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the department is “not going to telegraph potential operations.” New Orleans will follow other Democratic-led cities like Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago and Los Angeles, where immigration officials have been deployed to conduct raids to arrest hundreds of immigrants who lack permanent legal status. The last time a Republican served as New Orleans’s mayor was in the 1870s. The city is currently led by Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D). The state’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, has made immigration a focal point in his administration. Landry has signed off on a series of policies targeting undocumented immigrants, including a partnership with Trump to launch “Operation GEAUX.”

CNN [11/21/2025 6:00 AM, Priscilla Alvarez, Kristen Holmes, Jeff Zeleny, 18595K] reports the White House is preparing for possible turnover in the Cabinet after President Donald Trump reaches the one-year mark of his term, potentially shaking up his otherwise stable team of secretaries, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions. Trump’s cadre of secretaries, administrators and directors that form the official Cabinet has so far been relatively steady — by design, as officials close to the president aimed to avoid the imagery of Trump’s turnover-filled first term in office. But that could change as he completes his first year back in office in January. At least one of the federal agencies that could see change is the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency helmed by Kristi Noem that is charged with executing Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportation. Sources also said there could be turnover in the Department of Energy, currently run by Chris Wright, a former Colorado fracking executive whose relationship with the White House has frayed in recent months. While there are ongoing discussions, officials stressed that no decisions have been made, and the Cabinet is expected to remain the same at least through the start of next year. "The cabinet is not changing no matter how much CNN wishes that it would because it thrives off drama," said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Trump himself is happy with Noem, multiple sources told CNN, and he has consistently praised her in public and private settings. But behind the scenes, some top White House officials have become frustrated with chief adviser Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Noem confidante who was tapped early on to serve at DHS as a special government employee — a temporary status. "The President loves Kristi. He loves the job she’s doing," one senior White House official told CNN, pushing back on the notion that the former South Dakota governor was on the chopping block. Lewandowski’s history with Noem, dating back to when she was governor, and their dual leadership of the department has prompted questions about whether the two would leave together, therefore opening the head position at DHS. A familiar face in Trump’s orbit who helped run his 2016 campaign, Lewandowski has become ensconced at DHS and is often at Noem’s side. The enormous power he’s amassed has also put him in the crosshairs of some senior White House officials. "Yes, he likes [Noem], but it has been brought to his attention that [Lewandowski] is a problem, and the agency is being mismanaged because of it," a person close to the White House said. At DHS, Lewandowski has directed the firings of personnel, requested employees be put on administrative leave, called agency leaders "to hold them accountable," and been described as a micro-manager — including for the massive infusion of cash the department has received to ramp up deportations. Multiple sources told CNN Lewandowski has developed a reputation at the department of reprimanding officials who he views as slowing down the administration’s agenda. "The tremendous results coming from the Department of Homeland Security – a historically secure border, safer American communities, and successful deportations of criminal illegal aliens – at President Trump’s direction and under Secretary Noem’s leadership, speak for themselves," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. And a DHS spokesperson said in response to CNN’s questions: "Mr. Lewandowski certainly has reputation of reprimanding officials who impede or slow down the administration and undermine the will of the American people—the American people voted for Donald J. Trump, not a bureaucrat.”

Daily Caller [11/21/2025 10:17 AM, Nicole Silverio, 835K] reports White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused CNN on Friday of deliberately lying about a potential shakeup in the Trump administration’s cabinet despite being told "repeatedly" that there is no truth to those allegations. The outlet’s newly published article, "Trump officials prepare for potential cabinet shakeup after one-year mark," alleges that many cabinet officials could be exiting the administration in the near future. Leavitt said on X that the White House told CNN that President Donald Trump "could not be happier" with his cabinet and that CNN is publishing these allegations to save their ratings. "This story is 100% Fake News, and the White House repeatedly told this to CNN in the strongest possible terms," Leavitt said. "Yet they still wrote the story because their ratings are dying so they thrive off drama that does not exist. The truth is: President Trump could not be happier with his Cabinet. Shame on you, @CNN." A CNN spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that they stand by their "carefully sourced reporting" and that the administration was "given an opportunity to respond." "We stand behind our carefully sourced reporting on the White House’s possible plans to shake up President Trump’s cabinet. The administration was given an opportunity to respond to this reporting, and those comments and perspectives are included in the story," the spokesperson said. While citing anonymous sources, CNN reported that there could be a shakeup in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Energy. The outlet alleged that White House officials have become frustrated with DHS chief adviser Corey Lewandowski and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [11/21/2025 1:28 PM, Dominick Mastrangelo, 12595K]
NewsMax [11/21/2025 8:59 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K]
Newsweek [11/21/2025 5:17 PM, Gabe Whisnant, 52220K]

Washington Examiner [11/21/2025 7:42 PM, Molly Parks, 1394K] reports the Department of Homeland Security has been awarding a number of federal contracts for just under $100,000, after Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to review contracts of six figures and more personally. On June 11, Noem vowed to review and consider department proposals upwards of $100,000. Since then, DHS has authorized 11 federal contracts for between $99,999.00 and $99,999.99, starting on Aug. 14. The contract trend was first reported by the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight. "All proposals for my consideration must include all relevant details, including any mission impact, dollar values, description of the supplies or services any timeline issues, and a description of the proposed action," Noem wrote in the June memo. "Requests for approval of obligations above the $100,000 threshold must be submitted via memo through the Executive Secretary process. As with any request for Secretarial approval, please allow a minimum of 5 days for Front Office review." Prior to Aug. 14, no other DHS contracts were awarded for between $99,999.00 and $99,999.99 in 2025. The POGO analysis pointed to an August New York Times report that showed Noem’s sign-off rule caused a delay in "mission critical" contracts. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner that the 11 contracts were "for routine operational needs." "These contracts were for routine operational needs. Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and is reprioritizing appropriated dollars — saving taxpayers more than $13.2 billion in her first 7 months," McLaughlin said.

Reported similarly:
Axios [11/21/2025 9:06 AM, Brittany Gibson, 12972K]

FOX Business [11/21/2025 9:15 PM, Staff, 10085K] reports DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin discusses President Donald Trump’s meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on ‘The Bottom Line.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [11/21/2025 3:37 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 40621K] reports a group of House GOP lawmakers is urging the Trump administration not to give New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani a federal security clearance. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is leading seven fellow House Freedom Caucus members in writing a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accusing Mamdani of supporting "violent movements" and having "radical" ties that they claim make him unfit for classified federal settings. The letter noted that Mamdani co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice In Palestine at Bowdoin College when he was a student there, and it accused the group of praising Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. The GOP lawmakers said granting Mamdani a security clearance could "empower agitators, escalate threats, and put more of these brave agents’ lives in danger."

The Hill [11/21/2025 11:05 AM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Thursday that its operations in Charlotte, N.C., will not be ending "anytime soon," conflicting with reports from local law enforcement who said immigration officials have left the city. "Operation Charlotte’s Web isn’t ending anytime soon," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement on social platform X. Border Patrol agents have arrested more than 250 people who they’ve accused of being in the country without legal permission. "It appears that U.S. Border Patrol has ceased its operations in Charlotte. I’m relieved for our community and the residents, businesses, and all those who were targeted and impacted by this intrusion," Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles wrote Thursday in a statement shared online. "As we move forward, it is essential that we come together—not as separate groups divided by recent events, but as one Charlotte community," she continued. "Our strength has always come from our ability to support one another, especially in challenging times." DHS officials allege that those detained were convicted of driving without a valid license, breaking and entering, felony larceny, illegal reentry and domestic violence, among other charges.

Los Angeles Times [11/21/2025 12:00 PM, Fidel Martinez, 14862K] reports last Thursday, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden warned that federal agents would descend on Charlotte, N.C., to carry out immigration raids in the state’s largest city. Sure enough, on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it had launched "Operation Charlotte’s Web," claiming that North Carolina was overrun by criminal undocumented immigrants because of "sanctuary politicians." Charlotte, which has a large immigrant population, is not considered a sanctuary city and the state legislature passed a new law in July requiring law enforcement agencies to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The campaign’s name, an obvious reference to the beloved 1952 children’s book, was criticized by E.B. White’s granddaughter, who serves as the late writer’s literary executor. "He believed in the rule of law and due process," Martha White said. "He certainly didn’t believe in masked men, in unmarked cars, raiding people’s homes and workplaces without IDs or summons." Since their arrival, federal agents have targeted at least one church. They have arrested U.S. citizens, smashed car windows and have forced several Latino-owned businesses to close out of fear of what might happen to their customers. Tens of thousands of students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district were absent this week. On Monday alone, more than 30,000 students didn’t show up to class. "Those empty seats in my building are not just numbers. They are 5-year-olds and 8-year-olds and 10-year-olds whose families are too afraid to leave their homes," multilingual teacher Tiffany Newkirk told Spectrum News 1, adding that the school district had not done enough to inform parents and teachers about the presence of federal immigration agents in their area. The fate of "Operation Charlotte’s Web" remains unclear. On Thursday, Sheriff McFadden said that the crackdown had ended, an assertion that was disputed hours later by DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin on X. "Wrong. Operation Charlotte’s Web isn’t ending anytime soon," she wrote.

Reuters [11/21/2025 6:52 AM, James Oliphant and Aleksandra Michalska, 36480K] reports North Carolina this week emerged as a new front in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown - one poised to shape one of next year’s most competitive U.S. Senate races. Raids in Charlotte and other cities capped a year of bitter fights over immigration in a rapidly diversifying swing state - a battle that both Democrats and Republican officials say could echo into the next presidential election. North Carolina, a key battleground Trump narrowly carried in his last three campaigns, remains central to the election strategies of both Republicans and Democrats. The latest flashpoint follows a bruising summer showdown in the state over whether local sheriffs should cooperate with federal authorities in raids against illegal immigration, a clash that ended with Republicans overriding the Democratic governor’s veto. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday that the operation in Charlotte had finished, but federal officials did not confirm that, saying that the raids are "not ending anytime soon.” Trump’s push to arrest migrants in Charlotte and Raleigh is galvanizing Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of a Republican-led Congress will be at stake. Unlike other places the administration has targeted such as California and Illinois, which vote solidly Democratic, North Carolina offers a test case of whether Trump’s immigration policies can swing voters one way or the other. Masked U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in camouflage patrolled streets in Hispanic neighborhoods this week. Videos of arrests have been posted across social media, including one showing masked agents smashing a pickup window and dragging a man out. More than 370 people have been arrested, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. "People are terrified, they’re angry, they’re hiding," Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, a Democratic county commissioner in Charlotte, said of her constituents. "They’re mad as hell that this happened in our community, and they want to know what the hell we are going to do about it.” Charlotte, a top banking center in the nation, has been rapidly changing as it has grown into a major metropolis of 2.8 million people. Since 2000, the immigrant population in the city and the surrounding region has grown more than 126% and now comprises about 16.5% of all residents. There are more than 8,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in the area, according to the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Charlotte, resulting in an economic output of $12.9 billion annually. The incursion by CBP agents into Charlotte triggered protests by angry residents and led to some businesses closing because of concerns over raids outside their doors. The raids have roiled the race to replace Republican Thom Tillis in the U.S. Senate. Former two-term Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is likely to face either Michael Whatley, a Trump-endorsed candidate and the former chair of the Republican National Committee, or Don Brown, a lawyer. Polls show Cooper in the lead. Republicans say Cooper, while governor, pushed for North Carolina to become a "sanctuary state," which typically have laws or policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Cooper in turn accused the Trump administration this week of "randomly sweeping up people based on what they look like, including American citizens and those with no criminal records.”

New York Times [11/22/2025 5:01 AM, Eduardo Medina and Meredith Honig, 153395K] reports reactions to the Border Patrol operation in North Carolina have varied widely since agents zeroed in on Charlotte last week and briefly spread out to Raleigh and Durham. Ami-Luise Badger, an independent who leans Democrat, stood with several other protesters outside a Home Depot in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday to make her disdain known for the federal agents who had arrested people there earlier in the week. “They’re inhumane,” she said of the agents. A few days later, Juanrique Hall, a Republican and former candidate for the local school board, was walking around the immigrant enclave of East Charlotte feeling grateful for the Border Patrol. It didn’t matter to him if someone had been in the country illegally for “10 years or 10 minutes,” he said, because they had broken the law. And inside a small apartment complex, an Ecuadorean man, who asked to not be named because of his undocumented status, was hiding, and weeping over his two nephews in their 20s, who he said had been arrested by federal agents. Together they underscore North Carolina’s unique position as the first swing state to be targeted by the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. Republicans have largely viewed the agents’ presence as necessary to curb crime. Democrats have mostly disagreed, saying they have provoked chaos and fear. But the operation has also prompted reflection from residents across the political spectrum, who wonder whether the aggressive tactics, which have led to a few hundred arrests, were worth it.

WBTV 3 Charlotte [11/21/2025 5:57 PM, Spencer Chrisman, Connor Lomis and Cassidy Johncox] reports North Carolina Governor on Friday sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding answers about the immigration operation in Charlotte, which began last Saturday. Governor Josh Stein on Friday, Nov. 21, sent a letter to Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and asked her to address concerns he had about some of the tactics federal officers were using in “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” In the letter, Stein said in part, “In too many instances in recent days in North Carolina, we have seen federal agents recklessly jeopardizing public safety and creating havoc in our communities.” Stein also asked Noem about the lack of transparency from federal officials about the immigration operation to all levels of government. The North Carolina Governor also asked Noem to answer 12 questions about “Operation Charlotte’s Web” so he can protect public safety and keep North Carolinians informed. One of the questions Stein asks is for a list of the more than 370 people who were arrested or detained during the operation as well as their criminal history and immigration status. The Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday, Nov. 20, that “Operation Charlotte’s Web” was “not over,” despite local leaders saying it was over earlier on Thursday. “Operation Charlotte’s Web” was launched last Saturday, Nov. 15, and it targeted undocumented immigrants in the city and surrounding areas. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Thursday that Operation Charlotte’s Web was still active. “The operation is not over, and it is not ending anytime soon,” McLaughlin said in a statement. Homeland Security has not said how long the operation was expected to last. Federal officials said that around 370 undocumented immigrants have been arrested since the beginning of the operation. While McLaughlin insisted that the Charlotte operation was ongoing, it was unclear what exactly that meant. A separate statement from Homeland Security on Thursday said federal agencies were continuing to target undocumented immigrants with criminal histories “as Operation Charlotte’s Web progresses.”

CNN [11/21/2025 7:01 AM, Andy Rose, 18595K] reports the upbeat, Spanish music still floats through the aisles of Sav/Way Foods, the Latino supermarket in the heart of the bustling and boisterous Plaza Midwood neighborhood. But at 8:30 on a chilly morning this week, the songs on the loudspeakers are about all the Spanish you hear. "It’s been really, really slow," says employee Bella Duran as a half-dozen shoppers silently mill about the store. "A lot of our customers have been scared to come out.” Some patrons now afraid to leave their homes are taking Sav/Way up on its offer of free home delivery. Inside the store, rows of tortillas and shoulder-high stacks of canned hominy sit largely untouched, while the jewelry and travel kiosks are dark. A phone rings inside the store’s main office, and seconds later, Duran’s manager comes out. It was a tipster with intel that just a week ago would have sounded implausible: Suspected Customs and Border Patrol vehicles have been seen at a gas station a couple of blocks away. The manager walks over to the store’s entry and stands watch, ready to lock the front door at the first sign of federal agents. Her friendly eyes turn slightly dark. "They don’t have no right to be in here," she says. All along Central Avenue, the heart of this immigrant business community in East Charlotte, stark black-and-white signs now posted outside most businesses warn: "ICE is not welcome here." In the Charlotte area, more than 250 people were arrested over four days of immigration raids, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. "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," the agency said. "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors," Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed."

Axios [11/21/2025 4:06 PM, Staff, 12972K] reports new video from ICE in Charlotte shows the moments federal agents rammed into someone’s car and the discussions leading up to an arrest, our news partners at WBTV report. The chase happened during the Border Patrol’s "Charlotte’s Web" operation earlier this week. It shows agents calling the pursuit "fun" and urging officers to ram a suspect’s van. Video shown in federal court on Thursday captured 24-year-old Miguel Angel Garcia Martinez driving into oncoming traffic as CBP and ICE agents chased him through Charlotte. At one point, an ICE agent shouted: "Hit him, guys! Why are you afraid of him? He’s going to kill someone!" Prosecutors struggled to convince a federal magistrate that Martinez intentionally assaulted federal agents — leading the judge to issue a $25,000 unsecured bond. None of the ICE or Border Patrol agents involved in the chase testified in court. Agents discussed ramming Martinez’s van seconds before a brief collision that became the basis for the assault charge. Border Patrol agents were running an operation in Charlotte when they first encountered Martinez, who was taking photos of Border Patrol agents, according to the original affidavit. Two Border Patrol agents approached Martinez and told him to get out of his van. An agent grabbed the door handle, but Martinez drove off. ICE agents, assigned as a "quick response force" and backup to Border Patrol, were called in midway through the chase. Agents eventually boxed in Martinez’s van and arrested him. Testimony clarified that Border Patrol’s order for Martinez to exit the van was "voluntary," and that agents intended only to ask him to leave the area. Martinez’s attorney said fleeing wasn’t wise, but questioned why the stop was initiated in the first place. The primary witness for the U.S. attorney’s office was an FBI special agent who wasn’t involved in the case but heard about it from federal agents. If a judge doesn’t think there’s enough evidence for a criminal case like this to proceed, it could be dismissed. It’s also not illegal for the public to photograph federal officers. Several volunteers have expressed concerns over similar intimidation tactics this week during operation "Charlotte’s Web." A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to a request for comment.

(B) News 13 This Morning [11/2/2025 6:48 AM, Staff] reports that as of Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security says they arrested about 370 people during Operation Charlotte’s Web. This morning, there is confusion about whether or not Border Patrol has ended its work in Charlotte. At noon on Thursday, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said Border Patrol has officially concluded but agents would continue operating in the city as they have in the past. But DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin went on to say that it is not ending any time soon. The presence of agents in Charlotte is leading to delays in construction projects in the city.

CNN [11/21/2025 4:36 PM, Natasha Bertrand, Avery Schmitz, Kylie Atwood, 18595K] reports the US military conducted its largest show of force to date near Venezuela on Thursday, ahead of a key Monday deadline that will see the US designate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government allies as members of a foreign terrorist organization. The designation of "Cartel de los Soles," a phrase that experts say is more a description of allegedly corrupt government officials than an organized crime group, as a foreign terrorist organization will authorize President Donald Trump to impose fresh sanctions. It doesn’t, however, explicitly authorize the use of lethal force, according to legal experts. Still, administration officials have been making the case that the terrorist designation will give the US expanded military options for striking inside Venezuela. "It gives more tools to our department to give options to the President," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Thursday. While the US has been accumulating military assets in the region, Trump has suggested he may still be open to a diplomatic solution, though to date there have been no public indications of progress toward deescalation. In the largest military display near Venezuela since the US began threatening military action, at least six US aircraft appeared off the coast of Venezuela on Thursday over the course of several hours, including a supersonic F/A-18E fighter jet, a B-52 strategic bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, according to a CNN review of open-source flight data. A statement posted by the United States Air Forces Southern Command on Friday characterized the drill as a "bomber attack demo" to deter illicit trafficking. The F/A-18E flew from the USS Gerald Ford, which arrived in the Caribbean earlier this week. An RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane, equipped with signals intelligence capabilities, also appeared circling in "racetrack" loops near Venezuela’s eastern border. That show of force happened hours before Trump told Fox News on Friday that he would be speaking to Maduro "in the not-too-distant future.” "I can’t tell you what I’m going to tell him, but I have something very specific to say," he said. Earlier in the week Trump had publicly suggested that he was open to talks, though it’s unclear when the two leaders may connect.

New York Times [11/21/2025 10:05 AM, Riley Mellen, 135475K] reports that the U.S. Navy has routinely been positioning warships near Venezuela’s coast in locations far from the Caribbean’s main drug-smuggling routes, suggesting that the buildup is focused more on a pressure campaign against Venezuela than on the counternarcotics operation the Trump administration says it’s waging. Cruisers and destroyers have consistently been sailing in an area 50 to 100 miles off Venezuelan shores, according to an analysis of satellite imagery provided to and verified by The New York Times. Though some cocaine is trafficked in this area, it is several hundred miles east of the busiest smuggling routes, which, according to U.S. government data, are off the coast of neighboring Colombia. The vessels are part of the largest U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a show of force that has included a series of heavy bomber aircraft flying along Venezuela’s coast. Although the Trump administration has highly publicized its military activities in the region and touted its airstrikes on suspected smuggling boats, the locations of naval assets have largely been kept secret. The satellite data pinpoints nearly 100 positions of at least eight vessels over the past two and a half months, as they traversed the Caribbean Sea. Some warships are equipped with powerful surveillance radars to identify surface and aerial targets, and are loaded with long-range missiles capable of striking deep within Venezuela. “The naval presence that we’re seeing here is aimed at Venezuela, and they can see it,” said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 5:13 AM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports a sanctioned Russian oil tanker reversed course after a U.S. warship in Caribbean waters intercepted its route near the Venezuelan coast, Bloomberg reported on Friday. According to Bloomberg, the Russian tanker, identified as Seahorse, was on route to Venezuela on November 13 with a fuel cargo delivery when the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale allegedly positioned itself in the tanker’s path. The Seahorse reportedly changed course and towards Cuba and the Stockdale sailed towards Puerto Rico. Bloomberg detailed that the Seahorse has tried to approach Venezuela twice since so far, but turned back both times and remains "idling in the Caribbean.” "The tanker had discharged a cargo in late October, traveled to Cuba, and was heading back toward Venezuela when the US ship showed up in its path," Bloomberg reported. "Its movements since then have been unusual, as Russian fuel vessels typically don’t make U-turns or idle on the well-trod trading route between Cuba and Venezuela.” "The warship’s intentions with regard to the Russian vessel is unclear, and a spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command declined to comment on the ship’s movements," Bloomberg reported. The USS Stockdale is one of the U.S. military vessels presently in Caribbean international waters as part of President Trump’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking cartels operating in the area and curb the flow of drugs entering the United States. Last week, the USS Gerald R. Ford, America’s largest aircraft carrier, joined the operations. Bloomberg said that U.S., Russian, and Venezuelan spokespersons did not immediately respond to its requests for comment. Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that the U.S. military’s ongoing actions in the Caribbean against drug traffickers is instead part of a purported plot to oust him from power and "steal" Venezuela’s oil and other resources. Maduro himself is actively wanted by U.S. authorities on multiple narco-terrorism charges. According to the report, the Seahorse, a Russian vessel under U.K. and European Union sanctions, is one of four vessels that delivers naphtha to Venezuela. Naphtha is a petroleum product that Venezuela largely needs to dilute its extra-heavy crude oil to make it exportable. Bloomberg reported in October that Russia is now Venezuela’s main supplier of naphtha after the United States dropped its shipments of the petroleum product to the South American country to "zero" between March and October 2025. The outlet noted that Venezuela was able to receive U.S. naphtha from Chevron during the Biden Administration but that President Trump’s "maximum pressure" policy on Maduro halted the shipments. July reports from Reuters indicated that Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA is now unloading 700,000 barrels of Russian-made heavy naphtha.

Washington Post [11/22/2025 7:01 AM, Ellen Nakashima, Warren P. Strobel, and Alex Horton, 32099K] reports President Donald Trump and his top White House aides pushed for lethal strikes on Western Hemisphere drug traffickers almost as soon as they took office in January, and in the past 10 months have repeatedly steamrolled or sidestepped government lawyers who questioned whether the provocative policy was legal, according to multiple current and former officials familiar with the debates. As Trump weighs what could be imminent military action against Venezuela and its leader, Nicolás Maduro, while striking at alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, new details are emerging about the evolution of a strategy that involves unprecedented U.S. military force against the narcotics trade — and, critics say, outsize legal risk. The deadly attacks on small boats are being carried out by the Pentagon, which at Trump’s orders has amassed a vast array of warships, aircraft and troops in the region, including the largest U.S. aircraft carrier. But early on, according to two people familiar with the matter, the administration proposed having the CIA use its unique covert authorities to conduct the lethal strikes on drug traffickers that Trump and Stephen Miller, his powerful homeland security adviser, wanted. The spy agency, under Director John Ratcliffe, was rapidly ramping up its counternarcotics arm, consciously modeling the effort to mirror the post-9/11 U.S. war against terrorists. White House officials initiated proposals that envisioned the CIA taking the lead, and work began on drafting a presidential authorization for covert action, known as a “finding.” Lawyers at the spy agency and elsewhere in the government were skeptical. Was killing civilian drug traffickers defensible under domestic law, they asked, if the cartels do not actually seek to attack Americans, even if the product they smuggle might lead to deaths in the United States? Was it legal to kill drug traffickers, many of them apparently low-level, without knowing their identities? “There is no actual threat justifying self defense — there are not organized armed groups seeking to kill Americans,” said one person familiar with the legal debate, who like others interviewed for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution and because of the matter’s sensitivity.

Univision [11/21/2025 6:09 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports Nancy M., an immigrant living in Florida who has been punctually attending her appointments with immigration authorities for years while trying to obtain permanent residency, received news this year that left her breathless: a bill for nearly $1.8 million in accumulated civil fines. The amount, according to the lawsuit in which she is one of the two initial plaintiffs, was calculated based on daily fines of $998 that the federal government began imposing over the last five years, after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Nancy’s case is not an isolated one. On Thursday, a team of lawyers filed a lawsuit in a Massachusetts federal court against U.S. immigration authorities, accusing the government of imposing "ruinous civil fines" on immigrants who, far from evading the law, claim they are trying to comply with established legal processes. According to the documents filed, these fines have been imposed on more than 21,500 people and, since the beginning of this year, have accumulated more than $6 billion. The lawsuit seeks to become a class action representing all immigrants affected by these financial penalties, which, according to the lawyers, are so high that they are virtually unpayable for anyone. The plaintiffs allege that these fines are unconstitutional and "grossly disproportionate" in relation to any immigration violation. Hasan Shafiqullah, supervising attorney at The Legal Aid Society and one of the legal representatives in the case, said in a statement that those affected "are doing exactly what the law requires: seeking legal relief through the courts and immigration agencies." According to him, while they comply with their annual reviews and submit their applications, the government is responding with threats of wage garnishment, car repossession, and even home foreclosure, creating a climate of fear that is especially intense among working Latino families in states such as Florida. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dismissed the lawsuit, calling it "yet another attempt to overturn federal immigration law through activist litigation." In a statement, Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin noted that the immigrants included in the case "are here illegally" and are seeking to avoid consequences under federal law. "The plaintiffs are suing to be able to remain in the country illegally without any penalty, which is contrary to decades of legislation," she said. These fines are part of a strengthened immigration policy following Trump’s return to power. In February, DHS announced that people who remained in the country without authorization could face "significant financial penalties" as part of a strategy to encourage voluntary departure. At the time, McLaughlin reiterated the Trump administration’s message, also backed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: "Leave now. The administration will enforce all of our immigration laws." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/21/2025 3:26 PM, Christine Fernando, 2416K] reports a judge’s blistering 223-page opinion has offered a cache of striking new details from body camera footage about agents’ use of force during a federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.” U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’ opinion issued Thursday recounts many high-profile clashes between federal agents and protesters, repeatedly using body camera footage to refute the federal government’s narratives from court, use-of-force reports, filmed depositions and press releases. It describes scenes of agents launching tear gas without warning, aiming rubber rounds at reporters, tackling protesters and laughing as blood oozed from a demonstrator’s ear — incidents Ellis says were flatly at odds with the government’s own narratives. Ellis expressed surprise about federal officials pointing her to specific videos, which she later found showed agents violating her orders restricting the use of force. The opinion outlines Ellis’ findings in issuing a preliminary injunction earlier this month in response to a lawsuit filed by news outlets and protesters who claimed federal officers used excessive force during an immigration crackdown that has netted more than 3,000 arrests since September across the nation’s third-largest city and its many suburbs. Among other things, Ellis’ order restricted agents from using physical force and chemical agents like tear gas and pepper balls, unless necessary or to prevent an “an immediate threat.” She said the current practices violated the constitutional rights of journalists and protesters. A federal appeals court on Wednesday temporarily halted the order, calling it “overbroad” and “too prescriptive.” But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also cautioned against “overreading” its stay and said a quick appeal process could lead to a “more tailored and appropriate” order. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, called the 7th Circuit’s ruling “a win for the rule of law and for the safety of every law enforcement officer.” “Judge Ellis’ thoughts on 20th century poetry and Chief Bovino’s conduct in the order are noted,” McLaughlin said in a statement to The Associated Press. “They don’t change the reality of the situation on the ground and at the appeals level.” The opinion delineates the results of Ellis’ review of extensive body-worn camera footage and testimony that she says reflected indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force as agents repeatedly used tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper balls and flashbangs without warnings or justification. It also described tense moments when Ellis says agents shot flash-bang grenades at the backs of protesters as they fled, kicked protesters on the ground, caused a car accident during a Halloween celebration, threatened to shoot residents while pointing guns at them, shot pepper balls at the heads of journalists and praying clergy members, and tackled protesters to the ground.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [11/21/2025 5:37 PM, Luke Barr, 30493K]

CBS Chicago [11/21/2025 6:42 PM, Dave Savini, Todd Feurer, 39474K] reports a federal judge’s blistering 233-page ruling supporting an injunction limiting federal immigration agents’ use of force in Chicago – an order since put on hold by an appeals court – outlines in detail what the judge called repeated lies by Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino about clashes between agents and protesters. The astonishing findings in U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’ opinion detail many of the confrontations between immigration agents and protesters over the course of more than two months during Operation Midway Blitz. Ellis ruled that video evidence from agents’ body cameras repeatedly contradicted the Trump administration’s reports about what happened in those clashes. On Sept. 19, there were multiple clashes throughout the day outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview. Later testifying in court Bovino claimed his agents were met with an unruly mob refusing orders, but Ellis wrote "video disproves Defendants’ contentions that protesters were the ones shooting off fireworks, refusing orders, and acting violently so as to justify the agents’ use of force.” "Almost immediately and without warning, agents lob flashbang grenades, tear gas, and pepper balls at the protesters, stating, ‘f*** yea!’, as they do so, and the crowd scatters," Ellis wrote. The Trump administration’s account of a Sept. 26 clash when agents again deployed tear gas and pepper balls in Broadview contained more contradictions, according to Ellis. The judge wrote body-warn camera video showed agents "shoot pepper balls and tear gas at them without any apparent justification," in direct contradiction to an agent’s report claiming "protesters were becoming increasingly hostile.” Ellis also wrote in her ruling that, in at least one incident, a federal agent used ChatGPT to create a use of force report based off images and a brief sentence about an encounter with protesters. The judge said this further undermines their credibility. When it came to Bovino, in her ruling, Ellis said she found his testimony during a lengthy deposition wasn’t credible. "Bovino appeared evasive over the three days of his deposition, either providing ‘cute’ responses to Plaintiffs’ counsel’s questions or outright lying," she wrote. Specifially, Ellis noted that Bovino admitted during his deposition that he lied about an incident in Little Village, during which he threw a tear gas canister into the crowd. Bovino initially said he threw the tear gas because he’d been hit in the head by a rock, but later admitted the rock did not hit his helmet until after he deployed the tear gas.

Reuters [11/21/2025 7:22 PM, Bianca Flowers, 36480K] reports Chicago will not apply for federal community violence intervention grants after the Trump administration reshaped the program to focus on law enforcement and immigration, the city said this week, calling the new stipulations an effort to politicize public safety. "The city of Chicago does not intend to apply for any federal grants that require the city to comply with President Trump’s political aims," Mayor Brandon Johnson’s press office said in a statement first shared with Reuters. The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed it has shifted the focus of the grant, which was originally intended to support community violence-prevention efforts. Chicago officials and the Trump administration hold conflicting notions about what constitutes effective violence prevention. Johnson characterized the administration’s decision to rescind more than $800 million in violence prevention grants in April as "politically motivated." The move to shun the new grants marks the latest flashpoint between the city and the administration over its aggressive immigration crackdown. Chicago previously sued the Trump administration over conditions it called "illegal restrictions" on other community policing grants. The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday about Chicago’s decision to avoid seeking the grant funding. Chicago is the only U.S. city so far to say publicly that it will not apply for the funding, even as cities such as Newark, New Jersey, and Columbia, South Carolina, told Reuters they are moving ahead with applications. Several cities benefited in the past from the grants, when money was given directly to community-based organizations.

CBS Chicago [11/21/2025 5:56 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports that, on Thursday, an appeals court ordered a stay on the release of hundreds of people detained in the federal Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. The court says it needs more time to review whether many of the arrests violated a consent decree. An in-person hearing is set for next month.

Univision [11/22/2025 12:02 AM, Staff, 5004K] reports that, in a 223-page opinion, Federal District Judge Sara Ellis revealed new details from body camera footage about the use of force by federal agents during protests against "Operation Midway Blitz." Sara Ellis details, in an opinion on the case, the numerous clashes between federal agents and protesters, repeatedly citing body camera recordings to refute the federal government’s versions presented in court. The judge describes scenes of officers firing tear gas, shooting rubber bullets at journalists, knocking down protesters, and laughing as blood spurted from a protester’s ear. She also describes tense moments in which, according to Ellis, officers fired stun grenades at protesters from behind as they fled and kicked some protesters on the ground. They also allegedly caused a car accident during a Halloween celebration, threatened to shoot residents by pointing guns at them, and fired pepper spray at the heads of journalists and clergymen who were praying. These incidents, according to Ellis, flatly contradict the government’s own versions of events. Ellis expressed surprise when federal officials pointed out specific videos to him, which he later discovered showed agents violating his orders restricting the use of force. The opinion accuses federal agents of failing to follow Ellis’ prior orders by using tear gas and other weapons against protesters. It described how one agent stated, "We’re definitely going to gas them when we leave. Start throwing shit!" and another said, "We can fuck them up," according to body camera footage described in the opinion. Ellis also accused officers of "actively attempting to provoke protesters," making "derogatory comments" and "laughing" while firing ammunition at them. He described officers who "laughed and joked about using tear gas on protesters" and who "pushed people to the ground and then laughed, even when blood was gushing from the ears of someone they were pushing." In another case, he described an officer saying, "No one can hear you," after tackling and arresting a reporter who was shouting that he was a journalist and looking for his colleague. The judge also accused Gregory Bovino, the senior US Border Patrol official who led immigration enforcement in the Chicago area, of being evasive and blatantly lying during his testimony, including lying about being hit in the head with a rock during a protest in Little Village. In the judge’s opinion, Bovino repeatedly changed his story, claiming that he was hit with a rock either before or after firing tear gas into the crowd. Ellis repeatedly used recordings to refute the agents’ claims, including that Bovino saw members of the Latin Kings gang take guns out of their car in Little Village and that a protester threw a bicycle at an agent. Body camera recordings also revealed that an officer used the AI tool ChatGPT to write the report based solely on a brief sentence about an encounter and several images, according to the opinion. Overall, Ellis stated that the documentation showed that the federal government’s version "was simply not credible," adding that his review of the body camera recordings supported the plaintiffs’ allegations by "refuting all of the defendants’ claims."

Chicago Tribune [11/22/2025 6:00 AM, Jeremy Gorner and Robert McCoppin, 4829K] reports some 300 Illinois National Guard members, activated by the Trump administration as part of the Operation Midway Blitz deportation raids and over the objections of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, have spent more than a month housed not at a federal installation but at a state-owned National Guard training site — an arrangement that comes as determining precise costs for the Guard deployments in Illinois and across the nation remains a moving target. Despite Pritzker’s opposition to the deployments as a whole, he’s allowed the federalized Illinois National Guard troops to be stationed at the Illinois Army National Guard training area in Marseilles, about 75 miles southwest of Chicago. Republican President Donald Trump activated the troops earlier in the fall to ostensibly assist and protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents while they carried out immigration raids in the Chicago region. Unlike the Illinois troops, about 200 Texas National Guard troops that Trump federalized and sent to Illinois were stationed at the federal U.S. Army Reserve training center in Elwood near Joliet. Other than for a single day in October, all of the troops stayed on the sidelines amid numerous court battles and judicial rulings. The troops from Texas left Illinois last week, but the Illinois troops remain at Marseilles, state officials confirmed to the Tribune. The lack of any substantive work by Guard troops on the streets of Illinois has ramped up criticism that the Trump deployments in Illinois were a waste of money. But determining how much has been spent remains elusive. In addition to deploying troops to Illinois, Trump also claimed he needed to federalize Guard troops in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, and Memphis, Tennessee, to assist with immigration raids, crack down on protests or assist in deterring crime. The costs for all those deployments were estimated at about $473 million by the progressive-leaning Institute for Policy Studies, which derived its figures from public records and the news website The Intercept. Most of that came from spending in L.A. and Washington, but the portion spent for Illinois and Texas Guard member deployments to the Chicago area was estimated to cost $12.8 million — which includes $8.15 million for the 300 Illinois troops from Oct. 4 through Nov. 15 and about $4.66 million for the 200 Texas troops from Oct. 10 through Nov. 15, according to the study. Citing figures from the Army, Democratic Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office said the expected operations, maintenance and personnel costs for federalizing all 500 National Guard soldiers in Illinois for a full two months was $19.4 million, which works out to $323,333 per day. At an unrelated news conference in Chicago on Friday, Durbin said the Trump administration has thrown money away with its National Guard deployments, considering a very small percentage of the people arrested by immigration officers during Operation Midway Blitz had criminal histories. “Ninety-eight percent of that money was wasted, wasted to create a reign of fear and terror in this Chicago community,” Durbin said. “If you want to help and reduce crime, and we all do, invest in law enforcement that is in the community and effective and it shows results. This moving National Guardsmen from Texas and other states is a waste of money for taxpayers.” “I don’t want to take anything away from the National Guard. They’re wonderful people. I work with them all the time. And they responded as they were required to do under law,” he said. “But when it came to actual results to justify the money spent, I’m sorry, it just wasn’t there.”

AP [11/21/2025 4:29 PM, Matt Brown] reports a federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to end the deployment of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital. But the ruling is unlikely to be the final word by the courts, the president or local leaders in the contentious duel over the federal district. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the Trump administration time to either remove the troops or appeal the decision. The ruling marks another flashpoint in the months-long legal battle between local leaders and the president over longstanding norms about whether troops can support law enforcement activities on American streets. Trump issued an emergency order in the capital in August, federalizing the local police force and sending in National Guard troops from eight states and the District of Columbia. The order expired a month later but the troops remained. The White House has said Trump’s deployment was legal and vowed to appeal the ruling. Cobb ruled that Trump’s troop deployment violated the governance of the capital for a variety of reasons, including that the president had taken powers that officially resided in Congress; that the federal district’s autonomy from other states had been violated; and that Trump had moved to make the troop deployment a possibly permanent fixture of the city. Troops won’t necessarily leave the capital following the ruling. The Trump administration has three weeks to appeal the decision and White House officials have already vowed to oppose it. Troops remained stationed around the city on Friday after the ruling came down.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 9:18 AM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports in a landmark case, five members of a North Texas Antifa cell have become the first defendants in America to be convicted on terrorism charges, pleading guilty to "providing material support to terrorists" after a violent July 4 ambush on the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas. Nathan Baumann, Seth Sikes, Joy Gibson, John Thomas, and Lynette Sharp entered their pleas on November 19 in shackles before a federal judge in Fort Worth, admitting their roles in the attack that left a police officer shot in the neck. Each now faces up to 15 years in prison, marking what prosecutors call the nation’s first successful terrorism case against Antifa militants. The plea by the five now-convicted Antifa terrorists comes just days after a federal grand jury indicted nine "North Texas Antifa Cell operatives," the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas reported. Seven additional alleged terrorists were charged by information for their role in offenses including rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer and unarmed correctional officers at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4, 2025, according to Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson. "This is the first indictment in the country against a group of violent Antifa cell members," Larson stated.

Blaze [11/21/2025 4:30 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1442K] reports an attack on a Texas federal facility has led to five people admitting to offering support for terrorism as members of an Antifa cell. It is the first time that criminal suspects admitted to being involved in an Antifa cell, contradicting claims from many on the left that Antifa does not exist as an organization. Seth Sikes, Joy Abigail Gibson, Lynette Read Sharp, Nathan Baumann, and John Phillip Thomas each agreed that they had planned "to provide resources and personnel" before the July 4th attack intentionally knowing that "they would be used to carry out acts of terrorism." The agreement allows them to limit their possible prison time to 15 years rather than face decades of imprisonment. An officer was shot in the neck in the attack at the Prairieland Detention Facility after confronting a suspicious individual who appeared to be carrying a firearm. "Multiple suspects" fired upon the officer, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. The officer was treated at a hospital and released. The expansive investigation into the incident led to charges being filed against a total of 18 people. Gibson, Baumann, and Sikes were present the night of the attack, while Sharp and Thomas helped the accused shooter evade authorities. The five who agreed to a plea deal are also facing state charges from Johnson County prosecutors. The rest of the 18 suspects are facing numerous local and federal charges.

SFGate [11/21/2025 9:05 AM, Staff, 13945K] reports a pair of U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents visited the Cherryland Elementary School campus in Hayward on Friday looking for information about a student but were escorted off by the principal, according to school officials. The agents came onto campus at about 9:30 a.m. with a subpoena looking for information about the student, according to Hayward Unified School District spokesperson Michael Bazeley. "As per our protocol, the principal contacted the superintendent’s office, who contacted our legal counsel," Bazeley said in an email. "We accepted the subpoena, but did not share any information at that time. The two officers left without incident.” The campus wasn’t placed on lockdown but officials alerted the school community about the encounter and representatives from the Alameda County Immigration Legal Education Partnership showed up to gather information and provide support, Bazeley said. Following their departure, the DHS agents were seen knocking on doors in the area but eventually left, apparently without taking anyone into custody, according to ACILEP. A spokesperson for DHS didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

San Francisco Chronicle [11/21/2025 4:30 PM, Jessica Flores, 4722K] reports two Department of Homeland Security officers served a Hayward elementary school with a subpoena Friday morning seeking information about a former student, according to district officials. The DHS officers arrived at Cherryland Elementary School at about 9:30 a.m. to issue a subpoena for information about a student who was no longer enrolled at the school, said Hayward Unified School District spokesperson Michael Bazeley. Cherryland’s principal followed district protocols, which included contacting the district’s superintendent, Bazeley said. This was the first time the district has received a subpoena from DHS, Bazley said. The district’s lawyers will decide what their next steps will be, he added. He declined to provide additional information about the student or the subpoena.

CNN [11/22/2025 4:07 AM, Hanna Park, 18595K] reports a fire broke out Friday evening on a cargo ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles, prompting the evacuations of all 23 crew members and a large-scale response involving more than 100 firefighters, officials said. An electrical fire on a lower deck of the cargo ship One Henry Hudson started at 6:38 p.m. local time, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. An explosion shook the vessel shortly before 8 p.m., knocking out power to lights and cranes, LAFD said. No injuries were reported, authorities said. The Port of Los Angeles said on a press release that four of its seven container terminals have suspended operations. "Over 128 firefighters have been dispatched, and that number is still growing. Many of our fire boats are out there. They are trying to cool down this vessel," fire department Capt. Adam Van Gerpen said at a news conference. Several cargo containers involved in the blaze carry hazardous materials, requiring firefighters to wear protective suits and oxygen masks, Van Gerpen said. Air quality is being monitored as crews work overnight to suppress the blaze in the ship’s lower levels. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement on X that the city is closely monitoring the situation. California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the incident, according to his office. The Panama-flagged cargo ship, built in 2008, had recently arrived from Tokyo, according to the online tracker Vessel Finder. CNN has reached out to the ship’s management company, Fukujin Kisen, for comment.

New York Times [11/22/2025 4:17 AM, Shawn Hubler and Francesca Regalado, 153395K] reports more than 180 firefighters were battling a blaze on a cargo ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles early Saturday as the authorities urged people nearby to shelter in place because of hazardous smoke. The Los Angeles Fire Department said that an electrical fire began around 6:30 p.m. local time on Friday on a lower deck of the 1 Henry Hudson, a container ship. Then, at 7:58 p.m., “an explosion was noted mid-deck that has affected power including lights and crane operations on the ship,” it added. No injuries were reported and all 23 crew members had been evacuated from the ship, it said. Parts of the ship affected by the blaze held hazardous materials, the fire department said, citing the ship’s manifest. It added that responders were using special breathing equipment. At 11 p.m., it had ordered all firefighters off the ship. Around midnight, the authorities told people in the area to shelter in place. “Get inside IMMEDIATELY and close all windows and doors. Turn off air conditioning/heating. Bring all people and pets to an inside room until you receive more instructions,” the fire department said in an alert, citing a “HazMat” incident related to the fire on the ship. A map posted by the department showed the order covering communities around the port including San Pedro and Wilmington. The Port of Los Angeles said in a statement that a safety zone had been established around the ship, and that four of its seven cargo terminals had suspended operations. It was not immediately known what hazardous cargo was on the ship.

Washington Post [11/21/2025 8:25 PM, Maria Sacchetti, 24149K] reports a high-ranking Costa Rican official said late Friday that the country remains willing to accept the deportation of Kilmar Abrego García, rebutting the Trump administration’s claims that the only possible destination for the Salvadoran immigrant is the West African nation of Liberia. Security Minister Mario Zamora Cordero told The Washington Post that he had informed the U.S. Embassy in San José in August that the government would accept Abrego on humanitarian grounds and provide him legal residency. He reiterated that Costa Rica has the “highest human rights standards” and would receive Abrego “under humanitarian conditions that guarantee the full respect for his rights and liberties.” “That position that we have expressed in the past remains valid and unchanged to this day,” Zamora Cordero said in a statement, responding to questions from The Post. Costa Rica’s position contrasts sharply with the Trump administration’s court filings in recent weeks in a lawsuit Abrego’s lawyers filed seeking his release in the United States. Justice Department lawyers said in a legal brief Nov. 7 that the State Department determined Costa Rica would not accept him “without further negotiations and, likely, additional commitments from the United States.” “Importantly, the Department of State advises that the Republic of Liberia is the only state willing to accept Petitioner without further negotiations or additional commitments by the United States,” the lawyers wrote. Zamora Cordero said Costa Rica has not demanded additional negotiations. “Costa Rica’s offer to receive Mr. Abrego Garcia for humanitarian reasons stands,” he said in the statement, adding that it would not require more negotiations.

CBS News [11/21/2025 7:04 PM, Marissa Armas, 39474K] reports the fight between Gov. Greg Abbott and one of Texas’ most prominent Muslim civil rights organizations is escalating. The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced it has filed a federal lawsuit against Abbott to block the enforcement of a proclamation he issued earlier this week. The proclamation bans CAIR and The Muslim Brotherhood from owning land in Texas and designates them as terrorist organizations. On Friday, joined by other Texas Muslim organizations, CAIR said it is standing up for what it calls an attack on civil rights. "We are not and will not be intimidated by smear campaigns launched by politicians like Mr. Abbott," said Imran Ghani, with CAIR’s Houston chapter. "Mr. Abbott is defaming us and other American Muslims because we are effective advocates for justice here and abroad.” Abbott accuses the organizations of supporting terrorism and undermining Texas law through harassment, intimidation, and violence. Organizers said the issue is not only about Muslims, but about all Americans. This marks the third time the group has sued the governor. "This designation is unconstitutional, unsupported by any credible factual base,s and represents bigotry on its face," said Murtaza Sutarwalla, with the Muslim Bar Association of Houston. Largest Muslim civil rights group in U.S. CAIR, founded in 1994, is the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the country. Abbott dismissed the federal lawsuit when asked about it Thursday. "That’s about the lamest lawsuit I’ve ever seen," he told reporters. Abbott said his proclamation is about preventing organizations from imposing Sharia law. Earlier this week, he urged local authorities to investigate "Sharia courts" and directed the Department of Public Safety to launch criminal investigations into CAIR and The Muslim Brotherhood. "This goes back a long time and goes back to a law that I signed in 2017, that made clear in family court situations, that Sharia law is not allowed in the state of Texas, only Texas law and Texas courts decide cases in legal matters in our state, period," Abbott said. "The second is we’ve been involved in the investigation of EPIC city, right near where we are right now, and that’s been ongoing for several years. They had created a compound that was going to be Muslim only, and that is religious discrimination, and that’s not allowed in the state of Texas.”

FOX News [11/21/2025 12:30 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was granted an audience with fellow Illini Pope Leo XIV, where the two exchanged gifts and discussed their collective criticisms of President Donald Trump’s "Operation Midway Blitz" ICE enforcement mission. "Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope, compassion, unity and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions," Pritzker said in a statement after the meeting, which was set up with the help of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich. Pritzker and Leo reportedly discussed their reservations about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in Illinois and Chicago, specifically, with the governor saying that the Pope agreed with his feeling of pride that "the people of Chicago stood up against the oppression that’s been brought on immigrants." Pritzker told Chicago’s NBC affiliate that the Pope has strong feelings about ICE’s activities, and that the pontiff wanted to hear Pritzker’s views and asked questions about the state of Midway Blitz. Leo was reportedly heartened when told the operation appeared to be winding down in Chicago, according to Pritzker’s comments.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 5:38 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2416K] reports a federal jury has awarded a group of illegal migrants a $112 million judgment after finding that Suffolk County, New York, improperly held them in custody back in 2017. A nine-person jury voted unanimously in favor of the migrants this month in a Brooklyn court, awarding "$75 million for unlawful detention and an additional $37 million for due process violations," News Day reported. County officials say they disagree with the jury award and will appeal the decision. Judge William F. Kuntz II in Eastern District Court in Brooklyn ruled that the county had violated the constitutional rights of several hundred immigrants arrested between 2016 and 2018 on immigration detainers. The purported abuse of migrant rights occurred under the tenure of former Sheriff Vincent DeMarco, who supported a policy of honoring ICE detainers, a practice that ended in 2018 when a court ruling ruled it unlawful. A court in 2018 claimed that Sheriff DeMarco’s cooperation with federal authorities violated state laws and maintained that holding migrants for 48 hours or more was "unlawful."

Houston Chronicle [11/21/2025 6:00 AM, Staff, 2983K] reports Houston police officers have one of the hardest, most important jobs in our community. Their successes get lost in the churn of news. Their failures are scrutinized in public. We need them to keep us safe, and our local leaders have a duty to provide the resources and regulations officers need to maintain a laser focus on that critical task. Right now, that duty should lead our mayor and City Council to make sure our officers spend their time investigating crimes, not doing the immigration work of the federal government. A new ordinance making its way through City Council could help set the right priorities. After months of hemming and hawing, Mayor John Whitmire finally acknowledged that the police are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. For decades, Houston rejected the "Sanctuary City" label and allowed our police to hand over suspects charged with crimes to immigration authorities. What has changed is that the Trump administration added hundreds of thousands of immigration arrest warrants to a national database used by local police that previously weren’t included. Many of these are low-level civil detainers that have never been adjudicated or signed by a federal judge. Enforcing these sorts of civil warrants has typically not been the responsibility of local police, nor should it be. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has warned that HPD holding people based on these detainers could violate constitutional rights. Local governments have been successfully sued for arresting people based on these detainers. Worst of all, forcing our local crime fighters to do the job of the federal government not only wastes law enforcement resources but also puts our city at risk. We’ve seen that happen already. In April, a domestic violence victim saw her abuser at a grocery store. She called the police for help, and they referred her to victim services. That was when the woman, originally from El Salvador, learned police had already contacted ICE about her status. President Donald Trump promised that his mass deportation campaign would make America safer. But his chaotic and lawless enforcement regime has jeopardized years of community relationship-building by local law enforcement. Victims of crime are now hesitant to turn to the police for help. Crimes go unreported. Dangerous criminals get away unpunished. "If he were to hurt me again, I don’t think I could report it because that’s where my story would end," the Salvadoran woman told the Chronicle later. Her story moved Council Member Letitia Plummer, herself a survivor of domestic abuse. Plummer had been working on a policy to help reassure concerned Houstonians that they could still trust local police. But the coverage of the woman’s story showed her just how urgent the issue was. Coming to light Thursday, when the Chronicle shared news of it, the proposal would give officers greater discretion handling these immigration warrants. Plummer said the intent was "to give HPD the authority and the power to make a different decision when they’re in that position.”

NewsMax [11/22/2025 5:10 AM, Michael Reagan and Michael R. Shannon, 4109K]
reports Charlotte, North Carolina left wingers are in an uproar because the Trump administration decided to start enforcing immigration law. The U.S. Border Patrol (ICE) has begun an enforcement crackdown called "Operation Charlotte’s Web" and the usual suspects are bleating. Who are these suspects? They would be Democratic Party politicians who depend on illegals for boosting the census count and anchor babies for votes. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) "charities" dependent on (addicted to) the federal dollars they get for resettling "refugees." Cheap labor advocates who treat America as an economic strip mine. Regime media outlets who reflexively oppose the Trump administration. And left-adherents in general who simply have a distaste for their own country. The Charlotte Observer reports that in a single day of enforcement, "Border Patrol agents arrested 81 people in the Charlotte area over five hours Saturday. . . . many of those taken in ‘had significant criminal and immigration history,’ although it was not immediately possible to independently verify that assessment.

Bloomberg [11/21/2025 6:30 AM, Mary Ellen Klas, 18207K] reports the reaction by residents in North Carolina’s largest city to the immigration crackdown that began on Saturday has been empathetic and broad. The reaction by the region’s largest employers? Notably silent. This week, hundreds of students walked out of Charlotte-area schools to protest the Trump administration’s immigration raids. Volunteers donned fluorescent vests and wore whistles as they patrolled the perimeter of schools to keep federal agents from coming on campus. Churches held packed training sessions on how to respond to enforcement actions. Dozens of local businesses shut down to keep their customers and workers safe from the dragnet, and one grocery store chain, Compare Foods, is offering free delivery to customers who are afraid to leave their homes. But in this town that prides itself on civility, the fact that people can’t do anything to stop the raids “has just torn this place open,” said Owen Furuseth, retired associate provost for Metropolitan Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Few cities in the South can draw such a direct link between their economic boom and the rise of their Latino community, Furuseth told me. When construction began in 1989 on the Charlotte skyscraper that would become Bank of America’s headquarters, the city didn’t have enough local labor to build it, so the contractor recruited construction workers from Texas and Mexico. The city’s immigration rate exploded. The Hispanic population soared 932% between 1980 and 2000, more than twice the national rate. For the next two decades, the city was one of the metro areas the Pew Research Center labeled a “hypergrowth” Latino destination. The immigrant community drove an urban economic revitalization that has created new opportunities for growth. But, judging by the silence from the area’s large businesses this week, you’d think none of that mattered. The giants of industry have said nothing as story after story has surfaced of federal agents stalking residents at bakeries, daycare centers, community buildings and schools. It’s a sad capitulation. Companies that have benefitted from immigrant labor should have the courage to decry the inhumane and legally questionable treatment those workers now face. Unlike other major Charlotte-based employers that have remained silent — such as Duke Energy — Bank of America has played a unique role in the revitalization of the city and in making it a magnet for immigrants. Furuseth’s research documented what he called “the Bank of America phenomenon” in Charlotte. The workers who built its headquarters were hired for more construction as the city’s skyline grew. They put down roots because of the city’s good schools, low housing costs and abundant jobs. The draw was so strong that Latinos — both documented and undocumented — often relocated from other parts of the country, he told me, and their role was transformative. Charlotte’s population is now 18% foreign born, including large numbers of Southeast Asian and African immigrants.

Chicago Tribune [11/21/2025 6:00 AM, William Hall, 4829K] reports little has to be said about the damage Operation Midway Blitz has done to Chicago society. It has terrorized our communities, ripping apart families, badly damaging our businesses, depressing tax revenues and intentionally creating a climate of fear that has the potential to fundamentally pervert our civic life forever. The Chicago City Council must act forcefully — it must act now — before too much is lost. What is being done by the federal government to us under the color of law and order has turned into an immoral farce. This has been made worse by a feeling of hopelessness as our state and city governments are confounded by a lawless administration that does whatever it wants, whenever it wants, at whatever cost to the lives and livelihoods of this city. This terrorization of our city by the Department of Homeland Security, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino not only has had an impact our immigrant and Latino communities, but it’s also spilled over into every corner of our city, including our Black neighborhoods. But Chicago is not without power — and it is time we reclaim it. I’m not talking about our moral authority — you just need to listen to Cardinal Blase Cupich, the Rev. Charlie Dates or any number of faith leaders who condemn the daily outrages on the streets here. No, I am talking about the one thing this administration — and the forces that enable it — still listen to, and that is the power of the purse. The Sun-Times recently detailed how the DHS, flush with unlimited resources thanks to the recent spending bill that made more money available to Immigration and Customs Enforcement than what the Marine Corps is budgeted, has signed contracts with locally based vendors. This includes $267,000 to West Loop-based Motorola to provide a radio network to DHS agents. Another Loop-based firm, SP Plus, formerly known as Standard Parking and which has city contracts at Midway and O’Hare airports, has been tapped by ICE for its operations in California. With a gravy train of government contracts right now for this hastily planned “blitz” of Chicago, it stands to reason there are plenty of other vendors who do business with a city that is under direct attack by a federal government that needs to be brought to heel. Chicago is under no obligation to do business with any company that helps the conduct of these out-of-control agencies. The Sun-Times article was a great start, but we need a full picture of just which city vendors are putting their own finances over the well-being of our city. I’m calling for a full-scale audit of all city contractors to see which ones are taking part in this operation. A generation ago, the City Council was a leader in boycotting businesses that propped up the South African apartheid government. We have the same opportunity to use our power of the purse again. And this time, it’s not about achieving justice a continent away — it’s about saving ourselves. We need to use alternative businesses to those that have chosen to facilitate the stripping of our residents of their dignity. It’s time do an audit to see the lay of the land and be prepared to use our financial power. A fire fundamentally transformed our city a century and a half ago. Now ICE threatens to do the same. Let’s act before it’s too late.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 3:27 PM, John Binder, 2416K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested illegal aliens convicted of drug possession, violent assault, and heinous sex crimes against children, Breitbart News has exclusively learned. "As Democrat politicians try to bamboozle the American public and assert DHS law enforcement is not targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, our brave ICE law enforcement are putting their lives on the line to remove pedophiles, drug traffickers, and other violent thugs from American neighborhoods," the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "We are not going to allow these heinous criminals to terrorize innocent American children and families," McLaughlin said.

CyberScoop [11/21/2025 3:46 PM, Derek B. Johnson, 122K] reports a digital privacy group is suing the federal government to obtain records of its communications with technology and social media companies leading up to the removal of several apps and websites that were tracking the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies. In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the non-profit Electronic Frontier Foundation names four federal agencies (The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and component agencies ICE and Customs and Border Patrol) as defendants, seeking their communications with Meta, Apple and Google. The conversations concern the removal of apps like ICEBlock, Red Dot and DeICER from their respective stores, as well as the removal of websites like ICE Sightings-Chicagoland, which provide real-time online tracking of federal immigration raids. “The government’s actions are the subject of intense media attention and raise important legal questions,” EFF stated in its complaint. “Documenting law enforcement activities occurring in public and disseminating that information to the broader public is protected First Amendment activity.” The lawsuit states that Apple removed ICEBlock on Oct. 2 partly because of information it had received from “law enforcement.” Apple officials also cited Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said that Justice “reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App store – and Apple did so.” Similar actions, like Meta’s Oct. 14 takedown of a website focused on ICE raids in Chicago, were also confirmed to be at the behest of the government, according to public statements on X by Bondi and other U.S. officials. EFF argued that these activities clearly fall under free speech and seek records on what kind of conversations these agencies were having with private companies and whether they crossed the line into jawboning.

Univision [11/21/2025 8:26 AM, Jorge Cancino, 5004K] reports human trafficking is a crime punishable by severe prison sentences. This applies even in cases involving minors who are transported by smugglers from their countries of origin to reunite with their parents or relatives in the United States. But it is a subject that is rarely discussed, or only in hushed tones and behind closed doors, especially at a time when the zero-tolerance immigration policy is being fiercely implemented in the first 10 months of Donald Trump’s second term. The issue came back into the public eye in early November following the arrest of a teacher inside the Rayito de Sol daycare center, a childcare facility located in northwest Chicago, as part of Operation Midway Blitz. Initial press reports indicated that ICE agents followed the teacher, identified as Diana Patricia Santillana Galeano, who entered the establishment and was then forced to leave with her arms behind her back. Following the arrest, Democratic Representative Mike Quigley denounced that Santillana’s arrest was carried out without a warrant and that the immigrant was "kidnapped in front of her students." But after Santillana’s arrest, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a statement to "clarify," he said, "the situation regarding undocumented immigrants’ attempt to evade arrest by recklessly barricading themselves in a Chicago daycare center." He specified that ICE did not attack the daycare center and indicated that some media outlets had spread false information about the case. It added that the detained teacher is an "undocumented immigrant from Colombia who was intercepted by the Border Patrol on March 26, 2023, after illegally crossing the southern border." And that during the administration of former President Joe Biden, she was released. The DHS report further alleges that "last month, Santillana allegedly paid smugglers to illegally bring her 17- and 16-year-old children into the United States across the southern border." It noted that "facilitating human trafficking is a crime." Over the weekend, a federal judge ordered the release of the immigrant who was being held at an ICE facility in Indiana. The decision was based on the fact that Santillana Galeano was denied the right to request a bail hearing to regain her freedom, a procedural error in the march of due process. The DHS reiterates that Santillana entered the United States illegally in June 2023 and that her arrest is based on an investigation into human trafficking. The immigrant’s children, aged 16 and 17, entered the country illegally near El Paso, Texas, where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained them and processed them as unaccompanied minors, transferring them to a shelter in the Chicago area. The question that arises in the midst of this case is whether those who pay a coyote or human trafficker to bring a child know that the United States Code (US CODE) defines it as a crime and, if a person is charged and found guilty, they can be sentenced to no more than 10 years in prison the first time. Are parents criminally responsible for sending their children alone to the southern border of the United States?

NPR [11/22/2025 3:00 AM, Xavier Lopez, B.A. Parker, Leah Donnella, Jasmine Garsd, Courtney Stein, 28013K] reports that, today on the show, NPR immigration reporter Jasmine Garsd introduces us to two families in Washington, D.C.. One has made the difficult decision to set up "emergency guardianship" for their son, in the case that the parents are deported to Guatemala. The other has agreed to take that son in, should anything happen. It’s the second part in Jasmine’s reporting series looking into how immigrant families are preparing for the worst under the Trump administration’s current immigration crackdown. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Spectrum News [11/21/25 2;1 PM, Maddie Gannon, 547K] reports Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey are pressing the Department of Homeland Security for information on its standards and practices for hiring and training new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, warning the administration’s full-force effort to surge the number of officers it employs suggests it may be “cutting corners” and "loosening" requirements. In a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE acting Director Todd Lyons and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, the Democratic senators argued that since the beginning of the year, when President Donald Trump returned to office, the department has “dropped the eligibility criteria and training requirements to dangerously low levels.” The lawmakers went on to lay out a list of recent high-profile incidents involving ICE agents, including one in which an officer was seen on camera pushing a woman to the ground, to make the case they “reveal systemic deficiencies” at DHS, ICE and CBP that require oversight and reform. “The authority to detain and use force, including, in extreme circumstances, deadly force, is not a game, and it is not a performance,” the senators wrote. Padilla and Booker also specifically pointed to an article from NBC News, which reported that more 200 newly recruited ICE agents have been dismissed while they were already in training for failing to meet the department’s hiring requirements. The move suggests the recruits were put in training before clearing the standards-check process and raises the “alarming possibility” that some could currently already be on the job, they argued. “This amounts to government malpractice that endangers public safety,” the senators wrote. In the letter, the pair included a list of questions about the department’s hiring and training standards and requested answers within two weeks. DHS, ICE nor CBP responded to an inquiry from Spectrum News about the letter.

Boston 25 News [11/21/2025 3:40 PM, Drew Karedes] reports for the first time, several of the workers taken into custody during an ICE raid at the Allston Car Wash are sharing their stories. Four of the six employees released from custody so far spoke exclusively with Boston 25 News. They were handcuffed while washing cars at the business on Cambridge Street back on November 4th. One told Boston 25 News he had work authorization card in his backpack and is waiting to become a green card holder. He said he wasn’t allowed to show any of that documentation. “I tried really hard to do everything the correct way so I wouldn’t have any problems in America,” he said through a translator. Boston 25 News agreed to not publish the identity of the young man who was freed from custody on his 20th birthday on Tuesday night. He said he came to the United States from Honduras the day after he turned 16. “I came from my home country to have a better life here,” he said. He said he was brought to a nearby Target parking lot with eight of his coworkers where chains were placed around their ankles and waists. Boston 25 News also spoke with a coworker who was detained on her 45th birthday. “From the moment they grabbed me, I thought, it’s over. The American dream is over. I won’t be able to work anymore. I won’t be able to help my family. I won’t be able to send money home,” said the mother of three from Guatemala through a translator. She also asked that her identity not be published. She told Boston 25 News she spent eight days in Burlington without adequate food before being transferred to Vermont. She said she doesn’t feel free despite being out of custody. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously released the following explanation about the operation: “On November 4, ICE conducted a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Allston, Massachusetts that resulted in the arrest of 9 illegal aliens including an illegal alien who chose to commit a felony by illegally re-entering the U.S. Three entered under the Biden administration, four were gotaways at the border, one entered illegally under W. Bush, and another overstayed his visa which expired under President Clinton.” — Tricia McLaughlin.

CNN [11/22/2025 12:05 AM, Taylor Galgano Caroll Alvarado and Diego Mendoza, 18595K] reports aggressive tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents drew the ire of Rhode Island’s governor and state Supreme Court chief justice this week when a high school intern was detained and questioned before being released. The incident, captured on video, showed ICE agents detaining the teen, who is taking part in an internship experience at Rhode Island Superior Court, as he was being driven to school by a judge. "ICE agents wrongfully detained a high school intern outside the Superior Court – an outrageous and indefensible act that could have completely upended a young person’s life," Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security has faced criticism for pursuing targets in or near courthouses, after rescinding guidance limiting activity in such locations. ICE agent took photos in courtroom, stopped judge’s car. It began in a courtroom, where the teen noticed someone taking photos of him, a member of the court staff familiar with the situation told CNN. When security asked the person to stop taking photos to abide by courthouse rules, he identified himself as an ICE agent, the court staff member said. CNN has asked DHS why agents were taking photos of the intern. Upon learning an ICE agent was taking photos of him, the intern appeared shaken by the experience, and Superior Court Associate Justice Joseph McBurney offered to drive him to his high school, the staffer said. ICE agents later surrounded the judge’s car as he intended to drive the intern to school, according to the court staffer and a video of the incident. In a video from the Deportation Defense Network of Rhode Island, at least six federal agents are seen near McBurney’s car, asking him and the teen to exit it. "Are you a judge here?" one of the ICE agents appears to ask McBurney after he opens his car door. About 30 seconds later, a federal agent is seen restraining the intern’s hands behind his back and escorting him away from the vehicle as nearby protesters shout at the agents. McBurney continues talking to federal agents, explaining the teen is an intern, and they were making a mistake, a member of the court staff familiar with the situation told CNN. The intern, who was not named by the court or ICE, was taken across a busy street in front of the Providence courthouse. He was released after his identity was verified by the federal agents, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Judiciary said. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN the agents had been searching for a "child predator" and "briefly questioned someone who resembled the target" but the person "was never arrested or taken into custody.” CNN has reached out to the DHS and Judge McBurney for more information.

Daily Caller [11/21/2025 11:11 AM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports that the country’s most infamous illegal migrant could walk free due to an immigration judge’s failure six years ago to take a crucial step in a court ruling. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gangbanger previously accused of repeated domestic abuse, is fighting deportation to Africa and criminal accusations that he participated in a years-long scheme to smuggle other illegal migrants into the country. However, the judge presiding over his deportation case reportedly argued that a 2019 ruling barring his repatriation to El Salvador failed to explicitly order him deported. "There is no order of removal in the docket, in the record," United States District Judge Paula Xinis stated during a Thursday hearing, according to Politico. "You can’t fake it ‘til you make it. You got to have it." "You have to have the order," Xinis continued. "It’s got to be an order memorialized somewhere and I don’t have it." Xinis’ comments were in reference to a 15-page order handed down by Baltimore Immigration Judge David Jones in October 2019. Jones at the time granted Abrego Garcia a withholding of removal order — which barred his repatriation to El Salvador due to his claims that he would likely face gang-related persecution if returned — but Jones did not specify where the illegal migrant was to be removed or that he even needed to leave the country. Jones’ order pertained to the first time Abrego Garcia was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after local police in Maryland arrested him outside a Home Depot in 2019 and suspected he was an MS-13 gang member.

Washington Examiner [11/21/2025 2:14 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1394K] reports that a pair of watchdog groups is demanding that Maryland election officials release an unredacted voter registration application for Ian Andre Roberts, the former Iowa school superintendent arrested in September as an illegal immigrant in possession of weapons, after Prince George’s County concealed key eligibility information, including whether he claimed to be a U.S. citizen when he registered to vote. The American Accountability Foundation and Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections filed a National Voter Registration Act request this week, insisting that the county release Roberts’s complete voter registration file. The groups said the county violated federal law last month when it redacted his responses to multiple eligibility questions, including the one asking if he is a U.S. citizen, before providing the documents to AAF. Roberts, a 54-year-old Guyanese national under a final removal order issued in May 2024, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sept. 26 in Des Moines after he allegedly fled officers, abandoned his car, and hid in thick brush. Officials said Roberts was found with a loaded handgun, a fixed-blade hunting knife, and $3,000 in cash. He was later charged with being an illegal immigrant in possession of firearms. The Department of Homeland Security revealed that Roberts has a decadeslong record of criminal conduct dating back to the 1990s, including a 1996 narcotics arrest in New York, a 2012 reckless driving conviction in Maryland, multiple weapons charges in 2020, and a 2022 conviction in Pennsylvania for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm. His immigration history includes four rejected green card applications, repeated visa entries, and a removal order issued last year after he failed to appear before an immigration judge.

CBS News [11/21/2025 9:03 AM, Katrina Kaufman, 39474K] reports a federal judge slammed John Cantú, a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, over his answers when questioned about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation case. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Blaze [11/21/2025 3:45 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports a pair of Virginia brothers are facing charges related to an alleged plot to attack U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as retaliation for their enforcement of the law. Mark Bennett, 59, and his younger brother John Bennett, a 54-year-old assistant principal at Virginia Beach’s Kempsville High School, were arrested on Wednesday at Norfolk International Airport and each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit malicious wounding. While having lunch at a pho restaurant in Virginia Beach on Nov. 15, an off-duty Norfolk police officer allegedly overheard the brothers discussing "how ICE agents are kidnapping individuals and that they needed to do something about it," said the criminal complaint obtained by WTKR-TV. Mark Bennett allegedly indicated during the conversation that he was planning to link up with like-minded people in Las Vegas and return with "enforcement ideas and plans." He also allegedly indicated that he recently purchased a so-called assault rifle because "it utilizes the explosive rounds that are needed to penetrate the vests." The complaint claims that John Bennett said that he wanted to "go hunting" and signaled interest in flying to Vegas with his older brother. The Bennetts were granted $25,000 bond but are confined to their homes and barred from contacting each other or possessing firearms.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/21/2025 12:36 PM, Adam Sabes, 40621K]

Daily Wire [11/21/2025 5:58 AM, Jennie Taer, 2494K] reports a mother is speaking out after learning that the alleged sex offender who preyed upon her 13-year-old daughter was an illegal immigrant set free by local authorities who chose not to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Trump administration recently brought the case to light after launching mass deportation raids in Charlotte. While exposing local authorities for setting illegal immigrants free, the Department of Homeland Security highlighted the case of Costa Rican illegal immigrant Jordan Renato Castillo-Chavez, 29, as one out of roughly 1,400 cases in Charlotte where local cops refused to honor federal immigration detainers. "It’s hurtful that my child is a victim and they had this person and let him go," the victim’s mother, Misha Rose, whose own father was deported from the United States after committing a crime, told WSOC. The Department of Homeland Security said local authorities failed to honor their detainer request to hand over the illegal immigrant if he was to be released. "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors," Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said recently of the operation. "There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t," she said.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 9:37 AM, Warner Todd Huston, 2416K] reports the construction industry’s use of illegal labor force has been revealed by the Trump administration’s "Operation Charlotte’s Web" in Charlotte, North Carolina. Construction has reportedly come to a near halt in Charlotte as the Trump administration’s immigration campaign remains in full swing. Reports of stymied construction projects have flooded social media during the first week of the immigration enforcement operation. A man who claims to be a subcontractor in the construction industry in Charlotte posted a video blasting ICE for chasing off the workers he usually encounters every day. In other social media posts, Mexican restaurants are closing up shop since so many illegals are no longer out and about in the town. In one, an ice cream shop owner said he has told his Hispanic employees to stay home. Another man hyperbolically complained that "no one is safe," despite that immigration agents are only seeking lawbreaking illegals. But, not everyone in the Charlotte area is sympathetic with the illegals. One woman said that illegals are taking from Americans and breaking our laws, and the excuse of "trying to do better by my family" does not cover breaking the law.

Daily Caller [11/21/2025 11:28 PM, Mariane Angela, 835K] reports community activists in Charlotte, N.C. are ramping up their efforts to counter federal immigration enforcement, turning church basements into training grounds where volunteers literally role-play as illegal immigrants. Dilworth United Methodist Church overflowed Monday night as Siembra N.C. hosted an "ICE and Border Patrol Watch" session, WBTV reported. Trainers walked attendees through step-by-step exercises on how to track federal agents, film detainment encounters, and alert neighborhoods when immigration officers appear in the area. Volunteers acted out mock arrest scenarios while trainees practiced recording the encounters, shouting scripted warnings, and instructing "detainees" on what to say when approached by law enforcement. The drills included everything from using whistles to signal ICE’s presence to role-play demonstrations featuring mostly liberal white women pretending to be migrants in custody. "I’m here tonight to try to learn what I can do. I’ve never participated in this kind of direct action before," said Donna Lanclos, a Charlotte resident who attended the training. She admitted she worried the real-world confrontations could turn violent but said the gathering created a sense of unity. "I am worried about the violence. It was really good to share with people about what we’re worried about, and it felt like we’re real stronger together," Lanclos said. Training materials instructed volunteers to escort immigrants to school or work, document federal enforcement activity, and monitor potential violations of the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Organizers repeatedly stressed volunteers’ "rights" when filming federal agents. The Rev. Joel Simpson praised the turnout, telling MS NOW that the crowd’s presence reflected the community’s commitment to looking out for one another. "It makes me grateful and reminds me of how much our community loves each other and wants to support that," Simpson said. "People don’t come out on Monday nights to anything, and so the fact that people are showing up right now and spending their valuable time to learn how to care for each other and protect each other.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched Operation Charlotte’s Web on Saturday, an enforcement sweep that left 81 people arrested on its first day. Federal officials say the effort targets criminal migrants who took advantage of North Carolina’s sanctuary-style policies. Chief Border Patrol Agent Greg Bovino led the weekend operation, after overseeing similar deportation raids in Los Angeles and Chicago. As Operation Charlotte’s Web ramped up over the weekend, Bovino posted photos on X showing agents arresting illegal immigrants with violent criminal records. "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors," DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

CNN [11/22/2025 7:01 AM, Lauren Mascarenhas, 18595K] reports Garry McFadden, a charismatic and opinionated detective-turned-TV personality, was elected sheriff of North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County years ago after promising that he’d limit the jail’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But this month, agents with ICE’s sister agency, Customs and Border Protection, marched into Charlotte and other parts of his county without meeting with him, arresting more than 350 people in an immigration crackdown the Trump administration dubbed "Operation Charlotte’s Web" – a move that some say the sheriff invited with his previous tussles with ICE. The move came even after recent state laws forced the sheriff – who had ended a formal cooperation agreement with ICE as promised – into more of a working relationship with the agency. CBP ended its operation in Charlotte this week, but McFadden, whose jurisdiction is limited to the county jail and court system, remains a central figure in Charlotte’s immigration debate. The sheriff said his requests to meet with the CBP officials involved in the operation were unfulfilled. "I don’t think you can make someplace safer when you are in fear … of deportation," he said on CNN’s "Erin Burnett OutFront" on Monday. "We would have liked to have (a) conversation with Border Patrol while they’re here."

CBS News [11/21/2025 11:33 AM, Christopher Harris, 39474K] reports U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) is calling on the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase federal law enforcement resources in Atlanta. Rep. Carter claims there has been a rise in illegal immigration and associated public safety concerns. In a letter addressed to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Carter praised the Trump administration for securing the southern border, noting that apprehensions are at their lowest levels in 50 years. But he said the situation in Georgia remains urgent. "Rising levels of illegal immigrants and increasing threats to public safety in Georgia highlight the urgent need for an enhanced ICE presence in Atlanta," Carter wrote. Carter cited reports estimating nearly 500,000 people living in Georgia without legal status, a 45% increase since 2018. He said every individual residing in the state illegally has broken the law and argued that a lack of enforcement could encourage both illegal immigration and criminal activity. The congressman highlighted recent cases to underscore his concerns. He referenced the arrest of Salvador Rodriguez-Mendoza, a Mexican national in Georgia with an active warrant for murder and two counts of aggravated assault, as well as a separate incident earlier this year in which a Honduran national allegedly strangled a mother of five in Atlanta. Carter said deploying more federal officers would support local law enforcement in deterring unlawful entry, disrupting illegal networks, and keeping communities safe.

FOX News [11/21/2025 10:22 AM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports Mississippi’s top law enforcement officer said the Magnolia State will welcome ICE agents with open arms compared to their clashes with public officials in California, Illinois and North Carolina – as reports surfaced of an upcoming "Swamp Sweep." The Department of Homeland Security is preparing to send 250 border agents to areas in Mississippi and Louisiana for a two-month crackdown, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch told Fox News Digital on Thursday that her office is proud to have been the first in the state to sign on as a formal ICE law enforcement partner. "We look forward to working with Secretary Noem and the president to protect our communities and strengthen our efforts to combat human trafficking, drug cartels, and violent crime," Fitch said. "Together, we will make Mississippi – and our entire nation – safer than ever before." Another top Mississippi official, U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, chairs the House Homeland Security Subcommittee for Border Security and Enforcement. When asked about the "Swamp Sweep" mission, Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said her agency does not discuss future or potential operations. "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country," she said.

Univision [11/21/2025 3:44 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports Cuban parents are appealing to U.S. immigration authorities to give their 2-year-old daughter a chance to survive, as only one hospital in Miami has told them that their little girl can be treated for the aggressive cancer she suffers from. Mia was a normal girl, but in May 2025 they had to leave Cárdenas, in Matanzas, Cuba, after receiving an unexpected diagnosis, an aggressive cancer called neuroblastoma. The family flew to Nicaragua and then arrived in Costa Rica, a country where they have done everything possible to cure her, but they do not have enough progress. The girl has already had two tumors removed, but she still has a mass in one lung that has metastasized to the bone marrow and is not producing stem cells. The girl’s father is a legal resident in the United States. Lissette traveled to Costa Rica to meet the girl and obtain documents to apply for a humanitarian visa. The visa was denied, and now they are appealing with more evidence in the case.

CBS Miami [11/21/2025 7:04 PM, Tania Francois, 39474K] Video: HERE reports that, after nearly three decades in South Florida, 32-year-old Edrisse Michelin now wakes up in a country he does not feel is home. "I still don’t feel like I’m home. I still feel like I’m just roaming. I feel uneasy," he said from Haiti. Edrisse Michelin moved to South Florida from Haiti when he was 3 years old. He grew up in Miami, graduated from South Ridge High School and attended Miami-Dade College. He built a career as a licensed realtor and insurance broker and lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident. Then he made a decision that changed everything. "I lived in a country 30 years, I never got in trouble. But I made a mistake, my morals became corrupted," he said. Edrisse Michelin was convicted of obtaining an illegal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in the summer of 2020. He served 25 months in federal prison, followed by nine months in ICE custody. Earlier this month, he was deported to Haiti on a flight with about 120 people on board. He said the trip was painful and dehumanizing. "Your feet are shackled together, your ankles are getting cut up, your hands are shackled together," he recalled. "They’re telling you, ‘If there’s a plane crash, you’re gonna grab this from here and put this on your face.’ How? How are we gonna do that?". When the plane landed in Cap-Haïtien, he said those on board were given $100 and released to family members. His wife, Iyamille Michelin, an American citizen, was waiting for him. "There’s people that left only two, three years ago that are afraid to come here, and she’s here," he said. Since then, the couple has been walking the streets, trying to mentally accept that Haiti is now home. They took a HERO Client Rescue helicopter to Port-au-Prince and then a bus from there to reach Petit-Goâve, where some of his family lives. Edrisse Michelin knows that makes their situation very different from many others. "Now that I’m here, you know, to my country where my flag is, the people are wonderful, the people work hard," he said. "But they’re trying to overcome obstacles, and I’m here trying to overcome obstacles as well, and they haven’t quite fully understood how to overcome these obstacles, and they’ve been living here their whole life.” He said space and opportunity are limited, and he worries about what will happen to others who could soon join him. Temporary Protected Status for more than 330,000 Haitians living in the U.S. is scheduled to end on Feb. 3. Without another form of immigration relief, many may face the same fate. "What I’m concerned about with so many people coming, it’s very limited here," he said. "So if you’re gonna be dropping tens of thousands of people in one location and these people live all over the country, but they’re not going to be able to get home. There’s bandits blocking the road in certain areas.” Even as a Haitian-born man, he is still struggling with language and culture. "I speak a little bit of Creole and I’m struggling. I’m struggling. I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m struggling," he said.

USA Today [11/21/2025 6:25 AM, David Clarey, 67103K] reports a Milwaukee woman was dismissed as a volunteer for a nonprofit after staff say she overstepped her role by telling federal immigration agents to leave the property. Heather Asiyanbi was dismissed on Oct. 29 after she drove to the MKE Urban Stables for her volunteer shift and saw a number of parked vehicles and federal agents wearing uniforms for an offshoot of Immigration Customs Enforcement and the FBI. An FBI spokesperson confirmed it assisted with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations agency for an operation at that location and time, but didn’t provide further details. Fearing what impact the presence of federal agents could have those coming to MKE Urban Stables that day, including a school’s special education class, Asiyanbi spoke out. She told the agents they couldn’t be there. She and another volunteer began taking photos of the agents, prompting them to put on masks. Later that day, Asiyanbi was dismissed as a volunteer. "This has never been about ‘should ICE be in Milwaukee,’" Asiyanbi said. "The barn serves a very vulnerable population. (The presence of immigration agents) is not exactly conducive to the environment.” The MKE Urban Stables, 143 E. Lincoln Ave., is a nonprofit that houses equine therapy programs and the Milwaukee Police Department’s mounted patrol horses. It frequently hosts veterans and youth at the stable for programming. The stable says Asiyanbi’s actions were in line with its values, however, she fell out of step with the organization’s volunteer policy by taking matters into her own hands. According to a spokesperson for MKE Urban Stables, Asiyanbi’s dismissal was not for breaking up the "apparent staging of federal law enforcement officers," but for not alerting the stable’s staff, a violation of volunteer policy. Asiyanbi’s failure to notify staff prevented staff from learning more about what was occurring. Asiyanbi’s subsequent social media post also "complicated" outreach to Milwaukee police. The stable was not made aware of any federal law enforcement plans to use the parking lot beforehand and does not allow these events to take place, the statement said. "We are a mental wellness and community outreach center and recognize that the presence of multiple law enforcement vehicles, even briefly, can be unsettling for some members of our community," the statement said. "This was a one-time event that occurred without our knowledge or permission. Our commitment to the partnership with MPD does not mean we support overreach by ICE (or any other law enforcement agency).” A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the details of the agents’ presence. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a similar inquiry.

Chicago Tribune [11/22/2025 6:00 AM, Laura Turbay and Angie Leventis Lourgos, 4829K] reports the bell rang at Logan Elementary School on Chicago’s Northwest Side and 12-year-old Delila waited outside for her father to pick her up as usual. She searched the crowd, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. Instead, “I found the landlord’s husband,” the seventh grader said. The landlord’s husband, along with Delila’s grandfather, broke the news that immigration agents had arrested her dad. Pablo Blancas-Gomez — Delila’s sole parent — had been arrested by federal immigration authorities during a raid earlier that day on Chicago’s North Side. The girl grew quiet for a second. Then she burst into tears. Usually she had warned her father about immigration agents before he went to work on construction sites. “That one day he was taken, that day we didn’t say anything,” Delila said from her new home with her half-sister, Kassandra Ramirez. She looked down toward the table. “Can I get a second chance?” she choked out. Delila has not seen her father since his Oct. 21 arrest while working on a home improvement project in the West Ridge neighborhood. The 45-year-old remains in custody at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility more than 1,500 miles away in El Paso, Texas. His hearing is scheduled for Dec. 2. Their separation illustrates a tragic consequence of the Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown: Children have been left behind after a parent is detained or deported, often without a formal plan for their care or process for reuniting with their mothers and fathers. Delila’s father has been her primary caretaker since her mom died in 2023. Now her half-sister, Ramirez, has assumed all the responsibilities of a parent overnight. The 32-year-old is still trying to figure out the logistics of caretaking, from balancing school drop-offs and pickups while working a full-time job, to the finances of providing for a child. “Pablo was taking care of her, that’s her dad,” she said. “That’s something I didn’t plan.” Immigration experts say the federal government has no comprehensive system to track minors who are separated from their parents upon detention or deportation. Some of these children have been taken in by relatives or trusted caretakers. Others could end up in foster care. All undergo the upheaval and trauma of abrupt separation from their primary caregivers. Amid its operations, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in an email that ICE “does not separate families.” “Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or if they would like ICE (to) place the children with a safe person the parent designates,” she said. “This is consistent with (the) past administration’s immigration enforcement.” She added that parents in this situation also have the option of self-deportation.

FOX 4 Dallas [11/21/2025 5:10 PM, Madi Marks, 40621K] reports law enforcement officials in Dallas investigated a suspicious substance reported early Friday morning at the Dallas U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. While it turned out to be harmless, it certainly caused consternation. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed two envelopes containing a white powdery substance were mailed to ICE facilities in Dallas and Irving. An ICE officer in Dallas opened one of the envelopes on Friday morning, so the Hazmat crew was called in as a precaution. The envelope in Irving was not opened. "This incident comes after the deadly terrorist attack in September and a bomb threat in August at the Dallas facility. Our ICE officers are facing a 1000% increase in assaults and an 8000% increase in death threats against them as they remove dangerous criminals from our communities. We call on politicians and activists to tone down their rhetoric before a law enforcement officer is killed," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. DHS officials said there is no ongoing threat to the public and the matter will be investigated by the FBI. It’s a felony to use the mail to deliver anything through the postal system with the intent of creating fear.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [11/21/2025 6:40 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE
NewsMax [11/21/2025 5:11 PM, Staff, 4109K]

Breitbart [11/21/2025 8:40 AM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that 31 illegal immigrant truck drivers—many holding commercial driver’s licenses issued in California—were apprehended along I‑40 during a one‑day enforcement sweep by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and federal partners. The joint operation targeted suspicious CDLs and unsafe vehicles, underscoring Abbott’s warning that California’s practice of licensing illegal immigrants poses risks to motorists nationwide. "Millions of Texans drive on our highways, roads, and streets every day," said Governor Abbott. "When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans. This joint state and federal operation along one of the nation’s longest transcontinental highways removed illegal drivers and unsafe vehicles from Texas roads. While liberal states like California issue licenses to illegal immigrants and risk the lives of Americans, Texas will work with our federal partners to maintain safe roads and apprehend illegal immigrants to protect our communities." The Veteran’s Day operation took place along Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle, Abbott’s office revealed. The operation focused on improving highway safety by "identifying individuals with suspicious commercial driver licenses (CDL)." DPS troopers teamed up with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents, along with inspectors from the Federal Motor Coach Safety Administration, to identify illegal alien truckers. The team conducted 105 vehicle inspections during the single-day operation in Wheeler County, Texas. The governor’s office stated that they identified 31 drivers with CDLs who were unlawfully present in the United States. Troopers revealed that the sanctuary state of California issued the majority of the CDLs carried by the illegal aliens. "None were issued in Texas," the governor’s staff concluded.

Washington Examiner [11/21/2025 2:34 PM, Joseph Nepomuceno, 1394K] reports that authorities in Texas continue to arrest violent men in major cities years after they illegally entered the country as unaccompanied minors. They’re also continuing to arrest violent Tren de Aragua members, including in a major San Antonio nightclub bust. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Houston officers working with multiple law enforcement agencies arrested 3,600 violent offenders, including gang members and fugitives. One of them was wanted by the Houston Police Department for nearly three years. On Nov. 10, ICE arrested him in Katy, roughly 20 minutes west of the crime scene. "This heinous predator should have never been in our country," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "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. President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Kristi] 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." He is being held in the Harris County Jail, where ICE lodged a detainer request.

USA Today [11/22/2025 5:04 AM, Rick Jervis, 67103K] reports Stephany Gauffeny hovered over her comatose husband as he lay in bed at Parkland Medical Center, pleading with him to wake up but facing a yawning dread that he may never do so. Staples closed a scar across his head, tubes snaked down his throat and his face was swollen nearly beyond recognition. Each arm was attached to the bed railing with soft restraints and his ankles were shackled together. Nearby, a life support machine whooshed and beeped steadily. Just a few weeks earlier, Miguel Angel Garcia Medina, 31, had been cavorting with his four children at their Arlington, Texas, home, meeting his 8-year-old daughter for lunch at school and giddily planning the arrival of their fifth child. Now, on Sept. 24, he was in a hospital bed in a coma, his body ripped apart by rounds from a bolt-action rifle. In a corner of the room, two agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement observed Gauffeny’s every move – a pair of constant reminders of how Garcia, who had crossed into the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor two decades earlier and had grown into a house painter, husband and father, had ended up near death in a hospital. Under the close watch of the agents, she sat and talked to him and urged him to wake up. “I would tell him, ‘Take your time. I’m going to wait for you as long as it takes,’” Gauffeny, 32, told USA TODAY. “‘I’m going to be here every day taking care of you.’” Garcia was one of several detainees ICE picked up for deportation under agreements with local police and held inside transport vans parked outside a Dallas ICE facility on the morning of Sept. 24 when a gunman opened fire, unleashing rounds from an 8mm bolt-action rifle. Authorities said the shooter, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, was targeting ICE agents. He was found dead at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Norland Guzman Fuentes, 37, of El Salvador, was killed in the attack and Venezuelan detainee Jose Andres Bordones-Molina was also injured in the shooting, treated for his injuries and later transferred to a detention center. No federal agents were hurt in the attack. In a series of press conferences following the shooting, federal officials detailed how Jahn allegedly had left a series of handwritten notes denouncing ICE. They also heralded agents from ICE and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who reportedly tried to save the detainees during the barrage of gunfire. But family members of the detainees and immigrant advocates bristled at how little detail was released about the shooting itself or the injured detainees and the circumstances that put them inside the transport van and in the crosshairs of a determined gunman. An ICE spokesperson declined repeated requests for comment for this story, citing the incident was still under investigation.

Telemundo [11/21/2025 8:37 PM, Staff, 10K] reports that, almost two months after his detention in a center for migrant minors, teenager Emmanuel González will be handed over to his mother, María García. After an intense struggle led by the organization FIEL and joined by immigration lawyers and Congressman Al Green, a federal court ruled that the young man must be returned to his biological mother. Emmanuel ended up in a center run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) after disappearing from his mother’s side while she was working selling fruit at a cruise ship terminal on Clay and Hempstead Road. The young boy, who his mother says has autism, disappeared, and after several days of searching, they learned that the Houston police had turned him over to immigration authorities and he had been sent to the ORR center. His mother never stopped looking for him or fighting to get him back. Since October 4, she has seen him twice, once at the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis and a second time when she obtained permission to enter the center to visit him. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

San Diego Union Tribune [11/21/2025 12:29 PM, Staff, 1538K] reports a day after President Donald Trump took office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a new directive to its agents: Arrests at courthouses, restricted under the Biden administration, were again permissible. In Connecticut, a group of observers who keep watch on ICE activity in and around Stamford Superior Court have since witnessed a series of arrests. In one high-profile case in August, federal agents pursued two men into a bathroom. "Is it an activity you want to be interfering with, people fulfilling their duty when they’re called to court and going to court? For me, it’s insanity," said David Michel, a Democratic former state representative in Connecticut who helps observe courthouse activity. Fueled by the Stamford uproar, Connecticut lawmakers last week approved restrictions on civil arrests and mask-wearing by federal law enforcement at state courthouses. And on Monday, a federal judge tossed a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice that had sought to block similar restrictions in New York. They are the latest examples of a growing number of Democratic states, and some judges, pushing back against ICE arrests in and around state courthouses. State lawmakers and other officials worry the raids risk keeping people from testifying in criminal trials, fighting evictions or seeking restraining orders against domestic abusers. The courthouse arrests mark an intensifying clash between the Trump administration and Democratic states that pits federal authority against state sovereignty. Sitting at the core of the fight are questions about how much power states have to control what happens in their own courts and the physical grounds they sit on. "We aren’t some medieval kingdom; there are no legal sanctuaries where you can hide and avoid the consequences for breaking the law," U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Stateline. "Nothing in the constitution prohibits arresting a lawbreaker where you find them."

Newsweek [11/21/2025 6:27 PM, Andrew Stanton, 52220K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a diabetic woman whose status had expired during a meeting with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) this week, her husband told Newsweek. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement to Newsweek that Hanne Daguman was arrested after overstaying a student visa and that she will receive “full due process.” President Donald Trump campaigned on mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, specifically targeting those with violent criminal records, and his administration ramped up immigration enforcement since his return to office in January. However, his heightened immigration enforcement has drawn scrutiny from critics amid reports that individuals with no criminal records or nonviolent offenses are being targeted. DHS said in September that more than two million undocumented immigrants have been deported since his inauguration. Hanne Daguman, who is from Norway, met with USCIS in San Diego on Monday for an interview and was detained after allegedly acknowledging she had overstayed her visa, her husband, Joshua Daguman, told Newsweek. She originally came to the U.S. on a student visa to study at California State University, San Marcos, where she earned a business degree. She completed a year of temporary employment authorization while working as a warehouse manager. However, her legal status then expired. The couple married in October 2024, and she has been working toward her green card, her husband said. She has no criminal record, he said.

Los Angeles Times [11/22/2025 6:00 AM, Andrea Castillo, 14672K] reports no one seems to know what happened to Vicente Ventura Aguilar. A witness told his brother and attorneys that the 44-year-old Mexican immigrant, who doesn’t have lawful immigration status, was taken into custody by immigration authorities on Oct. 7 in SouthLos Angeles and suffered a medical emergency. But it’s been more than six weeks since then, and Ventura Aguilar’s family still hasn’t heard from him. “None of them were Ventura Aguilar,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant Homeland Security public affairs secretary. “For the record, illegal aliens in detention have access to phones to contact family members and attorneys,” she added. McLaughlin did not answer questions about what the agency did to determine whether Ventura Aguilar had ever been in its custody, such as checking for anyone with the same date of birth, variations of his name, or identifying detainees who received medical attention near the California border around Oct. 8. Lindsay Toczylowski, co-founder of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center who is representing Ventura Aguilar’s family, said DHS never responded to her inquiries about him. “There’s only one agency that has answers,” she said. “Their refusal to provide this family with answers, their refusal to provide his attorneys with answers, says something about the lack of care and the cruelty of the moment right now for DHS.” His family and lawyers checked with local hospitals and the Mexican consulate without success. They enlisted help from the office of Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), whose staff called the Los Angeles and San Diego county medical examiner’s offices. Neither had someone matching his name or description. The Los Angeles Police Department also told Kamlager-Dove’s office that he isn’t in their system. His brother, Felipe Aguilar, said the family filed a missing person’s report with LAPD on Nov. 7.

Daily Caller [11/21/2025 9:30 AM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports a high-powered investment manager with an ownership stake in marijuana facilities allegedly staffed by children and criminal illegal migrants has poured thousands into mostly Democratic campaigns — and even Republican Nikki Haley’s failed presidential bid. Although the staffing of pot farms with children and illegal immigrants may violate several laws, there is no illegality with regard to simply maintaining a marijuana grow site in California. A joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operation in July targeted two marijuana grow sites in Southern California, resulting in the apprehension of hundreds of illegal migrants and the rescue of roughly 14 migrant children. James Rosenwald— a founding partner of Dalton Investments and a direct owner of a large stake in Glass House Brands, the company targeted by the raid — has donated more than $93,000 in support of high-profile Democrats and Democrat-aligned groups over the past decade, according to campaign donation filings reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. Glass House Brands and Rosenwald did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the DCNF.

Los Angeles Times [11/22/2025 6:00 AM, Jaweed Kaleem, 14672K] reports born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. by her parents when she was 1, Sara has lived in California nearly all her life. As an undocumented immigrant, she pays in-state tuition rates at East Los Angeles College — $619 per semester, a fraction of the $5,286 charged to out-of-state students. Because of her immigration status, Sara is not eligible for Pell Grants and other federal student aid. Under a 2001 state law and the California Dream Act — Sara pays lower in-state tuition and receives state financial aid for college — she has been able to afford her education. When she receives her associate’s degree, she intends to transfer to a Cal State or UC campus and major in business administration. But Friday her dreams felt more out of reach, after the Trump administration sued California, alleging the state’s laws granting in-state tuition rates and financial aid to undocumented students are illegal. The suit threatens the higher education goals of about 80,000 undocumented college students, many who arrived in the state as children. “After I get my degree, I want to use it to work in California and contribute to my community,” said Sara, who requested to withhold her last name because she is fearful of federal immigration enforcement action. “How does that hurt anyone?” The Department of Justice on Thursday sued California and its three public higher education systems, seeking to overturn a decades-old state law that provides lower in-state tuition to undocumented students who have attended the state’s high schools. The Trump administration also sued to put an end to the California Dream Act, which it alleges gives illegal preference for financial aid to people who are not citizens. The moves are the latest in a series of similar legal actions the federal government has taken this year against states including Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma and Minnesota.

San Diego Union Tribune [11/21/2025 12:43 PM, Staff, 1538K] reports that in July, federal immigration agents took Milagro Solis-Portillo to Glendale Memorial Hospital just outside Los Angeles after she suffered a medical emergency while being detained. They didn’t leave. For two weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractors sat guard in the hospital lobby 24 hours a day, working in shifts to monitor her movements, her attorney Ming Tanigawa-Lau said. ICE later transferred the Salvadoran woman to Anaheim Global Medical Center, against her doctor’s orders and without explanation, her attorney said. "She described it to me as feeling like she was being tortured," Tanigawa-Lau said. The assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, said that agents arrested Marin for being in the country illegally and that he admitted his lack of legal status to ICE agents. She said agents took him to the hospital after he injured his leg while trying to evade federal officers during a raid. She said officers did not prevent him from seeing his family or from using the phone. "All detainees have access to phones they can use to contact their families and lawyers," she said. McLaughlin said the temporary restraining order was issued by an "activist" judge. She did not address questions about staffing cuts at the ombudsman offices. DHS also said Solis-Portillo was in the country illegally. The department said she had been removed from the United States twice and arrested for the crimes of false identification, theft, and burglary.

Bloomberg [11/21/2025 12:35 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 91K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security secured emergency approval from a key White House office for the form ultra-wealthy immigrants will submit to qualify for President Donald Trump’s "gold card" initiative. DHS submitted a request this week to the Office of Management and Budget for clearance of the form I-140 for the program, a preliminary regulatory hurdle in setting up the program. Employers—and, in some cases, immigrant workers themselves—submit the form as a first step to secure permanent residency. The ask for fast-tracked approval shows the agency’s focus on having the visa pathway for wealthy foreign nationals ready by a Dec... [Editorial note: consult extended commentary at source link]

Washington Post [11/21/2025 6:00 AM, David J. Lynch, 24149K] reports that, when Viega LLC began hiring for its new factory in northeast Ohio last year, company officials ran traditional “help wanted” ads, retained outside recruiters, created a special website and even posted openings on roadside billboards. Nothing worked. Viega used all the customary tools, and yet for months, the maker of plumbing and HVAC systems had little to show for its efforts. With area unemployment low, Viega’s requirement that new hires endure a lengthy training program four states away did not help. The company’s struggle reflects a chronic shortage of manufacturing workers that could imperil the domestic factory boom that President Donald Trump has promised will result from his protectionist trade policy. Nationwide, manufacturers report 409,000 job openings, a number that is likely to swell if Trump’s tariffs produce a significant reshoring of factory work in the next few years. “It was actually pretty challenging at first,” said Brooke Bacon, Viega’s chief people officer. “It’s not like there’s lots of people who are unemployed looking for work. So you’re trying to pull people away from something that they’ve known to something … that was a tough sell.” Viega eventually sorted out its hiring woes and found 68 capable workers to staff its new 220,000-square-foot facility, which opened in September. The early returns on Trump’s broader factory revival, however, have been disappointing: Manufacturing employment since January has dropped by 49,000 workers. Skeptics see the current manufacturing weakness as evidence that the president’s plans are ill-conceived, though tariffs helped shrink the U.S. trade deficit by nearly one-quarter in August, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the real payoff will come next year, as new factories begin operating and the administration’s tax legislation encourages additional investment. He could be right. Annualized spending on new factories, though down from its peak last year, is at nearly three times the pre-pandemic average. But Trump has killed many of the Biden administration clean-energy subsidies that encouraged such spending, and many observers have doubts that all of the new foreign investment the president claims from his recent trade deals will ultimately materialize. The administration insists that there will be enough workers to staff the factories that it expects in Trump’s “Golden Age.” But some of the new factories are running into familiar problems: One of the signature projects of the Biden era, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s new computer chip plant in Phoenix, was delayed by a year because of “an insufficient amount of skilled workers with the specialized expertise required.” The president and his aides have offered varying explanations for how the overall shortfall will be addressed, including automation, high-skilled immigration and attracting Americans who are currently on the margins of society back into the labor force. Bessent has suggested that machines will do much of the work in the new factories, a solution at odds with the president’s vow to deliver “hundreds of thousands” of new jobs for his blue-collar base. “I think with AI, with automation, with so many of these factories going to be new — they’re going to be smart factories — I think we’ve got all the labor force we need,” Bessent said in an April interview. The president also has emphasized increasing the number of sophisticated factories rather than traditional workshops producing “sneakers and T-shirts.” Last month, he said high-skilled immigration could be the answer to the manufacturing staffing challenge, a remark that sparked a backlash among his nativist base. Managers of state-of-the-art factories should not be expected to rely on people who have been out of work for lengthy periods, the president told reporters aboard Air Force One. “You can’t expect them to make unbelievably complex chips and computers and other things and pick people off the unemployment line that haven’t worked in five years,” Trump said.

AP [11/21/2025 6:25 AM, Mark Sherman, 31753K] reports the Supreme Court is to meet in private Friday with a high-profile issue on its agenda — President Donald Trump ‘s birthright citizenship order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. The justices could say as soon as Monday whether they will hear Trump’s appeal of lower court rulings that have uniformly struck down the citizenship restrictions. They have not taken effect anywhere in the United States. If the court steps in now, the case would be argued in the spring, with a definitive ruling expected by early summer. The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed on the first day of his second term in the White House, is part of his administration’s broad immigration crackdown. Other actions include immigration enforcement surges in several cities and the first peacetime invocation of the 18th century Alien Enemies Act. The administration is facing multiple court challenges, and the high court has sent mixed signals in emergency orders it has issued. The justices effectively stopped the use of the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without court hearings, while they allowed the resumption of sweeping immigration stops in the Los Angeles area after a lower court blocked the practice of stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location. The justices also are weighing the administration’s emergency appeal to be allowed to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area for immigration enforcement actions. A lower court has indefinitely prevented the deployment. Birthright citizenship is the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling. Trump’s order would upend more than 125 years of understanding that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment confers citizenship on everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force. In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down the executive order as unconstitutional, or likely so, even after a Supreme Court ruling in late June that limited judges’ use of nationwide injunctions. While the Supreme Court curbed the use of nationwide injunctions, it did not rule out other court orders that could have nationwide effects, including in class-action lawsuits and those brought by states. The justices did not decide at that time whether the underlying citizenship order is constitutional. But every lower court that has looked at the issue has concluded that Trump’s order violates or most likely violates the 14th Amendment, which was intended to ensure that Black people, including former slaves, had citizenship. The administration is appealing two cases. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco ruled in July that a group of states that sued over the order needed a nationwide injunction to prevent the problems that would be caused by birthright citizenship being in effect in some states and not others.

Reported similarly:
Telemundo Washington DC [11/21/2025 9:17 PM, Staff, 61K]

NewsMax [11/21/2025 6:37 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax he agrees with President Donald Trump in opposing the effect of the birthright citizenship text in the 14th Amendment, calling it a "stupid provision.” Dershowitz told "The Record with Greta Van Susteren" that he could not be clearer in saying the provision is "Dumb. Dumb. Dumb." The issue is back in focus in Washington as the Supreme Court held a private meeting of the justices Friday to review the circumstances surrounding the battle between the Trump administration and a series of lower federal court judges who are at odds over the language in the 14th Amendment. The justices might decide to take the case, or leave lower courts’ rejection of President Trump’s view in place. The text in question reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Trump contends that children born in the United States to parents who are not legally in the country don’t count. Dershowitz said part of the problem is that the language is not clear, and the words, "subject to the jurisdiction thereof," clearly leave that open to interpretation that if someone is illegally in the United States, its laws do not apply to them. He offered that, "Citizenship shouldn’t depend on where you happen to be the instant of your birth." He said the language, from his view, points to Congress as the authoritative body that should address that issue.

Washington Examiner [11/21/2025 2:21 PM, Staff, 1394K] reports that illegal border crossings and apprehensions continue at the northern border, which saw unprecedented numbers during the Biden administration. Overall, illegal entries are down, but with more Border Patrol agents in the field, they are apprehending more between ports of entry. In Maine, Border Patrol apprehensions hit a 24-year high in fiscal 2025. The fiscal year goes from Oct.1 through Sept. 30. In the first six months of the year, Maine Border Patrol agents apprehended 113 illegal border crossers coming through Canada from 16 countries, The Center Square reported. As of Oct.1, that number increased to 725 coming through Canada from 46 countries, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. CBP and Border Patrol officers are tasked with securing the U.S.-Canada border in Maine in CBP’s Houlton Sector. The Houlton Sector covers 611 miles of shared international land border between Maine and Canada and more than 3,500 miles of coast patrolled by U.S. federal agents. Houlton Sector Border Patrol arrests last year surpassed their previous record of 685 apprehensions in 2001, its Chief Border Patrol Agent Derrick Stamper said. "This is about more than numbers; it’s about safeguarding national security. Every apprehension disrupts potential threats, from human smuggling networks to individuals with illicit intentions, ensuring that Maine’s communities and the entire United States remain safe from those seeking to exploit our borders," Stamper said.

New York Times [11/21/2025 3:31 PM, Ana Ley, 135475K] reports the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, which had canceled naturalization ceremonies in several upstate New York counties, has reinstated the celebrations after an appeal from a congressman who said “the decision shouldn’t have happened.” The agency had said on Tuesday that county courts did not meet federal requirements to conduct naturalization ceremonies, and that it had chosen to stop them as a result. At the time, Matthew J. Tragesser, a spokesman for the agency, said that applicants whose naturalization ceremonies had been scheduled would receive new appointments and that their naturalization processes would continue elsewhere. But on Friday, Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican whose district includes parts of Westchester County, said that he had spoken with Joseph B. Edlow, the director of the citizenship agency, urging him to reverse the decision. He said that Mr. Edlow had done so on Thursday afternoon.

New York Times [11/22/2025 5:02 AM, Ang Li, Alex Pena, and Amy Marino, 153395K] reports after Border Patrol agents showed up to an afterschool care facility for immigrant children in Charlotte, N.C., staff members mobilized to deliver food and essentials to local families in hiding. The New York Times spoke to one mother with three children who said they have not left their home in several days. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Chicago Tribune [11/22/2025 6:00 AM, Laura Turbay and Jake Sheridan, 4829K] reports it’s a story repeating itself: Border Patrol agents flooding immigrant neighborhoods, showing dramatic force, storming Home Depot parking lots and preying on people at courthouses. Those arrests erupted in Chicago. Then they were 750 miles away in Charlotte, North Carolina. And they will keep roving across the country. But no matter where they go, Chicagoans will try to stop them. As President Donald Trump’s ramped-up Border Patrol action hits city after city, Chicago’s immigration-focused community organizers are following. They aim to pass on what they learned to foster pushback in Operation Midway Blitz. The resistance effort, which was backed by top elected officials in Illinois, provides a blueprint for immigration activists nationwide: lawsuits, whistles, cellphone cameras and more. Chicago’s immigration advocacy groups, which played an integral role organizing on-the-ground rapid responders, are now sharing their information nationwide. Veronica Castro, deputy director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said she has been in at least half a dozen calls with organizations, mutual aid groups and government entities outside of Chicago, including Boston and North Carolina on best ways to prepare for immigration enforcement. “We definitely want to share information with other folks,” she said. Earlier in the year, Castro and her team reached out to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to prepare for the immigration crackdown in Chicago and is now circling back to them to “compare notes.” Casa Central, a Hispanic social services agency in Chicago, is planning a conference call with 304 invited affiliates of Unidos US to discuss rapid response tactics and insights from immigration enforcement in Chicago, according to Unidos’ director of immigrant integration, Laura Vázquez. The call will feature information on the long-lasting humanitarian impact of what happens to family members after some of them, often the primary income earners, are detained, said Vázquez. “There is tremendous value in bringing people together so organizations can learn lessons and effective tactics,” said Vázquez, who noted interest went beyond North Carolina, from New Orleans to New York City, where threats of similar immigration operations loom. The federal action centered in Charlotte last week, where Trump’s Border Patrol chief, Gregory Bovino, led a weeklong arrest spree that quickly started after agents left Chicago.

FOX Business [11/21/2025 6:16 PM, Staff, 10085K] reports Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, discusses the Trump administration’s border policies and why she thinks they aren’t translating well to voters on ‘Kudlow.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [11/22/2025 2:49 AM, Staff, 42219K] reports that, with more countries wooing Americans today with "golden" visa offerings, those who have had success are presenting even more opportunities. New Zealand recently eased its rules to attract more high-net-worth individuals to its "golden" visa programs. Changes include removing an English language requirement and relaxing the amount of time required for people to spend there. The country is now launching a Business Investor Work Visa program, which offers individuals the opportunity to live and work in New Zealand by investing in and running a business there with the potential for permanent residency. US citizen applications for the country’s Active Investor Plus Visa increased by 72% since July, according to New Zealand’s immigration data. Client Experience Director Mischa Mannix-Opie at Greener Pastures New Zealand, an integrated residency-by-investment and lifestyle advisory firm, told Fox News Digital the firm has seen significant "golden" visa demand from Americans. "The Business Investor Work Visa has been announced, which we expect will receive interest also, as it represents another opportunity for people wanting to secure residency in New Zealand," said Mannix-Opie. "The shifting political environment in the US has many high net worth individuals reassessing their long-term plans. "New Zealand offers a safe, stable alternative with an exceptional quality of life, stunning natural landscapes and a culture that makes it an ideal place to begin a new chapter and to give them and their families options for the future.” Stuart Nash, former New Zealand minister for economic development and co-founder of Nash Kelly Global, previously told Fox News Digital the visas were becoming more popular. "You’ve got a war going on in Europe. You’ve got the tinderbox, which is the Middle East," he said. "You’ve got a change in the US administration, which is causing more polarization than we’ve seen in a long, long time. "There are many Americans wanting to settle in New Zealand, as we’ve seen as this oasis at the bottom of the world," he added. Nash pointed to New Zealand’s "stable banking system" and lack of capital gains, wealth and death taxes. "In this time of global uncertainty, geography is just as important as anything else. You jump on a plane, and you’re 1,200 miles away from trouble spots," said Nash. "In the past, people were looking for tax havens. Now they’re looking for safe havens for them[selves] and their family.” Nash said the country’s low population is a unique perk. "We have wonderful scenery, sailing, golf — and we have some pretty cool people," Nash said. "You don’t have to renounce your US citizenship at all. You can get permanent residency for life, and you can live the New Zealand dream.”

Free Beacon [11/21/2025 6:10 PM, Adam Kredo, 411K] reports the Trump administration on Thursday revoked the visa of Naledi Pandor, the South African official who spearheaded a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), spoke by phone with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh shortly after Oct. 7, 2023, and repeatedly offered support for terrorism, a senior State Department official exclusively confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon. "Pandor’s visa has been revoked," the official said. "Pandor has openly supported terrorism and endorsed violent jihads. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. government will no longer tolerate dangerous foreigners traveling into our country to spread their violent policies.” Pandor, who served as South African foreign minister from 2019 to 2024, just concluded a trip to the United States for the Milwaukee premiere of Muslim Network Television. A senior State Department official told the Free Beacon ahead of Pandor’s visit that the department was "aware of this individual’s pro-terrorism background" and that the matter was "under review.” The former diplomat, a convert to Islam, has professed her support for terrorism on numerous occasions. She said in September that Muslims "are permitted to engage in jihad when necessary" and told an audience in October that "armed struggle may become a necessity if there is no movement toward fundamental change."

NPR [11/21/2025 4:25 PM, Tyler Bartlam, Juana Summers, Patrick Jarenwattananon, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports NPR’s Juana Summers speaks with The Atlantic staff writer Nick Miroff about the increasing role of Customs and Border Protection officers in immigration enforcement operations.

NewsNation [11/21/2025 8:47 AM, Xavier Walton, 8017K] reports the Border Patrol is quietly monitoring millions of American drivers and detaining people through a surveillance program that flags "suspicious" travel patterns. The predictive intelligence program, revealed through an Associated Press investigation, has led to drivers being stopped, searched and sometimes arrested. It records license plates from a network of cameras and an algorithm analyzes where vehicles came from, where they’re headed, and which routes they take. When the system flags a license plate, federal agents may alert local law enforcement. The Border Patrol has built an interior surveillance system that tracks ordinary Americans for anomalies — not just known suspects. Launched roughly a decade ago to combat border-related crime, the program has expanded significantly over the past five years. This work reflects a broader, quieter shift inside Customs and Border Protection, which is evolving something more akin to a domestic intelligence operation. Under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push, CBP stands to receive more than $2.7 billion to build out border surveillance systems like the license plate reader network, incorporating artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. The Associated Press’ investigation, which is the first to detail how the system operates on U.S. roads, draws on interviews with eight former officials familiar with the program, as well as dozens of federal, state and local officials, attorneys and privacy experts. The outlet also reviewed thousands of pages of court filings, government documents, state grant records and arrest reports. Former officials said the Border Patrol has long tried to keep the program out of public view, avoiding mentions of the system in court documents and police filings, and dropping cases to prevent disclosure. Cameras are often concealed in roadside objects such as construction barrels or safety equipment. The Border Patrol sets its own criteria for what counts as "suspicious or tied to drug or human trafficking," flagging behaviors such as driving rental cars, using backroads or taking short trips to border regions. Its network stretches across the southern border states, along parts of the northern border and deep into major metro areas. The Associated Press identified at least four devices in the greater Phoenix area, more than 120 miles from the border, as well as several in Detroit and near the Michigan-Indiana line to track traffic toward Chicago and Gary, Indiana, or other nearby destinations. CBP told the Associated Press the technology helps identify threats and disrupt criminal networks and is "governed by a stringent, multi-layered policy framework, as well as federal law and constitutional protections, to ensure the technology is applied responsibly and for clearly defined security purposes.” "For national security reasons, we do not detail the specific operational applications," the agency said. While the Border Patrol primarily operates within 100 miles of the border, the agency added, it is legally allowed "to operate anywhere in the United States.” The Associated Press noted that predictive surveillance is now embedded into American roadways — part of a global trend as both authoritarian governments such as China and democracies in the United Kingdom and Europe adopt broad monitoring tools in the name of national security and public safety.

(B) News 13 This Morning [11/2/2025 6:48 AM, Staff] reports that as of Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security says they arrested about 370 people during Operation Charlotte’s Web. This morning, there is confusion about whether or not Border Patrol has ended its work in Charlotte. At noon on Thursday, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said Border Patrol has officially concluded but agents would continue operating in the city as they have in the past. But DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin went on to say that it is not ending any time soon. The presence of agents in Charlotte is leading to delays in construction projects in the city.

CNN [11/21/2025 9:51 PM, Austin Mabeus, 18595K] reports that, in an exclusive interview, CNN’s Omar Jimenez speaks with Marimar Martinez, a United States citizen who was accused of ramming the vehicle of a Customs and Border Protection agent in Chicago before he shot her several times. A judge dismissed charges against Martinez after a reversal by federal prosecutors in one of the most high-profile cases connected to Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Chicago Tribune [11/21/2025 1:48 PM, Jason Meisner, 4829K] reports that federal gun charges have been unsealed against a man who allegedly aimed a gun at a woman in a Little Village restaurant parking lot the same day federal immigration agents said that someone shot at them as they ran enforcement raids near the restaurant and surrounding neighborhood. Hector Gómez, 45, was charged in a criminal complaint made public Thursday with possession of a weapon by a person in the country illegally. He is scheduled to be taken from Cook County Jail for an initial appearance at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Dec. 10, records show. The Tribune first reported earlier this month that Gómez had been arrested by Chicago police with a gun in a black Jeep Wrangler near the intersection of West 26th Street and South Kedzie Avenue. A few hours before Gómez’s arrest, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents had called 911 to report that someone in a black Jeep had fired at them one block to the north. Law enforcement sources said the 9mm pistol Gómez had on his lap at the time of his arrest was being analyzed to see if it matched shell casings found on the street near that shooting. As of Friday, neither the federal complaint nor similar charges lodged in Cook County criminal court on Nov. 8 allege Gómez fired any shots at agents.

New York Times [11/21/2025 5:36 AM, Pooja Salhotra, 135475K] reports Roque Haynes aimed his appeal directly at the mayor of Laredo last Friday as the border city in South Texas confronted an adversary that its citizens have been battling for nearly a decade: President Trump’s border wall. “At this dark hour for Laredo, we need a man of courage, a man of conviction,” Mr. Haynes, a 56-year-old environmentalist, implored Mayor Victor D. Treviño at the Laredo City Council meeting, which had been called to address the border barrier that was once the symbol of Mr. Trump’s immigration policies. “We need from you the strength of a Winston Churchill to defeat this looming threat, not the appeasement and weakness of a Neville Chamberlain.” Laredo may not be Munich on the Rio Grande, but for Mayor Treviño, who is also a family physician, Churchillian resolve seemed to be in short supply. His city faces a determined administration in Washington, allied with a conservative state government and supplied by an accommodating Congress that this summer approved tens of billions of dollars to build a wall that had stalled during Mr. Trump’s first term. For as long as the federal government has talked about a border wall, people in Laredo have opposed it. They’ve called it an “ugly monstrosity” that would trample over residents’ property and damage ties to Mexico, a critical trading partner with a shared history. But the wall is coming “regardless of whether it works or not,” the mayor said in an interview. He added, “we might as well collaborate, or negotiate.” In Mr. Trump’s first term, the border wall came to symbolize the president’s desire to address illegal immigration. But in the face of a stingy Congress and a barrage of lawsuits from landowners and environmental groups, his administration built about 453 miles of border wall, far short of the nearly 2,000 miles once promised. Then, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. largely halted construction. During Mr. Trump’s second term, unauthorized border crossings have plunged, and federal immigration policies have shifted to interior enforcement and mass deportations. To the public, the wall has almost been forgotten. Mr. Trump has not forgotten. In July, Congress approved $46.5 billion for the border wall as part of the president’s signature domestic budget and spending law, a staggering increase from the $5 billion that Mr. Trump requested in 2018. Ten construction contracts, totaling $4.5 billion, were awarded in September for sections of the barrier outside of Laredo. In October, Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, waived federal procurement laws across the entire U.S.-Mexico border in order to assign construction contracts more swiftly. A Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman said approximately 108 miles of border wall were planned along the Rio Grande within Webb County, where Laredo is, and Zapata County, just south of it. Those plans align with a federal map on the agency’s website, which shows the barrier snaking along Laredo’s riverside neighborhoods, splitting municipal parks, and potentially cutting through a golf course and a water treatment plant. The agency has also issued waivers that exempt federal contractors from at least 30 federal laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act.

Washington Post [11/21/2025 1:59 PM, Andrea Sachs, 24149K] reports that a new program from the Transportation Security Administration will charge travelers $18 to pass through airport security if they are not carrying valid identification, such as Real ID or a passport. According to the agency, the fee will cover the cost of a “modernized alternative identity verification program” that relies on biometrics instead of documents or interviews. A Federal Register notice posted Thursday explained the new initiative. Travelers who arrive at the airport without correct identification can choose to use the automated biometric kiosk. The $18 fee, which will “address the government-incurred costs,” is nonrefundable and valid for 10 days. Even with payment, entry into the secured area is not guaranteed, the register noted. The memo did not mention a timeline for the installation and deployment of the kiosks, which airports will participate in the program or how people will submit their payment. According to the notice, TSA will open registration for the identity-verification program before it begins collecting fees. “This notice serves as a next step in the process in REAL ID compliance, which was signed into law more than 20 years ago and finally implemented by Secretary Noem as of May 2025,” the TSA said in a statement. “Additional guidance will be announced in the coming days.” The majority of travelers are ID-compliant — around 94 percent, according to the TSA. However, Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer and founder of the travel newsletter Gate Access, said people are still showing up at security unprepared.

Reported similarly:
SFGate [11/21/2025 6:07 PM, Olivia Harden, 13945K]

FOX News [11/21/2025 3:45 PM, Brooke Singman, 40621K] reports the FBI came to the conclusion that Butler, Pennsylvania, would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone — after a massive team doggedly pursued interviews with thousands of foreign and domestic individuals as part of an unprecedented global investigation into the 2024 shooting of President Donald Trump, the bureau told Fox News Digital as part of a lengthy, behind-the-curtain rundown of the probe. FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and a senior official with direct involvement in the Butler, Pennsylvania, investigation sat down for an unprecedented interview with Fox News Digital for more than an hour Thursday afternoon at FBI Headquarters. Patel, Bongino and the senior official, who has requested anonymity due to his sensitive work, shared new details of the monthslong investigation in an effort to provide maximum transparency to the American people amid recent reports that have suggested several theories, which Patel, Bongino and the official debunked.

CBS News [11/21/2025 6:25 PM, Nicole Sganga, 39474K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard is scrambling to clarify proposed internal policy changes that appeared to loosen how the service branch handles the conduct within its ranks involving hate symbols including nooses, swastikas, and other extremist symbols — touching off a political firestorm inside the nation’s smallest military branch after the Space Force. The controversy centers on a little-noticed personnel directive signed on Nov. 13 by Rear Admiral Charles Fosse, the assistant commandant for personnel, following a report by Washington Post. The document, titled "Harassing Behavior Prevention, Response and Accountability," contained a provision that proposed replacing longstanding language that explicitly identified swastikas, nooses, Confederate iconography and other symbols of racial or religious hatred as "incidents of hatred and prejudice.” Instead, the Coast Guard’s new policy recast those same images as "potentially divisive," a subtle but consequential shift that alarmed lawmakers and civil rights groups when it was first reported this week. What did the original policy actually change? The internal guidance that ignited the controversy introduced a few changes. The Coast Guard eliminated the term "hate incident." Instead, conduct previously handled under that category was referred to as harassment — and only when a specific victim could be identified. The guidance also raised the threshold for disciplinary action by specifying that public displays of extremist symbols would constitute misconduct only if they could be shown to harm "good order and discipline, unit cohesion, command climate, morale or mission effectiveness.” Further, the policy also allowed symbols "widely identified with oppression or hatred" to be displayed in private or non-public settings, including military housing. The policy removed gender identity from the list of protected characteristics altogether, aligning the Coast Guard with Mr. Trump’s January executive order barring transgender service. It also required that harassment be "severe or pervasive" and judged by a "reasonable person." And it went out of its way to note that hazing — even when it involves physical force — can serve "a proper military or other governmental purpose," a framing that echoes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to cultivate a tougher "warrior ethos.” For years, Coast Guard policy has drawn a bright line on extremist symbols, stating unequivocally that items like nooses and swastikas "have no place in the Coast Guard." The discovery that the service intended to downgrade them to "potentially divisive" immediately raised alarms on Capitol Hill. Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois said she met with the Coast Guard’s acting commandant, Adm. Kevin Lunday, to express her concerns and was reassured that the policy would be clarified. "He came by the office and assured us that there is an across-the-board prohibition on hate symbols, including swastikas and nooses," Underwood remarked in a video statement. Breitbart [11/21/2025 7:00 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports The agency late Thursday said the guidance "doubles down on its current policies prohibiting the display, distribution or use of hate symbols by Coast Guard personnel.” "This is not an updated policy but a new policy to combat any misinformation and double down that the U.S. Coast Guard forbids these symbols," the Coast Guard, which is part of Homeland Security, said in a news release. The new guidance came after media outlets, led by Washington Post, earlier Thursday reported that the Coast Guard had written a less firm policy earlier this month. Since 2023, Coast Guard policy said displaying the symbols "constitutes a potential hate incident.” "The Coast Guard does not tolerate the display of divisive or hate symbols and flags, including those identified with oppression or hatred," the Coast Guard wrote about the policy on Thursday night. "These symbols reflect hateful and prohibited conduct that undermines unit cohesion. A symbol or flag is prohibited as a reflection of hate if its display adversely affects good order and discipline, unit cohesion, command climate, morale, or mission effectiveness.” Listed were "a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, anti-semitism or any other improper bias.” The policy applies to all personnel and they "shall be removed from all Coast Guard workplaces, facilities and assets," the agency said. Also, all displays or depictions of Confederate battle flags continue to be prohibited. "At a time when anti-Semitism is rising in the United States and around the world, relaxing policies aimed at fighting hate crimes not only sends the wrong message to the men and women of our Coast Guard, but it puts their safety at risk," Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said Thursday. She said the change "rolls back important protections against bigotry and could allow for horrifically hateful symbols, like swastikas and nooses, to be inexplicably permitted to be displayed.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the change "disgusting" and said "it’s more encouragement from the Republicans of extremism.” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, called it "categorically false" to claim prohibitions were rolled back. "These symbols have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard per policy," Lunday said in a statement, adding that "any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished.” DHS denied there was a revision. "The 2025 policy is not changing — USCG issued a lawful order that doubles down on our current policies prohibiting the display, distribution or use of hate symbols by Coast Guard personnel," spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said to CNN. The Washington Examiner [11/21/2025 1:10 PM, Brady Knox, 1394K] reports that in a statement to the Washington Examiner, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin vehemently disagreed with the characterization. "The Washington Post is trying to take a victory lap for smearing the USCG and manufacturing a demonstrably false storyline that the U.S. Coast Guard no longer forbids or otherwise downgraded the forbiddance of swastikas, nooses etc. This ‘reporting’ was accurately labeled FAKE. There’s no ‘backtracking,’" she said. "The 2025 policy is not changing—USCG issued a lawful order that doubles down on our *current* policies prohibiting the display, distribution or use of hate symbols by Coast Guard personnel," McLaughlin added. "It is unfortunate that the Coast Guard must take time away from its mission to protect our nation to respond to these baseless smears and revolting lies from the media." "The claims that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses or other extremist imagery as prohibited symbols are categorically false," Adm. Kevin Lunday said.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [11/21/2025 3:50 PM, Ellen Mitchell, 12595K]

(B) News 4 Today [11/21/2025 9:06 AM, Staff] reports that the US Coast Guard quickly reversed a new policy addressing displays of hate symbols. In a release yesterday, the Coast Guard declared divisive or hate symbols, including noose, swastikas, or flags, are all prohibited. This comes after multiple media outlets reported the organization published a policy earlier this month calling those same symbols "potentially divisive." The Coast Guard says any display or use of those symbols will always be thoroughly investigated and punished.

NPR [11/21/2025 4:44 PM, Steve Walsh, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports the Coast Guard is reacting to reports that it had downgraded swastikas, nooses and other hate symbols in its new harassment manual. A new policy debuted overnight.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 6:30 PM, Olivia Rondeau, 2416K] reports the Trump administration has shot back at a Washington Post article claiming the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) watered down its policy prohibiting the display of Nazi swastikas, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calling the report "a demonstrably false storyline.” "The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika — an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and the deaths of more than 400,000 U.S. troops who died fighting in World War II — as a hate symbol, according to a new policy that takes effect next month," WaPo’s Tara Copp and Michelle Boorstein wrote Thursday. "Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as ‘potentially divisive’ under its new guidelines," the authors continued. "The policy, set to take effect Dec. 15, similarly downgrades the classification of nooses and the Confederate flag, though display of the latter remains banned, according to documents reviewed by Washington Post.” In response to the report, USCG spokeswoman Jennifer Plozai said the service disagreed with the outlet’s framing but said they would be "reviewing the language" of the policy. The service’s acting commandant, Admiral Kevin Lunday, denied the claims in a post on X: "The claims that the U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses or other extremist imagery as prohibited symbols are categorically false," Lunday wrote Thursday afternoon. "These symbols have been and remain prohibited in the Coast Guard per policy.” "Any display, use or promotion of such symbols, as always, will be thoroughly investigated and severely punished," he continued. "The Coast Guard remains unwavering in its commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and professional workplace. Symbols such as swastikas, nooses and other extremist or racist imagery violate our core values and are treated with the seriousness they warrant under current policy.” Lunday also sent a memo to all USCG personnel later in the day, reiterating that "divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited.” A press release noted that the memo was "not an updated policy but a new policy to combat any misinformation and double down that the U.S. Coast Guard forbids these symbols.” DHS, the agency the USCG falls under, called out WaPo for taking a "victory lap" over Lunday’s memo that explicitly labeled "a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups" as "hate symbols.” "The @washingtonpost is trying to take a victory lap for smearing the @USCG and manufacturing a demonstrably false storyline that the U.S. Coast Guard no longer forbids or otherwise downgraded the forbiddance of swastikas, nooses etc," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "This ‘reporting’ was accurately labeled FAKE.” "There’s no ‘backtracking,’" she continued. "The 2025 policy is not changing — USCG issued a lawful order that doubles down on our *current* policies prohibiting the display, distribution or use of hate symbols by Coast Guard personnel.” McLaughlin added, "It is unfortunate that the Coast Guard must take time away from its mission to protect our nation to respond to these baseless smears and revolting lies from the media.” DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar added on X that the article was a "complete and total lie," calling the publication "absolute garbage.”

AP [11/21/2025 8:15 PM, Lisa Mascaro and Konstantin Toropin, 30493K] reports two senators who lead a bipartisan antisemitism task force said Friday they want more information from the U.S. Coast Guard about how it will investigate incidents of swastikas, nooses or other hate symbols being displayed in its ranks. The Coast Guard late Thursday released a new, firmer policy addressing the display of such hate symbols, just hours after it was publicly revealed that an emerging policy would have loosened the language to describe them only as "potentially divisive." That had drawn a swift outcry from Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and other lawmakers. Rosen and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., sent a letter on Friday to Adm. Kevin Lunday, the acting commandant of the Coast Guard, who had released the memo late Thursday to make clear that "hate symbols and flags are prohibited.” The senators, who said they spoke to Lunday on Thursday, called the new policy a "step in the right direction to affirm the Coast Guard’s commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for all its members.” However, the senators indicated they still had questions about how commanding officers or supervisors would look into such incidents under the new policy. Specifically, they asked Lunday for more information about why his memo called for supervisors to "inquire" rather than conduct an investigation, as had been the course of action under previous 2023 and 2019 policies. "Any inquiry regarding conduct involving imagery historically associated with genocide, terror, and racial subjugation must, at a minimum, be full and transparent to ensure the civil rights of those impacted are protected and conducted in a manner in which victims feel safe to report these incidents," they wrote. "Additionally, we would like to better understand the rationale for why the inquiry process was deemed to be preferable to the investigative process," the senators wrote. The earlier version had called symbols like swastikas and nooses "potentially divisive" and stopped short of banning them, instead saying that commanders could take steps to remove them from public view and that the rule did not apply to private spaces, such as family housing. This was a shift from a years-long policy that said such symbols were "widely identified with oppression or hatred" and called their display "a potential hate incident.” Rosen quickly spoke out about the shift Thursday and warned that "relaxing policies aimed at fighting hate crimes not only sends the wrong message to the men and women of our Coast Guard, but it puts their safety at risk.” Lunday reached out to Rosen on Thursday and the two spoke later that evening, before he sent out the new memo, according to a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity to discuss the private conversation. In his late-night memo, Lunday wrote: "Divisive or hate symbols and flags are prohibited." He specified that these include "a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups.”

CNN [11/21/2025 3:14 PM, Maya Blackstone, 18595K] reports the US Coast Guard reclassified imagery like swastikas and nooses as "hate symbols." CNN correspondent Brian Todd has more on what prompted this. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [11/22/2025 12:45 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports the U.S. and Chinese militaries this week held "frank and constructive" maritime security talks, the Chinese navy said on Saturday, as the two superpowers gradually restore military-to-military communications after several months of trade tensions. The working-level meetings took place November 18-20 in Hawaii, according to a posting on the official social media account of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. U.S. and Chinese military officials previously held talks in April - the first such working-level meeting on military issues since the beginning of the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump. The twice-yearly talks are known as the military maritime consultative agreement (MMCA) working group. "The two sides had frank and constructive exchanges ... mainly exchanging views on the current maritime and air security situation between China and the U.S.," China’s navy said in its posted statement. China also criticised U.S. freedom-of-navigation operations in the statement. These are frequently carried out in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, international waters over which China claims sovereignty. "China ... resolutely opposes any infringement and provocation," China’s navy said in its statement, referring to those maritime and overflight transits by U.S. forces. Both sides also discussed "typical cases of naval and air encounters between the two militaries ... to help the front-line naval and air forces of China and the U.S. interact more professionally and safely," it said. U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth raised concerns about Chinese activity in the South China Sea and around Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun last month. China has been steadily boosting air, naval and coast guard deployments around democratically-governed Taiwan, which it claims as its own. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s claims of sovereignty over the island. The Pentagon has been pushing for improved communications with China over its military modernisation and regional posture, calling for greater transparency on its nuclear weapons build-up and more theatre-level discussions with military commanders. The working group will have a follow-up meeting in 2026, the statement said.

CyberScoop [11/21/2025 5:50 AM, Frank Balonis, 122K] reports federal, state, and local government agencies face a critical vulnerability hiding in plain sight: outdated web forms collecting citizen data through insecure channels. While agencies invest in perimeter security and threat detection, many continue using legacy forms built years ago without modern encryption, authentication, or compliance capabilities. These aging systems collect Social Security numbers, financial records, health information, and security clearance data through technology that cannot meet current federal security standards. The scope of the problem is substantial. Government agencies allocate 80% of IT budgets to maintaining legacy systems, starving modernization efforts while feeding outdated technology. The federal government’s 10 most critical legacy systems—ranging from 8 to 51 years old—cost $337 million annually to operate and maintain, with total projected spending on legacy systems reaching $2.4 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, government data breaches cost an average of $10.22 million per incident in the United States—the highest globally. Despite the 2015 federal mandate establishing HTTPS as the baseline for all government websites, implementation gaps persist. The unencrypted HTTP protocol exposes data to interception, manipulation, and impersonation attacks. Attackers positioned on the network can read Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account numbers, and login credentials transmitted in plain text. Man-in-the-middle attackers can alter form data during transmission without detection.

AP [11/21/2025 1:32 PM, Christine Fernando and Margery A. Beck, 31753K] reports a man accused of setting a woman on fire inside a Chicago commuter train has a decades long criminal history and was on court-ordered electronic monitoring in an unrelated battery case at the time of the unprovoked attack, prosecutors said Friday. The detail revealed in Friday’s hearing confirmed a variety of court and law enforcement records dating back more than 30 years that detail 50-year-old Lawrence Reed’s frequent contact with police in and around Chicago. A judge agreed Friday to keep Reed in jail pending trial on a federal terrorism charge he faces in the train attack. The attack Monday night on Chicago’s Blue Line L train has garnered national attention and drawn comparisons to the apparent random attack in August that saw another woman stabbed to death on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the Chicago attack, investigators say the victim was sitting on the train scrolling through her phone when she was approached from behind by Reed, doused with gasoline and set ablaze seconds later. Police arrested Reed the next morning, and federal prosecutors charged him with one count of committing a terrorist attack, which carries up to a life sentence. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois has said if the victim dies from her injuries, Reed could face the death penalty.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [11/21/2025 1:19 PM, Meredith Deliso, 30493K]
Chicago Tribune [11/21/2025 12:59 PM, Caroline Kubzansky, 4829K]

Free Beacon [11/21/2025 11:30 AM, Jameson Mitrovich, 411K] reports Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) on Thursday directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to initiate criminal investigations into the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood following his designation of the groups as foreign terrorist organizations. "We must aggressively confront individuals or groups who seek to unlawfully proliferate radical Islamic ideology, including attempts to impose Sharia law, fully recognizing the threat it presents to the security and sovereignty of the State of Texas and its people," Abbott said in a letter to the department. Abbott in the letter accused the Muslim Brotherhood of attempting to "forcibly install an Islamic Caliphate through numerous splinter groups" and noted that Hamas "was formed as the Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch in 1987." He also identified CAIR as a "direct subsidiary" of the Muslim Brotherhood and cited the FBI in accusing the council of being a "front group" for Hamas. The governor on Tuesday designated both groups as foreign terrorist organizations, barring them from owning land in the state and opening them up to criminal investigations. CAIR sued Abbott and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton (R.) in response, accusing them of violating its free speech and property rights. Abbott’s designation came amid increasing calls from lawmakers to investigate CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood for their ties to terrorism. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) last month urged the Trump administration to investigate CAIR’s "pattern of historic ties" to Hamas, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

Breitbart [11/21/2025 10:08 AM, Randy Clark, 2416K] reports the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil‑liberties group, filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott after he designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. CAIR called the designation "unconstitutional and defamatory." Abbott’s proclamation, which bars the groups and affiliates from acquiring land in Texas and authorizes heightened enforcement actions, drew immediate backlash from CAIR, which blasted the designation as "unconstitutional and defamatory" and accused the governor of targeting American Muslims for their advocacy. As reported by Breitbart Texas, Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations on Tuesday. The designation allows authorities within the Lone Star State to take heightened enforcement actions against the organization and its affiliates. Shortly after signing the declaration, in a press release issued at the state capitol, Abbott offered the following comments regarding the designation, saying, "The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world. The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable." The proclamation signed by Abbott described CAIR as an Islamist organization that, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, "was founded as a ‘front group’ for ‘Hamas and its support network’ in the United States. According to a press release issued by CAIR on Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was named as a party in the lawsuit along with Governor Abbott. In the statement released by CAIR, General Counsel Lena Masri described the group’s previous legal actions against the state, saying, "CAIR Legal Defense Fund has successfully sued and defeated Texas Governor Greg Abbott the last three times he tried to violate the First Amendment by punishing critics of the Israeli government."

FOX News [11/21/2025 6:43 PM, Jasmine Baehr, 40621K] Video: HERE reports the FBI has spent more than a decade limiting official contact with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) over concerns about the group’s ties to Hamas, according to a Justice Department report reviewed by Fox News Digital. The 2013 Office of Inspector General (OIG) report shows the FBI put a nationwide restriction in place in 2008 and repeatedly reminded field offices to follow it after evidence in a major terrorism-financing case linked CAIR leaders to Hamas, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. Those findings resurfaced after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organizations last week and as lawmakers renew calls for federal action against Islamist networks operating throughout America. According to the OIG, FBI headquarters issued a series of internal memoranda between August and December 2008 ordering all field offices to end non-investigative engagement with CAIR unless cleared through Washington. The directive, the report notes, stemmed in part from evidence introduced during the Holy Land Foundation trial connecting CAIR leadership to the Hamas support network. The policy was a "significant deviation" from prior outreach practices, and some offices resisted the shift. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [11/21/2025 12:19 PM, Naomi Lim, 1394K] reports President Donald Trump raised the prospect of War Secretary Pete Hegseth and military courts looking into Democrats the president has accused of sedition for their appeal to active service members and intelligence operatives to defy illegal orders from their commander in chief. Trump made the comments during an interview with Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmeade on Friday, but the president did underscore that he doesn’t "know for a fact" that Hegseth is investigating the matter. "I think Pete Hegseth is looking into it. I know they’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts." Trump has seized on a video this week made by Democratic lawmakers who served either in the military or the country’s national security apparatus, in which they implore military and intelligence personnel to disobey orders they allege are unlawful without specifying which ones. In multiple social media posts, Trump this week described their call as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" But during his appearance on Kilmeade’s program, Trump remained adamant he is not "threatening them," while insisting "I think they’re in serious trouble."

Reuters [11/21/2025 6:35 AM, Staff, 19051K] reports President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense initiative is facing significant delays, hampered by the 43-day government shutdown and lack of a clear plan to spend the first $25 billion appropriated for the program this summer, eight sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The shutdown delayed hiring and pulled crucial personnel away from their normal duties of approving and signing contracts, according to three industry sources and a U.S. official, who along with other sources spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals for talking to the press about a program where many aspects are classified as secret. More critically, the nearly $25 billion earmarked for Golden Dome as part of the budget reconciliation package approved this summer has not been turned into a spending plan that details exactly how the money will be allocated, two sources from the administration along with a source on Capitol Hill and two of the industry executives told Reuters. The setbacks threaten Trump’s promise that the $175 billion program, unveiled on the seventh day of his new administration, will be in place to protect the continental United States by 2028. “I don’t think they have made a lot of progress, but I don’t think it’s going horribly,” one of the U.S. officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Reuters spoke to over a dozen sources from within the administration, the Pentagon, Capitol Hill and in the defense industry to piece together a picture of the headwinds facing Golden Dome, Trump’s signature national defense priority. A spending plan outlined in the bill funding Golden Dome was due to Congress in late August. That plan is now expected to be delivered by Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg in December, two sources on Capitol Hill told Reuters. Delays in defense contracting are routine, but because of Trump’s short timeline they have taken on added significance for Golden Dome. Those delays have led some in the defense industry to express fear that key Golden Dome contracts will not be issued by the Pentagon’s internal deadline of December 31. Such a delay could potentially drive up costs, according to four defense industry executives who are planning to bid on aspects of the program. "The Golden Dome is a visionary project led by a visionary President," a White House spokesperson said. "It shouldn’t surprise anyone that it takes hard work to create such a system, and everyone is working well together to put pen to paper and deliver this next-generational technology." A Pentagon spokesperson said it is closely guarding the progress it is making on Golden Dome. "Recognizing adversaries’ intent to exploit Golden Dome’s breakthroughs, we are rigorously protecting America’s strategic advantages inherent in this program." Feinberg and Golden Dome program manager General Michael Guetlein declined to comment.

CNN [11/21/2025 11:37 AM, Holmes Lybrand and Devan Cole, 18595K] reports President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton could face more charges, Justice Department prosecutors suggested at a Friday court hearing in his criminal case. The Justice Department continues to go through the large amount of documents recovered in the case, including from Bolton’s home in Maryland and his office in Washington, DC. The material, which prosecutors say includes classified information they accuse Bolton of illegally sharing with others during his time in Trump’s first term, must be reviewed by the intelligence community before Bolton’s defense team can have access to it. Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, declined to comment on prosecutor’s suggestion that additional charges could come. Because of this extended process for discovery, no trial has been set in the case and the review alone is expected to last until at least May. Coming into the hearing, prosecutors and Bolton’s team proposed that all discovery would be produced by late May, but US District Judge Theodore Chuang on Friday appeared frustrated with that plan and ordered prosecutors to speed up production of the documents at the center of the case.

Washington Post [11/21/2025 1:37 PM, Katie Mettler and Perry Stein, 24149K] reports that federal judge in Maryland has set a schedule for considering classified documents in the criminal case against John Bolton that is likely to push the former national security adviser’s trial into 2027. Bolton, who was national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term but later became a vocal critic, was indicted last month on charges of mishandling classified and sensitive material. He has pleaded not guilty. At a hearing Friday morning in U.S. District Court in Maryland, Judge Theodore D. Chuang pressed the Justice Department and Bolton’s defense team to work quickly, expressing frustration with the long runway requested by attorneys to find and review the classified information that prosecutors allege was mishandled. “The government is moving as quickly as possible with the intelligence community,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Sullivan, a career prosecutor who heads the Maryland office’s national security division. Cases involving classified materials typically take a long time to go to trial because the law governing the use of sensitive materials in court — the Classified Information Procedures Act — is complex and time consuming. Judges overseeing these cases often have to schedule far more hearings than in a typical case to ensure that every provision of the law is followed.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [11/21/2025 1:41 PM, Breanne Deppisch and Jake Gibson, 40621K]

AP [11/21/2025 5:06 PM, Konstantin Toropin and Josh Funk, 31753K] reports the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday warned all pilots to “exercise caution” when flying in the airspace over Venezuela “due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity “ around the country. The message said the unspecified threats “could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes” as well planes taking off and landing in the country and even aircraft on the ground. The warning comes as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. military has conducted bomber flights up to the coast of Venezuela, sometimes as part of a training exercise to simulate an attack, and sent the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford into the region. The Ford aircraft carrier and several destroyers were just the latest addition to the largest U.S. force assembled in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela in generations. The Trump administration does not see Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., as the legitimate leader of the South American country. The Trump administration also has carried out a series of strikes on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that it accuses of ferrying drugs to the U.S., killing over 80 people in total since the campaign began in early September. Mary Schiavo, who is a former inspector general for the Department of Transportation, said the FAA puts out this kind of notice anytime there is a military conflict but that she hopes pilots will pay attention. “I wouldn’t take it as necessarily there’s any kind of attack is imminent because I’ve seen these issued many times before. But as a pilot myself, I’d certainly heed it,” Schiavo said. Schiavo said the United States may be anticipating military action by Venezuela or it could be planning additional action against drug boats. She said it’s hard to read into this notice and know what is behind it. The Pentagon, when asked about the new warning, directed questions to the FAA, which simply confirmed the warning was issued and that it would last for 90 days.

Reuters [11/21/2025 11:49 AM, Anastasiia Malenko, 36480K] reports President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday after a phone call with U.S. Vice President JD Vance that Ukraine would work with the United States and Europe at an advisor level to work towards a peace plan for his country’s war with Russia. "We agreed to work together with the U.S. and Europe at the level of national security advisors to make the path to peace truly doable," he said on X after the nearly hour-long call. "Ukraine has always respected and continues to respect U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire to put an end to the bloodshed, and we view every realistic proposal positively."

Bloomberg [11/21/2025 3:38 PM, Courtney McBride and Natalia Drozdiak, 18207K] reports the Trump administration has threatened to suspend aid to Ukraine unless its government accepts a peace framework by Thanksgiving. The loss of intelligence sharing by the US could prove more devastating than a cutoff of weapons. Intelligence from the Americans has been a crucial element of the country’s ability to withstand the Russian invasion. In terms of weapons, Europe has filled some of the gaps as President Donald Trump has cut off the steady flow of arms that began after Russia’s invasion and continued through the end of Joe Biden’s presidency. “I don’t think the cutting off of arms is a serious threat because the United States isn’t actually providing arms,” said Celeste Wallander, a former top Pentagon official for international security affairs during the Biden administration, though halting European purchases of American weapons for Ukraine could be damaging. “The real key would be the intelligence sharing and the ability of Ukraine to the extent that Ukraine has been able to plan its defenses, to anticipate Russian moves, to track threats, threat missiles, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and also track” drones, Wallander said. The US and Ukraine have been here before — Washington suspended weapons deliveries and intelligence sharing with Kyiv following a public Oval Office argument between Trump and Zelenskiy on Feb. 28. That decision harmed both Ukraine’s defenses as well as confidence in US backing among allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday said the Trump administration proposal — to cede territory to Russia and cap the size of his country’s military — forces a choice between accommodating a once-reliable partner and maintaining its territory and control of its defenses. If the Trump administration makes good on its threat, the effects on Ukraine might not be immediate but could eventually be disastrous. “Now, it’s one of the most difficult moments in our history,” Zelenskiy said in a video address to the nation on Friday after he was presented with a 28-point peace plan brokered by the US and Russia. “Ukraine may face a hard choice: either the loss of our dignity or the loss of our key partner.” While American weapons continue to arrive in Ukraine, the Trump administration has been adamant going forward those arms be sold rather than donated, through an arrangement with NATO in which European governments purchase US-made arms for the Ukrainians. An American delegation led by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is in Kyiv on a fact-finding mission regarding the battlefield situation, and had originally planned to discuss technology development, according to a US official. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, where Trump asserted Friday that the peace proposal would involve Ukraine conceding land “that they will lose in a short period of time.” It is unclear whether the threatened pullback of US support would include suspension of deliveries of assistance funded previously. Under President Joe Biden and with bipartisan congressional backing, the US provided two streams of taxpayer-funded military assistance to Ukraine: Items drawn from US military stockpiles using Presidential Drawdown Authority, and new weapons purchased from defense companies using Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds. Deliveries of weapons purchased using USAI money have continued under the Trump administration.

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