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

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

The Wall Street Journal [9/4/2025 7:00 AM, Michelle Hackman, 646K] reports the primary government agency in charge of issuing citizenship, visas and green cards is forming its own police force, as President Trump’s immigration crackdown widens beyond traditional law-enforcement agencies. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it plans to train several hundred federal law-enforcement agents to look for fraud in immigration applications—and arrest the immigrants in question or the lawyers who helped prepare their petitions. Agents who go through training will be allowed to arrest people for immigration violations or other criminal charges, and will carry guns. The move is significant because, until now, USCIS was explicitly kept separate from immigration enforcement, so that immigrants could feel comfortable submitting their personal information to the government and showing up for their interviews. Joe Edlow, the agency’s newly installed director, said in an interview that he envisions the new law-enforcement body investigating patterns of fraud, like groups of immigrants from the same country who submit nearly identical immigration applications or citizenship applicants who fake disabilities to avoid taking the English proficiency exam. They will also make denaturalization of new citizens who lied on their applications a priority, he said. The changes, he argued, shouldn’t affect most immigrants who make bona fide requests of the government. “I’m not expecting this to have a chilling effect on applications,” Edlow said. “I’m expecting this to have a chilling effect on fraudulent applications, and that’s what I want.” The Daily Caller [9/4/2025 1:20 PM, Melissa O’Rourke, 985K] reports that the change implements Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s delegation of certain law enforcement authorities to the USCIS, and is part of the Trump administration’s broader, whole-of-government approach to addressing illegal immigration. "USCIS has always been an enforcement agency. By upholding the integrity of our immigration system, we enforce the laws of this nation," said USCIS Director Joseph Edlow in a statement. "This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force." Until now, USCIS has handled fraud investigations through the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, which referred cases to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to The Wall Street Journal. Those officers did not carry weapons or make arrests. NBC News [9/4/2025 2:00 PM, Daniella Silva, 144K] reports that the final rule by the Trump administration will be effective 30 days from its publication, it said.

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Bloomberg [9/4/2025 12:43 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 75K] reports that the leader of US Citizenship and Immigration Services outlined plans Thursday to curb work authorization for immigrants admitted through temporary humanitarian relief programs. "You may be eligible for a work permit but that doesn’t mean anymore that that’s going to result in you being able to remain in this country," USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said Thursday in an appearance at the National Press Club. USCIS has forthcoming regulations to limit discretionary approval of work permits for immigrants claiming asylum or covered by programs like Temporary Protected Status, deferred action, and parole that the Trump administration has targeted amid its sweeping immigration agenda. Edlow was interviewed by Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for restrictive immigration policies. Those rules were part of the latest regulatory agenda released by the Department of Homeland Security. USCIS has already stopped working with the Social Security Administration to streamline access to Social Security numbers for immigrants approved for employment authorization documents. Edlow also said he’s "excited" to craft updated fees for work permits, green cards, and other benefits. Fees will increase to recover the full cost of services, including a nominal fee for asylum claims, he said. He criticized a Biden administration fee update issued last year for burdening employment-based applicants in favor of subsidizing asylum costs and family-based immigration pathways. He said USCIS officers would be more empowered to apply tougher scrutiny to those seeking immigration benefits as part of a "war on fraud" at the agency.

The Washington Post [9/4/2025 7:14 PM, Lori Rozsa, 29079K] reports a federal appeals court on Thursday put on hold a Miami judge’s order to dismantle the immigrant detention center in the Everglades, even as Florida officials said operations were winding down. A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, in a 2-1 vote, handed a victory to the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who said the temporary facility at an old airstrip in the Big Cypress National Preserve was necessary as a “force multiplier” for President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who is credited with coming up with the name Alligator Alcatraz, celebrated the ruling on his social media accounts. “A win for Florida and President Trump’s agenda!” Uthmeier said on X. “We were right on the law and today justice prevailed.” Two weeks ago, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered the state to remove fencing and lighting and waste receptacles from the hastily built site within 60 days. Soon after, detainees began to be removed by the busload. The state said the number of detainees would be “zero” soon. Environmentalists and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians sued the state and federal governments for failing to conduct what they say is a required environmental study before commandeering the 39-acre site under the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA. The Florida Division of Emergency Management led the project to erect tents for detainees in chain-link cages, and also to bring in portable air conditioners, lighting, and housing for 1,000 staff. The site has no electricity or plumbing, so drinking and bathing water must be trucked in daily, and waste and sewage trucked out. Friends of the Everglades, one of the groups that sued over the site, said the construction, ongoing activity, and impact of what the state said could be ultimately be 5,000 detainees, would harm the federally protected wetlands. The main issue the appeals court ruled on was whether the detention center is a state or a federal project. State projects do not need to complete a federal NEPA assessment. DeSantis has said the federal government will reimburse the state. He said Alligator Alcatraz will cost $450 million the first year, and state officials said that more than $218 million has already been spent. DeSantis has also said the Department of Homeland Security is in charge of moving detainees in and out of the facility. But the appeals court ruled that the record did not show that it is a federal facility. “It is wholly unreasonable to conclude from the naked assurances of politicians and lawyers that the Facility is federally funded when not only is the record devoid of credible evidence that a legally binding payment decision has been made, but the record undisputedly contradicts that finding,” Judges Elizabeth Branch and Barbara Lagoa, both Trump appointees, wrote. The New York Times [9/4/2025 6:27 PM, Patricia Mazzei, 143795K] reports that the latest ruling was a victory for Florida officials, who pushed the boundaries of traditional immigration enforcement when they opened the facility in July. The state became the first to run an immigrant detention center — normally a federal role. Other states have since announced plans to house federal immigration detainees in state-owned facilities. The ruling was also significant for the Department of Homeland Security, which had argued in court that it was not running the Everglades detention center. In granting the stay, the appeals panel found that the lower court had misinterpreted a federal law requiring a review of potential environmental harms before building a major project in the ecologically fragile Everglades. It found that because the detention center had so far been entirely funded by Florida, and because the state operated the center, the National Environmental Policy Act would not apply. Florida has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the detention center, an outlay that Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has repeatedly said will be reimbursed by the federal government. Even if that should happen, the appeals panel ruled, it would be “insufficient” grounds to consider the detention center a major federal project subject to environmental review. “Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we’ve always said, open for business,” Mr. DeSantis said in a video posted to X shortly after the appellate ruling. “The mission continues, and we’re going to continue leading the way when it comes to immigration enforcement.”

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Breitbart [9/4/2025 2:13 PM, Sean Moran, 2608K] reports that Trump Border Czar Tom Homan during a speech on Wednesday outlined President Donald Trump’s victories in curbing illegal immigration. Homan spoke about the 47th president’s efforts to curb immigration during a speech at the National Conservatism conference. He said that Trump ordered him to focus on securing the border, deporting illegal aliens en masse, and finding missing unaccompanied migrant minors. "We have the most secure border in the history of the nation. Illegal immigration is down 96 percent," Homan said. "It wasn’t mismanagement. It wasn’t incompetence. It was by design," he continued, arguing that the Biden administration failed to secure the border on purpose. "Whatever you want to call me. I don’t give a s**t what people think about me, never have," Homan said. "They always say the Trump administration is inhumane," he continued. "I’m a racist, supposedly. I’m a white nationalist. I read it all. I’m a terrorist," he continued. He explained that under Biden’s open border policies, a historic number of immigrants died making the journey to the U.S., hundreds of thousands of Americans died from fentanyl, sex trafficking was at an all-time high, and cartels prospered. Homan also addressed sanctuary cities that are attempting to shield illegal aliens from federal immigration officials. "I said two months ago, ‘We’re going to flood the zone,’ and that’s exactly what we’re doing," he added. "In Chicago, it’s coming." "Across the country, DHS law enforcement are arresting and removing the worst of worst, including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and rapists that have terrorized American communities. Under Secretary Noem, ICE and CBP are working overtime to deliver on the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again," a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said.

Bloomberg Law [9/4/2025 6:22 PM, Ellen M. Gilmer, Roxana Tiron, Tatyana Monnay, 790K] reports President Donald Trump is wielding the US military and ballooning federal police forces in unprecedented ways to carry out his aggressive deportation campaign. The administration’s latest moves this week include the assignment of military lawyers from the Judge Advocate General’s Corps to work temporarily as immigration judges—tasked with weighing asylum claims and deportation orders; and adding armed law enforcement officers to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes green cards, work permits, and other benefits. The Department of Homeland Security is doing a hiring spree to meet lofty immigration arrest and removal targets, and Trump has tapped the Pentagon to play an outsized role in securing the border, policing immigrant communities, and even weighing asylum claims. Trump has morphed immigration enforcement into a supercharged and sometimes militarized operation affecting cities and communities across the country, with an all-agencies-on-deck mobilization of federal resources to crack down on illegal immigration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say the push is necessary to root out threats in the US after record border crossings under President Joe Biden. Critics contend the approach menaces immigrants in the US, lacks guardrails for due process and civil rights, and abuses military authority.

NewsNation [9/4/2025 4:33 PM, Steph Whiteside, 6811K] reports that Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the expansion of Joint Task Force Alpha after recent actions to combat border smuggling and human trafficking. The task force will now cover the northern border and will include agents from additional federal agencies. Bondi outlined multiple operations that interrupted human smuggling operations across both the southern and northern borders. She also noted the extradition of those charged with human smuggling and convictions of those who transport people across the border illegally. Bondi also warned people not to pay smugglers to come to the U.S., saying it is too dangerous. Authorities detailed a case against 12 people who ran a human smuggling operation and engaged in asylum fraud, with profits of at least $18 million. They say the smugglers charged $40,000 to bring people to the U.S. with false documentation and coached them to lie in order to get into the country and to claim asylum. Another case involved an accident where a tractor-trailer carrying migrants overturned in Chiapas, Mexico, killing more than 50 of the 160 people inside. Defendants in the case are being extradited from Guatemala to the U.S. for trial. Bondi traveled to Tampa, Florida, to give the update on work done by Joint Task Force Alpha and was joined by several U.S. attorneys and partners from the Department of Homeland Security. FOX News [9/4/2025 5:41 PM, Staff, 40019K] reports that at a press conference in Tampa, Florida, Thursday, Bondi warned that "the cost of human smuggling is huge" and that the deadly networks "are getting people killed." She went on to describe JTFA as a key weapon in the war against organized smuggling networks, often led by cartels and "coyotes" who profit from migrants trying to cross U.S. borders. Bondi told reporters that since President Donald Trump took office, JTFA had already charged 56 defendants tied to smuggling conspiracies.

The Daily Caller [9/4/2025 5:41 PM, Wallace White, 985K] reports the U.S. added two more foreign drug gangs to the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list, the State Department announced Thursday. Two Ecuadorian gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, will now be treated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government and Armed Forces, according to the State Department. President Donald Trump has given the green light for military strikes against cartel activity, most recently in a strike off Venezuela’s coast that killed 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members. Both gangs are linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which are U.S.-sanctioned transnational criminal organizations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with President Noboa in Quito on Wednesday, and spoke about the terror designation at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld from the nation on Thursday. The country has become a popular waystation for the cocaine trade to export illicit product across the world. Rubio said that new cooperation with Ecuador will enable the U.S. to more effectively deal with cartels. NPR [9/4/2025 5:28 PM, Michele Kelemen, 34837K] reports that the move allows Washington to freeze assets, target associates and share intelligence with Ecuador for what Rubio described as "potentially lethal" operations. He pledged $13.5 million in security assistance and $6 million in drone technology to support Ecuador’s fight against organized crime. Rubio met with Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of the U.S. administration, in the capital, Quito. Noboa has made frequent trips to Washington, D.C., and Mar-a-Lago, including a meeting with President Trump. Reelected earlier this year, Noboa declared a "war" on organized crime as violence in Ecuador surged. The surge in cartel violence has fueled migration from Ecuador, sending more Ecuadorians to the U.S. border. Noboa has pressed for stronger U.S. and European involvement in his crackdown and wants to hold a referendum to allow foreign military bases in Ecuador for the first time since 2009. Rubio said Washington would consider a base if invited. The AP [9/4/2025 7:22 PM, Matthew Lee, Regina Garcia Cano and Jacquelyn Martin, 37974K]U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement Thursday while in Ecuador as part of a trip to Latin America overshadowed by an American military strike against a similarly designated gang, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. That attack has raised concerns in the region about what may follow as President Donald Trump’s government pledges to step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration. “This time, we’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers in the little fast boats and say, ‘Let’s try to arrest them,’” Rubio told reporters in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. “No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.” Los Lobos and Los Choneros are Ecuadorian gangs blamed for much of the violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The terrorist designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for Washington to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups. That includes the ability to kill them as well as take action against the properties and banking accounts in the U.S. of the group’s members and those with ties to the criminal organizations, Rubio said. He said the label also would help with intelligence sharing. The strike in the southern Caribbean has taken the attention on Rubio’s trip, which included a stop in Mexico on Wednesday. U.S. officials say the vessel’s cargo was intended for the U.S. and that the strike killed 11 people, but they have yet to explain how the military determined that those aboard were Tren de Aragua members. Rubio said U.S. actions targeting cartels were being directed more toward Venezuela, and not Mexico. “There’s no need to do that in many cases with friendly governments, because the friendly governments are going to help us,” Rubio told reporters. “They may do it themselves, and we’ll help them do it.”

CNN [9/4/2025 11:10 PM, Kylie Atwood, 662K] reports the United States and Ecuador are in the final stages of establishing an agreement that would allow the US to send asylum seekers to the country, a senior State Department official said on Thursday. "It is not 100% finished," the official said, adding that the so-called safe third country agreement must go through the standard operating procedures involving the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. The topic was discussed on Thursday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the country. "It is very case-by-case," the official said, adding that there are no plans to send a specific quota of asylum seekers to Ecuador. The official said this is part of the overall relationship between the two countries. "We have a whole lot of difference pieces in our relationship, and it is not a quid-pro-quo," the official said, noting that the new US security assistance for Ecuador announced during Rubio’s trip was not connected to a specific number of individuals who could be deported to the country as part of a safe third country agreement. There are no current plans for the Trump administration to strike an agreement with Ecuador similar to the one with El Salvador that would involve a transfer of alleged gang members, according to the official. When it comes to Ecuador taking on violent crime and drug trafficking, the official said the country is "just getting ramped up" on those efforts. Gangs, drugs and public safety threats are still rampant in the country, but the official believes that there are legitimate efforts to tackle the problem. "You have got a government that really is all in now in trying to break the stranglehold that these gangs and cartels had on the country," the official said. Rubio praised Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa on Thursday, saying that he is a willing partner who has done more to take on drug traffickers in his country than any administration in the past. While the US works with Ecuador and other countries in Latin America to drive down drug trafficking, the US is concerned about judges, prosecutors and police being corrupted or intimidated by gangs in the region. That is one reason the US is also working to update its extradition treaty with Ecuador, which would allow the country to send more drug traffickers to the US for trial.

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Reuters [9/5/2025 4:04 AM, Steve Holland, 45746K] reports the U.S. has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to conduct operations against drug cartels, two sources briefed on the matter said, in a move likely to further inflame tensions in the region. The advanced fighter jets will be added to an already bristling U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean as President Donald Trump carries out a campaign pledge to crack down on groups he blames for funneling drugs into the United States. Friday’s development comes three days after U.S. forces attacked a boat that Trump said was carrying "massive amounts of drugs" from Venezuela, killing 11 people. The strike appeared to set the stage for a sustained military campaign in Latin America. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 10 fighter jets are being sent to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations operating in the southern Caribbean. The planes should arrive in the area by late next week, they said. The U.S. has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks, with the aim of carrying out Trump’s crackdown.

The Hill [9/4/2025 2:04 PM, Filip Timotija, 12414K] reports that the U.S. and Mexico late Wednesday agreed to increase cooperation in the fight against illegal drugs, including working together to dismantle cartels and "address" illegal immigration on both sides of the border. "The aim is to work together to dismantle transnational organized crime through enhanced cooperation between our respective national security and law enforcement institutions, and judicial authorities," the two governments said in a Wednesday evening joint statement following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Mexico. "Additionally, we are working to address the illegal movement of people across the border." In the agreement, the governments said both nations would implement teams to meet regularly and follow up on commitments made within their respective borders, including "measures to counter the cartels, strengthen border security and eliminate clandestine border tunnels, address illicit financial flows, enhance collaboration to prevent fuel theft, increase inspections, investigations and prosecutions to stop the flow of drugs and arms." The announcement came after Rubio, who is also serving as President Trump’s national security advisor, met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City. The secretary thanked Sheinbaum for "collaborating to manage our shared water resources more effectively and expressed optimism for further progress," according to the State Department.

New York Post [9/4/2025 11:40 PM, Victor Nava, 43962K] reports a US Navy ship conducting counter-drug operations was interfered with Thursday when two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over the vessel, according to the Department of Defense. The maneuver, described by the Pentagon as "highly provocative," comes two days after the US forces attacked a Tren de Aragua drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing 11 narco-terrorists. "Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a US Navy vessel in international waters," the Pentagon said in a statement. "This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.” "The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military.” The aircraft involved were reportedly armed F-16 fighter jets, according to CBS News. The outlet reported that the USS Jason Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer, was the vessel being harassed by the Venezuelan military. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment. The Navy dispatched eight ships — including three guided-missile destroyers — to the region last month to counter drug smugglers. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated Venezuelan crime syndicates Tren de Aragua and Cartel de Los Soles as foreign terrorist organizations. The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro of working with the drug cartels to traffic narcotics laced with deadly fentanyl into the US. The Justice Department last month placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro’s head, citing his involvement with the cartels. "He is one of the largest narco traffickers in the world, and a threat to our national security," Attorney General Pam Bondi said of Maduro at the time. Earlier this week, Maduro described the naval buildup in the Caribbean as the "biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years." He also accused the US of seeking regime change in Venezuela.

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Washington Examiner [9/4/2025 11:13 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 1563K] reports the Department of Defense cautioned Venezuela after saying two of its military aircraft flew near a Navy vessel, the USS Jason Dunham, on Thursday. The military struck a Venezuelan drug boat earlier this week in the Caribbean and positioned vessels near the South American nation. In response to the flyby, made by two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets, the Trump administration accused Venezuela of being run by the cartels. "Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters," a Department of Defense release said. "This highly provacative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military," it concluded. It is unclear what actions the ship took in response to the aircraft. The United States recently deployed at least eight Navy vessels near Venezuela to counter drug trafficking activity in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that "for the first time in the modern era," the U.S. government was "truly on the offense" against drug cartels. Jimmy Story, a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, told New York Times that deploying the ships to take out cartel boats was like "using a blowtorch to cook an egg.” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called his people "warriors" and said they would respond to any incursion with "maximum rebellion.” He also tried to warn President Donald Trump of Rubio’s actions. "Mr. President, Donald Trump," he said Monday, "watch out, because Mr. Rubio wants to stain your hands with blood.”

FOX News [9/4/2025 6:00 AM, Caitlin McFall, 40019K] reports the unprecedented strikes by U.S. Marines on a cartel-operated vessel off of Venezuela this week signaled that the Trump administration is taking a hard new approach when it comes to countering the international drug trade. While the U.S. military has long worked to counter cartel and international gang organizations beginning in the late 1980s, the Tuesday strike that killed 11 members of Tren de Aragua – which the Trump administration designated as a terrorist organization in February – marked a definite shift from previous seize and apprehend operations. "The gloves are off," Isaias Medina, former Venezuelan UN diplomat turned Caracas dissident under the Nicholas Maduro regime, told Fox News Digital. "The recent U.S. Marine strike on the alleged Tren de Aragua narcotics vessel operated out of Venezuela under a regime deeply linked to crimes against humanity and narco-terrorism marked a turning point in the fight against international organized crime." Trump’s decision to deploy U.S. troops off of the South American nation prompted Maduro on Monday to decry the move as an attempt to seek regime change and said, "Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years." The White House faced some international pushback and questions regarding what this strike meant for future U.S. policy when it comes to countering cartels and geopolitics in South America. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked to set the record straight during a Wednesday trip to Mexico – where he was also addressing cross-border arms and narcotics smuggling – and said, "The President of the United States is going to wage war on narco-terrorist organizations."

Univision [9/4/2025 6:59 AM, Carlos Chirinos, 4932K] reports since taking office for the second time, President Donald Trump has intensified his rhetoric against the Venezuelan government and Nicolás Maduro, whom he accuses of being the leader of the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a criminal organization made up of Venezuelan military personnel and public officials that Washington has designated as a terrorist group. In the explanation for the attack carried out this week by the US military against a speedboat allegedly leaving Venezuela with a shipment of cocaine and 11 people on board ("narcoterrorists" who were reportedly killed according to Washington) who allegedly worked for the Tren de Aragua gang, another organization that Trump has placed on the terrorist list. "There’s more where that came from," Trump said, referring to the 3.5 tons of cocaine the White House said the ship was carrying, reinforcing the idea spread by Washington that Venezuela is a threat to US national security as one of the main drug trafficking routes to the US, to the point that it warranted such extreme action as destroying an unarmed vessel apparently without warning or attempting to intercept it. But what experts point out, and official figures from the United Nations and the US Drug Enforcement Agency itself show, is a different picture of the imminent danger that Washington wants to project.

Washington Post [9/4/2025 5:46 PM, John Hudson and Tara Copp, 29079K] reports the Trump administration will continue to identify and kill foreign drug smugglers without the consent of their home countries, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Thursday. But such actions may not be necessary if the smugglers come from friendly nations that cooperate with the United States, Rubio added. Rubio’s remarks appeared to draw a line between countries that work with the U.S. to carry out the Trump administration’s nascent counternarcotics strategy and those that don’t, such as Venezuela, which saw U.S. forces blow up a small boat near its territorial waters on Tuesday. Leftist governments in the region have condemned the attack, which the U.S. says killed 11 “narco-terrorists” transporting drugs that could end up in the country. The Trump administration has refused to outline basic details about the operation, including which part of the U.S. military conducted the assassination.

Reuters [9/4/2025 10:40 AM, Tom Hals, 45746K] reports the U.S. military killed 11 people aboard a vessel in the Caribbean on Tuesday that President Donald Trump said was carrying illegal narcotics and that belonged to a drug cartel he designated a terrorist organization responsible for murders in the United States. Under the Constitution, the power to declare war belongs to Congress, but the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and presidents of both parties have conducted military strikes overseas without congressional approval. Presidents have justified military force in limited actions abroad when it was in National Interest, wasn’t restricted by Congress and didn’t rise to the level of war, according to a memo by the Office of Legal Counsel, which provides advice to the president. Presidents have generally ordered attacks on enemy combatants, terrorist groups like al Qaeda or militants such as the Houthis in Yemen, who attacked U.S. shipping. Tuesday’s attack marks a departure in the use of the military. Trump said in a social media post that the boat was transporting illegal narcotics, which would normally be the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard to intercept. If the Coast Guard had been fired upon when trying to stop the boat, the Coast Guard members would be justified in defending themselves, legal experts said. The Hill [9/4/2025 6:32 PM, Ellen Mitchell, 12414K] reports the Trump administration has offered few details about a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea that it has asserted killed 11 Venezuelan drug traffickers, fueling questions as to whether it violated maritime law or human rights conventions. Experts have accused the administration of violating international law. "These extrajudicial killings are a clear violation of international law," Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said in a statement to The Hill. "If there are no consequences, we should be extremely concerned about what comes next — will this administration begin executing alleged gang members or drug dealers at home without any judicial process?". On Thursday, the administration was set to provide to Congress its rationale for the strike, a legal deadline to send a report to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) detailing its reasons for the attack.

San Francisco Chronicle [9/4/2025 7:01 PM, Staff, 3790K] reports the U.S. government is justifying its lethal destruction of a boat suspected of transporting illegal drugs in the Caribbean as an attack on "narco-terrorists.". But as an expert on international law, I know that line of argument goes nowhere. Even if, as the U.S. claims, the 11 people killed in the Sept. 2, 2025, U.S. Naval strike were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, it would make no difference under the laws that govern the use of force by state actors. Nor does the fact that protests from other nations in the region are unlikely, due in large part to Washington’s diplomatic and economic power – and President Donald Trump’s willingness to wield it. Protest is not what proves the law. Unlawful killing is unlawful regardless of who does it, why, or the reaction to it. And in regard to the U.S. strike on the alleged Venezuelan drug boat, the deaths were unlawful. Domestic U.S. legal issues aside – and concerns have been raised on those grounds, too – the killings in the Caribbean violated the human right to life, an ancient principle codified today in leading human rights treaties. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is one such treaty to which the United States is a party. Article 6 of the covenant holds: "Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.". Through rulings of human rights and other courts, it has been well established that determining when a killing has been arbitrary depends on whether the killing occurred in the context of peace or armed conflict. Peace is the norm. And in times of peace, government agents are only permitted to use lethal force to save a life immediately. The United Nations’ Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials reinforce this peacetime right-to-life standard, noting "intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.".

FOX News [9/4/2025 5:40 PM, Michael Ruiz and Adam Sabes, 40019K] reports Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday his office will issue civil and criminal subpoenas to the employer of Harjinder Singh, who’s accused of making an illegal U-turn in Florida, which caused a crash that left three people dead. Singh, who officials say crossed the U.S. border illegally and was issued a commercial driver’s license in California, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide after the crash on Aug. 12 while driving on the Florida Turnpike in Fort Pierce. While Singh was driving, he attempted to make a U-turn in an unauthorized area. The trailer then jackknifed and was hit by a minivan, killing all three people inside in the minivan, officials said. Singh was arrested in Stockton, California, and extradited to Florida, where he faces charges. Officials said they believe Singh crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer was issued in August. Uthmeier said during a news conference that he’s issuing subpoenas for Singh’s employer, White Hawk Carriers.

Reuters [9/4/2025 7:58 PM, Nate Raymond, 45746K] reports the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday sued the city of Boston and its Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu to challenge an ordinance that restricts police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement carrying out U.S. President Donald Trump’sagenda. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston marked the latest in a legal campaign the Republican president’s administration has waged over laws adopted by so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions governed by Democrats. The administration contends these laws are impeding Trump’s mass deportation agenda. U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi said in a statement that Boston and Wu "have been among the worst sanctuary offenders in America – they explicitly enforce policies designed to undermine law enforcement and protect illegal aliens from justice.". Wu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit focused on the Boston Trust Act, a law the city council first adopted in 2014 and strengthened in 2019. It reaffirmed its support for the law in December as Trump was preparing to return to office. The law bars the Boston Police Department and other city officials from collaborating with federal authorities including at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct civil immigration enforcement, including by keeping migrants for potential deportation.

Reported similarly:
AP [9/4/2025 7:54 PM, Holly Ramer, 37974K]

CBS News [9/4/2025 4:57 PM, Mary Walsh, Kathryn Watson, 45245K] reports the commander of the D.C. National Guard has extended the Guard’s deployment to Nov. 30, according to two National Guard officials and a social media post from the D.C. National Guard. The order applies only to the members of the D.C. National Guard who were deployed last month to enhance security in the nation’s capital. The order does not apply to National Guard members from other states. The same day the D.C. National Guard announced the extension of their mission, the district sued the Trump administration over the National Guard’s deployment.

Washington Post [9/4/2025 8:42 PM, Olivia George and Kadia Goba, 29079K] reports leaders in the House and Senate are not planning to hold votes to extend President Donald Trump’s temporary control of D.C. police before it expires next week, according to three people familiar with the matter. The news arrives on the heels of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) ordering indefinite coordination between local and federal law enforcement officials and projecting confidence in the city’s ability to handle public safety without federal intervention. In allowing the Trump administration’s grip on the department to come to an end, Congress closes one chapter in the ongoing tussle between local and federal officials vying for control over public safety in the capital. But for now, it appears unlikely fewer federal agents or camouflage-clad troops will patrol city streets. “This is by mutual agreement with the White House,” a senior Senate staffer familiar with the matter said of the decision not to hold an extension vote. The staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the White House was “mollified by Bowser’s promise of cooperation and support.” The congressional decision offers a win for Bowser and her approach with the president, praised by some as strategically collegial and criticized by others as out of touch with the anger and concern in communities across the city. Still, the District continues to face a barrage of attempts by the GOP-led Congress to exert further control over local matters and erode D.C.’s already limited ability to govern itself. Claiming the nation’s capital was overrun with “bloodthirsty criminals,” Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C. last month and placed the police department under direct federal control. He also deployed the D.C. National Guard to patrol city streets — a move not subject to the emergency declaration. The Trump administration last month tried to effectively replace D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith with Drug Enforcement Administration head Terry Cole — a power grab that prompted D.C. officials to go to court to keep Smith in charge. Since then, White House and local officials alike have applauded decreasing crime. In a four-week period — stretching from Aug. 7, when Trump first ordered a boosted federal presence in the nation’s capital, through Wednesday — there have been six homicides in D.C., eight fewer than the same period last year, according to D.C. police data. Robberies have more than halved, from 172 last year to 79 this year. Carjackings have plummeted from 39 to nine. In expressing gratitude for the boosted federal law enforcement presence last week, Bowser stirred swift rebuke from some D.C. Council members while pleasing the Trump administration. Still, she has countered the president’s description of the city as a dangerous hellscape and described the National Guard troops who have poured in from half a dozen Republican states as an inefficient use of resources.

Wall Street Journal [9/4/2025 5:37 PM, Louise Radnofsky, 646K] reports the District of Columbia’s attorney general said Thursday that he was suing to end the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, two days after a federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard in Los Angeles had been unlawful. The lawsuit from Brian Schwalb, the district’s elected chief legal officer, alleges that the presence of troops violates a 19th century law prohibiting the use of federal forces for domestic law enforcement. Schwalb, a Democrat, argues that the National Guard units deployed in the District of Columbia are reporting through the military chain of command, making them subject to the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 statute that restricts the use of U.S. armed forces on America’s streets. The lawsuit says that National Guard troops are in the district for the explicit purpose of addressing crime in violation of that law, with directions to patrol local neighborhoods while carrying firearms and to conduct law enforcement activities such as searches, seizures, and arrests. “No American city should have the U.S. military—particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement—policing its streets,” Schwalb said in announcing the lawsuit. “It’s D.C., today but could be any other city tomorrow.” President Trump has said his administration’s takeover of the district was aimed at reducing crime in the city, with his efforts largely resting on Washington’s unusual legal status as the nation’s capital. FOX News [9/4/2025 12:56 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40019K] reports D.C. President Donald Trump federalized D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department on Aug. 11 under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to take emergency control of the police force for 30 days. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later authorized soldiers and airmen to be armed in D.C. if their mission requires it. "Armed soldiers should not be policing American citizens on American soil," Schwalb wrote in the announcement on X. "DC did not request or consent to the deployment of National Guard troops. Yet there are 2,300 National Guardsmen on our streets in military gear, carrying weapons, and driving armored vehicles." Schwalb said The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from engaging in domestic policing, alleging National Guardsmen have been operating in D.C. under direct military command. "This is plainly illegal, and it threatens our democracy and civil liberties," he wrote. "President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital in a statement. "This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt—at the detriment of DC residents and visitors—to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.".

Chicago Tribune [9/4/2025 12:52 PM, Lindsay Whitehurst, 5352K] reports that the District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington, with the city’s top legal official saying the surge of troops amounts to a forced "military occupation." Brian Schwalb, the district’s elected attorney general, said in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, which now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement. "No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to military occupation," Schwalb wrote. The Republican president has already said he plans to send the National Guard into Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition in those Democrat-led cities, and the White House said deploying the Guard to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement is within Trump’s authority as president. "This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt - at the detriment of DC residents and visitors - to undermine the President’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC," spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said. Members of the D.C. National Guard have had their orders extended through December, according to a Guard official. While that does not necessarily mean all those troops will serve that long, it is a strong indication that their role will not wind down soon.

Washington Post [9/4/2025 2:52 PM, Dan Lamothe and Tara Copp, 29079K] reports the Pentagon has approved the use of a Navy base on the outskirts of Chicago as a staging ground from which the Trump administration can launch operations against undocumented immigrants, said two defense officials familiar with the issue. Naval Station Great Lakes will serve as a hub in upcoming operations overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. It could also potentially be used as a place to house National Guard or active-duty service members, if President Donald Trump orders a surge of U.S. troops to the city, as he did this summer in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The approval comes after DHS sought permission late last month for agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement personnel to use the base. It also comes as Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and other top officials in Illinois decry the president’s aggressive tactics, lack of coordination and characterization of Chicago as a “hellhole” of crime requiring federal intervention. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office did not respond to requests for comment. Other defense officials referred questions to DHS, which issued a statement that did not answer questions about the base’s usage. “DHS is targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens — including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists — across the country,” the statement said. “DHS will go to wherever these criminal illegal aliens are — including Chicago, Boston, and other cities.”

Breitbart [9/4/2025 3:27 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2608K] reports many Mexican nationals illegally living in Chicago are self-deporting even before President Donald Trump steps up enforcement in the Democrat-run city. Foreign nationals are finding their incomes dwindling, customers for their shops and businesses thinning out, and family members worrying over the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Crain’s reported. But the migrants Crain’s spoke to pointed out that they are feeling very uncertain amid Trump’s crackdown on immigration. Some fear being temporarily sent to a U.S. ICE detention center and facing uncomfortable conditions. But, even worse, they fear being sent to a country they are not even from. The White House has reported that more than a million illegal aliens have already answered that question for themselves by packing up and returning to their home countries.

CBS Chicago [9/4/2025 5:19 PM, Victor Jacobo, 45245K] Video: HERE reports the mayor of North Chicago said he has heard from officials at Naval Station Great Lakes that it will serve as a base for hundreds of federal agents in the upcoming immigration enforcement crackdown. Sources familiar with internal planning told CBS News that base has been officially approved by the Department of Defense for immigration enforcement operations. North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, Jr. said he’s been told by base officials that agents’ focus will be south, in the city of Chicago, but it’s uncertain what the impact might be in and on the surrounding communities. "Anywhere there’s a large Latino population, there’s a concern, you know. Are these agents just going to stay focused in Chicago, or are they going to start to come into Lake County?" Rockingham said. "And that’s where, as a community, we must remain vigilant.". The mayor said what’s been communicated to him by Naval Station Great Lakes officials is to expect about 300 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deployed for about a month. ICE and other federal agents are expected to use the base for planning, training and other activities. CBS News has also learned from sources familiar with planning that ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have moved equipment into the base and will u se the facility for staging operations.

NBC News [9/4/2025 11:57 AM, Staff, 43603K] reports as immigration efforts are expected to ramp up in Illinois, officials in the western suburbs of Chicago are telling residents that a building in the area will serve as a "primary processing location" for what federal officials said is a "large-scale enforcement campaign" that will soon be underway. A letter, sent Tuesday by Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, said the building — a federal immigration facility — at 1930 Beach St., is expected to be used for the campaign, seven days a week for approximately 45 days. According to the letter, federal officials recently notified the village of the plans. "The Village of Broadview is committed to keeping you informed and engaged in matters regarding federal government and ICE activities that may impact our community," the letter said. "Recently, a situation has arisen that requires clear and timely communication with both our residents and our local businesses." The letter comes as other suburbs and cities around Chicago also put out messages to residents, in anticipation of federal agents coming to the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago as part of the Trump administration’s enhanced operations from ICE, Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security. "In the coming days, we expect to see what has played out in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to happen here in Chicago," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said during a news conference Tuesday. "Many of these individuals are being relocated from Los Angeles for deployment in Chicago. We believe that staging that has already begun started yesterday and continues into today." A joint statement from the Lake County Government and the City of North Chicago on Wednesday called the planned federal operations at the Naval Station "unprecedented.".

Chicago Tribune [9/4/2025 10:28 AM, Rick Pearson, 5352K] reports Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem acknowledged on Sunday that there will be an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Chicago in the coming days, but she did not say whether these would be accompanied by the deployment of the National Guard. Any military presence would ultimately be up to President Donald Trump, Noem said, but Governor JB Pritzker reiterated that such a move would be contrary to federal law and warned that the state would take it to court “very quickly.” “What I’m saying is that we don’t want troops on the streets of American cities,” Pritzker said. “That’s un-American, and frankly, the president of the United States should know that. But it seems he doesn’t. He doesn’t seem to understand the Constitution or the laws.”

AP [9/4/2025 6:14 PM, Sophia Tareen] reports the Trump administration has informed Chicago-area officials that its promised immigration enforcement surge will operate seven days a week for about six weeks, according to the mayor of a suburb that houses an immigration processing center. Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson said in a letter to the village’s roughly 8,000 residents this week that the Trump administration told village officials that a two-story building used to temporarily hold immigrants before they’re detained or deported will serve as the "primary processing location" for the expected operation. She said local leaders were told the operation will run for approximately 45 days, but she didn’t say when it might start. Although details about the promised Chicago operation have been sparse, local opposition is already widespread and is building in the suburbs. State and city leaders have said they plan to sue the Trump administration.

The Hill [9/4/2025 6:00 AM, Alex Gangitano and Ella Lee, 12414K] reports President Trump has declared that he wants to send the National Guard into Chicago, a move that would set himself up for a bigger legal challenge and riskier political move compared to his crackdown in Washington, D.C. Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into the nation’s capital, which the White House has touted as a major success, is protected under the Home Rule Act that gives the president the authority to take control of the District’s police department for up to 30 days. But the president doesn’t have that authority in sovereign states. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has warned the president against deploying the National Guard to Chicago, demonstrating a power struggle that’s sure to spotlight how Democrats will handle Trump on the matter.

NewsNation [9/4/2025 4:20 PM, Alex Caprariello and Jeff Arnold, 6811K] reports that more than 200 federal agents are poised to be dispatched to Chicago from a suburban Naval base early each morning as part of a large-scale multi-agency immigration enforcement operation that could involve the use flash bang grenades to contain large crowds, according to reports. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that he expects federal agents to be in place at Naval Station Great Lakes by Friday and that agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement could begin working in force as early as this weekend. The Chicago Sun-Times, citing sources, reported that dozens of the expected 230 federal agents stationed at the military installation are already in place. Agents have been reportedly practicing crowd control with shields and flash bangs, and similar training has been ongoing for months. The report also indicated that agents will leave the Naval base at 5 a.m. each morning, so as not to disrupt daily operations and that 140 unmarked vehicles will be used in the operation and are already in place at the base, which is reportedly seeking to establish a no-fly zone around the base to prevent news helicopters and drones from gaining access to what is taking place. A spokesperson for the base directed NewsNation to the Department of Homeland Security for comment. DHS officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. NewsNation previously reported that agents and officers from Customs and Border Protection departed from Los Angeles for Chicago earlier this week to assist in the operation.

Reuters [9/4/2025 5:58 PM, Dietrich Knauth, 45746K] reports a U.S. appeals court on Thursday blocked a lower court ruling that restricted President Donald Trump’s use of troops to support federal law enforcement and immigration raids in Los Angeles, preserving the status quo while the Trump administration appeals. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration willfully violated a 19th century law that limits the use of the military for domestic enforcement, by employing troops to control crowds and bolster federal agents during immigration and drug raids in Los Angeles and its surrounding area. Breyer restricted troops from doing police work in California. The administration quickly appealed the ruling.

Federalist [9/4/2025 7:25 AM, Chuck DeVore, 982K] reports in a stunning display of judicial overreach, Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer — a Clinton appointee and brother of retired liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer — ruled this week that President Donald Trump violated the Posse Comitatus Act by deploying California Army National Guard troops to protect federal officers and property during anti-ICE protests and immigration enforcement operations. Breyer, who took senior status (semi-retired) back in 2011, presided over a three-day trial questioning whether presidents face any limits on using the military domestically. His decision, thankfully stayed by the Ninth Circuit just hours later, smacks of partisan activism from a judge more accustomed to sentencing guidelines than military command structures. I served in the California Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. My service included leading foot patrols as a captain during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Judge Breyer’s ruling is not just wrong — it’s dangerously misguided.

New York Times [9/4/2025 12:22 PM, Shawn Hubler, 143795K] reports that the Trump administration’s military deployment in Los Angeles has cost nearly $120 million so far, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California reported on Thursday as he demanded that the White House release the remaining troops. Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, said the figure came from data obtained by the governor’s office and the California National Guard after he made a public-records request to the Defense Department. It reflects the cost since June 7, when President Trump ordered the first of more than 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines into the nation’s second-largest city in response to immigration protests. The expenses, Mr. Newsom said, included $71 million for food and shelter, $37 million in payroll, more than $4 million in logistics supplies, $3.5 million in travel and $1.5 million for demobilization. The Pentagon initially estimated that the activation would cost $134 million and last about 60 days. As of Thursday, the deployment has lasted 89 days, with about 300 troops remaining on orders that have been extended into November. Because the troops were commandeered by the White House, the deployment costs are a federal obligation. In a statement, Mr. Newsom condemned the Los Angeles deployment as “political theater” that has sent “millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain” and corroded the readiness of the National Guard.

CNN [9/4/2025 6:52 PM, Jason Morris, 662K] reports Democratic city officials in New Orleans are clashing with Republican state leaders over President Donald Trump’s threat of sending in the military to patrol streets and assist local enforcement in the Big Easy. Trump suggested Wednesday he may redirect National Guard members to New Orleans next, instead of Chicago where he has recently been threatening to surge troops – even while it’s still not clear troops will show up. "So we’re making a determination now, do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite tough, quite bad," Trump told reporters. "So we’re gonna be going to maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans, which has a crime problem.". The possible deployment comes as the Trump administration increasingly targets Democrat-led cities across the nation as part of a crime fighting effort that is often paired with ramped up immigration enforcement. These often-unwanted actions have been rife with controversy, sparking lawsuits and costing taxpayers millions of dollars. The White House has not yet responded to CNN’s request for more details on the possible deployment of guard members to New Orleans. The City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department touted their downward crime trends and current approach with federal partners, calling it "instrumental" in the city’s "ongoing success in reducing crime.". "The City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) continue to observe a significant reduction in crime," the statement says, and recent data appears to corroborate that assertion. Violent crimes are trending downward in New Orleans over the past year with homicides down about 27%, a 15% decrease in reported rapes and a 16.5% drop in robberies, according to data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a national organization of police chiefs.

FOX News [9/4/2025 11:12 AM, Ashley Oliver, 40019K] Video: HERE reports immigrant rights lawyers asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to block the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of Guatemalan minors, arguing they could face neglect or persecution at home. The migrants’ attorneys said their clients, who ranged from 10 to 17 years old, were at imminent risk of removal despite some having pending asylum cases or other legal claims that had not fully been vetted by the courts. The attorneys said trafficking and immigration laws "prevent unaccompanied children from being whisked off under cover of darkness at the whim of any government." The minors in question are currently in Health and Human Services custody and have no legal guardians in the United States, the attorneys said. The migrants’ legal team is now seeking a longer-term injunction to replace Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s emergency order over the holiday weekend blocking the deportations for up to two weeks. Sooknanan granted the order after learning that more than six dozen of the minors had been transferred from HHS to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody overnight and placed on a plane bound for Guatemala. The case has drawn attention both because it involves what lawyers say could be about 600 minors at risk of being abruptly removed from the country and because Sooknanan, the judge initially presiding over the case, imposed an immediate restraining order on the Trump administration to halt the removals. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman called the initial temporary restraining order from the judge "disgusting," contending that the DHS was simply aiming to reconnect the young migrants with their parents. "Judge Sparkle [Sooknanan] is blocking flights to *reunify* Guatemalan children with their families," DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote. "Now these children have to go to shelters. This is disgusting and immoral." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NBC News [9/4/2025 2:00 PM, Nicole Acevedo, 43603K] reports that Guatemalan migrant children say they remain "traumatized" and "depressed" after the Trump administration attempted to quietly remove them from the United States during the holiday weekend despite having pending immigration cases, according to new court declarations. A declaration by a 16-year-old describes how multiple Guatemalan children at a Texas shelter were awoken in the middle of the night Saturday and told they would be returned to their native country in a matter of hours. "I am afraid to return to Guatemala," said the teen, who fled Guatemala last year following their sister’s murder, according to a court declaration. "I was worried that I would be killed." "At around 2:30 a.m., I called my mother to tell her I might be deported to Guatemala. My mom started crying," states the declaration from the teen, who is only identified by the initials A.J.D.E. in court records. The mother, who lives in Guatemala, was not aware of any plan to have her child removed from the U.S., according to the teen’s declaration. "She does not want me to return. She does not have the resources to care for me. My father is not a part of my life. I have no other family who could receive me." Thirteen other declarations from teens like A.J.D.E, most of whom are 16 and 17, were filed in court Wednesday as part of the ongoing legal challenge that on Labor Day weekend temporarily blocked the removals of any unaccompanied Guatemalan child in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement who does not have a final removal order.

ABC News [9/4/2025 10:28 PM, Laura Romero, 27036K] reports many parents of the dozens of Guatemalan minors who were set to be deported over the weekend by the Trump administration before a last-minute halt said they did not request their children’s return to their home country, according to a memo from the government of Guatemala. One parent told officials that if her daughter was returned, she "would do everything possible to get her out of the country again because she had received death threats and could not live in Guatemala," according to the memo. The memo was referenced by Sen. Ron Wyden during Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s testimony before a Senate committee on Thursday and entered into the record. HHS manages the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the agency tasked with providing services to unaccompanied migrant children. The removal of the unaccompanied minors was temporarily blocked on Sunday by a federal judge -- a move that came as the children were sitting on planes. At a hearing over the weekend, a Department of Justice attorney argued that the Trump administration was removing the children in accordance with the law and at the request of the Guatemalan government and the legal guardians of the children. Attorneys representing the children moved to file a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, arguing that the minors remain at risk of being sent to Guatemala without a final order from an immigration judge. The memo reveals some of the information the Guatemalan government received from the Trump administration and some of the steps government officials there took before the minors were nearly removed from the U.S. According to the memo which is in Spanish, Guatemalan officials began to discuss the "Voluntary Return Program for Minors" on July 9, which reportedly focused on Guatemalan teenagers in the U.S., who were nearing adulthood and "might be moved to adult shelters and subsequently deported.” According to the memo, Guatemalan officials were informed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement on July 11 that there were 609 teens, ages 14 to 17, who were set to be returned to Guatemala. After officials began to identify and locate families, many were allegedly "surprised and even upset" because they believed their children were in a process to legalize their immigration status in the U.S. The families were not expecting their children to return to Guatemala, according to the memo.

AP [9/4/2025 6:43 PM, Rebecca Santana, Valerie Gonzalez and Sonia Pérez D., 37974K] reports Laura Peña knew she had two hours to stop the children she represents from being deported home to Guatemala. She and other lawyers and advocates around the country were just starting to get word that Saturday night of Labor Day weekend that migrant children had just been woken up and were heading to the airport. Hours of confusion ensued, including a frantic phone call to a judge at 2:36 a.m. It was remarkably similar to a chaotic March weekend when the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelans to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador despite frantic attempts by attorneys and an intervention by a judge who came to court on a Saturday night in civilian dress. This time, the attorneys managed to block the flights, at least for two weeks, but the episode has raised questions about how truthful the administration was in its initial accounts. A Guatemalan government report obtained by The Associated Press from a U.S.-based human rights group says 50 of 115 families contacted by investigators said they wanted their children to stay in the U.S., undermining a key Trump administration claim that they wanted their children back in Guatemala. Another 59 families wouldn’t allow government teams in their homes, believing that refusing to cooperate would make it more likely their children could remain in the U.S., according to the report. Many questions remain, including a full rundown of how old the children were and how many the administration planned to remove that night. While some answers may emerge in court, a reconstruction of the rapid-fire events, based on interviews and government documents, illuminates the latest clash between the administration’s desire for mass deportations and longstanding legal protections for migrants.

FOX News [9/4/2025 2:58 PM, Breanne Deppisch, 40019K] reports that a high-stakes immigration case involving Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia has prompted the ousting, suspension or resignation of several longtime Justice Department officials, clearing out potential internal resistance to the Trump administration’s deportation agenda. Abrego Garcia’s case, in particular, has dominated headlines for months and become a flashpoint for how far the Justice Department is willing to go to enforce President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, even at the cost of ousting career officials and raising suggestions from some federal judges that administration officials are acting in bad faith. In Maryland, testimony from veteran prosecutor and then-acting deputy director of the Department of Justice’s Office of Immigration Litigation, Erez Reuveni, prompted DOJ to fire him after he conceded to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis that Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador as the result of an "administrative error." One day after Reuveni testified, senior Justice Department officials placed him on indefinite leave, citing what they described as his failure to "zealously advocate" for the government. (His supervisor at the Justice Department, August Flentje, was also placed on leave.). Reuveni, who had received commendations by his supervisors at DOJ during Trump’s first term in the White House, was fired shortly after. His assertion to the court was backed by then-acting field director for ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, Robert Cerna.

FOX News [9/4/2025 1:38 PM, Alex Nitzberg, 40019K] reports that Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania apparently expressed support for using military force to combat drug trafficking into the United States. "Fully support confronting the scourge of cartel drug trafficking to our nation," Fetterman noted in a post on X. His post featured a screenshot of a Fox News Digital article headlined, "Rubio promises more strikes on Venezuelan cartels: ‘We’re not going to sit back anymore’" Earlier this week, President Donald Trump noted that the American military had executed a strike against "Narcoterrorists" who had been ferrying narcotics to the U.S. "Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility," the president noted in a Tuesday Truth Social post. "The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action," he declared. The president’s post featured footage of the strike against a boat. "Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!" Trump warned in the post. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suggested that more strikes will occur in the future. "And it’ll happen again. Maybe it’s happening right now, I don’t know," Rubio said on Wednesday, noting that the president will "wage war" against "narcoterrorist organizations."

CNN [9/4/2025 1:27 PM, Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz, 662K] reports that in the wake of the Minneapolis Catholic church shooting, senior Justice Department officials are weighing proposals to limit transgender people’s right to possess firearms, according to two officials familiar with the internal discussions. The talks, described as preliminary in nature, appear to build on an idea that has gained some currency in conservative media since the Minneapolis shooting that killed two children and injured 21, most of them children, at Annunciation Catholic Church, an attack that police say was carried out by a 23-year-old transgender woman. Such a move would represent a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s fight against the rights of transgender Americans. President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders on the topic, including one barring transgender people from serving in the military and another ordering federal prisons to move transgender inmates to facilities corresponding to their gender assigned at birth. In addition, the idea of restricting gun rights has long been a red line for conservatives, with many Republican lawmakers and gun rights groups opposing red flag laws and or other policies aimed at keeping guns away from people suffering from mental health issues. But Justice Department leadership is seriously considering whether it can use its rulemaking authority to follow on to Trump’s determination to bar military service by transgender people and declare that people who are transgender are mentally ill and can lose their Second Amendment rights to possess firearms, according to one Justice official.

Telemundo 48 - Area de la Bahia [9/4/2025 2:20 PM, Michael Bott, 17K] reports the Trump administration has fired another San Francisco immigration judge, the sixth judge in the city’s immigration court to be dismissed since taking office in January. According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the firing, San Francisco Immigration Judge Shira Levine was fired Wednesday, less than two weeks after the firing of Immigration Judge Chloe Dillon in August. Wednesday’s dismissal means that nearly 30% of San Francisco’s immigration judges have been fired since Trump took office. Two immigration judges assigned to the Concord immigration court were also fired this year. The wave of dismissals has left many perplexed, as the country is in the midst of a record backlog of immigration cases. It’s now common for immigrants to wait three to four years between hearings. As the administration lays off immigration judges across the country, it is simultaneously relaxing the requirements for hiring new temporary judges, raising concerns that the Justice Department is attempting to fill the court with judges who may be more ideologically aligned with the president’s immigration agenda. This week, the administration also authorized up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.

AP [9/5/2025 5:00 AM, Angela Hart and Devi Shastri, 37974K] reports the Trump administration is taking its immigration crackdown to the health care safety net, launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is scouring payments covering health care for immigrants without legal status to ensure there isn’t any waste, fraud or abuse, according to public records obtained by KFF Health News and The Associated Press. While acknowledging that states can bill the federal government for Medicaid emergency and pregnancy care for immigrants without legal status, federal officials have sent letters notifying state health agencies in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington that they are reviewing federal and state payments for medical services, such as prescription drugs and specialty care. The federal agency told the states it is reviewing claims as part of its commitment to maintain Medicaid’s fiscal integrity. California is the biggest target after the state self-reported overcharging the federal government for health care services delivered to immigrants without legal status, determined to be at least $500 million, spurring the threat of a lawsuit. “If CMS determines that California is using federal money to pay for or subsidize healthcare for individuals without a satisfactory immigration status for which federal funding is prohibited by law,” according to a letter dated March 18, “CMS will diligently pursue all available enforcement strategies, including, consistent with applicable law, reductions in federal financial participation and possible referrals to the Attorney General of the United States for possible lawsuit against California.”

Breitbart [9/4/2025 11:10 AM, John Nolte, 2608K] reports CBS News has no valid explanation for why it deceptively edited Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s listing of all the crimes illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been credibly accused of. CBS News just paid $16 million to settle an election interference suit with President Trump after the far-left 60 Minutes was caught deceptively editing Kamala Harris to make her look good (but she’s a Democrat). And here CBS is once again using deceptive editing to further their agenda—in this case, to portray the Trump Administration as obsessed in its pursuit of a "Maryland Man," as opposed to an alleged wife beater/gang banger/human trafficker/child porn solicitor. CBS News released a statement this week offering no valid reasons for what was obviously a partisan decision… "Secretary Noem’s Face The Nation interview was edited for time and met all CBS News standards," the far-left network said in a statement. "The entire interview is publicly available on YouTube, and the full transcript was posted early Sunday morning at CBSNews.com." That’s it. That’s the statement. CBS has no valid answer.

AP [9/4/2025 8:55 PM, Paola Flores, 37974K] reports Bolivia’s incendiary former interior minister was arrested at the airport Thursday after being deported from the United States to face a litany of charges, including crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019. The deportation of Arturo Murillo follows his release from U.S. prison in June after serving four years in a money laundering case in which he was accused of taking $532,000 in bribes to help a Florida company win a lucrative contract to sell tear gas to his government. Late Wednesday he was expelled from Miami on a flight to Bolivia, where he has been tried and sentenced in absentia in two of the many cases against him. In addition to the homicide and crimes against humanity charges, he faces accusations of money laundering, abuse of authority, aggravated theft and influence‐peddling in his purchase of overpriced tear gas to use against protesters. U.S. authorities accompanying Murillo turned him over to their Bolivian counterparts after landing in the eastern province of Santa Cruz. Murillo was promptly whisked on another flight to the capital of La Paz, where prosecutors say they plan to transfer him to the maximum-security Chonchocoro prison. “Murillo must end up in a prison in the city of La Paz,” Attorney General Roger Marica told reporters. “It will be up to the judges, but there are already arrest warrants against him.” Murillo’s prosecution in Bolivia will be a test of the independence of the judiciary in this politically polarized nation, where the Supreme Court last month ordered a review of detention orders against right-wing opposition leaders after elections brought down the long-ruling Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party. Murillo, 61, served as interior minister under then-interim President Jeanine Áñez, a conservative Christian senator who took power in November 2019 after former president and MAS party founder Evo Morales resigned under pressure from the military as protests disputing his reelection to a fourth term shook the country. Judges in Bolivia last week annulled a key case against Áñez and ordered the release of her jailed political allies under lenient house arrest arrangements. The series of court decisions reopened wounds from Bolivia’s 2019 crisis that left at least 37 people dead and dozens wounded – the vast majority civilians protesting Morales’ ouster – after Áñez took power in what many saw as a coup. As interior minister, Murillo referred to his political opponents as “narco-terrorists” and “animals,” and led the deadly police crackdown on protests that drew sharp rebuke from human rights groups. The Organization of American States’ human rights watchdog reported evidence of “massacres,” “systematic torture” and “summary executions” by security forces.

Blaze [9/5/2025 4:25 AM, Tom Homan, 1805K] reports I was out to dinner with my wife when my phone rang. The caller ID said “POTUS.” My wife muttered, “Oh, s**t.” President Donald Trump told me he wanted me to take care of three things: secure the border, run a mass deportation operation, and find hundreds of thousands of missing children. Those were his instructions when he offered me the job as his border czar. As of today, we have the most secure border in the nation’s history. I don’t take credit for that. The credit goes to President Trump for signing the executive orders that ended catch-and-release, reinstated Remain in Mexico, and put into place the agreements and policies that worked. And the greatest credit belongs to the men and women of the United States Border Patrol, the finest I’ve ever met. Under Trump, Border Patrol brought down illegal immigration more than 90% in just seven weeks — even faster than I thought possible. I expected it would take 120 days. That’s what happens when the men and women of Border Patrol are allowed to do their jobs. For the last four years, I’ve been raising hell about the open border intentionally inflicted on this country by the Biden administration. This wasn’t mismanagement or incompetence. It was by design. I know because I was there under President Barack Obama. Former President Joe Biden was vice president, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas was deputy secretary. We faced a family surge back then. We stopped it by building family residential centers, detaining migrants until they saw a judge, and then deporting the 90% who lost their asylum claims. It worked. But when Biden and Mayorkas returned to power, they did the opposite of what they knew worked. They refused to detain. They refused to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement do its job. They created chaos by design. Every day the border was open, women were raped, children died, families were trafficked, and terrorists slipped through. A harrowing 31% of women who cross the border through cartels are sexually assaulted. That’s horrendous. Trump’s policies cut illegal immigration by 96%. That meant fewer rapes, fewer deaths, fewer trafficked children, and less fentanyl poisoning Americans. Trump’s policies saved thousands of lives every week. But you won’t hear that from the media.

Breitbart [9/4/2025 4:29 PM, Bob Price, 2608K] reports in a dramatic escalation of the federal government’s war on transnational drug cartels, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported the seizure of a record-breaking shipment of illicit drug precursor chemicals en route from China to drug cartels in Mexico — before they could be weaponized and unleashed on American streets. The operation, conducted in international waters, was coordinated through Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and marks a strategic shift in ICE’s posture under President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Nome. Lyons described a "whole-of-government" approach that includes the DEA, FBI, Customs and Border Protection, and even the Department of Defense. The two maritime seizures occurred in international waters just off the coast of Panama and consisted of 1,300 barrels of the two dangerous chemicals. The designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations opens the door to expanded intelligence sharing, military coordination, and international pressure. Lyons emphasized that the new strategy is not just about arrests—it’s about dismantling the infrastructure that enables mass drug production and distribution.

Blaze [9/4/2025 1:40 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1559K] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested several violent criminal illegal aliens on Wednesday, according to a press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News. "ICE officers will continue to arrest and remove violent criminals who have no place in our communities," the press release reads. Wednesday’s arrests included Gildardo Bucios-Lorenzo, a Mexican national, who was previously convicted of rape and criminal deviate conduct. ICE also detained Mary Rodriguez-Fuentes, a Honduran national, who was convicted of endangering the welfare of a child. Jorge Morales-Aguilar, a Mexican national, was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member before federal immigration officials arrested him this week. Immigration agents captured Juan Carlos Martinez-Mendoza, an illegal alien from Mexico who was convicted of assaulting a peace officer. ICE also noted the arrest of Luis Johnatan Yupangui-Alomoto, an illegal alien from Ecuador who was convicted of attempted robbery. Luis Johnatan Yupangui-Alomoto. Image source: Department of Homeland Security. "Thanks to the courage of our ICE law enforcement, these criminal illegal aliens are no longer free to terrorize our communities and prey on innocent Americans," a DHS spokesperson stated. "Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst. Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens who have been charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. This doesn’t even count illegal aliens with rap sheets in foreign countries, gang members, and suspected terrorists."

Los Angeles Times [9/4/2025 12:46 PM, Andrea Castillo and Gabrielle LaMarr LeMee, 1648K] reports that mattresses on the floor, next to bunk beds, in meeting rooms and gymnasiums. No access to a bathroom or drinking water. Hourlong lines to buy food at the commissary or to make a phone call. These are some of the conditions described by lawyers and the people held at immigrant detention facilities around the country over the last few months. The number of detained immigrants surpassed a record 60,000 this month. A Los Angeles Times analysis of public data shows that more than a third of ICE detainees have spent time in an overcapacity dedicated detention center this year. In the first half of the year, at least 19 out of 49 dedicated detention facilities exceeded their rated bed capacity and many more holding facilities and local jails exceeded their agreed-upon immigrant detainee capacity. During the height of arrest activity in June, facilities that were used to operating with plenty of available beds suddenly found themselves responsible for the meals, medical attention, safety and sleeping space for four times as many detainees as they had the previous year. Shah said there’s no semblance of dignity now. "I’ve been doing this for many years; I don’t think I even had the imagination of it getting this bad," she added. Shah said conditions have deteriorated in part because of how quickly this administration scaled up arrests. It took the first Trump administration more than two years to reach its peak of about 55,0000 detainees in 2019. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the allegations about inhumane detention conditions false and a "hoax." McLaughlin emphasized that the department provides comprehensive medical care, but did not respond to questions about other conditions.

NPR [9/5/2025 5:00 AM, Jaclyn Diaz, 34837K] reports masked, plain-clothed agents are grabbing people they believe are undocumented immigrants off the streets, pulling them into unmarked vehicles and swiftly detaining them. In other cases, masked agents are running checkpoints in the middle of Washington, D.C., and in L.A., and questioning people in their cars. And in some situations, agents are smashing the windows of those cars in order to pull a person out. Immigration agents are often given wide latitude in their work. That means a lot of what the public has been witnessing since President Trump took office — and may be shocked by — is likely legal. But what is allowable is becoming more unclear as these tactics test the limits of the law, according to immigration law experts. "In that sense it is a very confusing time for lawyers and the public alike," says Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the UCLA School of Law’s Center for Immigration Law & Policy. NPR asked immigration law experts to explain what we know is and isn’t legal when it comes to immigration enforcement.

New York Times [9/4/2025 7:47 PM, Ana Ley, 143795K] reports immigration officers forced their way into a confectionery plant near Syracuse on Thursday morning and detained dozens of workers, witnesses said, in what appeared to be one of the biggest workplace raids in New York since President Trump’s deportation crackdown began. The operation spanned hours and at one point involved as many as 75 law enforcement officers from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, according to witnesses. Brian Schenck, the Cayuga County sheriff, said that his agency had assisted in the raid but he declined to give details, referring questions to the federal Homeland Security Investigations agency. A spokeswoman there did not immediately respond to requests for information. Ana Mendez-Vasquez, an organizer with the Rural & Migrant Ministry, an advocacy group, who witnessed the raid, said that federal agents arrived at about 9 a.m. at the plant, Nutrition Bar Confectioners in Cato, N.Y. Ms. Mendez-Vasquez said they forced their way inside using crowbars and blocked the building’s exits before handcuffing people inside. Ms. Mendez-Vasquez said that a Homeland Security agent told observers that the detained workers were taken to the Oswego Border Patrol Station. Gittel Evangelist, a spokeswoman for the Rural & Migrant Ministry, said that “upwards of 70 people” were arrested. Later on Thursday night, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that more than 40 adults were seized — including parents of at least a dozen children. “Today’s raids will not make New York safer. What they did was shatter hard-working families who are simply trying to build a life here, just like millions of immigrants before them,” she said. “These actions fly in the face of New York’s values.” Images of the raid showed several law enforcement vans, SUVs and a bus as well as two dune buggies parked outside the facility. One video showed dozens of people being escorted out of the building and into law enforcement vehicles. Mark Schmidt, 70, the principal owner of Nutrition Bar Confectioners, said that all his workers had legal documentation to work in the United States and that the operation was “overkill.” “I think they scooped up everybody. We’ll probably get some back,” said Mr. Schmidt, who said that he founded the business in 1980 with his father and that his three sons run daily operations. “We’ve done everything we can to vet people we hire.”

Reuters [9/5/2025 2:11 AM, Hyunjoo Jin and Heekyong Yang, 45746K] reports up to 450 workers at a Hyundai Motor facility under construction in Georgia have been detained in a major raid by U.S. authorities that has led to a pause in the project to build a car battery factory. The raid on Thursday has dealt a setback to the project, which is part of what would be the biggest investments in the state, and illustrates the increasing crackdown by the Trump administration on immigrants and its impact on businesses. An agent at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said multiple U.S. agencies "conducted a judicially authorised enforcement operation, as we are actively conducting an investigation into unlawful employment practices.""Arrests are being made," Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations for Georgia, said in a news briefing aired on U.S. television. A Korean news report said about 30 South Korean nationals had been detained. The Atlanta office of the U.S. Justice Department agency ATF reported the raid in a post on X. The battery production facility, a joint venture between South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) (373220.KS) and Hyundai Motor (005380.KS), was due to start operations at the end of this year, according to LGES. A spokesperson at the Hyundai-GA battery company said in a statement that it was "cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities regarding activity at our construction site" and that it had paused construction work to assist. Hyundai Motor said its production of electric vehicles at the sprawling site was not affected. "We are closely cooperating with the South Korean government and relevant authorities to ensure the safety of our employees and staff at contractors, and to secure their swift release from detention," LG Energy Solution said in a statement, adding it is providing "all necessary support, including interpreters and legal assistance.” A social media video footage showed a man wearing a vest with the letters HSI, an acronym for Homeland Security Investigations, telling workers in yellow safety vests: "We have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease immediately. We need all work to end on the site right now.” The AP [9/4/2025 5:24 PM, Russ Bynum] reports that the operation targeted one of Georgia’s largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites, touted by the governor and other officials as the largest economic development project in the state’s history. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Lindsay Williams confirmed that federal authorities were conducting an enforcement operation at the 3,000-acre (1,214-hectare) site west of Savannah. He said agents were focused on the construction site for the battery plant. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that agents executed a search warrant "as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes." It did not say whether anyone was detained or arrested. Georgia State Patrol troopers blocked roads to the Hyundai site. The Georgia Department of Public Safety confirmed they were dispatched to assist federal authorities.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [9/4/2025 6:35 PM, Nicole Acevedo, Laura Strickler, and Colin Sheeley, 43603K]

The Hill [9/4/2025 11:29 AM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12414K] reports the Trump administration on Wednesday announced it is opening an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility at Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. The new ICE facility, dubbed the “Louisiana Lockup,” will expand detention capacity by more than 400 beds in the coming months and is intended to “house some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release. “If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in CECOT, Cornhusker Clink, Speedway Slammer, or Louisiana Lockup. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. At a press conference Wednesday, Noem called the agreement with the state of Louisiana “unprecedented” and credited President Trump’s partnership with Gov. Jeff Landry (R), who she said offered space immediately when asked. “He offered us a space that we could house these dangerous criminals and make sure they were never able to harm another child or family member in this country ever again,” Noem said. At the press conference, Landry thanked state and federal partners for preparing the facility, which he said already holds 51 detainees and will expand to 208 by mid-September.

(B) Local News Live [9/4/2025 2:12 PM, Staff] reports that undocumented immigrants convicted of the most violent crimes will now be house in the largest supermax prison in the US. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and two of President Trump’s cabinet members toured what they called Louisiana Lockup on Wednesday. Governor Landry with US Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Neom toured what was an unused section of Angola prison. It has the capacity to hold more than 400 ICE detainees. Angola has history of brutal conditions and violence, with several ongoing lawsuits, including one alleging unconstitutional forced labor for prisoners. 51 ICE detainees are currently being held at Angola. Governor Landry says another 200 are expected to arrive in the near future.

Detroit Free Press [9/4/2025 5:28 PM, Christina Hall, 3744K] reports eight metro Detroit men are accused in a sophisticated theft and international smuggling operation that targeted higher-end vehicles and spanned two years, according to federal prosecutors in Detroit. Stolen vehicles were transported from Michigan to New Jersey, according to the indictment. The men are accused of conspiring with each other and others to receive stolen vehicles at one of four commercial or industrial lots from July 2023 through August 2025, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Matthew Stentz, acting special agent in charge of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, said more than 350 stolen vehicles were recovered. Federal prosecutors said Dearborn Police initiated the investigation, which also involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations with help from Customs and Border Protection, the FBI and other local, regional and federal law enforcement agencies. Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen vehicles, and each also faces one or more counts of transportation of a stolen vehicle, according to the news release.

Chicago Tribune [9/4/2025 6:00 AM, Laura Rodríguez Presa, 5352K] reports as the sun set on a recent evening, families lined up to buy elotes from Olga Martínez, a street vendor in Little Village, one of Chicago’s largest immigrant neighborhoods. She was still holding on to hope that President Donald Trump wouldn’t follow through on his promise of militarized immigration arrests in the nation’s third-largest city. But reality had begun to sink in, she said, and she decided to close her cart Friday as news of federal agents coming to Chicago intensifies. "That’s if I don’t hear about operations happening nearby sooner," she added, feeding leftover corn to pigeons at her feet. "I’m trying to save as much money as I can to stay home, because God knows how long they’ll be here for." A pamphlet with "Know Your Rights" information and other advice urging the community to look out for one another hung on the front of her cart. "Get to know your neighbor," it read. Information is a lifeline, advocates say. "That’s the only way we can resist and protect one another," said Dolores Castañeda, a longtime resident of Little Village and community leader. "We only have each other." Castañeda and fellow organizer Doris Hernandez spent Sunday afternoon distributing similar flyers to parishioners after Mass at St. Agnes of Bohemia. They wanted to raise awareness about potential raids and urged immigrants to "not be afraid, but be prepared." Later, the two women walked along the 26th Street corridor, handing out flyers to passersby and asking business owners to post the notice in their storefronts. While details of the scope of arrests and timeline remain unclear, immigrant communities are bracing for impacts similar to those seen in Los Angeles earlier this summer when agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested street vendors, day laborers, construction workers and farmhands. Families recounted being torn apart during large-scale workplace raids.

Bloomberg [9/4/2025 5:51 PM, Miranda Davis and Isis Almeida, 19085K] reports President Donald Trump’s threats to send troops to Chicago as part of a crime and immigration crackdown has prompted the delay of a festival celebrating Mexican Independence Day. Organizers of the two-day event scheduled to take place in Grant Park in the heart of downtown Chicago on Sept. 13 and 14 said it will be postponed to ensure safety. The festival, known as El Grito, is organized by the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Mexican Consulate in Chicago and Somos Hospitality. The move comes a day after Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, warned residents that he expected federal immigration agents to step up activity in the third-largest US city this weekend. Trump renewed threats to send the National Guard to Chicago earlier this week after eight people were killed and more than 50 were shot over the Labor Day weekend. At a press conference on Wednesday, Pritzker said he expected US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to begin operating by Saturday.

Reported similarly:
NewsNation [9/4/2025 5:15 PM, Jeff Arnold, 6811K]

AP [9/4/2025 6:09 PM, Staff, 37974K] Video: HERE reports Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visited a school in a largely Latino Chicago suburb to assess the impact a promised immigration enforcement surge. President Donald Trump has targeted Chicago and other Democrat-led cities for expanded federal intervention.

Chicago Tribune [9/4/2025 5:04 PM, Madeline Buckley and William Tong, 5352K] reports immigration agents this week arrested at least two people in the vicinity of Cook County’s domestic violence-focused courthouse, sparking fears that the enforcement action would have a chilling effect on people seeking orders of protection and other forms of help at the courthouse. The presence at the facility at 555 W. Harrison St. came as local residents and politicians are bracing for a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Chicago while officials forecast a possible monthlong operation. "It’s an affront to all the work this country has done over the last 40 years to ensure that victims of domestic violence and sexual assault have access to justice," said Amanda Pyron, president and CEO of The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. "There’s no other result to an action like this but a deterrent to victims seeking the safety and justice they deserve." The Cook County public defender’s office confirmed to the Tribune that two of its clients were arrested by immigration agents - a 41-year-old woman on Wednesday and a 40-year-old man on Monday. Officials said they were still gathering information, but said the woman had no criminal background and was not a risk to the public. The woman who was arrested had been charged with two misdemeanor counts of domestic battery, but the charges were dropped on Wednesday, according to court records. "When you have this presence … you are instilling this culture of fear that is not well tailored, is not just about the quote, unquote ‘bad guys.’ It is about forcing the withdrawal of all people from the criminal legal system," said Cook County Public Defender Sharone R. Mitchell Jr. "What is happening right now … has far-ranging impacts."

AP [9/4/2025 5:22 PM, Staff, 37974K] reports an immigrant who allegedly evaded federal agents with the help of a Milwaukee County judge pleaded guilty Thursday to being in the U.S. illegally. Federal prosecutors charged Eduardo Flores-Ruiz in April with reentering the country illegally after being deported. He faces up to two years in prison when he’s sentenced and agreed to be deported whenever he is released, according to a summary of the plea deal he reached with prosecutors. Online court records did not list a sentencing date. His attorney, Martin J. Pruhs, didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Thursday afternoon seeking comment. According to court documents, Flores-Ruiz first entered the United States illegally near Nogales, Arizona, in January 2013. He was arrested the next day and deported. He subsequently returned to the U.S. without permission and was charged this past March in Milwaukee with misdemeanor domestic battery. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents learned Flores-Ruiz was in the country after the Milwaukee County jail submitted his fingerprints to federal databases. Agents traveled to the county courthouse on April 18, planning to arrest him as he appeared for a hearing in the case. Judge Hannah Dugan, who was presiding over the battery case, learned that agents were in the building looking for Flores-Ruiz. According to an FBI affidavit, witnesses heard Dugan say something to the effect of “wait, come with me” to Flores-Ruiz and his attorney before showing them out a courtroom door typically used only by deputies, jurors, court staff and in-custody defendants. Flores-Ruiz made his way outside the building, but agents captured him following a foot chase.

FOX News [9/4/2025 10:30 AM, Preston Mizell, 40019K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that an illegal migrant from Pakistan, who served in the U.S. military, has an extensive history of criminal activity paired with "lies about his military service.". Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry originally entered the U.S. in 1998 on a B-2 visa after intentionally leaving out criminal history related to convictions in Australia for stealing goods, falsifying passports and committing financial misconduct, according to DHS. DHS told Fox News Digital that Chaudhry also claimed he was deployed to Iraq, though Department of Defense records show he was never actually deployed. An official with the Department of Defense told Fox News Digital that illegal migrants cannot serve in the military and an individual must have some form of legal status in order to serve. Green card holders (permanent legal residents) are able to join a branch of the U.S. military. Immigration officials at the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined Chaudhry’s falsified forms and omitting of criminal history were grounds for removal in 2008, but the Pakistani native has been repeatedly appealing the decision for roughly 17 years. "Sanctuary politician Bruce Harrell and the media are peddling a FALSE sob story on this serial fraudster," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. "President Trump and Secretary Noem’s message is clear: Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States." "Why do sanctuary politicians and the media continue to peddle sob stories of criminal illegals and smear our brave ICE law enforcement officers?" McLaughlin added. "Make no mistake, these types of lies are contributing to our ICE law enforcement officers facing a 1000% increase in assaults.".

FOX News [9/4/2025 12:44 PM, Greg Norman, 40019K] reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement slammed the "unhinged behavior" of protesters who rolled out a guillotine in front of its field office in Portland, Oregon, earlier this week, with a spokesperson telling Fox News Digital that "this needs to stop." The criticism came after video emerged showing demonstrators burning a flag before clashing with law enforcement outside the federal immigration facility on Labor Day. "For misguided protestors, who don’t have the first idea what the ICE mission is, to call for beheading officers is unhinged behavior," an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "Our ICE law enforcement officers are now facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens," the spokesperson added. "Politicians and activists must turn the temperature down and tone down their rhetoric." Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, a Democrat, has vowed that local police would not aid ICE and said he’s working with Portland police to determine a response to the violent Labor Day clashes outside the South Macadam Avenue facility. "We will not engage with the federal immigration enforcement that goes on," Wilson told KOIN 6 News. "That is our sanctuary city goals; that is what the governor’s goals are. So you can rest assured we won’t be engaging with or working with ICE in any circumstances."

Los Angeles Times [9/4/2025 6:00 AM, Laura J. Nelson and Howard Blume, 12715K] reports responding to the Trump administration’s aggressive and unceasing immigration raids in Southern California, state lawmakers this week began strengthening protections for immigrants in schools, hospitals and other areas targeted by federal agents. The Democratic-led California Legislature is considering nearly a dozen bills aimed at shielding immigrants who are in the country illegally, including helping children of families being ripped apart in the enforcement actions. "Californians want smart, sensible solutions and we want safe communities," said Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego). "They do not want peaceful neighbors ripped out of schools, ripped out of hospitals, ripped out of their workplaces." Earlier this week, lawmakers passed two bills focused on protecting schoolchildren. Senate Bill 98, authored by Sen. Sasha Renée Peréz (D-Alhambra), would require school administrators to notify families and students if federal agents conduct immigration operations on a K-12 or college campus. Legislation introduced by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates), AB 49, would bar immigration agents from nonpublic areas of a school unless they had a judicial warrant or court order. It also would bar school districts from providing information about pupils, their families, teachers and school employees to immigration authorities without a warrant. A separate bill by Sen. Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley), SB 81, would bar healthcare officials from disclosing a patient’s immigration status or birthplace, or giving access to nonpublic spaces in hospitals and clinics, to immigration authorities without a search warrant or court order. All three bills now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. If signed into law, the legislation would take effect immediately.

Daily Caller [9/4/2025 3:17 PM, Christine Sellers, 985K] reports a California State University Channel Islands professor was indicted Wednesday for allegedly hurling a tear gas canister at federal agents during an immigration raid, the Justice Department announced. Federal prosecutors said Jonathan Caravello, 37, faces one count of assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, according to a press release. Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol agents were executing a search warrant at a Camarillo marijuana farm July 10 when a group of protesters blocked their exit and pelted government vehicles with rocks, the indictment states. Agents responded with tear gas, rolling canisters toward the crowd. Caravello allegedly tried to kick one but missed, then picked it up and "threw it overhand back at Border Patrol agents," the Justice Department said. Caravello was taken into custody after allegedly resisting arrest by kicking his legs and refusing to give agents his arms, prosecutors said. The 37-year-old math lecturer had identified himself the day before as a volunteer for VC Defensa, a left-wing activist group, according to Ojai Valley News. He was released on bail and scheduled for arraignment Aug. 1. He initially pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge on Aug. 25, the Ventura County Star reported. He is free on $15,000 bond and set to be arraigned in the coming weeks, according to the Justice Department. If convicted, Caravello faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Univision [9/4/2025 2:37 PM, Patricia Clarembaux, 4932K] reports Sharareh Moghaddam applied for U.S. citizenship and passed the exam. She received a notice from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to report to their Los Angeles offices on August 1. As she was waiting for her swearing-in ceremony, she thought she would receive her citizenship that day, but she was detained, her husband, Hooshang Aghdassi, told Univision News by phone. Moghaddam, a 65-year-old Iranian, is a legal permanent resident. He claims that on August 1, without explanation, ICE locked her up in a center in Los Angeles. He then transferred her nearly 400 miles away to another facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, she has called him every three or four days. In an email, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson explained to Univision News that ICE detained the woman for a decade-old criminal record: "Although she is a legal permanent resident, between August 2015 and May 9, 2019, Moghaddam was convicted of two theft offenses, which made her susceptible to deportation under U.S. immigration law." The DHS spokesperson asserts that this situation jeopardized his immigration status. However, Aghdassi says they were already married by 2019 and he doesn’t recall his wife being identified or charged with any crime. An immigration attorney is still reviewing the case.

Los Angeles Times [9/4/2025 9:30 AM, James Rainey, 12715K] reports for many Angelenos, this will be recalled as the summer ICE came to town. Platoons of camouflaged and masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have become the leitmotif of the Summer of ‘25. So have media efforts to report exactly who is being arrested, and why. And there hasn’t been a reporter more dogged and on target on that subject than Brittny Mejia of The Times. Sure, she’s my colleague, but she’s also a Pulitzer Prize finalist, for writing (along with Jack Dolan) about poor healthcare for the most vulnerable people in L.A. Mejia doesn’t accept the Official Story. From anyone. Precision has never been more important than in this time, when ICE and other federal agencies have been trafficking in generalities. They claim to solely target "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens." At times, yes. But at many other times, the facts have shown ICE and its sister agencies have swept up others. Some led away in handcuffs merely overstayed their visas, or made the "mistake" of showing up for court hearings to try to comply with immigration laws. Mejia and other Times stalwarts — such as Rachel Uranga, Ruben Vives and Melissa Gomez — know that specifics matter, not only to the people whose faces have been splashed across the mediaverse, but also to everyone who wants to know the truth about what our government is doing. A day after Mejia reported on Gavidia’s protests ("I’m American, bro!" he screamed at a camo-clad agent) the Department of Homeland Security still pumped out misleading information, saying, "The facts are a U.S. citizens was [sic] arrested because they ASSAULTED U.S. Border Patrol Agents." Mejia peppered Homeland Security media boss Tricia McLaughlin with messages, insisting the agency provide specifics about Gavidia, not others. "When I got that statement, I immediately questioned it," Mejia told me, "because I interviewed Gavidia and he had not been arrested and also did not have any charges that I could find in the federal court system." Only later did the immigration agency leadership acknowledge that it was Gavidia’s friend, Javier Ramirez, who had been arrested. Authorities charged Ramirez with assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer. The case has since been dismissed, though it remains in a legal limbo that could end with charges being filed. Gavidia, meanwhile, has joined a federal lawsuit over the tactics used against him and others. That case is still winding its way through the courts, where Mejia is following along closely. A federal judge has temporarily blocked agents from using racial profiling to make indiscriminate immigration arrests. Though top spokesperson McLaughlin acknowledged fairly quickly that Gavidia was an American, that didn’t mean the agency issued an apology. It did proceed to suggest on X that The Times had posted "FALSE headlines," adding, "DHS targets have nothing to do with an individual’s skin color." But all The Times had reported was that some citizens had expressed concern about racial profiling. An indisputable fact. (Remember those?). "I had people writing to me and telling me that I lied, all based on the DHS post," Mejia said, referring to a social media offering that didn’t bother to make clear that Gavidia had committed no crime.

NewsNation [9/4/2025 7:05 PM, Salvador Rivera, 6811K] reports Mexican nationals are more likely to be detained after being apprehended by federal immigration officers, according to data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. TRAC figures show that in July, 57 percent of Mexican nationals arrested for crossing the border or for being in the country illegally were held in detention centers while their proceedings take place in immigration court. By contrast, overall, only 30 percent of migrants were detained after their apprehensions. According to TRAC, ICE determines when a person is held, and that there is no specific pattern in the decision-making. "In reality, little is known about the factors that influence these custody decisions," writes TRAC. "The ICE agents have wide discretion to make decisions and their criteria is rarely revealed.". According to TRAC, it appears decisions are taken by the agents themselves and are influenced by their own backgrounds and ethnic identity.

Wall Street Journal [9/4/2025 5:40 PM, Jess Bravin, 646K] reports women fleeing domestic abuse overseas will have a tougher time obtaining asylum in the U.S., under decisions this week by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The orders, which could affect thousands of immigration cases, are the latest effort by the Trump administration to tighten up asylum protections, a swing back from the Biden administration, which had made it easier for people to claim refuge in the U.S. from a range of threats back home. Bondi, in her role as the head of the immigration-court system, intervened in several cases to alter the criteria for granting asylum. In one case, a Honduran woman claimed asylum based on belonging to several groups she said were persecuted in her homeland, including “Honduran women unable to leave a relationship” and “Honduran women who have demonstrated resistance to Honduran society’s acceptance of male domination.” Local authorities, she argued, were unable or unwilling to protect members of those groups. Bondi didn’t directly rule on the woman’s claim, a task that will fall to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which handles appeals from the immigration-court system. But the attorney general has authority to intervene in any of the board’s cases and in this instance overruled a permissive legal standard the Biden administration adopted in 2021 and directed the board to reinstate stricter criteria that Jeff Sessions, President Trump’s first attorney general, issued in a 2018 case known as Matter of A-B-. In all but the most extraordinary cases, Bondi’s directive is likely to exclude battered women from asylum protection. “Attorney General Bondi’s decision closes loopholes opened by the previous administration and reduces the ability of illegal aliens to remain in the U.S. for long periods of time on the basis of invalid asylum claims,” a Justice Department spokesman said.

Politico [9/4/2025 12:35 PM, Eric Bazail-Eimil, 2100K] reports the Trump administration is planning to make the test applicants take for U.S. citizenship more difficult, with a higher bar for passing and potentially an essay requirement. Speaking at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies think tank in Washington Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow called the current test “just too easy,” arguing that it allows for people to be “coached” through the immigration process who may not qualify for citizenship under U.S. law. The potential changes, which do not seem to be imminent, are the latest move by the Trump administration to add more stringent scrutiny to applicants for U.S. citizenship. Last week, USCIS said it would resume interviewing applicants’ neighbors and coworkers, restoring a practice that had been paused since the George H.W. Bush administration. Edlow said he didn’t want the test to be “so hard that it’s impossible” for anyone except highly educated applicants to pass. But he said the test needed be more “thought-provoking.” He offered that applicants may be required to write an essay outlining what becoming an American would represent to them and he suggested the test may move toward a more standardized format.

NewsMax [9/4/2025 4:54 PM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 4779K] reports a senior Trump immigration official said he’s "declaring war on fraud" by making the United States citizenship test more difficult because the current version is "just too easy." Speaking at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies think tank in Washington, D.C., Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said that the citizenship test needs to demonstrate the applicant’s "attachment to the Constitution." He went on to say that he’s "had great conversations with adjudicators in the field in various offices" and doesn’t like what he’s been hearing. The potential assessment changes are the latest move by President Donald Trump’s administration to apply greater scrutiny to those seeking U.S. citizenship. While he doesn’t want the test to be "so hard that it’s impossible" for anyone except highly educated applicants to pass, Edlow said that it needs to be more "thought-provoking." He also said that applicants may be required to write an essay explaining what becoming an American citizen would mean to them and suggested that a more standardized test format might be used in the future.

The Hill [9/4/2025 4:23 PM, Elizabeth Crisp, 12414K] reports the federal agency tasked with issuing visas and green cards to immigrants will soon expand its ranks to law enforcement, adding armed officers to root out immigration fraud. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provided details about the plans Thursday after a federal rule change was finalized under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. It takes effect in 30 days. According to a news release on the shift, the USCIS will be authorized to order expedited removal and investigate civil and criminal violations of immigration laws. The USCIS also described the move as one that will allow the agency to investigate potential fraud "from start to finish," rather than relaying information to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) or other federal agencies.

Breitbart [9/4/2025 12:41 PM, John Binder, 2608K] reports that President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is terminating former President Joe Biden’s 2021 designation that gave Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants living in the United States. This week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the administration would end Biden’s TPS for nearly 270,000 Venezuelan migrants with no other legal status to be in the U.S. by September 10 of this year. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement: Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively. Weighing public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it’s clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America’s best interest. [Emphasis added]. DHS officials are urging Venezuelan migrants to use the CBP Home mobile app to report their departure from the United States, securing themselves a complimentary one-way flight back to Venezuela and a $1,000 exit bonus, as long as they can prove that they have successfully self-deported. Already, the Trump administration had ended another TPS designation for more than 300,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.

Reported similarly:
Daily Caller [9/4/2025 9:38 AM, Jason Hopkins, 985K]

Reuters [9/4/2025 5:47 PM, Kanishka Singh, 45746K] reports U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Washington was restricting visas for some Central American nationals who it alleged to be "intentionally acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party" and undermining the rule of law. The statement from Rubio did not name any individuals or cite specific examples of actions over which they were being targeted. Washington and Beijing have had strained ties for years over issues like trade tariffs, cybersecurity, intellectual property, spying, the origins of COVID-19, the ownership of TikTok and the situations in Hong Kong and Taiwan. In recent years, Beijing has looked to improve its foothold in Latin American, a region historically under the U.S. sphere of influence. "As a result, these individuals and their immediate family members will be generally ineligible for entry into the United States," Rubio said in his statement. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rubio’s statement. The visa restriction policy will allow Washington to restrict U.S. visas for "Central American nationals who, while in Central American countries and intentionally acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), knowingly direct, authorize, fund, provide significant support to, or carry out activities that undermine the rule of law in Central America," Rubio said.

New York Times [9/4/2025 5:02 AM, Madeleine Ngo, 153395K] reports when Berenice, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, first learned about a state law that offered undocumented students in-state tuition, she realized that she could afford to go to college. “Without it, it wouldn’t have been a possibility for me,” said Berenice, who is undocumented and agreed to be interviewed on the condition that only her first name be used. But Berenice, whose family brought her to Texas from Mexico when she was 9 years old, is one of thousands of students now facing higher tuition bills as the in-state benefit has come to an end. Texas officials moved to end the law shortly after the Trump administration challenged the policy in June, arguing that it was illegal for Texas to offer unauthorized immigrants the same discounted tuition as other state residents. Although her tuition previously cost about $5,000 a semester and was covered entirely by state financial aid, Berenice said her tuition costs jumped to $21,000 this semester. The challenge against Texas was one of several efforts by the Trump administration to clamp down on programs that provide financial relief for undocumented students. After the Justice Department filed a complaint against Texas, it challenged similar policies in Kentucky, Minnesota and Oklahoma. On Tuesday, the department also filed a complaint against Illinois for offering in-state tuition and scholarships to unauthorized immigrants. Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia offer in-state tuition to their undocumented students, according to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a nonpartisan group of American college and university leaders. There are roughly 510,000 undocumented students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, representing about 2.4 percent of all students at higher education institutions, according to the alliance’s estimates. The Education Department has also scrutinized programs that provide aid for undocumented students, announcing in July that it would investigate five universities that awarded scholarships that appeared to be open only to students in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. That came after the department said it would end subsidies for unauthorized immigrants enrolled in career, technical and adult education programs. The efforts are part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration on public benefits for unauthorized immigrants, an initiative that President Trump has said would deter illegal immigration and preserve aid for American citizens.

Breitbart [9/4/2025 8:43 AM, Paul Bois, 2608K] reports President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is "giving serious consideration" to revoking Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship despite her being a natural born U.S. citizen. The president made his announcement via his social media platform Truth Social. "As previously mentioned, we are giving serious thought to taking away Rosie O’Donnell’s Citizenship. She is not a Great American and is, in my opinion, incapable of being so!!" he wrote. The White House social media account reposted his Truth Social statement. The president was doubling down on a previous proposal to revoke O’Donnell’s citizenship this past July. "Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship. She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" he wrote at the time. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1967 that a U.S. citizen can only lose their citizenship under the clause of the 14th Amendment if they voluntarily relinquishing it.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [9/4/2025 7:09 AM, Eric Mack, 4779K]

FOX News [9/4/2025 1:00 PM, Lauryn Overhultz, 40019K] reports that Rosie O’Donnell fired back at President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to revoke the comedian’s U.S. citizenship. O’Donnell, who moved to Ireland in March, responded to the threat on her Substack Thursday. "He can’t do that because it’s against the Constitution, and even the Supreme Court has not given him the right to do that ... he’s not allowed to do that, the only way you’re allowed to take away someone’s citizenship is if they renounce it themselves, and I will never renounce my American citizenship," the "A League of Their Own" star said. "I am a very proud citizen of the United States." "I am also getting my citizenship here so I can have dual citizenship in Ireland and the United States because I enjoy living here," she added. "It’s very peaceful. I love the politics of the country. I love the people and their generous hearts and spirit. And it’s been very good for my daughter. But I still want to maintain my citizenship in the United States. My children are there. I will be there visiting and go to see them. And I have the freedom to do that, as does every American citizen." Trump renewed his threat to revoke O’Donnell’s citizenship on Wednesday. "As previously mentioned, we are giving serious thought to taking away Rosie O’Donnell’s Citizenship," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "She is not a Great American and is, in my opinion, incapable of being so!"

FedScoop [9/4/2025 2:30 PM, Rebecca Heilweil, 56K] reports Customs and Border Protection is still moving toward its goal of bringing facial recognition to cars, according to privacy documentation published by the agency Wednesday, marking the latest step in its plan to collect biometric data at official ports of entry. The privacy threshold analysis published by CBP outlined how the Department of Homeland Security component is testing a facial biometrics program designed to verify the identity of people sitting in cars while passing through land borders. A request for information from vendors who might provide this kind of technology was published in April. A vendor demonstration, which involved DHS publishing various metrics related to the tech, was also held last year. The document offers details on a pilot program at the Peace Bridge, a U.S.-Canada border crossing near Buffalo, and explains that testing was supposed to occur between November 2024 and April 2025. It’s not currently clear if the evaluation continued exactly as the document stipulated, but the pilot location was announced in November of last year. Previous evaluations, the agency said, had taken place in Texas and Arizona. “The goal is to evaluate industry solutions to obtain the best capture system of facial images for travelers entering the US. To attain this goal, live photos of all unobstructed occupants in the vehicle will be captured while the vehicle is moving,” the document states. From there, the document notes that live photos are evaluated through the Traveler Verification Service, CBP’s port-of-entry biometrics program, and through other DHS systems. “CBP will collect facial images of occupants entering the U.S. via private vehicles in an offline, nonproduction database and will retain the images temporarily, up to 6 months for the length of the evaluation,” the document added. Information about the system architecture was redacted from the document, though it notes that images would be stored in Amazon Cloud Services used by CBP.

Daily Caller [9/4/2025 11:00 PM, Mariane Angela, 985K] reports U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said on Fox News Thursday that federal authorities seized one of the largest drug precursor shipments ever headed for the Sinaloa Cartel. The Trump administration ramped up its cartel crackdown after President Donald Trump authorized military strikes Tuesday, with the latest operation off Venezuela’s coast killing 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members. In an appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime," Pirro said her office — working with Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and the DEA — intercepted 1,300 barrels of methamphetamine precursors shipped from Shanghai and bound for Mexico. "We intercepted on the high seas, brought these 1,300 barrels, enough to fill twenty-four 18-wheelers," Pirro told host Jesse Watters. "We brought them into the Port of Houston. Now, unfortunately, every day there are millions of dollars made by these cartels.” Pirro praised Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for formally designating major cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, saying the move gave law enforcement new tools to target those organizations’ financial networks and disrupt supply chains. "The Sinaloa, of course, [are] one of the most brutal, dangerous cartels around. But President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in designating these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, is giving our office, giving the attorney general, Pam Bondi and the rest of us, the ability to take down these operations sooner. And to make sure that we are literally disrupting the supply chain," Pirro said. "Now, there are all these compounds in Mexico in geographical areas controlled by the Sinaloa that were waiting for these drugs. And although it’s worth a half a billion in Houston, once they move this stuff up to New York and other places, it’s worth a lot more.” The State Department announced Thursday that the U.S. added two Ecuadorian drug gangs, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, to the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, directing the government and armed forces to treat them as terrorist groups. Pirro pointed to what she called the devastating toll of fentanyl and meth smuggling, which she said amounts to an undeclared war with China. "Every day the American people see the damage in this undeclared war by China in delivering these drugs that are killing Americans. We see them in funeral homes as families lose family members. And President Trump has made the decision to give us the power to do something about it. And that’s just what we’re doing," Pirro said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [9/4/2025 3:01 PM, Megan Cerullo, 45245K] reports that American businesses could be owed tens of billions of dollars in refunds for tariffs they paid on foreign goods. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has collected more than $200 billion in tariff revenue from American businesses of all sizes from October through August 24, according to agency data. Of that, more than $70 billion comes from payments of country-based tariffs that a federal appeals court recently ruled President Trump lacked the authority to impose. Industry-specific tariffs, such as steel and aluminum levies, are unaffected by Friday’s ruling. The court on Friday ruled that President Trump unlawfully invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose sweeping tariffs of up to 145% on dozens of U.S. trade partners. Mr. Trump on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to review the federal appeals court’s decision before it takes effect on Oct. 14. Mr. Trump’s appeal means that, for now, there’s no guarantee businesses will receive refunds. That spells more uncertainty for enterprises struggling to balance raising prices to cover the cost of levies against potentially turning away customers, according to supply chain experts. "From the supply chain perspective, we are seeing a lot of uncertainty, which has been the case since April 2," Scott Pruneau, CEO of ITS Logistics, told CBS MoneyWatch. "No one knows how to price their goods, because you can’t whipsaw your customers on pricing.". If the court’s decision stands, the U.S. government could have to return billions in tariff revenue it has collected from businesses. "It’d be very challenging". Neither the White House nor the Treasury immediately responded to a request for comment.

Breitbart [9/4/2025 8:28 PM, Staff, 2608K] reports a pair of drug seizures by Customs and Border Protection agents along the Texas-Mexico border has netted methamphetamine shipments with an estimated street value of $50 million, the agency announced on Thursday. In the first and larger of the two, agents stopped a truck hauling aluminum burrs that was concealing $37 million worth of the drug through the Colombia-Solidarity cargo facility in Laredo. "Physical inspection led to the discovery of four sacks of alleged methamphetamine with a combined weight of 4,241 pounds concealed within the shipment," a release from CBP said. In the other seizure, agents seized 488 packages of what they believed was methamphetamine with a street value of $13.2 million in a commercial truck hauling a load of broccoli at the Pharr international cargo facility in Pharr, Texas. Nearly 1,500 pounds of the drug was concealed in the roof of the truck, CBP said. The seizures are the latest in a series of drug stops along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. In June, agents seized a load of amphetamines valued at $6.7 billion being smuggled across the border at the Pharr crossing by someone in a stolen sports sedan. "The cargo environment continues to be a top choice for trafficking organizations but our CBP officers, along with our tools and technology, are a force to be reckoned with," Carlos Rodriguez, port director of the Pharr port said at the time.

Washington Times [9/4/2025 3:32 PM, Brad Matthews, 964K] reports Customs and Border Protection agents in Seattle have stopped a shipment of 11,134 fake Labubu collectible dolls valued at nearly $514,000. The fake dolls arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in a shipment from Seoul, South Korea, labeled “LED Bulbs” on Aug. 26, a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told the Seattle Times. No arrests have been made in connection with the fakes, which will be destroyed.

CNN [9/4/2025 8:05 PM, Hannah Rabinowitz, 662K] reports that, as the federal government continues its crackdown on illegal immigration, the Justice Department announced Thursday that it would surge resources to the US-Canada border to combat an uptick in human smuggling operations in the north. The surge will include sending agents from the joint DOJ and Department of Homeland Security "Task Force Alpha" to Canada’s border with both New York and Vermont, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press conference in Tampa, Florida. "If you smuggle human beings, you will be found, you will be prosecuted, and you will be brought to justice," Bondi said. "It doesn’t matter where you are.” Task Force Alpha was charged in 2021 by the Biden Justice Department with combatting human smuggling and trafficking groups from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. It was expanded in 2024 to also include Colombia and Panama. Among those increasing their efforts in New York and Vermont are the same cartels operating along the southern border that the Trump administration designated as foreign terrorist organizations, Bondi said. While the cartels have always been operating on the northern border, "it’s gotten much worse, much more prevalent," the attorney general said. CBP data reflects an increase in attempts over the summer. "It’s a multibillion dollar business, the smuggling of drugs, guns and humans," she added, "so they’re not going to quit once we secured our southern border.” The Trump administration has made a crackdown on illegal immigration a cornerstone of its policy agenda, and while much of that effort has focused on the southern border, the president issued an executive order declaring a national emergency over drug and human trafficking across the US-Canada border. He slammed the country, saying it had failed to stop criminal networks involved in trafficking from entering the US. Bondi touted that Task Force Alpha has brought charges against 56 defendants for their alleged involvement in various smuggling operations since Trump took office. DOJ data shows that between June 2021, when the task force began, and the end of 2024, it had won nearly 300 convictions in court. Data from the US Customs and Border Protection show an increase in trafficking efforts across Canada’s border with New York and Vermont — the two states in which the DOJ is expanding the task force to cover — since 2023. A senior department official told CNN that the individuals running the smuggling operations are largely from South and Central America — not Canada — and are flying north. The shift is in part given "progress that’s been made on dismantling some of the organizations at the southern border and shutting off some of their routes to the US," the official said.

(B) Good Day Orlando at 8AM [9/4/2025 10:33 AM, Staff] reports that the TSA is trying to make it easier to get through airport security. Back in July, they started allowing people go through security with shoes on. They are also making it easier to use TSA PreCheck. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says she wants airport security to take one minute to get through.

USA Today [9/4/2025 12:21 PM, Jeanine Santucci and Dinah Voyles Pulver, 64151K] reports former Hurricane Lorena weakened back down to a tropical storm the morning of Sept. 4 but is still poised to bring heavy rainfall and the chance of flash flooding to parts of the Southwestern United States, forecasters said. Lorena, which made its brief stint as a hurricane after forming on Sept. 3, is expected to have the greatest impact to land in the Baja California Sur and Sonora, Mexico, regions through Sept. 5. Bands of heavy rainfall from Lorena could bring 4 to 8 inches of rainfall Sept. 4 and 5, with totals topping out at about 15 inches from the storm. Flash flooding and mudslides are a risk, the National Hurricane Center said. In the U.S., 1 to 3 inches of rain are expected across portions of Arizona and New Mexico, with some isolated totals of 5 inches, bringing a chance of isolated to scattered flash flooding, forecasters said. As of 10 a.m. ET, Tropical Storm Lorena was located 125 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lazaro, Mexico, and about 500 miles from the Mexico-Arizona border. It was moving northwest with winds of 70 mph and is expected to make a northward turn later Sept. 4. It will move parallel to the west coast of the Baja California peninsula and could move closer to the west-central coast of the peninsula as it weakens on Sept. 5. "Although Lorena is forecast to rapidly weaken, abundant moisture will continue to stream northeastward away from the cyclone," the National Hurricane Center said on Sept. 4.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [9/4/2025 11:31 AM, Sarah Lynch Baldwin and Brian Dakss, 45245K]

Reuters [9/4/2025 3:35 PM, Jonathan Stempel, 45746K] reports the U.S. government filed two lawsuits against Southern California Edison on Thursday, blaming the utility’s equipment for sparking two wildfires, including the Eaton Fire in January that damaged National Forest System lands. The lawsuits against the unit of Edison International (EIX.N) were filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in Los Angeles federal court. They seek more than $77 million in damages for the utility’s alleged negligence, trespass by fire and violations of California public safety laws in causing the Eaton Fire and the September 2022 Fairview Fire. "But for Edison’s negligence, these fires would not have started," Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said at a press conference. "Fire season is coming up again. We want Edison to change the way it does business.". Southern California Edison spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas said in a statement that the utility, known as SCE, will respond to both lawsuits through appropriate channels, and that the cause of the Eaton Fire remained under investigation. In response to the Fairview lawsuit, she added that SCE was committed to wildfire mitigation and working to reduce the likelihood of its equipment starting a wildfire. SCE also expressed sympathy for people affected by both fires. The January wildfires in Southern California killed 31 people and destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 structures. Much of the damage came from the Eaton Fire in Altadena, which killed 19 and burned more than 10,000 structures, and the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades. In the first lawsuit, the Justice Department blamed the January 7 Eaton Fire on faulty SCE power infrastructure or sparks from that infrastructure, causing the burning of nearly 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) in Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County. The second lawsuit said a sagging SCE power line sparked the September 5, 2022, Fairview Fire, burning nearly 14,000 acres (5,666 hectares) in San Bernardino National Forest in Riverside County.

CBS News [9/4/2025 9:41 AM, Sarah Lynch Baldwin, 45245K] Video HERE reports Hurricane Kiko, a Category 4 storm, is swirling in the Pacific Ocean and heading west in a direction toward Hawaii. As of early Thursday morning, the storm was located some 1,500 miles east-southwest of Hilo and about 1,700 miles from Honolulu. Its maximum sustained winds were topping 140 mph. "Kiko is moving toward the west near 8 mph (13 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue through Thursday night," the National Hurricane Center said in an early morning advisory. "A turn toward the west-northwest is expected on Friday, with a gradual increase in forward speed expected over the weekend as Kiko approaches the Hawaiian Islands from the east.". "Little change in strength is forecast during the next day or so, followed by gradual weakening Friday through the weekend," it said. No coastal watches or warnings were effect and there were no hazards affecting land as of Thursday.

FOX News [9/4/2025 4:14 PM, Diana Stancy, 40019K] reports the Secret Service’s counter sniper team is understaffed, jeopardizing the safety of U.S. leaders like the president, according to a new inspector general report. The report comes just over one year after the counter sniper team took out the gunman who opened fire on President Donald Trump in July 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, and as the agency has ushered in a series of reforms in response to the assassination attempt. The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General determined that the Secret Service’s counter sniper team is staffed 73% below the level necessary to meet mission requirements and does not have an adequate pipeline to hire more. Meanwhile, demand for snipers is up. Events the sniper team supported increased by 151% from calendar year 2020 to 2024, even though staffing only increased 5% over that span, according to the report. As a result, the watchdog recommended that the agency execute a plan to beef up staffing to meet the counter sniper staffing requirements. The Secret Service concurred, per the report.

NewsMax [9/4/2025 1:47 PM, Jim Mishler, 4779K] reports that former Vice President Kamala Harris now has a security detail of Los Angeles city police officers, according to local KTTV, a development coming after President Donald Trump ended her extended Secret Service protection last month. As many as 11 officers from the LAPD Metropolitan Division have reportedly been reassigned from other cases to protect Harris. Federal law provides former vice presidents with six months of protection after leaving office, while former presidents receive lifetime coverage. Harris’ Secret Service protection would have expired on July 21, but had been extended for an additional year through a directive issued by former President Joe Biden. The change in security comes as Harris begins a multi-city book tour promoting her memoir. The book covers her failed 107-day presidential campaign. It was the shortest in U.S. history and ultimately culminated in her loss to Trump. The Los Angeles Times reported that the California Highway Patrol also offered to provide security. Any such arrangement would require approval from Gov. Gavin Newsom. LA Mayor Karen Bass told KTTV that the revocation of Harris’ protection was a vengeful act by Trump.

Federal News Network [9/4/2025 5:11 PM, Michele Sandiford, 1147K] reports the House Homeland Security Committee wants to reauthorize and reform the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, which expires at the end of this month. On Wednesday, the committee passed a bill that would extend the law for another 10 years. It would also update the law to account for advances in artificial intelligence and require the Department of Homeland Security to improve its outreach on emerging cyber threats. The bill is advancing in the House, but its path forward in the Senate remains unclear as the law’s expiration nears. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Daily Caller [9/4/2025 1:26 PM, Derek Vanbuskirk, 985K] reports that a massive cyberattack operation by a China-aligned hacker group called Salt Typhoon may have stolen data from nearly every American, an FBI official and other anonymous officials said. The campaign was aimed at over 80 nations and could have stolen almost every U.S. citizen’s information, officials told The New York Times. Federal Bureau of Investigation Assistant Director Michael Machtinger described the operation as years long and said millions of people residing in the U.S. may have been affected while speaking to The Register. "There’s a good chance this espionage campaign has stolen information from nearly every American," he said. Chinese state-sponsored cyber threat actors are targeting global networks at unprecedented levels and seeking to "maintain persistent, long-term access to networks," a joint cybersecurity advisory released Aug. 27 warned. The stolen data targeted foreign telecommunications and internet service providers, as well as lodging and transportation, according to the advisory authored or co-signed by four U.S. intelligence agencies and agencies from 12 other countries. It warned that access to this information "can provide Chinese intelligence services with the capability to identify and track their targets’ communications and movements around the world."

Reuters [9/4/2025 4:43 PM, A.J. Vicens and Raphael Satter, 45746K] reports North Korean hackers are saturating the cryptocurrency industry with credible-sounding job offers as part of their campaign to steal digital cash, according to new research, raw data, and interviews. The problem is becoming so common that job applicants now regularly screen recruiters for signs they might be acting on Pyongyang’s behalf. Twenty-five experts, victims, and corporate representatives that Reuters spoke to agreed that the problem was ubiquitous. "It happens to me all the time and I’m sure it happens to everybody in this space," said Carlos Yanez, a business development executive at the Switzerland-based blockchain analytics firm Global Ledger, who was among those recently targeted by the thieves, according to data supplied by cybersecurity companies SentinelOne and Validin, who are publishing a report about the cyber campaign on Thursday. Yanez said that while he avoided getting hacked, the quality of masquerades carried out by North Koreans had improved significantly in the past year. "It’s scary how far they’ve come," he said.

New York Post [9/4/2025 9:21 PM, Caitlin McCormack, 43962K] reports the gun-wielding figure captured stalking around the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus — prompting a lockdown on the first day of class — has been identified as a juvenile who was carrying an airsoft replica firearm, police announced on Thursday. The minor, whose name was withheld due to his age, was seen creeping around the college campus brandishing a mock firearm held as if he were preparing to start a school shooting, according to video footage taken by students sheltering in place. The Lowell Police Department received reports of a person possibly armed with a gun just before 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the first day of classes for undergraduate students. All classes and events were cancelled for the rest of the day as swaths of law enforcement officers, including FBI agents, scoured the campus for the reported threat. No expense was spared as authorities also dispatched a drone, K9s, and a police air unit. The lockdown order was lifted just over two hours after the threat was reported as authorities "determined the suspect was no longer in the vicinity," UMass Lowell wrote in a statement. The entire time, not one shot was fired, Lowell police added. The investigation continued into Thursday when Lowell police recovered the replica weapon from a juvenile male. "While the reported firearm in this case was ultimately determined to be an airsoft gun, our community can be certain that, as in this case, the Lowell Police Department will always utilize all available resources until the safety of all involved is assured," Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon said in a statement. It’s unclear how authorities tracked down the baby-faced faux gunman or what he was doing on the campus in the first place. Initial reports described the suspect as a "5’5 Asian male wearing a gray or white sweatshirt and black shorts carrying a long weapon" that many originally suspected was an AR-15. Lowell Police assured that, because there were no shots fired, the ordeal was not "an active shooter situation.” The public research university is located roughly 45 minutes north of Boston with a student population of around 12,000. The lockdown came just two weeks after false shooter reports caused chaos at multiple colleges during move-in weekend, including two at Villanova University. It’s unclear if the minor is facing any criminal charges for the false alarm. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [9/4/2025 12:49 PM, Awr Hawkins, 2608K] reports that the August 27 Minneapolis Catholic school shooting capped 24 hours of gun violence that had already left innocents dead in the city before the trans shooter targeted schoolchildren. KARE11 reported that "three people were shot and killed in three separate shootings" in Minneapolis between the afternoon of August 26 and the morning of August 27. Then, at approximately 8:30 a.m. on the 27th, the trans shooter attacked the Catholic school, shooting at children as they were attending Mass. FOX News noted that the attack on the school was "the fourth major shooting in less than 24 hours." Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara addressed the gun violence after the first three shootings occurred, saying, "Across three separate multiple-victim shootings, eight people have been injured by gunfire and three have lost their lives. While this level of violence is cause for concern, our resolve to fight for the safety of every person in our community is unwavering." O’Hara spoke again on August 27, following the Catholic school shooting. ABC News quoted him referring to the shooting as a "deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping." He praised the quick-thinking staff, saying that "within seconds heroic staff moved students under the pews."

Breitbart [9/4/2025 7:20 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2608K] reports leftist protesters can be heard on video shouting at Vice President JD Vance as he paid his respects on Wednesday at the site of the Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis. In the video, protesters can be heard screaming, "You’re a coward," and "do better" at Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance. The protesters also held signs, one reading, "When you pray move your feet" and another reading, "This is your job, protect our kids." A rainbow flag can be seen in the midst of them. Another video shows a protester dancing outside of the scene, and others holding signs reading, "Hate Won’t Make America Great.” It remains unclear what kind of "hate" the protesters are referring to, as it was a transgender gunman who opened fire in hate, resulting in the tragic death of two children and several others injured. On August 27 at around 8:30 a.m., a transgender gunman opened fire on schoolchildren attending Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has stated that the gunman "began firing through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews at the Mass," eventually killing himself. As Breitbart News detailed, the gunman had a YouTube channel that contained his manifesto and "vile anti-Trump messages.” FBI Director Kash Patel has since said that the FBI is investigating the shooting "as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.” "There were 2 fatalities, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old. In addition, 14 children and 3 adults were injured. The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman," Patel confirmed, adding that the FBI will continue to provide updates on the investigation.

Los Angeles Times [9/4/2025 6:00 AM, Clara Harter, 12715K] reports an Alabama man who claimed to be Michael the Angel of Death has been charged with multiple felonies after he threatened to "do the Lord’s reaping" at a Catholic monastery in Orange County and then traveled to the church with a sizable cache of weapons, authorities said. On Wednesday, Joshua Michael Richardson, 38, was charged with felony criminal threats and possession of six high-capacity gun magazines, brass knuckles and a sword, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Investigators also found knives, a stun gun, body armor, duct tape and rope in his truck. On Aug. 19, St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon received an email from Richardson in which he claimed to be the "rider of the pale horse," the last of the four horsemen in the Book of Revelation, who personifies death. He also said he was Michael the Angel of Death, referencing the Archangel Michael, who is tasked with escorting souls to the afterlife, prosecutors said.

Bloomberg [9/4/2025 6:00 AM, Ellen Milligan, 19085K] reports NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Russia and China are preparing their defense industries for “long-term confrontation,” after Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin led a parade of Beijing’s new military hardware. “We face serious and lasting threats: Russia and China are investing heavily to build up and modernize their militaries,” Rutte said in a speech at the IISS Prague Defence Summit on Thursday. “Their defense industries are producing weapons and heavy military equipment at a remarkable, staggering, rate.” China unveiled a range of nuclear weapons, including two new gigantic intercontinental ballistic missile designs, during the World War II anniversary parade in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi walked through the crowds with Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un flanking him. It was his first public appearance with both men and a message to the US and Europe about their military might.

New York Times [9/4/2025 1:06 PM, Brad Plumer and Karen Zraick, 143795K] reports that Orsted, the Danish renewable energy giant, sued the Trump administration on Thursday, saying the government’s move to halt a nearly finished wind farm off Rhode Island was unlawful and “issued in bad faith.” The administration last month took the remarkable step of ordering work to stop on Revolution Wind, a $6.2 billion offshore wind farm that was nearly 80 percent complete, as part of a campaign to block wind projects. In a letter to Orsted, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management alluded to national security concerns with the project but did not elaborate. On Thursday, Revolution Wind LLC, a joint venture between Orsted and Skyborn Renewables, asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to prevent the administration from enforcing the stop-work order. The complaint alleges that the order was arbitrary and capricious in part because it appeared to be carried out under political pressure from the White House. The attorneys general of Connecticut and Rhode Island also said that they would file a separate lawsuit Thursday in the United States District Court for Rhode Island to overturn the stop-work order. A spokeswoman for the Interior Department, the parent agency of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, said it did not comment on pending litigation. “President Trump’s day one executive order instructed agencies to review leases and permitting practices for wind projects with consideration for our country’s growing demands for reliable energy, effects on energy costs for American families, the importance of marine life and fishing industry, and the impacts on ocean currents and wind patterns,” said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman.

AP [9/4/2025 2:02 PM, Eric Tucker, 37974K] reports that the FBI seized phones, computer equipment and typed documents from the home of John Bolton as part of an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s first-term national security adviser mishandled government secrets, according to court records unsealed Thursday. The criminal investigation burst into view last month when agents searched Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland and his office in the District of Columbia. A person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said at the time that it concerned allegations of the potential mishandling of classified information. No charges have been filed. A coalition of news organizations had urged a judge in Maryland, where the FBI had applied to a judge for a search warrant, to unseal records surrounding the search, citing a “tremendous public interest” that they said outweighed the need for continued secrecy. Redacted documents were made public Thursday that shed new light on the investigation. Among them is a search warrant inventory showing that the FBI took from the home multiple phones, computer equipment, four boxes containing daily printed activities, typed documents in folders labeled “Trump I-IV,” and other materials. The court records also cite two criminal statutes underpinning the investigation, including laws that make it a crime to gather, transmit or lose defense information and the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials.

Reported similarly:
CNN [9/4/2025 1:12 PM, Katelyn Polantz, 23245K]
USA Today [9/4/2025 2:13 PM, Bart Jansen, 64151K]
News Max [9/4/2025 1:11 PM, Mark Swanson, 4779K]
Washington Examiner [9/4/2025 2:34 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1563K]

Reuters [9/4/2025 11:45 AM, Jana Winter, 45746K] reports President Donald Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement into Washington, D.C., is exposing the FBI’s fleet of unmarked cars, potentially risking its ability to do its most sensitive national security and surveillance work, nine current and former employees of the bureau warned. The surge, which the White House has said is meant to crack down on violent crime but has featured many arrests for minor offenses, could make it harder for the FBI to combat violent criminal gangs, foreign intelligence services and drug traffickers, said the current and former employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. As part of the surge, FBI agents who normally conduct their investigative work out of the spotlight are now more involved in routine police work in Washington, appearing in high-profile areas dressed in tactical gear and emerging from unmarked cars, with the unintended effect of potentially identifying those vehicles to surveillance targets. As the Republican president publicly muses about expanding his crackdown into cities such as Chicago and Baltimore, the employees said they are urging leadership not to continue to expose more vehicles in this way. "Every time you see us getting out of covert cars wearing our FBI vests that car is burned," said one of eight current FBI employees who spoke with Reuters on condition of anonymity. "We can’t use these cars to go undercover, we can’t use them to surveil narcotraffickers and fentanyl suppliers or Russian or Chinese spies or use them to go after violent criminal gangs or terrorists," said a second current FBI employee. An FBI spokesman denied the current employees’ assertions.

AP [9/4/2025 7:44 PM, Staff, 37974K] reports Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’ s strategy of managing a tumultuous relationship with President Donald Trump may be running up against wider regional tensions and lack of willingness by the Trump administration to make concessions, experts say. `Since Trump took office, the freshly elected Mexican president has been lauded, and even dubbed a sort of "Trump whisperer," for being able to offset the brunt of U.S. tariffs that have dealt a blow to other foreign economies. Sheinbaum has done so by cracking down on cartels with a heavier hand than her predecessor, delivering dozens of cartel affiliates to American authorities and pointing to lower fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border. It was an exchange she said Thursday that she hoped to formalize. When the two leaders spoke in February, Trump tied the fentanyl coming from Mexico to the tariff threat, she said. "So what do we propose?" Sheinbaum said at her morning press conference Thursday. "If this problems reduces, then we evidently want to see that 25% (tariff) shrink.". But now, observers say Sheinbaum is increasingly backed against a wall. Michael Shifter, senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, said Sheinbaum is now having to walk "a fine line" with Trump that appears to only be getting more complicated. "There’s a sort of uncertainty that hangs over the relationship," Shifter said. "Sheinbaum likely feels incredibly frustrated because she has taken major steps toward dealing with the cartels. And it never seems to be enough to satisfy Trump.". Just a day before, Sheinbaum met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to Mexico, in which the leaders discussed security issues and agreed to continue working together to combat crime. For weeks, Sheinbaum had been gunning to sign a formal security agreement with the U.S. underscoring the importance of respecting Mexican sovereignty, with the hope of setting clear rules amid Trump’s volatile foreign policy tactics. The push for the security deal came as Sheinbaum has repeatedly and publicly rejected offers by the Trump administration to send U.S. troops to fight cartels. Her meeting with Rubio came just after the Trump administration carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 people it claimed were trafficking drugs to the U.S., something Rubio said was meant as a warning.

Bloomberg [9/4/2025 12:35 PM, Samy Adghirni, 19085K] reports European leaders forged ahead with pledges to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire even as little clarity emerged over concrete commitments from US President Donald Trump. French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries are prepared to contribute to guarantees, including troops. US support for the measures will be finalized in the coming days, according to France’s leader, though the White House didn’t comment. Allied troops could be present “on the ground, at sea, or in the air” as part of a deal, Macron told journalists in Paris Thursday following a meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, which Trump joined remotely. “This force does not want to — nor has the objective of — waging whatever war against Russia,” Macron said alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The US president has previously ruled out sending troops to Ukraine, but pledged to provide some form of backstop, including intelligence and air support. Ukraine and its allies have intensified work on security guarantees after Trump met with Zelenskiy, European leaders and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington on Aug. 18. Their talks followed Trump’s summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska, after which the US leader pledged to set up a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders in a bid to broker peace. Trump used the call on Thursday to demand more economic pressure from Europe to bring Putin to the negotiating table, including a total halt to purchases of Russian oil and gas, according to Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The US leader also called on Europeans to apply pressure to China, he said.

AP [9/4/2025 12:38 PM, Illia Novikov and Samuel Petrequin, 37974K] reports French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that 26 of Ukraine’s allies have pledged to deploy troops as a “reassurance force” for the war-torn country once fighting ends in the conflict with Russia. Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine. He said that 26 of the countries had committed to deploying troops in Ukraine — or to maintaining a presence on land, at sea, or in the air — to help guarantee the country’s security the day after a ceasefire or peace is achieved. Earlier Thursday, Macron and other European leaders met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the U.S. envoy for peace talks, Steve Witkoff, to discuss ways of ensuring long-term military support and continued American backing for Ukraine once the conflict ends. Zelenskyy also held a closed-door meeting with Witkoff. Macron said at a news conference alongside Zelenskyy that the reassurance force “does not have the will or the objective of waging war against Russia,” but will aim “to prevent any new major aggression and to involve the 26 states very clearly in the lasting security of Ukraine.” Though details of any U.S. participation in the security guarantees remain unclear, both Macron and Zelenskyy said Washington had expressed willingness to be part of the plan, and the Ukrainian president said he was grateful about that. “As for in what format, I am not yet ready to tell you in detail,” Zelenskyy added. “The planning work will be finalized with the United States,” Macron said.

New York Times [9/4/2025 9:06 AM, Anatoly Kurmanaev, 153395K] reports diplomatic efforts to end the largely deadlocked war in Ukraine have focused on Western guarantees of Ukraine’s future security. But the Kremlin says it must obtain its own “security guarantees” before laying down arms. What President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia says is protection, however, would drastically limit Ukraine’s sovereignty, leaving it vulnerable to a renewed Russian attack and, many of its supporters believe, effectively turning it into a client state of Moscow. That tension over “security guarantees” — and the different ways in which the term is interpreted by the Kremlin and by the West — underlines the fundamental challenge of forging any peace deal to end Russia’s invasion. What Mr. Putin says are Russia’s rightful national security demands have been consistent for years. They reflect a list of grievances that he refers to in shorthand as “the root causes” of the war. Under President Trump, Russia’s concerns are finally “being heard” in Washington, Mr. Putin says. “We can see now that some mutual understanding is taking shape,” Mr. Putin said at a summit in China this week, referring to his meeting with Mr. Trump in Alaska last month.

Bloomberg [9/4/2025 5:53 PM, Natalia Drozdiak, 19085K] reports the US is planning to cut funding for programs meant to help train and equip the armies of European countries that border Russia, as the Trump administration pushes the region to shoulder more of the defense burden. The Defense Department notified European officials about the decision to suspend assistance under Section 333 of the National Defense Authorization Act, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. The move may result in shaving off hundreds of millions of dollars worth of financial support for equipment and weapons training for armies across Europe but would hit one program, the Baltic Security Initiative, especially hard. One of the people said affected nations didn’t expect the change to have a critical impact but said they might take longer to get some weapons they need. A spokesperson for the Defense Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Financial Times and Washington Post reported the move earlier Thursday. A White House official said that the action is in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to reevaluate US foreign aid and his focus on having Europe take more responsibility for its defense. In their briefing to their European counterparts, Pentagon officials encouraged other European nations to step in to plug the funding gap, the people familiar with the matter said. The Pentagon cited its shifting priorities to focus on the Indo-Pacific, they said. NATO allies agreed to an ambitious new spending goal this summer to allocate at least 5% of GDP toward defense. That could help compensate for any withdrawal of US funding, but many European countries are still years away from hitting the target. It’s also unclear to what extent the phase-out plans need approval by Congress. Republicans in the House and Senate have typically been supportive of the US military programs in Europe to bolster allies’ defense and deter an attack by President Vladimir Putin’s forces in the wake of his invasion of Ukraine.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [9/4/2025 3:47 PM, Staff, 45746K]

Bloomberg [9/4/2025 6:41 AM, Mackenzie Hawkins, Heesu Lee, and Yoolim Lee, 19085K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration just tore up a quiet compromise that some of the world’s biggest chipmakers have relied on to maintain crucial operations in China. That tees up four months of complex policy talks to satisfy US national security concerns while avoiding disruptions to supply chains that underpin the global electronics market. At issue are so-called validated end user, or VEU, authorizations that have allowed Samsung Electronics Co., SK Hynix Inc. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to get supplies to factories in China without seeking Washington’s permission each time. Those waivers — which a South Korean official once said solved “the biggest trade issue” for the country’s chipmakers — are now set to expire at the end of this year. That’s left government and industry officials to hash out an alternative approach that can make all parties confident the plants can continue to run smoothly. The stakes are particularly high for Samsung and SK Hynix given the scale of their China factories, which churn out components used in everything from smartphones to data centers. The South Korean and Taiwanese governments, meanwhile, find themselves once again navigating tensions between Washington and Beijing as the US continues a years-long campaign to constrain China’s tech ambitions.

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