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.

ABC News [11/25/2025 11:52 PM, Laura Romero and Luke Barr, 30493K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed that hundreds of Venezuelan men who were removed from the U.S. in March be transferred to El Salvador, despite a federal judge ordering deportation planes turned around, according to a new court filing from Trump administration lawyers. In the filing late Tuesday, the Department of Justice said that DOJ and DHS officials conveyed their legal advice to Noem after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg gave first an oral directive and then a written order that sought to block the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. "After receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador," DOJ said on Tuesday. That legal advice was given to Joseph Mazzara, the acting general counsel of DHS, by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and former top DOJ official Emil Bove, who then passed it on to Noem, according to the filing. The filing comes after Judge Boasberg said last week that he is moving forward with his contempt inquiry into whether Trump administration officials violated his March court order. In March, The Trump administration invoked the AEA -- an 18th-century wartime authority used to remove noncitizens with little-to-no due process -- to deport two planeloads of alleged migrant gang members to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a "hybrid criminal state" that is invading the United States. In a March 15 court hearing, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order and ordered that the planes carrying the detainees be turned around, but Justice Department attorneys said his oral instructions directing the flight to be returned were defective, and the deportations proceeded as planned. On Tuesday, DOJ said the legal advice given to Noem "did not violate the court’s order, much less constitute contempt." "Specifically, the Court’s written order did not purport to require the return of detainees who had already been removed, and the earlier oral directive was not a binding injunction, especially after the written order," DOJ said Boasberg’s earlier finding that the Trump administration likely acted in contempt was halted for months after an appeals court issued an emergency stay. While a federal appeals court on Friday declined to reinstate Boasberg’s original order, the ruling allows him to move forward with his fact-finding inquiry. CNN [11/26/2025 1:16 AM, Mary Kay Mallonee, 18595K] reports that the Justice Department argued in the filing,"that decision was lawful and was consistent with a reasonable interpretation of the Court’s order.” "Although the substance of the legal advice given to DHS and Secretary Noem is privileged, the Government has repeatedly explained … why its actions did not violate the Court’s order, much less constitute contempt," the government wrote. "Specifically, the Court’s written order did not purport to require the return of detainees who had already been removed, and the earlier oral directive was not a binding injunction, especially after the written order.” CBS News [11/25/2025 11:54 PM, Jacob Rosen, Joe Walsh, 39474K] reports Boasberg has accused the government of showing a "willful disregard" for his rulings. The administration, the Justice Department argued on Tuesday, "did not violate" Boasberg’s order, and "no further proceedings are warranted or appropriate.” But the administration did identify which Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department officials were involved in the decision not to turn the deportation flights around. Shortly after Boasberg issued his rulings, Justice Department official Drew Ensign conveyed them to the DHS and Justice Department leadership, according to Tuesday’s filing. Then, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and former Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove offered advice to DHS’s acting general counsel, who passed on the advice to Noem. Noem concluded the class of detainees "who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador," according to the filing. The filing says this move "was lawful and was consistent with a reasonable interpretation of the Court’s order.” The flights in question were part of a Trump administration initiative to send accused Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, whose government held them in prison for months. The administration argues that gambit was legal under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and warranted as part of its crackdown on violent crime, but it has faced pushback from courts and advocates who argue the deportees weren’t given sufficient due process. One lawsuit brought by migrants led Boasberg to order a temporary halt to removals under the Alien Enemies Act, including by returning deportation flights that had already taken off. But the midair flights continued on to El Salvador. Boasberg accused the government of disobeying those orders, and said there is probable cause to hold the government in contempt of court. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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Politico [11/25/2025 10:13 AM, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, 13586K]
NBC News [11/25/2025 11:10 PM, Gary Grumbach and Raquel Coronell Uribe, 34509K]

CBS Colorado [11/25/2025 6:39 PM, Anna Alejo, 39474K] reports a federal judge has partially granted a motion to block efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest immigrants without warrants in Colorado. Utah college student Caroline Dias Goncalves, detained last summer after a traffic stop in Mesa County, is a named plaintiff in the case. The lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In his ruling Federal Judge R. Brooke Jackson wrote that "Immigration officials are entrusted with enforcing immigration laws and are authorized to pursue an aggressive deportation agenda. They may arrest and initiate removal proceedings against individuals they believe are present without lawful status. But in carrying out these responsibilities, they must follow the law.” The ruling declared the practice of arresting individuals without a warrant and without making an individualized flight-risk determination "unlawful.” The ruling stated, "Plaintiffs are four individuals who had deep and longstanding ties to their communities, including parents, spouses, children, stable employment histories and active participation in their local churches," and continued, "No reasonable officer could have reasonably concluded that these plaintiffs were likely to flee before a warrant could be obtained.” In an earlier filing in the suit the U.S. Attorneys Office for Colorado said, "Congress has authorized immigration officials to interrogate individuals and to conduct arrests with or without a warrant.” The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement by Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, saying: "This activist ruling is a brazen effort to hamstring the Trump administration from fulfilling the President’s mandate to deport the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. Allegations that DHS law enforcement engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S.—NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity. There are no "indiscriminate" stops being made. DHS conducts enforcement operations in line with the U.S. Constitution and all applicable federal laws without fear, favor, or prejudice. The Supreme Court recently vindicated us on this question elsewhere, and we look forward to further vindication in this case as well.” The Washington Times [11/25/2025 2:50 PM, Stephen Dinan, 852K] reports that the decision is a blow to “collateral arrests,” in which ICE officers seeking one person end up arresting other unauthorized immigrants they encounter. Judge Jackson said ICE appeared to be stretching to try to make good on a target of 3,000 immigration arrests a day. The judge pointed to comments from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to “just go out there and arrest illegal aliens,” and border czar Tom Homan’s statement that ICE agents can take custody of those they encounter who are in the country illegally. “ICE could choose to arrest every undocumented person it encounters even where there is no probable cause of flight risk to authorize a warrantless arrest. It could do this by obtaining an administrative warrant after the initial encounter and then finding and arresting them. But again, the record does not suggest that this is what’s happening,” he concluded.

Blaze [11/25/2025 2:20 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports that the Trump administration is set to conduct a review of the over 185,000 refugees imported by the Biden administration — especially those imported from terrorism hot spots such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Venezuela. This initiative, which is aimed at keeping America safe, has liberals at various NGOs throwing fits. According to a Nov. 21 memo outlining the plan reviewed by Reuters, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will undertake a review and "re-interview of all refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025," having determined that the previous administration prioritized expediency, quantity, and admissions over quality interviews and proper vetting. Foreign nationals found not to meet refugee criteria will lose their status, says the memo. The memo, which was signed by USCIS Director Joe Edlow, also orders a pause on the processing of permanent residence applications for refugees who entered under former President Joe Biden. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Blaze News, "For four straight years, the Biden administration accelerated refugee admissions from terror- and gang-prone countries, prioritizing sheer numbers over rigorous vetting and strict adherence to legal requirements. This reckless approach undermined the integrity of our immigration system and jeopardized the safety and security of the American people." "Corrective action is now being taken to ensure those who are present in the United States deserve to be here," added McLaughlin.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 6:36 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2416K] reports the Biden administration made airports less safe, using some of them to house migrants, a report released by the Senate Commerce Committee revealed. The report, titled "Flight Risk," detailed the Biden administration’s open border policies and found that they "made airports and aviation less secure in three ways," specifically. As one example, the report revealed that airports in three blue cities –namely John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, Logan International Airport (Logan) in Boston, and O’Hare International Airport (O’Hare) in Chicago — each actually "housed hundreds of aliens in airport terminals or buildings," receiving federal grants. Additionally, the report claims that the Biden administration pressured other airports as well, all while attempting to "divert the Department of Transportation (DOT) and its agencies away from their statutory missions to instead facilitate the administration’s radical immigration policies": Further, the Biden White House, through the FAA, pressured Logan, O’Hare, and at least eight other airports to house more illegal aliens as they arrived in the United States. When asked by the administration to house aliens, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), Logan Airport’s operator, insisted that doing so would pose security and operational risks. The FAA, along with Democratic state and local officials, overruled Massport’s warnings and allowed aliens to sleep overnight in Logan airport terminals for more than a year. The report comes as the Trump administration continues to focus on America first policies, which include prioritizing Americans over foreigners – including criminal illegal aliens, whom Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is taking off the street daily.

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Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 5:26 PM, Pedro Rodriguez, 1394K]

Washington Post [11/25/2025 5:59 PM, Olivia George, 24149K] reports a Chilean national on Friday pleaded guilty to a string of thefts throughout D.C., including stealing the handbag of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem while she dined with her family at an upscale restaurant this spring. Mario Bustamante Leiva, 50, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and first-degree theft — the latest addition to a lengthy criminal history that, according to federal court filings, spans three continents. Noem, the former South Dakota governor who has a permanent Secret Service protective detail, sought to tie the arrest earlier this year to her warnings about immigrants in the U.S. illegally and suggested it was further validation of the administration’s aggressive deportation agenda. "This individual is a career criminal who has been in our country illegally for years," Noem previously said in a statement provided to The Washington Post through a spokeswoman. "Unfortunately, so many families in this country have been made victims by crime, and that’s why President Trump is working every single day to make America safe and get these criminal aliens off of our streets." The bag included her driver’s license, keys, checks, passport, $3,000 in cash and her Department of Homeland Security badge — Noem runs the department in charge of the nation’s security, including border control and immigration and terrorism protection. Bustamante Leiva acknowledged in court records that he is "removable from the United States upon the completion of the sentence imposed in this case." He has not yet been sentenced. Bustamante Leiva’s signed plea agreement says he stole from three people, including Noem, in April.

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Breitbart [11/25/2025 1:21 PM, Amy Furr, 2416K]

NBC News [11/26/2025 12:11 AM, Tara Prindiville and Dennis Romero, 34509K] reports officials have detained the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew amid the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement efforts, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took the woman into custody in Revere, Massachusetts, this month, the source said. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Bruna Caroline Ferreira is a "criminal illegal alien from Brazil" who overstayed her tourist visa, which expired in June 1999. The woman has an arrest on suspicion of battery, the spokesperson said. It’s not clear how the case was resolved. Ferreira, who the source familiar with the situation said has never lived with Leavitt’s nephew, is at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center amid proceedings to have her removed, the DHS spokesperson said. Under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the spokesperson said, "all individuals unlawfully present in the United States are subject to deportation.” The source said Leavitt’s nephew has lived full time in New Hampshire with his father since he was born, has never resided with his mother and has not spoken with her in many years. Ferreira’s family said in a GoFundMe campaign that she was brought to the United States as a child in 1998 and that she has done "everything in her power to build a stable, honest life here." It says she "maintained her legal status" in the United States by receiving protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which seeks to allow immigrants brought to the United States as children, albeit illegally, to enjoy protection from removal. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement published in the AP story Tuesday that DACA recipients can lose status "for a number of reasons, including if they’ve committed a crime.” CNN [11/26/2025 2:15 AM, Alejandra Jaramillo, Karina Tsui, 18595K] reports Trump tried to end DACA during his first term, but the Supreme Court ruled his administration had not taken the proper steps to do so. Some DACA recipients have been among those arrested in the administration’s current sweeping immigration enforcement. In a recent statement to the Associated Press, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said those with status under the Obama-era program "are not automatically protected from deportations," adding, "DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country.”

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New York Post [11/26/2025 3:09 AM, Nicholas McEntyre, 42219K]

FOX News [11/25/2025 2:48 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin discusses the latest attempt by Democrats to vilify ICE on ‘America Reports.’

FOX News [11/25/2025 1:54 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security pushed back against several Democrats over the weekend, saying their claims that ICE crackdowns aren’t focused on the most dangerous illegal immigrants show they’ve been "bamboozled" by politics. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., led a news release featuring Illinois’ Democratic delegation several days prior – in which they objected to DHS’ behavior and their claims of targeting the most egregious offenders in their "Operation Midway Blitz." DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said she needed to correct the record on such accounts, remarking the agency continues to seek out "criminal illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes" like aggravated sexual assault of children, child pornography and drug trafficking. "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," McLaughlin said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. "We are not going to allow these heinous criminals to terrorize innocent American children and families."

FOX News [11/25/2025 8:03 PM, Bonny Chu, 40621K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday accused several House Democrats of meeting with a criminal illegal immigrant at an ICE detention facility, calling the visit a move in which they "chose to stand with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens.” According to the department, four House Democrats — Reps. Juan Vargas, Mike Levin, Sara Jacobs and Scott Peters — visited the ICE San Diego Field Office on Monday and requested to speak with the Honduran national, who has been accused of kidnapping and abusing his spouse. "Democrats once again chose to stand with a criminal illegal alien over American citizens," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "This criminal illegal alien these Democrat lawmakers met with has been charged with kidnapping and domestic abuse.” Peters’ office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the lawmakers did not specifically request to speak with that detainee. The members reportedly asked to speak with "any detainee" during their oversight visit and were brought Rojas-Molina. The office added that DHS did not present any evidence that the detainee was convicted of such crimes. "The members asked weeks ago to conduct an oversight visit, ensuring that due process is followed and everyone is being afforded their legal rights," Communications Director Lena Jacobson said. "They were finally allowed to do so yesterday. They did not ask to speak with Mr. Rojas-Molina. There were three detainees present. The members asked to speak with any detainee. This is the person who ICE presented to them. DHS has not provided any evidence to Rep. Peters’ office to show Mr. Rojas-Molina was convicted of the crimes they allege he committed.” McLaughlin described the representatives as "sanctuary politicians" who "continue to smear" efforts made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to remove offenders from the country. "These sanctuary politicians continue to smear law enforcement and falsely claim ICE is not targeting the worst of the worst. It’s disgusting that these sanctuary politicians continue to do the bidding of criminal illegal aliens.” Dennis Mauricio Rojas-Molina, who was deported from the U.S. a decade ago, was arrested in May on charges of kidnapping and spousal battery. In the summer of 2015, during the Obama administration, Rojas-Molina was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol near Lukeville, Arizona, but was later released into the country. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal several months after his arrest, and he was deported Oct. 14, 2015. He subsequently reentered the United States illegally at an unknown date and time.

FOX News [11/25/2025 7:51 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan discusses the Trump administrations historic deportation operation and responds to Democrats’ attacks on I.C.E on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [11/25/2025 4:40 AM, Hamed Aleaziz, Nicholas Nehamas, Michael H. Keller, and Alexandra Berzon, 153395K] reports amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown, special agents at the Homeland Security Department have made fewer arrests for drug crimes and seized fewer weapons than they did the previous fiscal year, according to internal government documents reviewed by The New York Times. The numbers reflect a shift in priorities as top officials at the department pulled special agents off drug, gun and other complex criminal investigations under pressure from the White House to deport more undocumented immigrants, current and former federal officials told The Times. The impact was clear, with immigration arrests soaring. The number of people arrested by homeland security special agents for civil immigration offenses went from roughly 5,000 to a record of more than 94,500, the data shows. Among the key figures in the documents: Narcotics arrests fell by roughly 11 percent. Agents opened 15 percent fewer new investigations into narcotics crimes. The number of weapons seized fell dramatically, declining from nearly 41,400 to fewer than 11,200 — a 73 percent drop. The data comes from an internal report by Homeland Security Investigations, the agency’s crime-fighting arm. The report offers a comparison of enforcement statistics between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, and the same period during the previous year. That time frame includes roughly four months of the Biden administration and eight months of the Trump administration.

Free Beacon [11/25/2025 1:40 PM, Alana Goodman, 411K] reports that since the Trump administration first deployed federal officers to Memphis in late September, the city has seen a 48 percent decrease in homicides, Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press conference on Monday. The "Memphis Safe Task Force" has also led to a 45 percent year-over-year decrease in "overall serious crime," a 49 percent drop in sexual assaults, and nearly 3,000 arrests, she told reporters, adding that the task force has recovered more than 100 missing children in less than two months. "In every city across the country, our message is clear," Bondi said. "If you’re committing violent crimes, if you’re committing any crime, we will find you, we will bring you to justice and we will protect the law-abiding citizens in this country." The news of the task force’s results comes as Bondi and the Trump administration face pushback and legal challenges from Tennessee Democrats. A state judge blocked the administration’s deployment of the National Guard in Memphis earlier this month after critics argued that the move violated Tennessee law. The Justice Department appealed the ruling, and Bondi said Monday that the task force—which includes officials from the DOJ, FBI, United States Marshals Service, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Drug Enforcement Administration—will continue to operate.

New York Times [11/25/2025 5:53 PM, Devon Lum, et al., 135475K] reports the Trump administration made erroneous claims to the Supreme Court, mischaracterizing the responsiveness of local police and the actions of protesters in a filing asking the justices to sign off on the deployment of hundreds of National Guard troops to Chicago, a New York Times investigation found. The emergency request, filed by the solicitor general, D. John Sauer, which draws heavily from court declarations made by two Homeland Security officials, misstates what happened in the aftermath of a car crash and shooting on Oct. 4 in Chicago that involved Border Patrol agents. A Times analysis of hours of police radio and hundreds of videos posted to social media refutes the federal government’s claims that the Chicago Police Department didn’t respond quickly to the scene, leaving federal agents to fend for themselves during what they called a riot. That contention is central to the administration’s legal rationale for deploying the National Guard: that “violent protests” are preventing agents from enforcing immigration law. The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court on the fast-track emergency docket after lower courts granted Illinois’s request to block the troop deployment. The court could rule any day. If the justices decide in favor of the Trump administration, the emergency ruling, although temporary, could lay the legal groundwork for the deployment of National Guard troops to more U.S. cities. [Editorial note: consult videos at source link]

AP [11/26/2025 12:04 AM, Todd Richmond, 31753K] reports a Wisconsin judge who was charged with illegally helping an immigrant evade federal agents is due back in court Wednesday for a final hearing before her case goes to trial next month. Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan in April with obstruction and concealing an individual to prevent arrest. A grand jury indicted her on those same two counts in May. Her trial is set to begin Dec. 15, with jury selection scheduled for Dec. 11 and Dec. 12. She faces up to six years in prison if she’s convicted on both counts. Dugan’s attorneys are set to spar with prosecutors Wednesday morning over juror screening questions, jury instructions and other final procedural matters. Dugan is expected to appear. Interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel has said prosecutors offered her a plea deal but her attorneys weren’t interested. Her defense team insistd she’s innocent, arguing she acted within her authority as a judge. According to court documents, Dugan was set to hear a state battery case in April against 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an immigrant who was in the country illegally. Federal agents learned he was scheduled to appear in her courtroom and traveled to the Milwaukee County Courthouse to apprehend him. Dugan learned the agents were outside her courtroom and led Flores-Ruiz out through a private door, according to the documents. He found his way outside the courthouse but agents caught him after a foot chase. The Department of Homeland Security announced this month that he has been deported. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Dugan’s indictment has intensified the clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats accuse the Trump administration of trying to blunt judicial opposition to the crackdown by making an example of Dugan. The administration has vilified Dugan on social media, posting photos of her being led out of the courthouse in handcuffs and labeling her an activist judge.

Univision [11/25/2025 5:27 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed in an interview with Nexstar that the 200 Texas National Guard agents deployed in Illinois in October were ordered to return to their state before Thanksgiving. "They have already been ordered to return before Thanksgiving," Abbott said of the troops in Illinois. The withdrawal of federal agents comes months after their arrival by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which installed them at the Grand Lakes Naval Station Command Center as part of Operation Midway Blitz operation, but was never deployed. This center provided offices, parking spaces, portable laundry units, training and storage areas for federal agents.

San Diego Union Tribune [11/25/2025 12:22 PM, Tim Henderson, 1538K] reports in a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. At the same time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent months appears to be refraining from conducting agricultural workplace raids, even as it scours Democratic-led cities for immigrants who are in the country illegally. "We really haven’t seen agriculture targeted with worksite enforcement efforts, and early this year we did," said Julia Gelatt, associate director of U.S. immigration policy at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. The shifts come as many Americans are concerned about the rising cost of food, creating political problems for a president who campaigned on lowering them. This month, the administration also announced it would lift tariffs on some foreign food products, including bananas, beef, coffee and tomatoes. To ease labor shortages on farms and ranches, the administration last month made changes to the federal H-2A visa program, which allows employers to hire foreign workers for temporary agricultural jobs when there aren’t enough U.S.-born workers available. Under the new rule, the Department of Homeland Security will approve H-2A visas more quickly.

ABC News [11/25/2025 7:21 PM, Armando Garcia and Laura Romero, 30493K] Video: HERE reports a federal judge has struck down a Department of Homeland Security policy implemented in July that forced most immigrants who entered the United States without inspection to remain in detention throughout their removal proceedings. The decision could potentially allow thousands of immigrants who have been subject to mandatory detention to be released. On Tuesday, Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes in California certified a class granting relief to migrants who “have entered or will enter the United States without inspection” and those who were not initially detained when they came into the country. In July, DHS instituted a policy that required ICE to consider immigrants arrested in the U.S. and deemed inadmissible as “applicants for admission.” The policy removed immigrants’ ability to seek release on bond regardless of whether they had been living in the U.S. for years or whether they had a criminal record. Under previous administrations, some migrants, even those who entered the country without inspection, could be eligible for bond and could therefore be released while their court cases continued. Shortly after the new policy was announced, immigrant rights advocates filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of four individuals detained at an ICE detention in California who were denied consideration for bond. On July 28, Judge Sykes issued a temporary restraining order that barred the Trump administration from continuing to detain the four named petitioners. The attorneys for the individuals then moved to seek class action relief for people subject to the ICE policy. “Anyone in the country who’s in this position within removal proceedings and is being denied a bond hearing because they first entered without inspection or without being admitted, is now able to get a bond, just like they were for the last 30 years,” said Matt Adams, the lead attorney in the case.

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Telemundo [11/25/2025 9:16 PM, Staff, 2218K]

AP [11/26/2025 2:19 AM, Colleen Slevin, 18595K] reports a federal judge ruled Tuesday that immigration officers in Colorado can only arrest people without a warrant if they think those people are likely to flee. US District Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson issued the order in a legal challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and other lawyers. They’re representing four people, including asylum-seekers, who were arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement without warrants this year as part of President Donald Trump’s increased immigration enforcement. The lawsuit accuses immigration officers of indiscriminately arresting Latinos to meet enforcement goals without evaluating what’s required to legally detain them. Jackson said each of those who sued had longstanding ties to their communities and no reasonable officer could have concluded they were likely to flee before getting a warrant to arrest them. Before arresting anyone without a warrant, immigration officers must have probable cause to believe both that someone is in the country illegally and that they are likely to flee before an arrest warrant can be obtained, under federal law, he said. Jackson also said immigration officers needed to document the reasons for why they are arresting someone. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, called it an "activist ruling" and said the department follows the law. "Allegations that DHS law enforcement engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE," she said in a statement. The ruling is similar to one made earlier this year in a case brought by another chapter of the ACLU in California involving arrests by Border Patrol agents. The government has appealed that ruling. Another judge had also issued a restraining order barring federal agents from stopping people based solely on their race, language, job or location in the Los Angeles area after finding that they were conducting indiscriminate stops. The Supreme Court lifted that order in September. McLaughlin suggested the government would appeal the Colorado ruling. "The Supreme Court recently vindicated us on this question elsewhere, and we look forward to further vindication in this case as well," she said.

Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 11:37 AM, Pedro Rodriguez, 1394K] reports Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner announced a new hotline on Monday, encouraging Americans to report illegal immigrants who reside in public housing. Turner created the hotline after declaring that public housing should be a "sanctuary" for American citizens, not illegal immigrants. "Illegal aliens have no place in public housing," Turner said at a press conference. Turner announced the hotline during a visit to Memphis, Tennessee, which is currently home to ongoing raids from federal law enforcement to tackle the city’s violence spurred by illegal immigration. "A safe community starts with safe housing," Turner stated. "We want to take good care of the most vulnerable people in our country," Turned added. "[We want public housing to be filled with] peace and security, free from the horrors of violent crime." Turner stood alongside Attorney General Pamela Bondi in the press conference, who has directed the Department of Justice to collaborate with HUD on the hotline in an attempt to "make Memphis safe again."

Bloomberg Law News [11/25/2025 11:37 AM, Ben Penn, 91K] reports the Justice Department sent US attorneys scrambling this week to meet a pre-Thanksgiving deadline to collect troves of data demonstrating compliance with Trump-directed crackdowns on immigration, political violence, and other priorities. The Deputy Attorney General’s office on Monday directed all 93 chief prosecutors to submit by the end of Wednesday a breakdown of their offices’ progress fulfilling five of the administration’s top law enforcement mandates, according to an email obtained by Bloomberg Law. The directive shows how political leadership at DOJ headquarters this year has maintained tighter oversight of US attorneys to ensure alignment with President Donald Trump’s policies, limiting the traditional semi-independence held by federal law enforcement chiefs in prior administrations. The latest message offers a window into the enforcement areas where Attorney General Pam Bondi and deputy AG Todd Blanche are most keen to deliver results to the White House. Each US attorney is tasked with compiling a list of investigations responding to Trump’s Sept. 25 memorandum requiring DOJ to investigate and prosecute “organized political violence"—including funding sources—in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder. Pursuant to a Feb. 5 Bondi memo, they must provide their volume of open cases with “a nexus to a drug cartel,” transnational criminal organization, or foreign terrorist organization. US attorneys were told to include how many indictments they’ve secured for nationals of Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, or the Dominican Republic, along with the status of warrants to arrest overseas fugitives before they can be extradited to the US.

New York Times [11/25/2025 8:00 AM, Devlin Barrett, 153395K] reports a former Justice Department lawyer who spoke out publicly about the Trump administration’s aggressive maneuvers to deport migrants has joined one of the legal advocacy firms challenging the administration’s approaches to immigration, benefits for the poor and civil rights. In an interview with The New York Times, Erez Reuveni said he decided to work for the group Democracy Forward because “this is really a make-or-break moment for the rule of law, for democracy, for the rights of all people who live in this country.” Mr. Reuveni, who worked for almost 15 years as a government lawyer, during which he often defended the Trump administration’s immigration policies, was fired earlier this year in a standoff with his own bosses about what he said were efforts to mislead or ignore federal judges. Administration officials have said he refused to follow orders and have denied Mr. Reuveni’s claims, which were buttressed in part by a series of emails and text messages shared among government lawyers surrounding the rushed removals in March of more than 200 migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Mr. Reuveni filed a whistle-blower complaint to Congress and government agencies, saying a senior official, Emil Bove III, suggested the department should be prepared to ignore court orders to ensure the planes of migrants were shipped away. In testimony before Congress, Mr. Bove denied the thrust of Mr. Reuveni’s allegations, though when pressed on particulars, he said he could not recall specific language that was used.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [11/25/2025 10:54 AM, Mike Scarcella, 36480K]

FOX News [11/25/2025 1:56 PM, Brian Flood, 40621K] reports that the New York Times sparked intense debate on social media with its story of an illegal immigrant accused of stealing an American’s identity on Monday, with Vice President JD Vance blasting the paper’s "shameful" framing of the story at the center of the controversy. The Times published a lengthy report, "Two Men. One Identity. They Both Paid the Price," on the nightmarish plight of a Minnesota man, Daniel Kluver, whose identity was reportedly stolen by an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, Romeo Pérez-Bravo. Kluver endured years of IRS fines and even garnished paychecks as the man assuming his identity earned incomes in other states that pushed the real Kluver into an improper tax bracket. Pérez-Bravo assumed several identities over decades living illegally in the U.S. According to the Times, he racked up several drunk-driving charges and was deported in 2005, 2008 and 2009, but he returned each time and bought another illicit ID, according to the report. The fake Kluver was involved in a fatal car accident in 2022 when he accidentally struck and killed a man who was riding with his granddaughter on a motorized tricycle, according to the report. That led to a wrongful death lawsuit, with Kluver listed as the defendant. The Times story highlighted the real Kluver’s frustrations with liberal politicians in Minnesota who thought illegal immigration was a victimless crime, as he pointed to his debts and the frustrations of waiting for an investigation to find the impostor.

Federalist [11/25/2025 4:40 PM, Brianna Lyman, 785K] reports "Two Men. One Identity. They Both Paid the Price," New York Times’ Eli Saslow and Gabriela Bhaskar wrote Sunday. But before you start thinking that perhaps there was a paperwork blunder in which the government erroneously handed out the same Social Security number to two Americans and chaos transpired, I’ll save you the suspense: Despite the Times’ insistence, this wasn’t some double-victim case. This was full-on identity theft by an illegal alien who had repeatedly broken into the country. Under the stolen identity of Dan Kluver, this illegal alien racked up DUIs, other offenses, giant tax bills (for the real Kluver), and fatally struck a grandfather with his vehicle. And yet, Guatemalan national Romeo Pérez-Bravo is somehow also a victim, merely a sympathetic worker and father living under "borrowed identities" desperate to "fix" the mess he created. Meanwhile the real Kluver — an American citizen from Minnesota — lived his life "without ever getting into trouble." He coaches baseball, works at a factory, and teaches Sunday school. "He had never fired a gun, or smoked a cigarette, or missed a payment, or been arrested," the Times details. But according to the government, the IRS, and the law, Kluver had racked up debt, killed someone, and was driving with a suspended license. "Over the years, there had been signs that something wasn’t right — stray letters about wages earned in unfamiliar towns and collection notices for debt that wasn’t his," the Times explained. "Kluver had tried to untangle the mess several times by hiring tax specialists and driving to government offices across the state only to run into the same bureaucratic dead ends. But now the problem was bigger than unpaid taxes. Someone was impersonating him, moving through the world as Dan Kluver, building a life in his name with a government-issued ID.” It wasn’t until Kluver was pulled over and informed his license was suspended that he began to put the pieces together that someone had stolen his identity. But the damage had already been done. According to the Times, "some years" Pérez-Bravo "had earned more than [Kluver’s] own salary at a local sugar beet factory, which pushed the total income under his Social Security number into a higher tax bracket as the debt started to mount.” Kluver tried to inform authorities, but his complaint "landed in a pile along with tens of thousands of similar reports filed each year." And while Kluver "waited for relief … the I.R.S. docked his annual tax returns and garnished a few of his paychecks, costing him thousands.” After laying out in detail the years of chaos endured by Kluver and his family because a repeat-border crosser stole his identity, Saslow and Bhaskar still try to frame Pérez-Bravo’s story as one of sympathy and empathy. He, too, is a victim, the Times would have you believe. Merely a hardworking father who only "works" and takes care of his family, desperate to "fix" the situation he himself caused. But every fact in the story underscores the massive cost and toll of illegal immigration — to Kluver, taxpayers, and public safety — and the media’s callous indifference to the harm caused to American citizens.

Blaze [11/25/2025 3:30 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1442K] reports as the debate over immigration continues, New York Times tried to put a sympathetic light on an illegal alien who committed identity theft and instead radicalized many on the right. The article contrasts the lives of Romeo Perez-Bravo from Guatemala and Dan Kluver, the man whose identification records were stolen to secure employment for Perez-Bravo in the Midwest. Kluver was forced to pay thousands of dollars to resolve the tax debts that had been racked up by Perez-Bravo under his credentials. The Times portrays the identify theft as an unfortunate feature of the employment system and frames it as a "survival tactic" of illegal immigrants. His case was one version of a problem that’s been spreading across the country for years. The government estimates that as many as one million undocumented workers are using fraudulent or stolen Social Security numbers — a survival tactic used to pass background checks and get jobs. The numbers are skimmed from data breaches, sold in black markets online for as little as $150, or handed out in border towns by human smugglers. Many numbers connect back to US citizen children, dead people, or Puerto Ricans whose numbers circulate easily across the mainland. The article was immediately assailed by many online, and the Department of Homeland Security responded by setting the record straight about the extent of the criminal convictions against Perez-Bravo. "The violent criminal illegal alien who stole Daniel Kulver’s identity is Guatemalan National Romeo Perez Bravo," replied DHS Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin. She added that he had a rap sheet including convictions for terroristic threats and assault and four convictions for driving under the influence. "He reentered the U.S. a third time after being removed, which is a felony," she added. "Behind every stolen Social Security number is a real American: mothers, fathers, students, and workers facing devastating financial, personal and legal fallout.”

Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 8:08 PM, Pedro Rodriguez, 1394K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration has fallen short on its promises to enforce immigration law, according to Mike Howell, a visiting fellow of the Border Security and Immigration Center of the Heritage Foundation, per a phone interview with the Washington Examiner. Howell attributed the president’s shortcomings to his refusal to carry out workplace deportations and the Department of Homeland Security’s misleading messaging, which is eroding public trust. "There are a lot of people in and around the administration who are allergic to the concept of workside enforcement because big companies, agriculture, hotels, and restaurants don’t want to have their illegal workforce raided," Howell stated. "And if you don’t enforce workside enforcement at scale and regularly, you’re never going to get mass deportations." Throughout his campaign trail, Trump championed mass deportations, something he has yet to do, Howell claimed. "Since the election, there’s been a substantial amount of bargaining as to what the president’s promise is. The promise was the largest deportation operation in history," Howell said. "Over time, people on the Left, mainstream media, the left-wing of the Republican Congress, and [for-profit industries] have sought to redefine the president’s promise to be the selective deportation of illegal [immigrants]." To mask the shortfall, Howell alleged that the president’s administration has engaged in a consistent wave of false representations of the numbers and the arrests they have executed.

Washington Post [11/25/2025 1:03 PM, Tobi Raji and Sammy Westfall, 24149K] reports that President Donald Trump is offering millions of dollars in payments and other incentives to entice countries to accept U.S. deportees with no connection to the places they are being sent. In the process, the United States has made deals with at least one country the State Department has accused of human trafficking and others it has advised U.S. citizens to avoid. The administration says it is using third-country deportations — the practice of sending people to countries of which they are not citizens — as a method to remove people from the United States in situations where their countries of origin do not want them. Attorneys representing some of these deportees have disputed the Trump administration’s reasoning, and their countries of origin have in some cases said they would in fact take U.S. deportees. The Washington Post reviewed copies of the deportation agreements between the Trump administration and some of the third countries in question, as well as related court documents and public records. The deals, brokered during Trump’s second term, outline the procedure for transferring a noncitizen from the United States to a third country — and what each country stands to gain. Human rights advocates have raised concerns about the contours of the deals, including whether Washington will be able to conduct proper oversight of the funds. “We have no idea what the money can be used for. It seems like the U.S. is not putting any direction or restrictions,” said Nicole Widdersheim, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch. “And even if they did, they couldn’t track it like, say, arms sales. It’s a cash transfer.” The countries don’t have to report to the U.S. government, Widdersheim added.

Daily Caller [11/25/2025 1:08 PM, Nicole Silverio, 835K] reports that President Donald Trump joked on Tuesday that he saved two turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, from being deported to the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador. Trump pardoned the turkeys at the traditional Turkey Pardon in the Rose Garden. The president joked that the turkeys were saved from the infamous El Salvadoran prison, where illegal immigrant criminals have been sent since he reentered office. "Some of my more enthusiastic staffers were already drafting the paperwork to ship Gobble and Waddle straight to the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador. And even those birds don’t want to be there. You know what I mean. It was tough. I’d like to thank the president of that country. They do a rather efficient job," Trump said. The spared turkeys are from Travis and Amanda Pittman’s farm in Wayne County, North Carolina, according to Alabama-based Fox 10 News. Because of Trump’s pardon, they will live the rest of their lives at North Carolina State University. Illegal immigrants who have committed heinous acts, including murder, sexual assault, rape and drug trafficking reside in El Salvador as a result of Trump’s crackdown of illegal immigration. The administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a suspected MS-13 gang member who has been accused of human smuggling and of beating his wife, to the prison.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 12:59 PM, Matthew Boyle, 2416K] reports that the radical left is getting increasingly violent with President Donald Trump back in the White House, even toward federal law enforcement officers, newly released FBI data shows. The FBI revealed exclusively to Breitbart News on Tuesday that arrests for assaults on federal officers—AFOs as they are known to law enforcement—have surged threefold since Trump took over from Democrat President Joe Biden. In addition to the radical left getting increasingly violent, FBI director Kash Patel also attributes the increase to the Trump administration actually protecting federal law enforcement officers when previous presidents like Biden did not. "The FBI has tripled our number of arrests for Assault on Federal Officers this year compared to the previous administration, and that is no accident," Patel told Breitbart News in an exclusive statement. "President Trump and his administration have put a premium on supporting the men and women who go out in the field and do the hard work of cleaning up our streets, and the FBI is proud to be a part of that mission. We will continue our push to crush violent crime all across this country and support our partners doing the same. Anyone who comes after an officer fulfilling their duties will be met with the full weight of justice under this FBI." "This FBI is proud to work with our federal, state, and local partners all across the country to crush violent crime and deliver historic results in making America safe again — and we will continue to aggressively pursue those who attack law enforcement simply for doing their jobs," FBI spokesman Ben Williamson added in a statement to Breitbart News.

Wall Street Journal [11/25/2025 5:07 PM, Jason L. Riley, 646K] reports it has become unfashionable on the political right to say nice things about foreign nationals, even the ones who are here lawfully. Just ask Donald Trump, who has struggled to convince the MAGA base that legal immigration is a net benefit to America. Welcome to my world, Mr. President. Part of the problem has been White House inconsistency on the issue. Mr. Trump’s position on illegal immigration isn’t in doubt, but he can seem indecisive, even self-contradictory, when discussing migration policies for those who play by the rules. Last year, for example, he sided with Elon Musk, a staunch proponent of the H-1B work visa program typically used by foreign professionals in fields such as engineering, technology and medicine. Mr. Musk said he would “go to war” to defend migration for skilled workers. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” he wrote in a social-media post in December. Mr. Trump soon after told the New York Post that he too has “always been in favor” of the program. “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.” Multiple news outlets have reported that a Trump company appeared to have hired an H-1B worker as recently as 2022. Nevertheless, the White House announced in September that it was attaching a $100,000 fee to new petitions for H-1B visas to discourage U.S. companies from hiring skilled immigrants. The system “has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor,” the executive order read. Abuses “of the H-1B program present a national security threat by discouraging Americans from pursuing careers in science and technology, risking American leadership in these fields.”

Bloomberg [11/25/2025 7:30 AM, Patricia Lopez, 18207K] reports the ads have been popping up on Fox News, Good Morning America, the Today Show and Univision. They feature Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem against a backdrop bristling with American flags, galloping past Mount Rushmore on horseback, or dressed as an ICE agent. This is the $200 million ad campaign that has saturated television and social media for months, in which Noem issues stern warnings against crossing the US border illegally. The ad blitz is not your typical low-budget public service announcement. Axios labeled it “the most expensive political ad campaign of the year.” For context, the massive California campaign on redistricting — in one of the most expensive markets in the country — cost about $41 million. Notably, the DHS campaign sidestepped the competitive bidding process required for most government contracts. To get around that mandate, Noem relied on what has become a favorite Trump administration tactic for fast-tracking solutions: the national emergency. President Donald Trump has deployed it for everything from energy and tariffs to drug enforcement and the border. The agency insisted the no-bid contract was needed because “any delay in providing these critical communications to the public will increase the spread of misinformation, especially misinformation by smugglers.” Yet initial ads just showed Noem thanking Trump for securing the border and “putting America first.” She also issued an overtly political message that blamed earlier “weak politicians” for actions that “left our borders open” and “put American lives at risk.” (That’s unusual for taxpayer-funded public service campaigns.) I spoke with Richard Painter, former chief ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush, who now teaches corporate law at the University of Minnesota. He rebuffed the notion that a national emergency could provide the rationale for such no-bid contracts.

FOX News [11/25/2025 10:30 AM, Diana Stancy Fox, 40621K] reports the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing Dec. 3 examining anti-law enforcement rhetoric — and how it might be tied to an increase in violence against law enforcement officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. The hearing comes in response to several attacks against ICE officers and as the Department of Homeland Security reports that violent encounters against federal immigration officials have surged in recent months. "It is unacceptable that the brave men and women of law enforcement, who risk their lives daily to secure the homeland and protect the public, are facing targeted violence from radicals and international gangs on U.S. soil," House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said in a Monday statement to Fox News Digital. "With assaults against officers skyrocketing and heightened threats of political violence across America, Congress must support the mission of law enforcement and ensure our federal agencies have the tools, resources, and partnerships needed to keep these dedicated professionals safe on the job as they work to protect our communities," Garbarino said. Those who will appear before the committee Dec. 3 for the hearing, titled "When Badges Become Targets: How Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric Fuels Violence Against Officers," include Michael Hughes, executive director of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police; and Jonathan Thompson, executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association.

Federal Newswire [11/25/2025 12:05 PM, Staff] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested several individuals convicted of serious crimes, according to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency reported that these arrests included individuals found guilty of offenses such as aggravated battery of a child, domestic battery, sexual abuse involving minors, and drug trafficking. “For the last ten months, ICE law enforcement officers have been delivering on President Trump’s promise to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Just yesterday, ICE arrested pedophiles, child abusers, and drug traffickers. Despite what the media and Democrats claim, 70% of all ICE arrests are of illegal aliens convicted or charged with a crime in the U.S. This statistic doesn’t even include the illegal aliens we arrest who are convicted of crimes in their home counties, foreign fugitives, and gang members who just lack a rap sheet in the U.S.” According to DHS data not including foreign fugitives or gang members without U.S. criminal records, about 70% of those arrested by ICE are non-citizens charged with or convicted of crimes within the United States.

The National News Desk [11/25/2025 12:19 PM, Austin Denean] reports the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration is yielding a record number of arrests and filling up detention centers across the U.S. as officials try to remove thousands of immigrants in the country without legal permission. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported holding more than 65,000 migrants as of Nov. 15, a boost from before the government shutdown when less than 60,000 people were in custody. Immigration enforcement continued throughout the shutdown even as other government services were limited or unavailable. During the shutdown, ICE arrested and detained roughly 54,000 people and deported an additional 56,000. Customs and Border Patrol officers also arrested thousands of people during the shutdown as the administration has ramped up a recruitment push and shifted federal law enforcement resources around to focus on immigration enforcement. Increasing arrest levels come as DHS is conducting operations in major cities like Charlotte, Chicago and Portland with more stings to continue moving forward. Hundreds of immigration agents flooding the cities has led to widespread protests and confrontations with authorities that the administration says are posing a danger to their safety. The uptick in detentions is from a surge in arrests as ICE has ramped up raids and other enforcement to nearly 1,200 a day since Oct. 1. While arrests have climbed throughout Trump’s second term, they are not yet reaching the goal of 3,000 per day even with a major boost to immigration enforcement funding from the “big, beautiful bill” and aggressive raids and operations in major U.S. cities. DHS has repeatedly claimed that 70% of ICE arrests are of people who have been convicted or charged with a crime in the U.S. and that the figure doesn’t include those who are foreign fugitives or gang members. “Thanks to the Biden administration’s open border policies, every town is now a border town flooded with worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement highlighting charges against migrants taken into custody.” While Americans were enjoying their weekend and the media peddled falsehoods that DHS was not targeting the worst of the worst, ICE arrested sickos who sexually abused children, raped innocent women, and committed murder.

Free Beacon [11/25/2025 11:05 AM, Peter Hasson, 411K] reports New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team has a new "community safety" adviser: Alex Vitale, an outspoken supporter of defunding or abolishing virtually every facet of law enforcement from the local to the federal level, including police, prisons, Border Patrol, ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI, among others. Alex Vitale is the author of The End of Policing, described as the "bestselling bible of the movement to defund the police." He has panned police officers as "violence workers" and "the natural enemy of the working class." He has also called to "abolish prisons," "abolish the Border Patrol," "Abolish the FBI," "Abolish the DEA," "Abolish the Texas Rangers," and implement "open borders.” Mamdani himself has called to "defund" and "dismantle" police. He’s also described the NYPD as "racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety," saying in 2020, "Queer liberation means defund the police." Mamdani attempted to walk back those positions during his campaign. He apologized to NYPD officers during a pre-election interview with Fox News, acknowledging that "these men and women who serve in the NYPD, they put their lives on the line every single day." After his election victory, he announced he would keep New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch, an ally of rank-and-file cops, in her role. Vitale’s role on the transition team calls into question the sincerity of those moves. While Mamdani backed away from his calls to defund police, he also proposed the creation of a Department of Community Safety that would replace police with "crisis responders" in "mental health" cases and fight hate crimes through a "restorative justice process." Vitale and the Mamdani transition team did not respond to requests for comment.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 10:36 AM, Bob Price, 2416K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Buffalo officers in New York arrested a 39‑year‑old Turkish illegal alien who reportedly violently resisted arrest, tried to seize an officer’s taser, and shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a Nov. 5 enforcement operation. The suspect, Saim Irgi, had previously been released into the United States without vetting by the Biden administration after crossing illegally from Mexico in 2023. Since his release into the U.S., he racked up a violent criminal history in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to ICE officials. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in Buffalo conducted a targeted enforcement operation on November 5 and encountered Irgi, and attempted to place him in custody. Officials report that the illegal alien from Turkey, a country with known ties to terrorism, resisted the officers and tried to grab an officer’s taser. He began screaming "Allahu Akbar" as he fought with the officers. The Biden administration released Irgi after Border Patrol agents arrested him after he illegally crossed the border from Mexico near Jamul, California, on July 7, 2023. He was released without any vetting by the Biden administration, officials stated. After the Biden administration released him, he freely traveled around the United States and began a crime spree, officials stated. This includes an assault on March 19 in Pennsauken, New Jersey. While that charge was dismissed on Arpil 4, he picked up another charge in Philadelphia on the same day. In this matter, he was charged with strangulation, simple assault, and reckless endangerment.

New York Times [11/25/2025 2:32 AM, Matina Stevis-Gridneff, 135475K] reports that Rahel Negassi squeezed her 11-year-old son’s hand as they turned their backs on Buffalo and faced the Peace Bridge. In the distance, they saw the Canadian flag waving from the building ahead. An ICE agent bent down to remove her ankle monitor. “Good luck!” he said. “We would love for you to stay in the United States — but legally,” she recalled him saying. “You will never see me again,” she replied. It was June 27. Rahel had been under a deportation order from the United States for 22 years, ever since she fled her native Eritrea and entered the U.S. with a fake British passport. But because the U.S. does not deport people to Eritrea, she had been allowed to stay in the country. Around regular visits with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she married, had two children, went to college and became a nurse. She led a model life. But when Donald Trump won the 2024 election, she understood that the immigration system was about to drastically change. Her ICE case agent made this clear in March when she fitted her with an ankle monitor and told her she needed to find another country. “We don’t want you or your children to suffer,” she recalled her saying. “You need to leave, now.” Canada, where one of her brothers lived, was the obvious choice. The United States and Canada have an official agreement that people who have applied for asylum in one nation cannot apply in the other, but there are a few exceptions. Having a close relative in Canada is one of them.

Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 11:30 AM, Molly Parks, 1394K] reports New Jersey legislators are eyeing a pair of state bills that could ban federal and local law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings while on duty. The legislative push comes amid criticism from blue states and cities regarding federal immigration enforcement officers who wear masks while conducting operations. California recently passed a similar bill to the one proposed in the Garden State, called the "No Secret Police Act," and the Trump administration filed a lawsuit to block it after telling federal officers not to comply with it. The New Jersey legislature has two companion bills on the matter: one in the state Senate, sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Benjie Wimberly, and one in the Assembly, primarily sponsored by three Democratic Assembly members. "This bill prohibits the wearing of any mask or disguise by a law enforcement officer while interacting with the public in the performance of the officer’s official duties," the bill says. The bill defines a law enforcement officer as "a member of any federal, State, county or municipal law enforcement agency, department, or division of those governments who is statutorily empowered to act for the detection, investigation, arrest, conviction, or detention of persons violating the laws of this State or of the United States.” It also sets a fine of between $500 and $1,000 and/or up to six months in jail for officers who wear face coverings and violate the potential law. Wimberly told the New Jersey Monitor that, in addition to his concerns about community fear surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, he is concerned about bad actors masquerading as them.

FOX News [11/25/2025 1:10 PM, Greg Norman, 40621K] reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking to deport a "criminal illegal alien" who allegedly threw coffee on a baby, mother and their dog during an altercation in Florida. ICE said it placed a detainer on Nina Jaaskelainen of Finland following her arrest earlier this month in New Smyrna. "For over TWO DECADES, Jaaskelainen has been in our country illegally, skirting the law without consequence. Now, a baby, a mother, and a dog have been assaulted by her," Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "She is now facing charges for battery and domestic violence. ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure she can never victimize another American family," McLaughlin added. "President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens." Jaaskelainen has pleaded not guilty in court after the alleged incident on Nov. 14, according to FOX35 Orlando. "According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, a mother was walking with her infant son and dog when Jaaskelainen confronted the mother over the dog not being leashed," DHS said. "During the confrontation, the illegal alien threw coffee on the baby, the mother and their dog. Jaaskelainen was arrested and taken to the Volusia County Jail where she was charged with battery and domestic violence." Homeland Security said Jaaskelainen first entered the U.S. on April 17, 1999, on a B2 tourist visa that required her to leave by July 16 of that year.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [11/25/2025 3:29 PM, John Binder, 2416K]

Daily Caller [11/25/2025 1:00 PM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports that Immigration agents arrested an illegal migrant sex offender employed as a professor at a major American university on Nov. 12. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested Sri Lankan national Sumith Gunasekera in Detroit, Michigan, the agency confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Gunasekera, previously arrested in Canada and the U.S. for various crimes, worked as a professor of data science and analytics at Ferris State University, a public institution in Big Rapids, Michigan. "It’s sickening that a sex offender was working as a professor on an American college campus and was given access to vulnerable students to potentially victimize them," Department of Homeland (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a Tuesday statement obtained by the DCNF. "Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans," McLaughlin continued. "His days of exploiting the immigration system are OVER." A spokesperson for Ferris State University did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF. ICE agents arrested Ian Andre Roberts, a Guyanese national living unlawfully in the U.S. who was paid a six-figure salary as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, in September. At the time of Roberts’ apprehension, agents found him in possession of a loaded handgun, a fixed blade hunting knife and $3,000 in cash. The school system later blamed a consulting firm for his employment. "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminals are not welcome in the U.S." McLaughlin said.

Detroit Free Press [11/25/2025 9:29 AM, Koby Levin, and Lori Higgins, 4030K] reports federal immigration agents arrested two 16-year-old Detroit cousins at their home on Nov. 20. The teens are being held in Texas. The cousins — born in Venezuela and arrived in the U.S. in 2023 — were taken into custody along with two of their parents when agents raided their home on the east side in search of a different migrant. Both teens are formally seeking asylum in the U.S. and had upcoming court dates. They have work permits and jobs at Chili’s, said Kristen Schoettle, a teacher at Western International High School who works with one of the teens in an English class for newcomers. "She is an excellent student, really wants to learn English," Schoettle said, adding that the teen sometimes shares recommendations for Spanish-language indie-rock music. Outlier Media is not identifying the teens because their parents did not give consent. Schoettle said her knowledge of the situation is based on conversations with her student’s mother, who had spoken with the teen’s father in detention. Outlier confirmed that the father of one of the teens is being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center, a facility operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, through the agency’s Online Detainee Locator System. Schoettle says the teens are there, too, though the database does not provide information about minors in detention. "We need all Detroiters to stand up against these kidnappings," said Lindsey Matson, deputy director of youth organizing at 482Forward.

Michigan Now [11/25/2025 9:37 AM, Christopher Hoffman] reports fifty-one confirmed members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang were among 143 people arrested last week on the North Side, Homeland Security Task Force officials said. The raid targeted criminal networks involved in narcotics, human trafficking, and illegal weapons, and took place around 3 a.m. Nov. 16 at a food truck park near San Pedro Avenue and Basse Road. The area had been previously identified as a frequent gathering spot for TdA members and other criminal elements, officials said. Transnational criminal organizations have driven violence into communities across the country, making it nearly impossible for many to avoid the impacts of drug-related criminal enterprises and associated criminal activity,” officials said. “It is essential that we work collaboratively to confront these threats early while upholding the rule of law. Our focus is not just on response, but on prevention. Those taken into custody were placed in ICE proceedings in accordance with due process. Among the 143 arrested were 98 Venezuelans, 21 Hondurans, 14 Mexicans, 4 Cubans, 2 Ecuadorians, and smaller numbers from Nicaragua, Peru, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Twenty-five of those arrested had prior criminal records in the United States, including 13 felonies and 12 misdemeanors.

FOX News [11/26/2025 1:25 AM, Landon Mion Fox, 40621K] reports a trio of migrant teenagers were charged in the fatal stabbing of a 49-year-old homeless man in Chicago over the weekend, according to officials. Wuinayker Rodriguez-Vasquez, 16, was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in connection with the incident that happened on Sunday morning, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He appeared on Tuesday for a detention hearing, in which a judge ordered him to be held pre-trial. Two 14-year-olds were also charged — one was charged with first-degree murder and the other was charged with armed robbery. The two 14-year-olds appeared in juvenile court on Monday and were ordered held in custody. Officials said the victim did not know any of the suspects. All three suspects are reportedly from Venezuela. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that records show Rodriguez-Vazquez is believed to have crossed into the U.S. in September 2023 near Eagle Pass, Texas. He was arrested and released at the time along with his mother. Assistant State’s Attorney Todd Kleist also said in a court filing in the stabbing case that Rodriguez-Vasquez’s contact with Texas law enforcement in 2023 was documented as an "alien inadmissibility" case. Rodriguez-Vasquez has no prior criminal history in Illinois, according to Kleist. Prosecutors said the stabbing attack happened at around 5:45 a.m. on Sunday in the Chicago Loop, where the victim was sleeping near his cat and belongings, including a skeleton mask. A group that included Rodriguez-Vasquez and the two 14-year-olds allegedly approached the victim while Rodriguez-Vasquez had a knife hidden in his sleeve and another teenager held a metal rod, according to prosecutors. One of the teenagers grabbed the victim’s mask and ran. When the victim stood up, Rodriguez-Vasquez allegedly kicked him, prosecutors said. One of the 14-year-olds allegedly struck the victim, and Rodriguez-Vasquez is accused of stabbing him in the back, causing him to collapse. The attack was captured on surveillance video. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death a stab wound to the back and the manner of death a homicide. Police later detained the teenagers after spotting people on camera wearing the same clothing seen in surveillance footage. Rodriguez-Vasquez was found with a knife, and he was later identified by his mother and another member of the group. Prosecutors said Rodriguez-Vasquez was seen in stills from after the incident "displaying a knife to the group, making stabbing motions, and wearing the victim’s skeleton mask on his head.” A Chicago police source told Fox News this was an especially heinous and cruel murder of an innocent homeless man, saying that it was a "mob style" attack in which some of the suspects were laughing afterward.

Chicago Tribune [11/25/2025 8:07 AM, Zareen Syed and Laura Rodríguez Presa, 4829K] reports for nearly 16 years, María Irma Pérez Padilla set up her tamale cart at a busy intersection in Pilsen, selling the beloved Mexican dish to help support her family. The 52-year-old mother worked long days to pay for her diabetes medication and provide for her children after her husband’s death two years ago. Like many older immigrants in the U.S. without legal permission, Pérez relied entirely on street vending to survive. But on a Friday morning in October, masked federal agents in an unmarked vehicle detained her as she prepared an order of tamales. Within minutes, the familiar presence who anchored the corner for more than a decade was gone. "They were just standing between her and her cart — they didn’t even let her finish her job," her son, Jaime Montano, said. Despite having no criminal record, Pérez was taken to a detention center. She is one of at least 15 vendors immigration authorities have detained from Chicago’s streets since the Trump administration launched Operation Midway Blitz in September, according to the Street Vendors Association of Chicago and immigrant rights groups. While the operation was promoted as an effort to target people with violent criminal records who didn’t have legal status, the families of detained vendors say most have no such history.

NewsMax [11/25/2025 9:25 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports federal authorities announced a major Department of Homeland Security operation in South Texas that netted the arrests of 143 terrorists tied to the violent transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), according to an FBI update. TdA was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration in February. The news comes as Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of President Donald Trump’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, is in the Caribbean to address troops built up in the region to weigh military options against Venezuela and dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The action followed last week’s launch of the Homeland Security Task Force-South Texas (HSTF-South Texas), a new regional initiative led by the FBI San Antonio Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "HSTF-South Texas" will serve as a model for similar efforts nationwide, officials said, emphasizing both prevention and enforcement in combating transnational crime.

New York Times [11/25/2025 3:30 PM, Mark Arsenault, 153395K] reports an Iranian professor at the University of Oklahoma has been released from immigration detainment, three days after his weekend arrest at an airport in Oklahoma City, according to a statement he posted online and a colleague at the university. Vahid Abedini, an assistant professor of Iranian studies, was on his way to the annual conference of the Middle East Studies Association in Washington, D.C., on Saturday when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Joshua Landis, the co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said. It is still unclear why Dr. Abedini was arrested. Dr. Abedini posted on his LinkedIn page early Tuesday morning that he was “relieved to share that I was released from custody tonight.” “It was a deeply distressing experience, especially seeing those without the support I had,” he wrote. He thanked friends and colleagues at the university, the Middle East Studies Association “and the wider Iran studies and political science community for helping resolve this.” He could not be reached immediately for additional comment. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said by text Tuesday morning that Dr. Abedini “was detained for standard questioning and was released.”

Los Angeles Times [11/25/2025 5:28 PM, Rachel Uranga, 14862K] reports a food bank worker shot from behind by an ICE agent last month pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon. Carlos Jimenez, a father of three, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week after prosecutors accused him of trying to "reverse" his car into a Border Patrol agent conducting an early morning Oct. 30 immigration stop near the Ontario mobile home park where he lives. An accompanying ICE agent, according to a complaint filed shortly after the incident, had ordered him to leave and pulled out a gun and pepper spray. Attorneys representing Jimenez said he was just trying to leave. Lawyers Cynthia Santiago and Robert Simon said Jimenez had stopped to warn the agents that a group of school age children would soon be coming. Jimenez reversed because he was afraid, they contend, and then was unnecessarily shot in the back of his right shoulder, where a bullet remains lodged. Jimenez - who has been free on a $10,000 bond — appeared with his right hand in a sling at a federal court in Riverside on Tuesday. Judge Sheri Pym set a jury trail for Jan. 12.

CBS Los Angeles [11/25/2025 4:03 PM, Austin Turner, 39474K] reports the California union leader who was arrested during an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest this summer pleaded not guilty in federal court on Tuesday. David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested on June 6 and charged with felony conspiracy, although the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor for obstruction, resistance, or opposition of a federal officer. In United States District Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Huerta pleaded not guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Alicia G. Rosenberg. Outside the courtroom, Huerta called the charge a "weaponization" of the judicial system. "These charges are baseless," Huerta said. "They are an attempt to silence anyone who dares to speak out, organize or demand justice. I will not be silenced.” He said he’ll continue to fight the charge until he’s exonerated. Rosenberg granted Huerta’s release, but said he must seek court permission prior to leaving the country, and ordered Huerta to surrender his passport to his attorney. He must also remain at least 100 feet away from federal officers. According to a Homeland Security Investigation officer’s sworn affidavit, Huerta sat in front of a vehicular gate to a staging ground for ICE operations that were ongoing nearby. The officer claims Huerta refused orders to clear the scene and asked fellow protesters to join him in blocking the gate. The interaction turned physical, DHS claims, and Huerta was briefly hospitalized as a result.

Los Angeles Times [11/25/2025 6:00 AM, Gustavo Arellano, 14862K] reports at 8 o’clock on a stormy weeknight in the chilly Chinatown offices of L.A. Taco, Memo Torres finally was worn out. Since President Trump unleashed his deportation deluge on Los Angeles in June, the 45-year-old has chronicled nearly every immigration enforcement action in the region in three-minute "Daily Memo" videos for the online publication. He and his colleagues track down film footage and photos, reach out to officials to verify what they’ve found and hammer out a script for Torres to narrate. The audio that played from Torres’ double-screen computer and smart phone as he reviewed the evidence on the day I visited contained snippets of the Southland’s sad soundtrack under what he continually calls the "siege" of ICE. Men pleading to la migra to stop hurting them. Activists cursing out agents. Whistles, screams, honks and sirens. Sobbing family members. "If I wanted to cry, I don’t think that I could," Torres said when I asked how he coped with seeing such videos ad nauseum. "It’s not healthy, I know. It’s not mature. But what I go through is nothing like what the people I’m seeing are going through ... Today was hard, though," he continued, pounding his hand with his fist. "They went ... extra hard today. They’re starting to get worse. Numbers that used to be a week’s worth of abductions are now a day."

Fox 5 San Diego [11/25/2025 11:54 PM, Chris Ponce, 40621K] reports a class action lawsuit filed on Tuesday alleges Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of violating due process by targeting people after court proceedings in San Diego County. Represented by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at UCLA’s School of Law and the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (CHRCL), three detained immigrants filed the lawsuit. “Entrapping and imprisoning people who are complying with their immigration requirements isn’t just cowardly, it’s unconstitutional,” CHRCL Legal Director Bardis Vakili said via a press release. “Due process requires that, before taking away our freedom, the government must prove at a hearing that detention is justified.” Throughout the summer, ICE targeted people leaving court hearings at 880 Front Street, according to the lawsuit. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains they target people at court buildings to ensure the safety of ICE agents and officers. “The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in May. “It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community.”

AP [11/25/2025 1:02 PM, Valerie Gonzalez, 31753K] reports that Yaakub Vijandre was preparing to go to work as a mechanic when six vehicles appeared outside his Dallas-area home. Federal agents jumped out, one pointed a weapon at him, and they took him into custody. Vijandre is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era program that has shielded hundreds of thousands of people from deportation since 2012 if they were brought to the United States as children and generally stayed out of trouble. The Trump administration said it targeted Vijandre over social media posts. The freelance videographer and pro-Palestinian activist described his early October arrest to his attorneys, who relayed the information to reporters. His arrest and several others this year signal a change in how the U.S. is handling DACA recipients as President Donald Trump’s administration reshapes immigration policy more broadly. The change comes as immigrants have face increased vetting, including of their social media, when they apply for visas, green cards, citizenship, or to request the release of their children from federal custody. The administration also has sought to deport foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinian activism. McLaughlin also claimed in a statement that Vijandre made social media posts “glorifying terrorism,” including one she said celebrated Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq who was killed in a U.S. strike in 2006. An attorney for Vijandre, Chris Godshall-Bennett, said Vijandre’s social media activity is “clearly” protected speech. He also said the government has not provided details about the specific posts in court documents.

FOX News [11/25/2025 8:13 AM, Rachel Wolf Fox, 40621K] reports the Trump administration on Monday ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burmese migrants, deeming conditions in the country to have improved enough for citizens to return safely. "This decision restores TPS to its original status as temporary," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. "Burma has made notable progress in governance and stability, including the end of its state of emergency, plans for free and fair elections, successful ceasefire agreements, and improved local governance contributing to enhanced public service delivery and national reconciliation." Burma, also known as Myanmar, was first designated for TPS in May 2021 by then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In March 2024, Mayorkas extended TPS for Burma for 18 months, making its expiration date Nov. 25, 2025. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in its announcement that the designation will end on Jan. 26, 2026. It noted that Noem came to the decision "after conferring with interagency partners" and that she "further determined that permitting Burmese nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to National Interest of the United States." USCIS also said that Burmese nationals are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app, which is designed for self-deportations. Breitbart [11/25/2025 7:15 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports some 3,670 Myanmar nationals were in the United States under the TPS program, according to the National Immigration Forum nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. The previous Biden administration designated Myanmar for TPS in May 2021 in response to civil conflict that erupted in the country following the Feb. 1, 2021, military coup. The designation has been repeatedly renewed until Monday. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Myanmar, the junta has killed at least 7,488 people, with 30,013 others arrested, and nearly 22,700 still detained. Since the coup began, more than 275,000 Myanmar nationals have sought refuge or asylum in neighboring countries, according to United Nations statistics. In terminating deportation protections for those from Myanmar, Noem said the situation in the country "has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home" and conditions no longer meet TPS statutory requirements.

AP [11/25/2025 4:30 PM, David Rising, 852K] reports that Rights groups on Tuesday slammed the Trump administration’s decision to end protected status for Myanmar citizens due to the country’s “notable progress in governance and stability,” even though it remains mired in a bloody civil war and the head of its military regime faces possible U.N. war crimes charges. In her announcement Monday ending temporary protection from deportation for citizens of Myanmar, also known as Burma, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem cited the military’s plans for “free and fair elections” in December and “successful ceasefire agreements” as among the reasons for her decision. “The situation in Burma has improved enough that it is safe for Burmese citizens to return home,” she said in a statement. The military under Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing seized power from democratically-elected Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and is seeking to add a sheen of international legitimacy to its government with the upcoming elections. But with Suu Kyi in prison and her party banned, most outside observers have denounced the elections as a sham. “Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem is treating those people just like her family’s dog that she famously shot down in cold blood because it misbehaved — if her order is carried out, she will literally be sending them back to prisons, brutal torture, and death in Myanmar,” Phil Robertson, the director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, said in a statement.

CBS News [11/25/2025 10:29 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 39474K] reports the Trump administration has directed immigration officials to review the cases of refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden, as part of an unprecedented effort to identify potential reasons that would disqualify them from being able to stay in the U.S., an internal federal government memo obtained by CBS News shows. The memo, dated Nov. 21 and signed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, instructs agency officials to investigate the cases of refugees who entered the U.S. over a four-year period, between Jan. 20, 2021, and Feb. 20, 2025. Edlow directed USCIS officials to review the cases of all refugees admitted during this time period, and to potentially reinterview them. Those investigations and reinterviews, Edlow wrote, would focus on determining whether those individuals met the definition of a refugee when they entered the U.S. and whether there are any legal barriers that would make them ineligible to become permanent residents of the U.S. The memo also placed an indefinite hold on all pending applications for green cards (or permanent residency) filed by refugees allowed into the country during the timeframe outlined in the memo. Under U.S. law, refugees are eligible for permanent residency one year after being admitted. Edlow noted that applicants cannot appeal any denials of their green card cases. If the cases of "principal" refugees — or the main applicant if they arrived with their family members — are rejected, their relatives’ cases would also be denied, and they would be stripped of their refugee status, according to the memo. Those whose applications are denied can be placed in deportation proceedings. Refugees have to prove they suffered or fled persecution abroad based on one of five factors: their race, nationality, religion, political opinion or membership in a social group. Some 233,000 refugees entered the U.S. between February 2021 and January 2025, a period that largely lines up with the Biden administration, according to federal statistics. The federal government paused the refugee program shortly after President Trump retook office. Officials have made limited exceptions, mostly for Afrikaners, or people in South Africa who are the descendants of European settlers. Last month, the Trump administration capped refugee admissions for this fiscal year at 7,500, the lowest level in history. Those slots will "primarily be allocated among Afrikaners," who the Trump administration alleges have faced discrimination in South Africa for being White, and "other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands." The South African government has denied that Afrikaners are being persecuted.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [11/25/2025 11:10 AM, Myles Miller and Hadriana Lowenkron, 18207K]
The Hill [11/25/2025 9:47 AM, Rebecca Beitsch, 12595K]
NBC News [11/25/2025 2:40 PM, Abigail Williams, Jennifer Jett, and Julia Ainsley, 34509K]

Blaze [11/25/2025 3:15 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports the Biden administration expanded so-called lawful pathways, allowing millions of foreign nationals to flood into the United States. One of those pathways included the controversial use of Temporary Protected Status. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday the termination of TPS for Burma, effective January 26. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem concluded that the situation in Burma has improved and that its citizens are safe to return home. Noem also concluded that allowing Burmese nationals to remain in the country would be "contrary to the national interest of the United States." There are nearly 4,000 approved TPS beneficiaries from Burma, according to DHS. Over 200 individuals reportedly have pending applications. TPS is set to expire for several other nations, including Ethiopia in December, South Sudan in January, and Haiti in February.

Politico [11/25/2025 3:20 PM, Diana Nerozzi, 13586K] reports as President Donald Trump fends off an intraparty fight over visas, a trade group with Mar-a-Lago ties is pushing for seasonal worker visas to be expanded — and hoping to slip under the radar of MAGA ire over immigrants. The Seasonal Employment Alliance, which represents agricultural and resort interests among others, has for some time pushed to raise the nation’s cap on a kind of seasonal work visa called H-2B. And now, it’s banking on Trump’s own extensive use of the visas, along with a few key hires, to help its case. The organization, which plays up its ties to Trump and hosts its annual fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, promises “persistent grassroots advocacy” on its website. And it notes that Trump properties are prodigious users of these types of visas. In fact, recent data from the Department of Labor showed that the Trump Organization requested 184 foreign worker visas through the so-called H-2B program for its various properties, a record number for the organization. The group’s visa push is the latest in the tug-of-war between business interests that need foreign labor and immigration hard-liners who say foreigners are taking American jobs — with Trump straddling an uncomfortable middle. SEA spokesperson Gray Delany said in an interview that the group has met with officials at the Department of Homeland Security, the White House’s legislative team, and even made an effort to talk to Eric Trump, the president’s son, and other Trump Org members. But their real ace in the hole, Delany suggested, is that they believe the Trump administration supports the visa program — and that, at least for now, these temporary worker visas haven’t angered immigration hawks who have been agitating for fewer immigrant visas overall. “I feel like we’re in a very good position with the administration. We’ve been told this is the one program they actually support,” he said. “We work very hard to differentiate ourselves from H-1B and some of these other visa programs,” adding that SEA is trying to frame the seasonal visas their members need as a “workforce visa program” and not an “immigration program.”

Breitbart [11/26/2025 3:20 AM, Neil Munro, 2416K] reports President Donald Trump is using the nation’s multiple visa programs to encourage foreign investment, but not to replace Americans, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. “There’s been a lot of [media] misunderstanding of the president’s position,” Leavitt told reporters in a Monday gaggle outside the White House. She explained: The President does not support American workers being replaced. You are mischaracterizing what the President said … The President has a very nuanced and common-sense opinion on this issue … He wants to see if foreign companies are investing trillions of dollars in the United States of America, and they’re bringing foreign workers with them to create very niche things like batteries. He wants to see that at the beginning, to get those manufacturing facilities in those factories up and running, but ultimately, the President always wants to see American workers in those jobs. He’s told these foreign companies that are investing here, you better be hiring my people if you’re going to be doing business in the United States. Leavitt spoke after she was asked, “Is it MAGA to support American workers being replaced with H-1B visa holders? Are Americans not capable of filling most of these positions?”

CNN [11/26/2025 1:54 AM, Audrey Romjue, 18595K] reports that, if elected governor of Florida, James Fishback says he would eliminate the H-1B visa program entirely, arguing it prevents Americans from getting jobs and disproportionately benefits Indian immigrants. He says that immigrants, including those who become citizens, should not be included in the American dream. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 1:39 PM, Pedro Rodriguez, 1394K] reports that the department announced that it would open investigations, impose fines, collect back wages that they owe to workers, assess civil money penalties, and "temporarily restrict employers from engaging with the foreign labor visa program in the future." The department added that it will additionally share information and coordinate with relevant government agencies to identify and combat alleged fraud and discrimination against American workers. Gov. Ron DeSantis has called the H1-B program a "total scam," accusing employers of laying off American workers while at the same time hiring new employees on the visas. The department’s plan comes after President Donald Trump began to reform the H-1B visa program in September, after he signed an executive order that instructed the Department of Homeland Security to change the registration fee for the visa to $100,000. "This program has been abused for too long," Trump said, adding that the program has "displaced" American workers and suppressed wages. "It’s time to fix it for our people," the president added. The majority of people who are employed under the visa come from India, at 73%, according to Pew Research Center. The second-highest country with H1-B hires is China at 12%. Business leaders and visa holders outside of the country panicked after the news was announced in September, which led to the White House clarifying that the new restrictions would only apply to future applicants, not those already working in the U.S. and temporarily out of the country.

Daily Caller [11/25/2025 2:00 PM, Reagan Reese, 835K] reports that the Heritage Foundation is weighing in on the H1-B debate, calling for Congress and the administration to drastically reform certain U.S. visa policies, the Daily Caller first learned. The debate over H1-B visas began after President Donald Trump appeared with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham in November and was pressed on the policy proposal. Trump argued America needs to import more people because current citizens are not skilled or talented enough to do certain jobs. Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow for the Border and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, wrote a report on the policy, calling on Congress to eliminate the exemptions for research and nonprofits, replace the H-1B lottery with a wage-based ranking system and expressly state that H-4 visa holders are not authorized to work. "Rather than this regulatory back and forth swing between administrations, it’s past time for Congress to end not only the numerous types of H-1B abuses, but also the administrative state creations that developed the student-to-H-1B-green-card pipeline that adversely affects American students and employees," Hankinson writes in the report. The Heritage Foundation also makes recommendations for how the Trump administration should change the H1-B policy. The report suggests that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should "limit the number of H1-B applicants each company can petition for annually" while also permanently barring "any company, individual or entity from petitioning or participating in the H1-B process if it knowingly violates immigration law."

NewsMax [11/25/2025 4:51 PM, Sam Barron, 4109K] reports the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is using the H-1B visa enforcement initiative Project Firewall to help crack down on hiring discrimination. The EEOC has vowed to crack down on businesses that prefer to hire foreign workers by advertising job openings as only available to H-1B visa holders, releasing new and updated educational materials to reaffirm and emphasize legal protections against national origin discrimination. Project Firewall was launched by the Department of Labor this fall, and aims to safeguard the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers by ensuring employers prioritize qualified Americans when hiring. The plan also includes enforcement actions to hold employers accountable if they abuse the H-1B visa program. As part of Project Firewall, the Department of Labor is sharing information and coordinating with other government agencies, including the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to combat unlawful discrimination against American workers.

Washington Times [11/25/2025 4:51 PM, Corey DeAngelis, 852K] reports President Trump stirred up a hornet’s nest during his recent interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News by saying bluntly that America needs the H-1B visa program because, in his words, too many Americans lack the talent for high-skilled jobs. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially coming from the man who promised to put America first. As much as it stings, it’s hard to argue with him when you look at the cold, hard facts about our failing education system. Consider the latest Nation’s Report Card scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite pouring an astonishing $20,000 per student per year into our K-12 schools, more than nearly any other nation on the planet, less than 1 in 3 American children are proficient in math. This result is a national embarrassment. On the international stage, the picture is equally grim. The U.S. ranks abysmally on the Programme for International Student Assessment, lagging countries that spend far less per student. We outspend the world, yet our outcomes scream mediocrity. So, yes, Mr. Trump has a point: Right now, we’re forced to rely on H-1B visas to import the skilled labor we desperately need because our own system isn’t producing enough homegrown talent. Here’s the good news: We don’t have to accept this failure as inevitable.

Telemundo Amarillo [11/25/2025 4:33 PM, Staff, 4K] reports a 2-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy will spend Thanksgiving without their mother after she was detained by immigration agents in St. Clair County, Alabama. Sonia Parris, 30, was born in Mexico but was brought to the United States when she was only two months old. She was arrested on November 17 for failing to appear at a traffic court hearing. She was then taken into ICE custody, and it is unknown whether her children will ever see her again. Her arrest comes just before Thanksgiving and her eldest son’s 13th birthday on November 28. Both of Sonia’s children were born in the United States. For years, Sonia was able to work and remain in the United States thanks to the DACA program. But her family says that over the years it has become more difficult to renew it, and a small mistake could affect the process. After her arrest, her family paid a $50 bond, but when they went to pick her up, they received the news that she had been detained by ICE. Her family does not know where she is being held and they have been unable to communicate with her. According to the family, Sonia Parris’s hearing has been scheduled for December 16. The last they heard from her was that she was transferred to Louisiana on Friday, November 21.

Houston Chronicle [11/25/2025 5:00 AM, Bayliss Wagner, 2983K] reports hundreds of thousands of Texans without legal status can no longer register or renew vehicle registrations after the state quietly tightened ID requirements, a sudden policy shift that has left some county tax offices and motorists bewildered. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles alerted county tax offices on Nov. 18 that residents must now show current proof of legal status—such as a valid Texas driver’s license, unexpired U.S. passport or foreign passport with a visa—to register or renew a vehicle. The change came one day after Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison demanded that Gov. Greg Abbott direct his appointees on the DMV’s board to stop "issuing vehicle registrations to illegal aliens." Harrison took credit for prompting the shift through the letter and a two-week-long social media campaign that blasted the agency, though the DMV has not confirmed that he played any role in the decision. The abrupt rule change, which took effect immediately, has left county tax offices unsure how to proceed. Texas already requires proof of legal residency for people seeking drivers’ licenses, but it hasn’t previously done so for registrations.

AP [11/25/2025 4:57 PM, Dánica Coto, 31753K] reports the U.S. government imposed visa restrictions on Fritz Alphonse Jean, a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, accusing him of supporting gangs and other criminal organizations as the country’s political instability threatened to deepen. The U.S. did not name the person it sanctioned in late Monday’s announcement, but Jean confirmed it was him, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that he rejected those accusations, which some believe are being used as a threat to try and influence Haiti’s politics. Haiti is due to hold elections by Feb. 7, when the nine-member transitional presidential council is supposed to step down. Critics have asserted that some council members seek to stay in power beyond that date and are looking for a new prime minister who would support those plans. Jean dismissed that assertion, saying he wants a new prime minister to fight gangs and corruption.

CBS New York [11/25/2025 6:40 PM, Staff, 39474K] Video: HERE reports federal officials say a show and tell of counterfeit goods at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday afternoon revealed an urgent warning for the public. Officials say knock-offs of everything from jewelry and electronics to kids’ toys can be not just fake, but dangerous. The trove looked like luxury on display, but all of it was risky and criminal. Fake handbags, watches, jewelry, toys and more were confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security agents. "Fake electronics can overheat and explode. Children’s toys can contain toxic levels of lead. Bicycle helmets can shatter on impact. And counterfeit cosmetic in health care products are often made with unsafe or unsanitary ingredients," said Marina Vides of Homeland Security Investigations. Last year, CBP seized 67 million counterfeit products nationwide worth $7 billion, officials said.

Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 1:49 PM, Staff, 1394K] reports that New Orleans and state officials are preparing for the expected arrival of U.S. Border Patrol agents as the Trump administration expands its immigration crackdown in the South, but information remains sparse. No public official at the state or federal level has confirmed reports that hundreds of agents are headed to the New Orleans area in early December. The office of Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who supports Trump’s mass deportation agenda, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office referred The Center Square to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who said they "do not discuss current or future operations." "Operation Swamp Sweep" could target the service industry that drives the city’s economy and employs immigrants, and possibly the northwest suburb of Kenner, which has a large Hispanic population. It has already highlighted the political divide between Republicans who lead the state and Democrats who lead New Orleans. Murrill, a Republican, warned Monday that Louisiana law forbids obstructing federal immigration officers, and penalties "may include imprisonment with hard labor and thousands of dollars in fines," according to her social media post on X. New Orleans is expected to be the next city in the agency’s southern surge, which started in Charlotte, North Carolina in mid-November. The operation had reportedly resulted in the arrests of 370 people as of last week, with at least 44 having criminal records. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said Thursday the operation there "isn’t ending anytime soon."

Chicago Tribune [11/25/2025 2:20 PM, Staff, 4829K] reports that Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino was recently deposed as part of a lawsuit over the use of force by immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz, and transcripts of the proceedings show his questioning grew testy immediately. Attorneys in the case sparred as Bovino at times evaded questions on the controversial conduct of his agents, who drew sharp criticism for confronting Chicagoans and using tear gas in city neighborhoods. [Editorial note: consult extended commentary and transcript at source link] CBS Chicago [11/25/2025 6:16 PM, Chris Tye, 39474K] Video: HERE reports newly released transcripts of the deposition given by Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino revealed repeatedly heated exchanges with attorneys for a group of local protesters and journalists who have accused agents under his command of using excessive force. Bovino was questioned over the course of three days in a deposition as part of a lawsuit filed over agents’ aggressive tactics during the ongoing immigration enforcement operation in the Chicago area, and transcripts of that deposition showed it was tense right out of the gate. Trump administration attorneys chastised the plaintiff’s lawyers at the start of the proceedings for not shaking Bovino’s hand. Both sides repeatedly accused the other of showing a lack of respect. The transcript from the first day of Bovino’s deposition shows inconsistencies and roadblocks, technicalities and tension on a palpably morning on Oct. 30 at the Dirksen federal courthouse. Bovino was repeatedly asked about an Oct. 23 confrontation with protesters in Little Village, during which Bovino was seen throwing tear gas above the heads of the crowd without warning. That deposition led to U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis restricting agents’ use of tear gas, pepper-balls and physical force. Her order has since been paused by a federal appeals court, and Bovino has since moved his focus to Charlotte. Members of Congress who fund the Department of Homeland Security said they expect a ramp-up of agents in Chicago come January, saying the funding and intent is there to increase immigration enforcement in the new year. The Chicago Tribune [11/25/2025 2:21 PM, Jason Meisner, Gregory Royal Pratt, and Madeline Buckley 4829K] reports the recent deposition of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino about the use of force by his immigration agents during "Operation Midway Blitz" seemed to go off the rails the minute they said "hello.” "You didn’t want to shake (Bovino’s) hand when he walked into the room," Department of Justice attorney Sarmad Khojasteh told plaintiffs’ attorney Locke Bowman during an early break in the proceedings, according to a transcript made public late Monday. "That was noted…Treat him with respect. Treat me with respect. You’re a professional." What followed was nearly seven hours of terse and sometimes evasive answers from Bovino, punctuated by an occasional longer explanation about the allegedly violent mobs attacking and threatening immigration agents. The questioning was almost constantly interrupted by bickering between the attorneys, mostly instigated by Khojasteh, who at one point called Bowman a "petulant old man." Bowman, meanwhile, repeatedly accused Khojasteh of trying to hijack the proceedings with his almost constant objections and accusations, the transcript shows. "Stop it. Just stop it," an exasperated Bowman told Khojasteh at one point. "You don’t need to give speeches." The full transcript of Bovino’s deposition was made part of the court record as attorneys in an ongoing lawsuit accused immigration agents with Border Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of routinely violating a restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis limiting the use of force against protesters and media.

Chicago Tribune [11/25/2025 5:34 PM, Jason Meisner, 4829K] reports a federal prosecutor revealed in court Tuesday that despite assault charges being dismissed, a separate criminal investigation remains ongoing into an incident in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood last month where a woman was shot by a Border Patrol agent. The exact nature of the probe was not revealed, though it seems to center on the agent involved in the shooting of Marimar Martinez on Oct. 4 after her car collided with the agent’s vehicle in what became one of the highest-profile incidents of Operation Midway Blitz. Martinez, who was wounded seven times in the shooting, had been accused of intentionally ramming the agents’ vehicle. But the U.S. attorney’s office dismissed all charges against her last week after it was revealed the agent, Charles Exum, bragged about his marksmanship in text messages to his agent buddies, including one that said, "I fired 5 shots and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys." During a hearing on that request Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald DeWald confirmed that Martinez’s car was still being held by federal investigators due to a pending investigation, which he characterized as criminal in nature. U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis asked DeWald to respond in writing to the motion for the release of body camera footage by Dec. 5.

FOX News [11/25/2025 4:51 PM, Emma Bussey, 40621K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has uncovered more than $10.3 million worth of alleged methamphetamine at the Pharr International Bridge in South Texas, according to reports. The discovery was made Nov. 21, when a truck arriving at the cargo facility was referred for additional checks with the huge stash found hidden in a shipment of lettuce coming in from Mexico. In a news release Tuesday, officials said nonintrusive inspection technology was used to isolate the drugs. Officers said they identified irregularities within the load of salad greens and a subsequent physical search uncovered 500 packages of suspected methamphetamine concealed within the salad leaves. According to the release, authorities seized approximately 1,153 pounds of the narcotics, packed into boxes meant to look like standard lettuce shipments. CBP’s Office of Field Operations seized both the illicit cargo and the commercial vehicle involved. According to the news release, Homeland Security Investigations has since opened a criminal inquiry into the smuggling effort.

Blaze [11/25/2025 7:00 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy ruffled feathers among the professionally offended last week by noting that "traveling has become more uncivilized." Duffy cited Federal Aviation Administration data indicating a 400% increase of in-flight outbursts, including physical violence since 2019; 13,800 reported unruly passenger incidents since 2021; and a doubling last year of unruly passenger events compared with 2019. As part of the Department of Transportation’s broader effort to usher in a "Golden Age of Travel for the American people" — which dovetails with an initiative to beautify and restore key transportation infrastructure — Duffy kicked off a campaign on Wednesday aimed at jump-starting "a nationwide conversation around how we can restore courtesy and class to air travel." In an interview with Blaze News editor Christopher Bedford on Monday, Duffy said he’s not necessarily calling for a return to three-piece suits and top hats — just a return to basic decency. "I think it’s a confluence of things that have come together that have caused people, as they get on airplanes, to be less civil to each other," Duffy said. A change in general behavior could make traveling a whole lot less vexatious, not only daily where the TSA’s current volume is roughly 2.48 million souls, but this week — a week where the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 17.8 million people from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, with over 3 million souls on Sunday alone. "We are projecting that the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be one of the busiest travel days in TSA history," Adam Stahl, a senior official at the TSA, said in statement.

CBS Miami [11/25/2025 6:02 PM, Chelsea Jones, 39474K] Video: HERE reports Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick posted bond Tuesday after surrendering to federal authorities at the courthouse in downtown Miami. She faces a 15-count indictment accusing her of stealing $5 million in FEMA funds and channeling the money through a family business and her campaign. The only time the public saw the congresswoman on Tuesday was inside the courtroom, where she appeared in handcuffs. Her husband sat silently in the gallery, appearing distraught. Attorneys for Cherfilus-McCormick denied the allegations outside the courthouse, claiming she is being unfairly targeted. According to federal prosecutors, the indictment includes charges of theft of government funds, money laundering, making and receiving straw donor contributions, and filing false tax returns. If convicted, she faces more than 50 years in prison and over $2 million in fines.

Washington Post [11/25/2025 1:18 PM, Brianna Sacks, 24149K] reports in early November, Illinois and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials pulled dozens of personnel back from surveying flood-damaged neighborhoods in Chicago because immigration agents were conducting patrols nearby, according to messages reviewed by The Washington Post and four people with knowledge of the situation. The four individuals, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. The decision to halt the disaster assessment teams’ work on Nov. 6 came amid an ongoing immigration crackdown in the city, leaving the coordinating state and agency officials worried that FEMA’s efforts could put residents as well as the surveyors at risk. The shift meant about 10 groups of federal, state, county and local workers had to stop work surveying hundreds of homes that sustained heavy water damage in parts of the city hit hard by recent storms — assessments that help the federal agency document disaster impacts, and can help make a case for why an area may need help paying for recovery. Last month, the Trump administration denied the state’s initial request for a disaster declaration meant to help its communities rebound from back-to-back punishing summer storms, concluding there was “insufficient severity,” according to a letter obtained by The Post. Illinois then asked FEMA to conduct additional damage analysis to further document the scores of homes still recovering, many with mold and other issues, in hopes the president would reconsider. Parts of Illinois, including Cook County’s Chicago, experienced severe flooding in July and again in August. In meetings at the end of October, FEMA’s regional administrator notified Homeland Security officials overseeing the Chicago immigration operation about upcoming surveys in the area, according to a person with knowledge of the meetings. It is unclear why immigration agents then ended up in the same place as emergency personnel. Multiple FEMA employees said there were discussions meant to prevent that from happening.

USA Today [11/25/2025 11:50 AM, Jeanine Santucci, 67103K] reports at least one tornado touched down in Texas on Nov. 24, leaving behind a path of destruction with damage to over 100 homes and fallen trees, officials said. The tornado went through parts of Harris County, which includes Houston, the afternoon of Nov. 24, the National Weather Service office serving Houston and Galveston said. Its intensity has not yet been rated, and survey teams will head to the site on Nov. 25, the weather service said. A second unconfirmed tornado on the same day is also being investigated after moving over parts of Austin and Waller counties. The dozens of damaged homes are in the Memorial Northwest neighborhood, Constable of Harris County Precinct 4 Mark Herman said in a post to social media. On Nov. 24, first responders were searching the debris for any signs of injured or trapped residents, he said. "Our priority is the safety of our residents," Herman said. "We are using every resource available to locate the injured, secure the area, and support our community through this emergency." Authorities hadn’t reported any injuries as of early Nov. 25.

Axios [11/25/2025 12:47 PM, Andrew Solender, 12972K] reports that the U.S. House will dramatically increase the amount of money available to its members for their personal security as part of a new program launching next month, according to an email to congressional offices obtained by Axios. Why it matters: Threats against members of Congress have been on the rise for years, exacerbating a growing sentiment on Capitol Hill that serving in Congress is no longer worth the associated risks and challenges. Some House members, such as Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have even cited fear for their families’ safety as a factor in their decision to leave the job. The last two years alone have seen a two assassination attempts against President Trump, an act of arson against Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-Pa.) home, the shooting of Minnesota lawmakers and the killing of Charlie Kirk. Just last week, a group of Democrats faced a surge of violent threats after President Trump said comments they made urging military service members to defy unlawful orders were "punishable by DEATH." Driving the news: House sergeant-at-arms William McFarland said in an email Monday that members will have access to $20,000 per month to bulk up their security at their homes, district offices and while traveling. That is double the amount they were receiving after the Kirk shooting in September under a pilot program that McFarland said will now be made permanent on Dec. 1.

Axios [11/26/2025 1:43 AM, Rebecca Falconer, 12972K] reports the Trump administration is increasing its icebreaking fleet in the Arctic, per a new report that warns other nations are expanding their "capabilities" in the resource-rich region — singling out China as a particular threat. As the Arctic climate rapidly warms, China and Russia have been moving into the region — seeing the northern reaches as a resource-rich crossroads, and melting ice grants new travel and trade routes as well as opportunities for military basing, per Axios’ Colin Demarest. Trump’s desire for the U.S. to control Greenland is based largely on a desire to tap the Arctic territory’s immense mineral wealth, Axios’ Dave Lawler notes. Now, the Department of Homeland Security is prioritizing "building and maintaining Arctic and polar icebreakers domestically while advancing workforce development initiatives" under the administration plan, per a message in the report from DHS undersecretary Robert Law. "The Arctic and polar regions are increasingly critical to U.S. national security, economic prosperity, and global leadership, especially as other nations expand their capabilities in these locations," Law says. An "unprecedented number of Chinese military and research vessels" have operated in or near U.S. Arctic waters in 2025, according to the report, titled "The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort U.S. National Workforce Development Plan." This prompted the U.S. Coast Guard "to respond decisively in defense of American sovereignty" in a "proactive stance" that reflects the administration’s "renewed commitment to securing U.S. borders and interests, even in the remote Arctic" region. "However, China’s continued expansion of its icebreaking fleet poses a potential challenge to U.S. maritime sovereignty if future Chinese operations fall outside legal parameters," the report says To address "the growing need for modern icebreaking vessels," the U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the USCG Cutter Storis this year, which the report notes is "the first polar icebreaker acquired in over 25 years." The report says the USCG, which has command over Arctic waters, needs more modern vessels to effectively secure U.S. polar interests. "Recruiting vocational workers is essential to addressing the workforce gaps associated with icebreaker construction, with a particular focus on welders and design engineers," per the report. This requires a "coordinated effort to promote the shipbuilding industry to the public and raise awareness of available resources for recruitment and training" and must include "addressing the perception that shipbuilding does not offer long-term, stable, or well-paid employment," according to the report. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hosted the Canadian ambassador to the U.S. and Finnish economic affairs minister in Washington, D.C., last week and the three nations "committed to doubling-down on their efforts to revitalize their domestic shipbuilding industries and growing their icebreaker fleets," per a DHS statement. "Today, we marked a major milestone in the race to secure the Arctic against our adversaries," Noem said. "ICE Pact, the historic trilateral partnership between the United States, Canada, and Finland, will power our economies with good jobs, strengthen our collective Arctic defense, and bring us one step closer to rebuilding our icebreaker fleets," she added. "Under President Trump, we are finally asserting our Arctic dominance."

NBC News [11/25/2025 7:07 PM, Camila Bernal, 34509K] reports
Four family members survived nearly 24 hours at sea after their boat capsized. The Coast Guard rescued the group who had been celebrating a birthday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [11/25/2025 5:45 PM, Luke Barr, 30493K] reports the United States is looking to pull ahead of China in the race to navigate the Arctic, according to a Department of Homeland Security document, and warns that a shortage of U.S. shipbuilders could hamper the effort. The Department of Homeland Security said in a document titled "The Icebreaker Collaboration Effort U.S. National Workforce Development Plan" that in 2025, there was an "unprecedented" number of Chinese military and research vessels in the Arctic, operating in or near U.S. waters. The Department of Homeland Security says it has a plan to tackle the shortage of shipbuilders in the U.S. The Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security have prioritized funding and building icebreakers to compete with countries like China. Law says the plan will support U.S. "security, growth and leadership" in the Arctic through public and private partnerships. The U.S. Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction over Arctic waters, commissioned the icebreaker "USCG Cutter Storis," which is the first polar icebreaker acquired in over 25 years. There are some challenges, according to the report, mainly a labor shortage of U.S. shipbuilders, and that China is undercutting the U.S. in shipbuilding. The Department of Homeland Security said that recruiting shipbuilders in the U.S. "will require a coordinated effort."

AP [11/25/2025 8:53 AM, David Klepper, 2983K] reports hackers working for Russian intelligence attacked an American engineering company this fall, investigators at a U.S. cybersecurity company said Tuesday — seemingly because that firm had worked for a U.S. municipality with a sister city in Ukraine. The findings reflect the evolving tools and tactics of Russia’s cyber war and demonstrate Moscow’s willingness to attack a growing list of targets, including governments, organizations and private companies that have supported Ukraine, even in a tenuous way. Arctic Wolf, the U.S. cybersecurity firm that identified the Russian campaign, wouldn’t identify its customer or the city it worked with to protect their security, but said the company had no direct connection to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the group behind the attack, known to cybersecurity experts as RomCom, has consistently targeted groups with links to Ukraine and its defense against Russia. "They routinely go after organizations that support Ukrainian institutions directly, provide services to Ukrainian municipalities, and assist organizations tied to Ukrainian civil society, defense, or government functions," said Ismael Valenzuela, Arctic Wolf’s vice president of labs, threat research and intelligence. The attack on the engineering firm was identified by Arctic Wolf in September before it could disrupt the engineering company’s operations or spread further. A message left with officials at the Russian Embassy in Washington seeking comment was not immediately returned.

FOX News [11/25/2025 12:09 PM, Efrat Lachter, 40621K] Video: HERE reports President Donald Trump’s new executive order directing the State and Treasury departments to pursue terrorism designations for specific Muslim Brotherhood chapters marks one of the most significant shifts in U.S. policy toward the movement in decades. Signed on Nov. 24, it launches the first formal review of Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon under U.S. designation laws and redefines how Washington treats Islamist movements with political and militant wings. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, praised the move, calling it essential for national security. "The Muslim Brotherhood and its branches encourage, facilitate and provide resources for conducting jihadist terrorism across the world," he said, urging Congress to advance his Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025. Washington has long debated whether the Brotherhood is a unified global movement or a loose network of national branches with different agendas and levels of militancy. That dispute stalled previous attempts to designate the group. Trump’s order bypasses that debate and directs federal agencies to examine individual chapters that analysts say already meet the legal thresholds.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 8:16 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports the families of hundreds of U.S. citizens killed or injured by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, accuse cryptocurrency exchange Binance of supporting terrorism. The families of 306 U.S. citizens harmed or killed during the attack filed a 272-page federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of North Dakota on Monday. They say Malta-based Binance marketed its services to "terrorist organizations, narcotics traffickers and tax evaders" by emphasizing that Binance is "beyond the reach of any single country’s laws or regulations," the lawsuit says, as reported by New York Times. The plaintiff families accused Binance of conducting transactions that totaled more than $1 billion on behalf of Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Binance officials handled the transactions despite being warned of potential illegality by its compliance vendors and did not use common security checks, according to the lawsuit. The plaintiffs also claim Binance willfully handled at least $50 million in transactions for Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians that killed 1,200 and kidnapped 254 others. The lawsuit was filed a month after President Donald Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao after he earlier pleaded guilty to money laundering charges, according to CNBC. Zhao is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, along with Guangying Chen and Binance Holdings Ltd., who are accused of intentionally creating Binance to serve as a "criminal enterprise to facilitate money laundering on a global scale.” The plaintiffs say the Binance officials knew Hamas and other designated foreign terrorist organizations regularly used the cryptoexchange and actively assisted them "at a time when Hamas, in particular, was publicly directing its donors to send funds" to its Binance cryptowallets. Binance officials also disregarded filing required suspicious activity reports and manipulated how qualifying transactions were reported to prevent any scrutiny by U.S. banking regulators, the plaintiffs argue. Binance "actively tried to shield its Hamas customers and their funds from scrutiny by U.S. regulators or law enforcement — a practice that continues to this day," the plaintiff families say. The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages in amounts to be determined at trial, treble damages due to alleged international terrorism-related activities, legal costs and other damages. Binance officials told UPI they are aware of the federal complaint but cannot comment on active litigation. The crypto exchange said it fully complies with internationally recognized sanctions laws and in 2025 had a direct exposure to illicit flows of less than 0.02% of platform volume, which it said is significantly below the industry average. "We have invested hundreds of millions of dollars, expanded our global compliance-related workforce to over 1,280 specialists (22% of our entire workforce), and built real-time intelligence-sharing partnerships with law enforcement worldwide," Binance said. "We remain steadfast in our commitment to working with regulators, law enforcement and our users to protect the integrity of the global digital-asset ecosystem.”

Reported similarly:
New York Times [11/25/2025 2:12 PM, Stacy Cowley, 135475K]

FOX News [11/25/2025 7:52 AM, Staff, 40621K] reports Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy McCarthy joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the backlash facing the FBI after thwarting an alleged ISIS-inspired attack on Halloween and a Pentagon investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly over a video to service members. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Blaze [11/25/2025 4:00 PM, Staff, 1442K] reports Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies have resulted in yet another attack on an innocent woman. On November 17, 26-year old Bethany MaGee was riding Chicago’s Blue Line L train when 50-year-old Lawrence Reed — a serial offender with 72 prior arrests — allegedly doused her in gasoline and lit her on fire, reportedly shouting, "Burn alive, bitch." Although MaGee escaped from the train, she now remains in critical condition, hospitalized in a burn unit with severe injuries covering approximately 60% of her body. Reed was arrested the following day and charged with a federal terrorism offense.

Daily Wire [11/25/2025 12:32 PM, Amanda Prestigiacomo, 2494K] reports Bethany MaGee is still receiving treatment at the hospital for severe burns after a man with more than 70 arrests doused her in gasoline and set her ablaze in an unprovoked attack on a Chicago train, the 26-year-old’s family shared on Tuesday. The family has created a GoFundMe account to help support MaGee, confirming the young woman’s identity, but also asking for privacy during MaGee’s long road to recovery. "On November 17, Bethany MaGee was riding a CTA train in Chicago when she was attacked," the family wrote. "She is currently hospitalized with the severe burns she sustained, and she is receiving treatment under the excellent care of her medical team.” The family described MaGee as an animal lover, kind, and sensitive. "In response to the countless requests for a way to help, our family is setting up this GoFundMe on Bethany’s behalf," the MaGees said. "Many of her immediate medical expenses are covered by insurance and a victims fund, but with such a long road ahead of her, the freedom from financial worries would be a tremendous blessing. No gifts are expected, but any that are given will go directly to Bethany.” The GoFundMe has so far garnered more than $30,000 in donations. Lawrence Reed, 50, has been charged with a federal terrorism offense in connection to the attack and is facing life in prison, The Daily Wire reported this week. Surveillance footage shows the suspect dousing MaGee in gasoline and chasing her on the train car before setting her ablaze. Reed, who’s been arrested 72 times, allegedly shouted "burn alive, b****" and "burn, b****" during the attack. Right now, DailyWire+ annual memberships are fifty percent off during our Black Friday sale. Join now at dailywire.com/blackfriday. Reed’s criminal history includes eight felony and seven misdemeanor convictions, according to the Associated Press. Reed’s arrests concern arson, assault and battery, and other offenses. At the time of his most recent attack, Reed was ordered to wear electronic monitoring due an aggravated battery charge in which he was accused of hitting a social worker. Cook County prosecutors wanted to keep Reed behind bars until his trial, but the judge released him. MaGee’s family asked for privacy at this time, writing, "This will be her story to tell—or not to tell—in the future.”

Washington Examiner [11/25/2025 5:44 PM, Heather Hunter, 1394K] reports authorities identified the victim as Bethany MaGee, who was attacked on Nov. 17 by a man who prosecutors have labeled a serial offender with an extensive criminal history. Federal officials say the suspect, Lawrence Reed, 50, has been charged with terrorism and could face the death penalty if convicted. In a series of posts, Duffy emphasized the danger he says repeat offenders pose under current Illinois policies. Reed’s record includes 22 arrests since 2016 and 53 criminal cases in Cook County dating back to 1993, officials said. Nine of those were felony convictions. Despite the lengthy record, Reed has served just two short stints in jail totaling about 2.5 years. President Donald Trump also weighed in during the White House turkey pardoning ceremony on Tuesday, sharply criticizing Chicago’s mayor and the governor. The attack has revived debate over Chicago’s criminal-justice policies. The case against Reed is ongoing, and MaGee remains hospitalized in critical condition.

FOX News [11/25/2025 7:16 PM, Alexandra Koch Fox, 40621K] reports a Florida man was arrested after an FBI investigation linked him to multiple extremist group chats on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where agents claim he used aliases to share disturbing graphic messages, detailed instructions for explosives and violent neo-Nazi propaganda. Lucas Alexander Temple, 20, is facing federal charges for distribution of information regarding the manufacturing or use of explosives and possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, according to court documents. According to criminal complaints, Temple shared a hand-drawn diagram of a homemade detonator, linked to YouTube videos describing how to synthesize dynamite and construct blasting caps, and posted a 122-page extremist manual filled with White supremacist rhetoric. Investigators said the chats also included graphic discussions promoting rape, torture and murder, including the killing of non-White children. Screenshots of messages allegedly sent by Temple’s aliases included phrases like, "How long would it take to rape a femboy to death?" and discussions about sexually assaulting men. Temple’s online aliases were linked to his true identity through personal details shared in chats — including his age, job at a grocery store and a family museum visit — and were verified with state records and security footage, according to the complaint. While executing a search warrant at Temple’s home on Thursday, FBI agents found neo-Nazi propaganda, a book related to Columbine High School shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris and a Springfield Model 67 Series E shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches. The barrel was allegedly sawed off and found in a separate area by investigators. ATF records confirmed Temple was not registered to have the weapon. Agents also found a handwritten note that said, "Plans: Wear body cams for livestream. Notify friends of livestream. Put flags on car. Play music on car speakers during operation. Place motion-activated bombs in doorways (for cops).” Temple was taken into custody after the search. During his initial court appearance, Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone ordered that he remain detained pending trial, finding he posed a serious danger to others.

NPR [11/25/2025 4:07 PM, Andrew Schneider, 28013K] Video: HERE reports Texas Gov. Greg Abbott invoked a relatively new Texas law to designate two groups as foreign terrorist organizations — one being a national civil rights organization that serves the Muslim community.

FOX News [11/25/2025 11:27 PM, Landon Mion, 40621K] reports a group of Muslim and interfaith leaders are urging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to reverse his proclamation designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a "foreign terrorist organization.” Texas’s designation is state-level only. It does not carry the legal force of a federal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) listing, which only the U.S. State Department can issue. Abbott’s proclamation, therefore, does not trigger federal terrorism penalties or authorities. The leaders of several Muslim groups held a news conference on Tuesday to denounce the governor’s proclamation, which also labeled CAIR as a "a transnational criminal organization.” The groups called on the governor to retract his labeling of the civil rights group, calling it defamatory, destructive and dangerous, according to Fox 4. This comes after CAIR filed a lawsuit against Texas over the governor’s declaration, arguing that it violates both the U.S. Constitution and state law. CAIR argues the order violates its First Amendment rights and due-process protections, and that Texas overstepped its authority because terrorism designations fall under federal, not state, jurisdiction. "The governor is attempting to punish the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization simply because he disagrees with its protected First Amendment rights to criticize a foreign state that is conducting genocide. This is not only contrary to the United States Constitution, but finds no support in any Texas law," Mustaffa Carroll, the executive director for CAIR Dallas Fort Worth, said at the news conference on Tuesday. "You know that CAIR has condemned Hamas attacks. You know that CAIR has spent 31 years fighting terrorism and bigotry. You know that the terrorism boogeyman you invoke is nothing more than a tired, formulated playbook to stoke fear of Muslims," Marium Uddin of the Muslim Legal Defense Fund said on Tuesday. Leaders from other faiths, including Jewish voices, also spoke out against Abbott’s label. "We stand steadfast in solidarity with our comrades in CAIR and in unwavering support in their lawsuit against Abbott’s false and unconstitutional proclamation," Jewish Voice for Peace’s Deborah Armintor said. State Rep. Terry Meza, a Democrat, added that the governor’s words "are not just wrong, they’re dangerous. Making comments like this is dangerous to our Muslim community.” The lawsuit is ongoing, and it remains unclear whether a court will uphold Abbott’s order or strike it down as exceeding state authority. The governor’s decree bars CAIR from buying land in the Lone Star State under a new statute aimed at curbing purchases tied to "foreign adversaries.” Abbott’s order also extended the "terrorist" label to the Muslim Brotherhood, despite the federal government never classifying either group that way. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [11/25/2025 7:14 PM, Sejal Govindarao, 31753K] reports Robert Dear, the man who was charged with killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic in 2015 because it offered abortion services, has died in federal custody, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday. Dear died Saturday at a medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, the Bureau of Prisons said. Dear, 67, died of natural causes, said Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the agency. Dear, who was charged in 2019 in federal court, became entangled in a legal battle over whether he could be medicated for his mental illness, delusional disorder, against his will. He had been repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial, stalling his prosecution. He was most recently civilly committed with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael J. Allen, whose office tried to prosecute Dear in state court. The Associated Press left a voicemail for the federal public defender’s office in Colorado seeking comment. A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment Tuesday.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 11:17 AM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2416K] reports Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday denounced before the Paraguayan parliament that Venezuela’s socialist regime is the main "nexus" that facilitates the presence of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis in the region. Sa’ar traveled to Paraguay as part of a whirlwind South American tour that will continue on Tuesday with a visit to Argentina, where he will meet with President Javier Milei. During his stay in Paraguay, the Israeli foreign minister met with conservative President Santiago Peña and other government officials. Sa’ar described Paraguay as one of Israel’s greatest friends and noted that relations between the two nations are based not only on mutual interests but on shared values. Sa’ar welcomed the Paraguayan government’s designations of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as terrorist organizations. The Israeli Minister and his Paraguayan counterpart Rubén Ramírez Lezcano signed a memorandum of understanding in security and intelligence that aims to improve the capabilities of Paraguay’s law enforcement agencies in the head-on fight against transnational organized crime. Paraguayan Defense Minister Óscar González explained to reporters that the memorandum will go into effect "immediately." Sa’ar also visited the Paraguayan Congress and was welcomed by the head of the Paraguayan Congress, Senator Basilio Núñez, who said that his presence in Congress was beyond a mere protocolar act, but rather, a renewal of the historic friendship of both countries.

USA Today [11/25/2025 5:03 PM, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, 67103K] reports the Trump administration designated Cartel de los Soles, which it claims is headed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization on Nov. 24 as the Trump administration indicates it could launch a military attack inside Venezuela’s borders. In recent months, President Donald Trump and his cabinet have renewed a pressure campaign to remove Maduro, a longtime adversary, from power. The Trump administration’s saber-rattling against Maduro has been bolstered by a massive military buildup near Venezuela and deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean that have killed dozens of people. Maduro and his associates already face criminal charges of "narcoterrorism" in a U.S. court, and Cartel de los Soles has been slapped with heavy sanctions. But experts said the designation is not a military tool, and that the organization it is leveled against – Cartel de los Soles – does not exist as an organized drug cartel.

Reuters [11/25/2025 5:26 PM, Mike Stone, 36480K] reports the U.S. Space Force has awarded about a half dozen small Golden Dome contracts to build competing missile defense prototypes, kicking off a race for future deals worth tens of billions of dollars, according to two sources briefed on the matter. The awards went to several companies including Northrop Grumman (NOC.N), True Anomaly, Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) and Anduril, the sources said. The contracts mark a significant step forward in the Pentagon’s efforts to track and destroy enemy missiles, and include prototypes of space-based interceptors and related systems. While Reuters could not determine the size of the contracts, a July Pentagon presentation seen by Reuters suggested awards for interceptor contracts would be about $120,000 each. The contracts have not yet been publicly announced, though a Space Force spokesperson confirmed the awards, declining to name the contractors. The spokesperson said that contracts under $9 million do not need to be publicly disclosed. Winners of these initial awards will compete for final production contracts that could be worth tens of billions of dollars. The contracts will fund the development of competing prototypes for phase interceptors that will shoot down a missile as it enters space, and the fire control stations to coordinate the signals from satellites and help interceptors launch and find their targets. The Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman and Anduril contracts valued at $10 million, according to values printed in the July Pentagon presentation, the sources said.

Wall Street Journal [11/25/2025 7:32 PM, Alyssa Lukpat and Joseph De Avila, 646K] reports a group of Democratic lawmakers said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had requested interviews with them after they appeared in a video that criticized the Trump administration and called on troops to disobey unlawful orders. The lawmakers said Tuesday that the FBI contacted the Senate and House sergeant at arms asking to speak with the members. The group included Reps. Jason Crow (Colo.), Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), Chris Deluzio (Pa.) and Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.). “President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “We will not be bullied.” The FBI declined to comment Tuesday. Trump last week called for the lawmakers to be arrested and put on trial for sedition. The group, who are all military or intelligence-community veterans, appeared in the 90-second social-media video earlier this month advising military members to disobey orders that violate the Constitution. “You must refuse illegal orders,” Deluzio said in the video. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.) also appeared in the video. Slotkin said Tuesday that the FBI sent a note to Congress on Monday night saying it is opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six Democrats. She said Trump was weaponizing the government. “This is a scare tactic by him,” she said. Kelly’s office said Tuesday that it received an inquiry via the sergeant at arms. “Senator Kelly won’t be silenced,” his office said.

Breitbart [11/26/2025 12:06 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports the FBI wants to interview six military veteran Democratic lawmakers President Donald Trump said should be jailed over a video they produced last week reminding service members of their Constitutional oath and responsibility to reject illegal orders. Five of the lawmakers confirmed in statements on Tuesday that the FBI was seeking to speak with them about the video. "President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress," Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania said in a joint statement Tuesday. "No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution.” Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan specified that the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division had reached out to the lawmakers. "The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet," Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, said in a separate statement published to Bluesky. The lawmakers’ statements accused Trump of using his federal law enforcement to harass and intimate critics. On Monday, the Department of Defense announced it was investigating Sen. Mark Kelly, the sixth Democrat to appear in the video and the only one currently subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. On Tuesday, a Pentagon memo from Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the review of Kelley be completed no later than Dec. 10. The video, published on Nov. 18, caused a stir in Washington as the lawmakers, all former members of the military or intelligence communities, spoke directly to active-duty service members, telling them their oath to uphold the Constitution means they must refuse illegal orders. "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law," Slotkin states in the code. "Or our Constitution," Houlahan, former Air Force, adds. The video was produced as National Guardsmen have been deployed to various Democratic-led cities to aid federal immigration law enforcement as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants. And amid a military buildup near Venezuela, the Trump administration has killed dozens of people in more than 20 attacks in international waters of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean on accusations that they were shipping drugs to the United States. The attacks have drawn domestic and international condemnation, with U.N. experts saying they amount to extrajudicial killings and the president of Colombia accusing Trump of murder. Trump, in a social media post, accused the six Democrats of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL" and said each should be "ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.” During a press conference in Inkster, Mich., on Tuesday, Slotkin said the video was produced in response to concerns they’ve heard from both uniformed and veteran service members about actions they may be asked to take in connection to the deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities as well as the attacks in the Caribbean. "That’s where the video came from," she said. She added that in the wake of Trump’s repeated comments, they have received hundreds if not thousands of death threats. A bomb threat was made to the home where she lives with her family, who have also been harassed, she said.

CNN [11/26/2025 4:01 AM, Zachary Cohen, 18595K] reports publicly, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been highly critical of the six Democratic lawmakers who released a video last week urging military service members to disobey illegal orders, calling the lawmakers the “Seditious Six” and categorizing their message as “despicable, reckless, and false.” That criticism has particularly focused on Sen. Mark Kelly, the member of the group who had the longest tenure in the military and who achieved the highest rank of captain in the Navy. Hegseth has attacked Kelly by name, unlike the other lawmakers. He mocked Kelly for a picture of him in uniform — “you can’t even display your uniform correctly” — and wrote that Kelly’s “conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately.” Behind closed doors, Hegseth is weighing his options to punish Kelly for participating in the video, ones that range from reducing the retired US Navy captain’s rank and pension to prosecuting him under military law, according to a source familiar with the matter. In Kelly, Hegseth sees a critic worth making an example of, and he could technically use the military justice system to do so, the source said. Unlike the other five Democrats who appeared in the video, Kelly is a military retiree — meaning he served long enough to receive a pension, and thus, is still beholden to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ, including its restrictions on free speech, legal experts told CNN.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 7:43 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday will visit the Dominican Republic, a close US Caribbean ally, for talks on combatting drug trafficking amid a standoff between Washington and Venezuela, officials said. The Pentagon confirmed the visit, which comes as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on his Venezuelan arch-foe Nicolas Maduro, accused by Washington of heading a drug cartel. Hegseth’s office said Tuesday he would meet with Dominican President Luis Abinader, his defense minister and other cabinet members "to strengthen defense relationships and reaffirm America’s commitment to defend the homeland, protect our regional partners and ensure stability and security across the Americas.” The announcement came a day after the United States designated an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel, Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), as a foreign terrorist organization. The FTO designation gives the Trump administration legal cover for more action against Venezuelan authorities. The Venezuelan government on Tuesday organized an anti-US march through capital Caracas in protest of the designation. "They always invent a scenario, like the scenario they invented with (Saddam) Hussein, with (Muammar) Gaddafi, to destroy these people, these countries," Candido Miquilarena, a 63-year-old community leader at the march, told AFP. Washington has meanwhile also ramped up military pressure on Caracas, deploying the world’s biggest aircraft carrier to the area, along with a raft of warships. Caracas accuses Washington of using its war on drugs as a cover for an operation aimed at toppling the firebrand Maduro. US strikes on a string of alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have left dozens dead since September. The Dominican Republic has been cooperating with the US operations. Authorities in the country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, announced earlier this month that they had seized about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of cocaine from a boat intercepted during a joint operation with US forces. "We continue working with the United States because this is a tough fight, especially in some countries, mainly in South America, that have seen an increase in drug production, particularly cocaine," Abinader said Tuesday.

Daily Wire [11/25/2025 5:56 AM, Jennie Taer, 2494K] reports President Donald Trump wants to speak directly with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro as the United States continues to strike drug boats off the Latin American country’s coast. Trump, who has designated Maduro as a leader of the Cartel de Los Soles, told advisors that he hopes to speak with the Socialist leader, signaling that he could be taking a more diplomatic route rather than escalating military action, Axios reported. The president’s desire to speak with Maduro comes as the State Department designated the cartel a foreign terrorist organization, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Monday. "Nobody is planning to go in and shoot him or snatch him — at this point. I wouldn’t say never, but that’s not the plan right now," one official familiar with the discussions told Axios. "In the meantime, we’re going to blow up boats shipping drugs. We’re going to stop the drug trafficking," the official said.

Univision [11/25/2025 3:10 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports Venezuelan authorities on Tuesday pressured international airlines that are suspending their routes to the country to resume flights. The regime of Nicolás Maduro said airlines must resume flights to the Caribbean nation within 48 hours, or their authorization to fly will be withdrawn, according to sources in the Venezuelan Ministry of Transport cited by AFP. "Following a meeting yesterday between government representatives and airline representatives, a measure was presented to restore flights within 48 hours (starting yesterday). If this is not done, the country’s permanent flight permit will be revoked," said the source, who requested anonymity. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned the Venezuelan aeronautical authority that revoking the authorization of the airlines would only further isolate the country. This warning from President Nicolás Maduro’s government comes after at least seven international airlines—Spain’s Iberia and Air Europa, Portugal’s TAP, Colombia’s Avianca, Brazil’s GOL, Chile’s Latam, and Turkish Airlines—suspended their flights to Venezuela in recent days after the US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), warned on Friday about increased military activity in the area. Sources linked to the aviation sector in Venezuela informed AFP that all operations by these airlines would remain suspended at least until December 1st. Turkish Airlines indicated in a statement on Sunday that its suspension would last until November 28th. This also comes as the United States is intensifying military pressure in the Caribbean, with the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier and attacks on small boats that the Donald Trump administration claims are ‘narco-boats’.

CNN [11/26/2025 12:01 AM, Isa Soares, Vasco Cotovio, Michael Rios, 18595K] reports that, as US military activity ramps up in the Caribbean and the Pacific, Colombia’s president alleged the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on Venezuela is more about accessing the South American country’s oil than fighting drug trafficking. "(Oil) is at the heart of the matter," Gustavo Petro told CNN in an exclusive interview, noting that Venezuela has what are considered the largest oil reserves in the world. "So, that’s a negotiation about oil. I believe that is (US President Donald) Trump’s logic. He’s not thinking about the democratization of Venezuela, let alone the narco-trafficking," he continued, adding that Venezuela is not considered a major drug producer and that only a relatively small portion of the global drugs trade flows through the country. Petro has been at odds with Trump since he returned to the White House. In the past year, the Colombian leader has harshly criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, its support for Israel and its military activity around Latin America. On Tuesday, he accused the US of trying to impose its will on its neighbors, comparing its actions to imperialism. "The United States cannot be considered an empire, but one of the nations among others," the president said. CNN has reached out to the White House and the US State Department for comment. Asked if he had a message to the American people, Petro replied, "My message is the one they give to all members of the United States special forces: Your function, as they say in the oaths, is to fight against oppression. I repeated that on the streets in the United States, and it also cost me," Petro said. He appeared to be referring to the US State Department revoking his visa at the conclusion of the UN General Assembly in September after he publicly called on American soldiers to disobey Trump and "not to point their rifles at humanity.” It’s one of the many actions the Trump administration has taken against the Colombian leader in recent months. In October, the US Treasury sanctioned Petro, accusing him of playing a "role in the global illicit drug trade," a claim the Colombian leader has rejected. The sanctions were imposed days after Trump said he would halt all US payments and subsidies to Colombia, claiming Petro "does nothing to stop" the production of drugs in his country. Petro defended his efforts to fight the drug trade, telling CNN that his government had seized more cocaine than any other in history. "So much so that in recent years, I have managed to ensure that the growth in crops, which is stagnating, is far surpassed by the growth in seizures," he said. Asked why Trump hadn’t acknowledged this, Petro said: "Because of pride. Because he thinks I’m a subversive thug, a terrorist, and things like that, simply because I was a member of the M-19," a Colombian guerrilla movement active in the 1970s and 1980s.

Reuters [11/25/2025 4:43 PM, Idrees Ali and Tom Balmforth, 36480K] reports President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday Ukraine was ready to advance a U.S.-backed framework for ending the war with Russia and discuss disputed points with U.S. President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies. U.S. and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow the gaps between them over Trump’s plan to end Europe’s deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War Two, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions. In a speech to what is known as the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskiy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a "reassurance force" to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow showed no inclination to end its war. "We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe ... Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won’t work," Zelenskiy said, according to his speech text. "That framework is on the table, and we’re ready to move forward together – with the USA, with the personal engagement of President Trump," he added.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [11/25/2025 8:23 AM, Simon Kent, 2416K]
NewsMax [11/25/2025 9:28 AM, Staff, 4109K]
DailySignal [11/25/2025 10:36 AM, Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, 549K]

USA Today [11/25/2025 3:44 PM, Francesca Chambers and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, 67103K] reports President Donald Trump said only a few "points of disagreement" remain on a possible deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, and he’s sending his top negotiator to Moscow to try to finalize an updated version of his administration’s peace plan. Trump said he’d directed special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, while Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll meets with the Ukrainian government. "The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement," Trump declared in a Truth Social post. The U.S. leader said he’d meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages." He said that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles would be part of future conversations. Trump’s comments seemed to rule out immediate negotiations between himself and Zelenskyy that the Ukrainians were seeking over points of contention in the U.S. plan that seeks to end nearly four years of war. A top Ukrainian official said earlier in the day his country and the U.S. reached "a common understanding on the core terms" of an agreement, with final negotiations to take place between Zelenskyy and Trump by the weekend.

Reuters [11/25/2025 10:12 PM, Jeff Mason and Steve Holland, 36480K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed away from a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to agree to a U.S.-backed peace plan and shrugged off a report that U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff coached the Russians on how to approach him on the topic. Trump, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, said U.S. negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions. He did not detail them. A U.S.-based framework for ending the war, first reported last week, prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow. Trump said his envoy Steve Witkoff would be traveling to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week and that his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who helped negotiate the Gaza deal that brought about an uneasy ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, was also involved. Trump in recent days had set the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday as the day when he wanted to see Ukraine agree to a deal to bring about an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Reuters [11/26/2025 1:39 AM, Staff, 36480K] reports the Kremlin said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and a host of other key U.S. officials would come to Moscow next week for talks on a possible peace plan for Ukraine. Trump, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he flew to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday, said U.S. negotiators were making progress in discussions with Russia and Ukraine, and Moscow had agreed to some concessions. A U.S.-based framework for ending the war, first reported last week, prompted fresh concerns that the Trump administration might be willing to push Ukraine to sign a peace deal heavily tilted toward Moscow. "As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will come to Moscow next week," Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, told Russian state television’s top Kremlin reporter, Pavel Zarubin. Ushakov said that in addition to Witkoff "a number of other administration representatives who are involved in Ukrainian affairs" would also come to Moscow.

AP [11/26/2025 4:03 AM, Staff, 31753K] reports President Donald Trump’s chief interlocutor with the Russian government last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the U.S. president on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg News on Tuesday. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a transcript of the Oct. 14 call published by the news service, advised Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin should call Trump to congratulate him for the Gaza peace deal, say Russia had supported it and that he respects the president as a man of peace. “From that, it’s going to be a really good call,” Witkoff said according to the transcript. When asked by Russian state media to comment on Bloomberg’s report, Ushakov did not question the recordings’ authenticity but said that they had not been leaked by Moscow. He also said that the calls had likely been leaked to “hinder” U.S.-Russia ties. “It’s unlikely this is being done to improve relations,” he said.

Breitbart [11/25/2025 11:34 AM, John Hayward, 2416K] reports President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping by telephone on Monday and said he has accepted an invitation from Xi to visit Beijing in April for a face-to-face meeting. The Chinese government officially announced the phone call between Trump and Xi first, describing it as an upbeat and friendly conversation about issues including Ukraine, Taiwan, and international trade. "As far as I know, the call was initiated by the U.S. side, and the atmosphere was positive, friendly, and constructive. Communication between the two heads of state on issues of common concern is very important for the stable development of China-U.S. relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday morning. According to the Foreign Ministry, Xi stressed during the call that China’s authority over Taiwan is an "integral part of the postwar international order," and suggested the U.S. and China should "jointly safeguard the victory of World War 2." China is currently embroiled in a diplomatic feud with Japan over Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae saying her country would view a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as an existential threat. Xi was unsubtly hinting at this crisis by mentioning the war Imperial Japan lost in 1945. China’s summary of the phone call claimed Trump indicated he "understands how important the Taiwan question is to China," but Trump said nothing about Taiwan when he wrote a Truth Social post about his conversation with Xi on Monday evening.

New York Times [11/25/2025 6:09 AM, Jin Yu Young, 153395K] reports the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday that it was trying to recover an MQ-9 Reaper drone that fell into the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s west coast a day earlier. The unmanned drone had an “incident” near Maldo-Ri Island during a routine mission early Monday, according to a statement released by Kunsan Air Base, a U.S. military base on South Korea’s west coast. The drone was assigned to the 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, which operates MQ-9 drones, one of the most expensive and sophisticated in the U.S. arsenal, from the Kunsan Air Base. A spokeswoman for the military confirmed on Tuesday afternoon local time that the drone had not yet been recovered. The U.S. military has more than 28,000 troops in South Korea, one of its largest deployments in the world. U.S. forces have been stationed in South Korea continuously since the end of the Korean War in 1953, as a deterrent to North Korea. The cause of the incident and whether there was damage to the drone are still under investigation, the spokeswoman said. China, North Korea and South Korea all have coasts on the Yellow Sea.

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