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

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

The New York Times [4/11/2026 3:22 PM, Michael Crowley, 148038K] reports the Trump administration arrested and said it would deport the son of an Iranian woman who gained fame as a spokeswoman for the Iranian militants who stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979. Federal agents arrested Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife, Maryam Tahmasebi, and their son, who was not identified by name, after the United States this week revoked their permanent resident status, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday. The three are now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending deportation. A State Department statement on the matter did not accuse the three arrested of any specific unlawful or harmful acts but stated that the Trump administration “will never allow America to become a home for foreign nationals tied to anti-American terrorist regimes.” Mr. Hashemi is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar, who served as the English-language spokeswoman for the Islamist embassy captors during the 444-day hostage crisis. Mr. Hashemi had been the subject of recent reports in conservative media outlets that portrayed him as living comfortably in Los Angeles while working as a psychology professor. The State Department branded Ms. Ebtekar a “propagandist” who made false claims that the American hostages were treated well. Its statement noted that U.S. media reports sometimes referred to her as “Screaming Mary,” though she was more often known simply as “Mary,” her nom de guerre. NewsMax [4/11/2026 1:29 PM, Jim Morley, 3760K] reports that the three family members originally entered the U.S. on visas in 2014 and were granted permanent residency in 2016 through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which the Trump administration has since suspended. In its statement, the State Department said the actions reflect ongoing coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE and are aimed at "keeping Americans safe." Officials have increasingly focused on revoking visas and residency for individuals deemed to have connections, familial or otherwise, to governments or groups considered hostile to the United States, including Iran’s ruling establishment and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The New York Post [4/11/2026 11:15 PM, Ross O’Keefe, 40934K] reports that just a week earlier, two other Iranians with ties to slain general Qasem Soleimani were also detained. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, had their green cards revoked on April 3. Afshar is Soleimani’s niece, while Hosseiny is his grandniece. Afshar had expressed support for the Iranian regime in public posts, including praise for its leadership and rhetoric critical of the United States. In a separate case, Dr. Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani – the daughter of a senior Iranian official – and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi, were also removed from the country amid mounting political pressure. Ardeshir-Larijani had been working as an assistant professor at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta before facing backlash over her role. The coordinated crackdown is being driven by Rubio, who has sought to prevent regime-linked figures from benefiting from life in the United States. The moves come as Washington ramps up efforts to root out individuals with ties to the Iranian regime, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining some and revoking immigration status for others. The Trump administration has made it a priority to oust anyone connected to the anti-American regime, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning the U.S. "will never allow America to become a home for foreign nationals tied to anti-American terrorist regimes.” "America can never become home for anti-American terrorists or their families – and under the Trump Administration, it never will," he said.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [4/11/2026 5:36 PM, Suhauna Hussain, 12718K]
The Hill [4/11/2026 11:36 AM, Sophie Brams, 18170K]
CBS News [4/11/2026 11:48 AM, Mark Osborne, 51110K]
FOX News [4/11/2026 11:49 AM, Michael Dorgan, 37576K]
Washington Examiner [4/11/2026 12:24 PM, David Zimmermann, 1147K]
Daily Wire [4/11/2026 1:12 PM, Drew Berkemeyer, 2314K]

Washington Times [4/11/2026 3:43 PM, Mary McCue Bell, 1323K] reports furloughed Department of Homeland Security staff are being called back to work in the thick of the partial government shutdown. A notice sent to employees Friday told “all DHS employees, excepted and non-excepted/non-exempt,” to report back to “work and paid status, effective on your next regularly scheduled duty day,” which for most will be Monday, according to multiple reports. “Employees who are unable to report for duty on their next scheduled workday must request leave and receive approval from their supervisors,” the message says. “Employees that do not follow this process may be subject to administrative or disciplinary action.” The notice nods to President Trump’s executive order directing the department to use funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay employees, including furloughed staff, the equivalent compensation lost during the record-breaking partial shutdown. “DHS is using available funds to ensure employees are paid,” the memo reads. “Should the department exhaust currently available funds before an FY 2026 appropriation is enacted, you will receive a new notification of your work status at that time.” A department spokesperson blamed Democrats for the partial shutdown, adding that Secretary Markwayne Mullin will be “utilizing available funding to recall the entire DHS workforce to get our patriotic employees back to work.”

DailySignal [4/11/2026 8:00 AM, Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, 474K] reports President Donald Trump has said he wants Congress to send a reconciliation package funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement to his desk by June 1, spurring a debate among Republicans about whether to expand the package to include other policy priorities. The Senate’s process of reconciliation allows for the chamber to pass budget legislation with a simple majority vote, with limits on what can be included. Although Republican leadership has decided on a narrow bill to fund border security efforts, House conservatives fear the reconciliation package is their last chance to secure policy wins ahead of the midterm elections without needing Democrat support. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said that the second bill must be as "narrow" as possible in order to meet Trump’s deadline. Leadership’s approach is likely to run into trouble with the conservative Freedom Caucus, which has several priorities for the second reconciliation bill: completely fund the Department of Homeland Security, defund Planned Parenthood, pass the SAVE America Act, and reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Speaker Mike Johnson has discussed the possibility of a third reconciliation package after that to accomplish other priorities.

NPR [4/11/2026 5:04 PM, Marianna Bacallao, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports President Trump points to Tennessee as a model for cooperating with the immigration crackdown but some in the state don’t like what it means. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

FOX News [4/12/2026 3:41 AM, Chad Pergram, 37576K] reports that, if you thought the Congressional appropriations process couldn’t get any worse, I present you with 2026. And perhaps beyond. The Department of Homeland Security remains shut down, running on pocket lint, nickels lost between the couch cushions and faded S&H Green Stamps (look ‘em up, kids). Congress hasn’t funded DHS for two months. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., torqued himself into a political pretzel – opposing, then supporting, then not acting on – a Senate-approved package to fund most of DHS. As we always say, it’s about the math, and when it comes to DHS money, it appears that lawmakers have locked a box to which they lack the combination. There is apparently no sequence of votes in the House and Senate which can crack the DHS safe as a traditional, standalone appropriations bill. Now, Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump are turning to one of the few methods which might work to fund DHS – something called budget reconciliation. The Congressional budget reconciliation process is not customarily used for appropriations bills – although lawmakers can plug the measure with money to spend on federal programs. However, reconciliation is inoculated from filibusters. Thus, Republicans don’t need 60 votes. They can – ostensibly – pass a DHS bill on its own without help from Democrats if they hold their narrow coalitions together in both the House and Senate. Congressional Republicans intend to stuff this reconciliation package with only money for ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. Nothing for disaster aid. Nothing for farmers. Nothing about the SAVE America Act. The president agrees. The goal is to finish this by June 1 – months after the latest DHS funding lapse. But it’s more complicated than that. The House and Senate must take a number of steps to approve a shell of a budget resolution in order to have the filibuster-proof reconciliation tool available to them. Republicans undertook a similar endeavor last winter and spring. It was absolutely harrowing and consumed months before finally approving the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, via reconciliation. Republicans don’t have that kind of time now. Then again, DHS has either been unfunded or held together by interim spending bills since last October. We haven’t even mentioned how Trump is using a somewhat dubious authority to pay TSA workers and others from other funds – without Congressional approval. That leaves some to question why the administration didn’t do this to start with. But the bigger issue is an alarming pattern of Congress ceding its most precious prerogative – the power of the purse – to the executive branch. That’s to say nothing as to whether Trump’s gambit to pay workers is even Constitutional. And, it establishes a precedent which may be hard to ignore during other funding impasses. However, here’s the bigger problem: the Congressional paralysis to pass appropriations bills on a timely basis. That’s been an issue for years now. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/12/2026 5:00 AM, Andrew Mark Miller, 37576K] reports as birthright citizenship is debated in the Supreme Court, resurfaced videos of top Democrats echoing the argument of the Trump administration sparked a conservative uproar on social media. "If making it easy to be an illegal alien isn’t enough, how about offering a reward for being an illegal immigrant?" Sen. Harry Reid said on the Senate floor in 1993. "No sane country would do that. Right? Guess again. If you break our laws by entering this country without permission and give birth to a child, we reward that child with U.S. citizenship and [a] guarantee of full access to all public and social services this society provides — and that’s a lot of services." Reid, who served in the Senate as a Democrat for 30 years and was Senate majority leader for eight years, was speaking about the Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993, which he introduced. The legislation was a broad immigration reform package that included a provision to deny birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. to mothers who were neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents. Reid, who died in 2021 at the age of 82, ultimately changed his tune on the legislation and said in 2018 that the bill was a "mistake." Many on social media quickly pointed to Reid’s lofty stature within the Democratic Party and wondered aloud why he is not labeled "racist" the same way Republicans who oppose birthright citizenship often are. "WOW," conservative influencer Libs of TikTok posted on X. "Senator Harry Reid, a DEMOCRAT, introduced a bill in 1993 to END birthright citizenship for illegal aliens .But if Trump wants to do it, Democrats call it ‘rAcIsT.’" "Lots of Democrats supported him," actor Kevin Sorbo posted on X. "They change their minds to fit whatever narrative suits them. That’s why they can’t be trusted."

New York Times [4/11/2026 6:34 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, Nicholas Nehamas and Steven Rich, 148038K] reports the Trump administration has fired two immigration judges who dismissed high-profile deportation cases against international students who had advocated for Palestinians. The firings of the judges, Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, marked the latest efforts by the Trump administration to reshape the country’s immigration courts. The administration has dismissed dozens of immigration judges and, according to those on the bench, has put judges under pressure to deny asylum claims and order deportations. Unlike federal judges in the independent judicial branch, immigration judges work for the Justice Department and are hired and fired by the attorney general. The two judges, who were terminated alongside four colleagues on Friday, oversaw two high-profile cases filed by the government against the students, Rumeysa Ozturk and Mohsen Mahdawi. Mr. Trump has aggressively sought to reshape the immigration courts since he won a second term, with dramatic results. Judges are ordering a record number of people deported and granting asylum at the lowest rate since at least 2009, the first year for which reliable data is available. Cases are being resolved faster, and a backlog of claims that soared under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has started to fall. Ms. Ozturk and Mr. Mahdawi were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last year. Their detentions had been part of a string of arrests of international students who had publicly expressed support of Palestinian causes or had taken part in protests on U.S. campuses that the Trump administration labeled antisemitic. Ms. Ozturk, a Turkish-born student at Tufts University, had her student visa status in the United States repealed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio after writing an article in a student newspaper criticizing university leadership’s stances on Palestinian causes. The government similarly tried to deport Mr. Mahdawi, a Palestinian student at Columbia University and green card holder, because of his involvement in campus protests. Mr. Rubio said his continued presence in the country could “potentially undermine” U.S. foreign policy.

Washington Post [4/12/2026 5:00 AM, Federica Cocco and Jonathan Edwards, 24826K] reports prekindergarten applications in D.C. have plunged this year, particularly at schools in immigrant neighborhoods and those with bilingual programs, a sign of how federal layoffs and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have affected families who once competed fiercely for lottery seats. There were about 32,800 pre-K applications through D.C.’s public school lottery for the 2026-27 school year, a 14 percent decline from last year, according to newly released data from the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education. The drops were even steeper — nearly 25 percent — at Spanish-dominant dual-language programs and in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations, a Washington Post analysis of school-level lottery data found. Across all grades, the total number of applicants fell 6.5 percent. The decline comes as the District absorbs blows to its population base: federal workforce reductions that have unsettled thousands of families, a sharp slowdown in immigration to the city and growing fear among immigrant communities over enforcement actions — all on top of a decade-long decrease in birth rates. Together, they appear to be thinning the pipeline of young children hoping to enter classrooms in the nation’s capital — a trend with direct consequences for a school system whose funding is based on how many students walk through the door. That anxiety is reshaping how families navigate the lottery. Mariel Vallano, a middle school English-language teacher and community organizer who helps Spanish-speaking families submit lottery applications, said some undocumented immigrants are forgoing better academic options in favor of schools closer to home that don’t require a lottery application, a choice that offers less exposure to a potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest. “More distance means more risk, and a lot of parents are not comfortable … accompanying their kids to school anymore,” Vallano said.

Breitbart [4/11/2026 12:45 PM, Randy Clark, 2238K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took to social media, where they accused ABC7 Eyewitness News of ideological censorship for using artificial intelligence to edit DHS statements in their coverage of immigration enforcement actions carried out on Thursday. DHS accused the media outlet of using AI to mold their coverage to "edit DHS statements to conform to their narrative bias," remove an illegal alien’s criminal background, and shamelessly lie. DHS posted a scathing message on the social media platform X to the Los Angeles affiliate, ABC7, criticizing the ABC affiliate for editing its response to an inquiry about arrests that occurred outside a courthouse in Rancho Cucamonga, California, on Thursday. Side-by-side images posted by DHS on X show the detailed response by DHS to ABC7 describing the immigration enforcement arrests and what appears to be an email response to DHS by an ABC7 employee that advised other ABC7 employees the sender "took the liberty of running it through AI asking that it be formatted for current journalist ethics and standards."

Reuters [4/11/2026 7:39 PM, Alvaro Murillo, 16072K] reports Costa Rica on Saturday received the first group of migrants from other countries deported from the United States under an agreement signed in March between ‌the two countries, local authorities said. Costa Rica’s General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners said the 25 migrants included citizens of Albania, Cameroon, China, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya and Morocco. "Upon entering the country, the migrants will receive primary care from the Professional Migration Police, with ⁠the cooperation of the International Organization for Migration (IOM)," the Costa Rican agency said in a statement. Under the agreement, Costa Rica will receive up to 25 people per week, while the United States will provide financial support and the IOM will offer food and accommodation during the first seven days of migrants’ stay in the country. The agreement is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to ramp up his mass deportation ‌program, ⁠including removing immigrants to third countries that are not their country of origin. The administration has said that such third-country deportations are necessary to remove people whose home countries refuse to accept them. But these deportations have faced criticism ⁠from Democrats and human rights advocates for stranding migrants in countries far from their homelands, where they often don’t speak the language or have any family ⁠ties. In February, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee released a report that said the deportation agreements with foreign governments cost American taxpayers millions ⁠of dollars - at times more than $1 million per person shipped out of the country - and produce little benefit. Univision [4/11/2026 10:37 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports that the agreement was signed at the end of March in San Jose by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and Kristi Noem , special envoy of the Donald Trump administration for a security alliance known as "Shield of the Americas".The deported migrants are nine women and 16 men from Albania, Cameroon, China, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya and Morocco, according to the General Directorate of Migration of Costa Rica . Those deported will be able to voluntarily return to their country, request asylum, or apply for "a temporary immigration regularization program for humanitarian reasons," Migration added. Costa Rica received about 200 migrants from Asia and Eastern Europe a year ago from the United States, which generated strong criticism from human rights organizations because they were locked up for several months in a remote shelter on the border with Panama . The current agreement allows Washington to send up to 25 migrants each week who will have "a temporary legal status while their situation is defined," the Costa Rican government said regarding the agreement that will be continued by the president-elect, Laura Fernández , who will replace Chaves on May 8. The United States will provide financial assistance and the UN ‘s International Organization for Migration will temporarily cover the accommodation and food costs for the deportees, according to the memorandum. The agreement is voluntary and Costa Rica can "reject anyone," Chaves said a couple of weeks ago. Noem was fired in early March as Secretary of Homeland Security by Trump , who assigned her to coordinate the regional alliance that they sealed days later at a summit in Florida attended by the presidents of Costa Rica , Honduras, El Salvador, Argentina, Panama and Ecuador, among others.

CNN [4/12/2026 5:30 AM, Priscilla Alvarez and Michael Williams, 19874K] reports on a recent April morning, Stephen Miller led a multiagency call with a question: Why were countries not accepting more deportees from the United States? In the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the architect of his immigration agenda had overseen a deportation machine that according to the Department of Homeland Security has expelled more than 675,000 undocumented immigrants from the country. That is short of the administration’s goal of a million deportations a year, though Homeland Security officials argue that hundreds of thousands of others have voluntarily left the country. So, in an effort to circumvent some countries that declined to accept back their citizens, the administration devised a plan to enter into agreements with other countries to accept deportees regardless of whether they were from those countries, or even spoke the language. Yet even as around two dozen countries — spanning from Africa and Central Asia to Latin America — continued entering into agreements or memorandums of understanding to accept deportees from the US, that plan has accounted for only a tiny fraction of deportations. The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, estimated that 15,000 people have been deported to third countries —13,000 of whom were sent to Mexico—between January and December 2025. The agreements for each country vary, with some offering more detail than others, including parameters on who will be accepted. “The Trump Administration is using all the tools in our toolbox to carry out the largest, lawful deportation operation of criminal illegal aliens in history,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told CNN in a statement. The State Department similarly said in a statement that “implementing the Trump Administration’s immigration policies is a top priority for the Department of State.” The only country that has accepted a significant number of deported migrants from other countries is Mexico, and that is through an arrangement that began during President Joe Biden’s administration. Some countries entered agreements, but it is not publicly known whether they have accepted any migrants. Miller appeared frustrated on the call and directed his ire to State Department officials, according to two US officials. Despite striking all these arrangements with far-flung countries to accept migrants from the United States, the removal of immigrants to those countries appeared to have stalled — or to have never actually begun. His message to the officials was clear: If they couldn’t get countries to move faster and accept more people, he would get involved.

Univision [4/11/2026 7:19 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a Guatemalan citizen pleaded guilty in the United States to charges related to a human trafficking network linked to the tragedy that occurred on December 9, 2021, in Chiapas , Mexico, when a trailer carrying more than 160 undocumented migrants crashed, killing at least 56 people and injuring more than 100, including minors. The case is related to one of the deadliest migrant accidents recorded in the border region in recent years. On December 9, 2021, a tractor-trailer carrying approximately 160 undocumented migrants overturned on a highway in the state of Chiapas , in southern Mexico, after losing control on a curve between Chiapa de Corzo and Tuxtla Gutiérrez. The vehicle crashed into a road structure and overturned, trapping dozens of people inside the trailer. Most of the victims were from Guatemala and Central America and had been transported irregularly from the southern Mexican border to the United States . The tragedy left between 53 and 57 dead, according to various official reports, and more than 100 injured, in one of the worst accidents of its kind recorded in Mexico in recent years. According to the U.S. Department of Justice , the defendant, identified as 42-year-old Daniel Zavala Ramos , admitted to participating in a conspiracy to smuggle undocumented migrants from Guatemala, through Mexico, to the United States. In the operation, the migrants paid a network of traffickers who arranged their transport using various means, including cargo trucks. US authorities said that Zavala Ramos and his accomplices coordinated the recruitment, collection and transportation of adults and minors, including unaccompanied minors, who in some cases were given written instructions to deal with possible arrests by immigration authorities . On December 9, 2021, during one of these transfers, the migrants were loaded onto a trailer that was later involved in the fatal accident. Zavala Ramos was extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face the charges and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle undocumented immigrants into the United States, with aggravating circumstances of endangering life and causing death. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. His sentence will be handed down on July 7 by a federal judge , after considering sentencing guidelines and other legal factors. The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security through its HSI division , in coordination with authorities in the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico, as part of an international effort against human trafficking networks. The Department of Justice emphasized that this investigation is part of joint operations focused on dismantling transnational criminal organizations dedicated to migrant smuggling in the region. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [4/11/2026 11:50 PM, Staff, 40934K] reports seldom has "good riddance" tripped more easily from the tongue. It’s gratifying to see the Trump Administration expel foreign nationals who enjoy US freedom while cheering US enemies. In recent weeks, The California Post has reported extensively on Iranian nationals — mostly, the pampered relatives of regime elites in Tehran — living posh lives in the United States. For Americans, that’s galling. It can also be a threat to national security. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gets that, and has systematically revoked the green cards of foreign visitors linked to US foes. Good. The State Department announced more (pending) expulsions on Saturday, — after authorities nabbed Seyed Eissa Hashemi, the son of a propagandist dubbed "Screaming Mary" for her vile anti-US rhetoric. The mouthpiece mom, Masoumeh Ebtekar, was a shameless flack for the militants who kidnapped 52 Americans from the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held them captive for 444 days. And now her family lives — lavishly — in the lap of the same "Great Satan" she long and loudly despised? Foreign nationals who condemn America, promote US enemies, and ally with those who would destroy the West have no business living in the United States. So it’s great that Trump & Co. have yanked green cards for the kin of Iranian menaces, including: The niece and grand-niece of the late Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani. Three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. And the daughter of Iran’s former national security adviser. Consider, for a moment, the case of Soleimani’s niece. The feds accused Hamideh Soleimani Afshar of spreading Iranian propaganda, cheering attacks on US forces, lauding Iran’s new Supreme Leader, and (of course) blasting America as the "Great Satan" — all from the comfort of LA. It makes one wonder, doesn’t it? If they truly believe the US is the "GS," then why settle and make a life here? Such hypocrisy is hardly new, with a trail of other cases stretching back years. But a lack of novelty doesn’t make the conduct any less repugnant. These elites’ posh US lives are also an insult to Iranian Americans and the people of Iran who despise a cruel regime that has tormented and oppressed them for decades. In December and January, Iran’s government slaughtered thousands of Iranians for demanding freedom and regime change. Many proud Iranian Americans, including those in "Tehrangeles" in West LA, have relatives who continue to live under brutal conditions back in Iran. Those allied with Iran’s regime terrorists have no place here. Kudos to Rubio for expelling them.

Washington Examiner [4/12/2026 5:00 AM, Staff, 1147K] reports the United States has a ceasefire with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Our nation and Israel fought a 38- day war against an avowed enemy and the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism. It did so while supporters of the evil regime lived in luxury on American soil. The U.S.’s immigration vetting system is clearly broken. Foreign nationals who seek or support the downfall of the U.S. should not be allowed to live within its borders. On April 4, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that immigration authorities had detained Hamidehi Soleimani Afshar and her daughter in Los Angeles. Afshar was the niece of Qasem Soleimani, one of the most infamous terrorists in the Middle East. Soleimani was the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force from 1998 until his death in a U.S.-led strike ordered by President Donald Trump in 2020. As head of the Guard’s most powerful unit, Soleimani oversaw a nexus of terrorists, funding and training foreign terrorist organizations and militias throughout the Middle East. He personally met and advised top operatives from Hezbollah, al Qaeda, Hamas, and other groups that spread havoc and misery throughout the Middle East. They looked to Soleimani and his Quds Force for support and, at times, sanctuary. Few men had more American blood on their hands.

Univision [4/11/2026 5:47 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports the Trump administration allocated more than $250 million to strengthen cooperation between the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement agencies through agreements that expand their involvement in immigration enforcement. Through so-called " Task Force " models, federal authorities grant local police the power to detain migrants and also establish financial incentives for their participation, according to the organization FWD.us. This scheme is part of the 287(g) program, which allows local agencies to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) in the enforcement of immigration laws. So far, 976 police departments across the country have joined these agreements, for which the federal government has awarded more than $100,000 per department , plus an additional incentive of $7,500 for each officer who joins the program. According to Felicity Rose, FWD ‘s vice president of criminal justice policy , this type of funding "incentivizes racial bias in police conduct and arrests for minor offenses." When the initiative was introduced in September 2025, the Department of Homeland Security argued that it would serve to detain and deport “the worst of the worst,” including violent criminals and gang members . However, data from Syracuse University’s TRAC center indicates that more than 70% of people detained in immigration centers have no criminal convictions, and those who do mostly face minor charges, such as traffic violations . Internal ICE documents , leaked in March by journalist Ken Klippenstein, indicate that agents begin receiving bonuses after making their first migrant arrest. The program also includes compensation for the detention of unaccompanied minors, according to these reports. Florida and Texas have the highest number of participating agencies, with 270 and 161 departments, respectively. In Florida, local authorities have received more than $149 million in federal funds linked to these agreements, while in Texas the figure is approximately $13 million. According to estimates from FWD.us, between 13,800 and 15,800 agents have been trained nationwide to perform immigration enforcement duties, in an expansion that, according to various analyses, has revived schemes previously questioned by allegations of abuse and racial profiling .

CBS New York [4/11/2026 7:32 PM, Naomi Ruchim, 51110K] Video: HERE reports a New Jersey pastor who was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March has been released. New video from the National Latino Evangelical Coalition shows Yeison Cortes Vasquez leaving ICE’s Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark. Cortes Vasquez is a pastor at The Gathering Place Church in Elizabeth. Church members said he was detained on March 20 while working his day job in food delivery. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Cortes Vasquez entered the U.S. from Colombia and knowingly overstayed his tourist visa, which expired in July 2016. "Vasquez has been released on bond with a GPS monitor while he undergoes further removal proceedings. He will receive full due process," DHS said in a statement, in part, on Saturday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NorthIowaToday [4/11/2026 12:30 PM, Staff] reports this illegal alien from El Salvador, allowed to roam America freely by Joe Biden, allegedly disguised himself as a high school student and instantly began assaulting teen girls, and now Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s failure to cooperate with federal authorities means he could be set free once again. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the below statement following the conviction of Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, after his conviction for nine counts of assault and battery while attending Fairfax High School. ICE lodged an arrest detainer requesting Virginia sanctuary politicians not release this criminal illegal alien from jail back into our communities to prey on more innocent young women. Flores-Ortiz will be sentenced on April 21. “This 18-year-old criminal illegal alien should NOT have been attending a Virginia high school and allowed to prey on innocent teenage girls. Following his criminal convictions for nine counts of assault and battery, we are once again calling on Governor Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to NOT RELEASE this sexual predator from jail back into our communities to victimize more innocent women,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “This is yet another example of the Biden Administration’s failed open border policies.”

Washington Times [4/11/2026 4:47 PM, Valerie Richardson, 1323K] reports the Trump administration wants to ensure that an 18-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador stays put after he was found guilty of nine counts of assault for groping teenage girls at Fairfax High School in Virginia. Israel Christopher Flores Ortiz, who entered the country illegally in 2024, was convicted Thursday of nine counts of misdemeanor assault and battery and found not guilty on three additional counts. An additional charge was dismissed. Immediately afterward, the Department of Homeland Security said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an arrest detainer requesting that “Virginia sanctuary politicians not release this criminal illegal alien from jail back into our communities to prey on more innocent women.” “This 18-year-old criminal illegal alien should NOT have been attending a Virginia high school and allowed to prey on innocent teenage girls,” said acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis in a Friday statement. “Following his criminal convictions for nine counts of assault and battery, we are once again calling on Governor [Abigail] Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to NOT RELEASE this sexual predator from jail back into our communities to victimize more innocent women,” she said. Ortiz, a high school junior who entered the country illegally in 2024, was accused of reaching between the legs of a dozen teenage girls during passing periods in the school hallways and touching their private areas. At least one of the girls was just 13, while Ortiz turns 19 in June, according to 7News (WJLA-TV). “He targeted these girls, and he did it for fun,” Demetry Pikrallidas, attorney for the victims’ families, told WUSA-TV. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 21. Each count carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. The defense argued that the groping was simply incidental touching, while parents countered that the assaults represented a pattern of behavior involving multiple victims and stretching back for months. “There’s a group of about 12 individuals that have reported this assault,” a parent told 7News last month. “It was all perpetrated by a single individual who is a stranger to the girls. He just sneakily walked up behind them and put his hand in between their legs. It was not just a butt smack or a butt grab. It was a groping of a private area. It had been occurring for several months.” The verdict comes after months of frustration for parents who accused school officials of failing to act promptly on their complaints. Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid said the district is “prepared to cooperate fully” after the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation March 30 into the incident. Ms. Reid also said that the district has hired a law firm to conduct an independent review after Ortiz was arrested March 7. “The safety of our students and staff remains a top priority,” said the district in a March 30 statement.

KWTX 10 Waco [4/11/2026 10:12 PM, Raphael R. Roker] reports “I just don’t want to die.” Those were the final words 15-year-old Miles Young spoke before he was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in Missouri last month, witnesses told police. Yefry Archaga-Elvir, 18, was arrested following a two-week manhunt by Greene County authorities. He is accused of murdering Young on March 12. Federal immigration officials have now issued an arrest detainer for Archaga-Elvir, who is from Honduras. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued an arrest detainer for Archaga-Elvir. ICE requested that Missouri authorities not release him from jail. “Miles Young was lured to his death believing he was going to meet a girl. Instead, he was ambushed and killed in cold blood by this illegal alien who went on to brag about the murder,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. Records show Archaga-Elvir was first arrested in Texas as an accompanied minor in 2015 and was released into the country by the Obama administration.

CBS Colorado [4/11/2026 2:31 PM, Olivia Young, 51110K] Video: HERE reports a Colorado mom says a program implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration helped her family after her daughter was the victim of a severe crash. On Thursday, she spoke on a national stage in Washington, D.C., and was pictured hugging top Trump officials and other families in this federal program called VOICE. VOICE stands for the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement. It’s a program President Trump created in his first term. Then former President Biden dismantled it in favor of a program his administration said was more inclusive. When President Trump took office again, he reinstated VOICE, which provides services to victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. While studies suggest undocumented individuals are less likely to commit a crime than native-born individuals, the Parker family says the VOICE program provided them with information they were not getting elsewhere. Police say the driver of the car involved in the crash was another 22-year-old woman, Valeria Bermudez Marcano. They say Marcano fled the scene and abandoned her car, then an hour later turned herself in. She was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury, among other charges. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson told CBS Colorado that Marcano is from Venezuela and entered the U.S. illegally in 2023. The agency says she was placed into immigration proceedings in 2024. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [4/11/2026 11:20 AM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports residents of Seattle, Washington, are frustrated their democratic socialist mayor, Katie Wilson, is focused on her battle with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while repeat criminal offenders are terrorizing citizens. President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) Officer Kent Loux told Fox News Wilson’s feud with the federal government over immigration is confusing and she needs to leave his organization out of it, the outlet reported Saturday. Loux said the policy to investigate ICE is "disastrous" because it could pit officers and federal law enforcement officers against each other. He also noted although the police department is hundreds of officers short and "stretched thin," they are doing their best to serve the city.

Los Angeles Times [4/11/2026 7:59 PM, Suhauna Hussain, 12718K] reports a protest in downtown Los Angeles against the ongoing actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement grew heated Saturday afternoon, with police declaring an unlawful assembly. A few dozen anti-ICE protesters had gathered around noon and began adorning the fence surrounding the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown L.A. with silicone phalli of all colors — pink, purple and human skin-colored. As the toys piled up outside the facility, a small group of protesters spilled onto Alameda Street, between Aliso and Temple streets. They carried signs reading "Detention centers are concentration camps" and "No ICE.” Protests in L.A. and elsewhere in the U.S., driven by outrage over intensified federal immigration enforcement, have been inflamed in recent months by the fatal shootings of two protesters and the aggressive tactics used by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Four L.A. Police Department vehicles pulled up to the protest at about 12:40 p.m. and told demonstrators to move out of the way of passing cars. "Stay out of the street. You will not block traffic today," an officer said through a megaphone. Several protesters confronted law enforcement officers, who wore riot gear, before moving back to the sidewalk in front of the detention center. Officers moved their vehicles back but approached protesters on the sidewalk on foot, where the confrontation continued. At around 3:30 p.m., the LAPD issued an alert saying it had declared an unlawful assembly in the area "[d]ue to acts of criminal behavior by multiple agitators" and had made arrests. LAPD Lt. Bruce Coss said the protest was not permitted and that at about 2:30 p.m., protesters were "obstructing the street" and "stopping cars," prompting police to declare an unlawful assembly and evacuate the area. Five people were arrested for failing to disperse, Coss said. By about 4 p.m., the street was clear with a few dozen people still in the area, Coss said, who he described as "mostly media.” Saturday’s protests come weeks after the March 28 "No Kings" rally that saw thousands of demonstrators pack downtown. Police made several arrests later that evening after protesters converged outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. A teenage photographer said a Department of Homeland Security officer shot him in the eye with a less-lethal projectile. The USC freshman who went to photograph the event had his eye removed, his attorney said.

Telemundo [4/11/2026 11:04 PM, Carlos Alberto Trestini, 26K] reports that, on Saturday, a press conference was held regarding the deadly shooting involving ICE agents in Patterson, during which a woman gave testimony that could change the course of the federal investigation. The witness’s name is Cristina, and she and her lawyer, Roberto Serrato, shared important details about the case. Although everything happened very quickly, Cristina maintains that at least one shot was fired before Carlos Iván Mendoza Hernández accelerated his vehicle. “Yes, that’s what happened, first there was the gunshot,” Cristina confirmed. “For me, it felt like a lot of time passed, and then I saw that the car was being moved from behind, and then I heard the gunshots.” The incident occurred on April 7 in the city of Patterson, when federal immigration agents attempted to arrest Mendoza Hernandez and a shootout ensued, leaving him seriously injured after being shot multiple times. According to authorities, the officers opened fire after feeling threatened by an alleged attempted hit-and-run with the vehicle she was driving. However, Cristina’s statements contradict the official version, and the case is being investigated by the FBI. According to DHS, the attempted arrest was due to Mendoza Hernandez being wanted in El Salvador for a homicide case, and he is identified as a suspected gang member; however, this version has been denied by his lawyer. Serrato also confirmed that Mendoza Hernández continues to recover in a hospital. “He is recovering, but he is still in the hospital. What I understood last time is that he already had his last surgery and is recovering,” he said. Following the witness’s statements, further legal steps will be taken next week, according to her lawyer.

New York Times [4/11/2026 8:00 PM, Miriam Jordan, 148038K] reports that, for the second time in less than a week, a Venezuelan physician has been detained in South Texas as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The latest doctor, Rubeliz Bolivar, who worked in a hospital emergency room in the Rio Grande Valley, a federally designated underserved medical area, was detained on Saturday after checking into a flight to California. She had planned to join her husband for their asylum interview, scheduled for next week. Dr. Bolivar, who, according to her husband, has a valid work permit, was traveling with their 5-year-old daughter, who is a U.S. citizen. Dr. Bolivar has lived in the United States for a decade. On Monday, another Venezuelan physician, Ezequiel Veliz, was detained by Border Patrol agents at a checkpoint in South Texas after being stopped while driving to Houston. Senior officials with the Department of Homeland Security, after a chaotic immigration operation in Minneapolis that resulted in the death of two Americans and the ouster of Kristi Noem as the agency’s secretary, have said that they were shifting toward more targeted enforcement. That type of enforcement is often less visible, and focused on detaining criminals. But Jodi Goodwin, an immigration lawyer in South Texas, said that the arrests of the physicians showed that “indiscriminate” enforcement persisted under the administration’s mass deportation campaign. D.H.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The detention of Dr. Bolivar, a resident in emergency medicine at the South Texas Health System in McAllen, drew swift condemnation from leaders and physicians in the region. They said it undermined health care in an impoverished region struggling with a physician shortage. “Dr. Bolivar did everything right,” said Victor Haddad, mayor pro-tem of McAllen, in a statement. “She followed the rules. She dedicated her life to healing others,” he said. Beyond her work in emergency medicine, Dr. Bolivar has appeared on public forums to educate families about diabetes, heat stroke prevention and emergency health awareness. “Dr. Bolivar is one of the finest residents we have had the privilege to work with,” said Dr. Michael Menowsky, who supervises residents in the emergency medicine program at the South Texas Health System. “She is brilliant, dedicated and beloved by patients and staff alike,” he said. “Her detention is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing.” Dr. Francisco Torres, another supervising physician, said that South Texas couldn’t afford to lose doctors like Dr. Bolivar. “Detaining doctors who are serving underserved populations is beyond reckless — it is cruel,” he said.

Yahoo Finance [4/11/2026 8:00 AM, Laura Boast] reports not long ago, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum (1) with the Subject line: "Paying Our Great Transportation Security Administration Officers and Employees." Now he wants to lay off thousands of them. As Reuters reports (2), Trump plans to axe 9,400 Transportation Security Administration workers as part of a massive $1.5-billion cut to the federal agency. When he signed the memorandum ordering that TSA workers be paid, Trump was dealing with workers who’d been paid nothing or next to nothing since February, many of them calling off work or quitting as a result, leading to growing lines — and frustration — at U.S. airports. Since TSA workers started getting paid, those lines have eased, along with public pressure, Time reports (3). Now Trump has switched his focus to another TSA line: a budgetary one. The proposed TSA cuts are part of Trump’s 2027 fiscal year budget request (4). It needs Congressional (5) approval, but if approved, would take effect Oct. 1. Trump is not recommending the end of airport security. But he is recommending the private sector (6) take over. "The move would yield cost savings compared to federal screening and begin reform of a troubled federal agency." the budget request reads.

AP [4/11/2026 3:02 PM, Gabriela Aoun Angueira, 3833K] reports the Trump administration approved major disaster declaration requests for at least seven states this week, according to information released Saturday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, allowing affected communities to access federal support. About 15 requests for assistance from others states and tribes for extreme weather events this year and last seem to be pending, along with three appeals of previous denials. Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota and Washington were granted major disaster declarations, which can unlock federal support and funding for recovery needs such as public infrastructure repairs and aid for survivors. The announcement, in a FEMA daily briefing document, comes weeks into Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s tenure overseeing the disaster relief agency and is the latest signal that the former Republican senator from Oklahoma could ease some of the turmoil from the leadership of his predecessor, Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump in March. Nonetheless, FEMA’s work could be undermined by the ongoing DHS shutdown, now eight weeks long. While disaster response and recovery can continue through a shutdown because FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund does not lapse, that money is running low as the funding impasse drags on. The DHS appropriations bill would replenish the fund with more than $26 billion.

Reported similarly:
Univision [4/11/2026 5:53 PM, Staff, 4937K]

CBS New York [4/11/2026 9:40 PM, Joe Brandt, Frederick Sutton Sinclair, 51110K] reports the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has been contained a wildfire in West Deptford, New Jersey, on Saturday. NJFFS said ground and air crews, including a plane that is capable of dropping 600 gallons of water, wer able to completely contain the wildfire after it burned 160 acres. The fire broke out in the area of Red Bank and Hessian avenues in West Deptford. The smoke can be seen from several miles away. Residents across South Jersey have reported ash and debris falling from the sky onto their properties Saturday afternoon.

AP [4/11/2026 11:14 AM, Staff, 35287K] reports a typhoon in Micronesia is expected to gain strength this weekend and move northwest toward Guam, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to issue warnings about flooding and high winds. Typhoon Sinlaku could reach the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane when it passes near or just south of Guam early next week, AccuWeather International Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. The Coast Guard is warning people in the U.S. territory to take precautions, while moving its cutters out of Apra Harbor so they can respond to emergency needs after the storm, including search and rescue missions. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said it was possible that Sinlaku could reach typhoon strength by Saturday, and approach Guam on Monday night into Tuesday. The National Weather Service Guam warned the storm, which was in Chuuk State on Saturday, could soon take aim for the Marianas. The typhoon watch, warning of potential winds of 74 mph (119 kph) or more in the next 48 hours, also extended to nearby Rota, Tinian and Saipan, according to officials in Guam, who said they were prepared to open emergency shelters.

The Washington Examiner [4/11/2026 6:01 PM, Zach LaChance, 1147K] reports an appeals court has ruled that construction for the White House ballroom can resume, granting President Donald Trump a legal win as he races to finish one of the biggest infrastructure projects of his second term. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 ruling, granted the Trump administration a temporary stay on a lower court ruling halting the project. Construction can now continue until at least April 17. The ruling punts the case back to District Judge Richard Leon, a Bush appointee, who spiritedly ruled against the $400 million ballroom, arguing it needed congressional approval. The D.C. appeals court urged Leon to reconsider the Trump administration’s argument that speedy construction is necessary for national security. The national security rationale for the ballroom is that it is "a vital project for the safety and security of the White House and the President, his family, and his staff," Trump’s lawyers have argued. Part of the project does include a "massive" military bunker, as well as bulletproof and "drone-proof" roofs and ceilings. The bunker itself is largely a rebuild of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, a secure bunker for the president and his team that sat beneath the East Wing. It was demolished last year to make room for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Saturday’s ruling is welcome news for Trump, who is trying to complete the ballroom by summer 2028. He has long said the project will not use any taxpayer dollars, instead relying on his own money and Big Tech donors. NPR [4/11/2026 10:56 PM, Chandelis Duster, 28764K] reports construction on a proposed White House ballroom can continue until April 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Saturday, while the Trump administration challenges a lower court ruling that ordered a stop to construction because the project lacked congressional approval. President Trump has been battling a lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in December to prevent the East Wing ballroom plan from going forward. A three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the president’s plan for a massive neoclassical ballroom can move forward temporarily as the lower court further reviews the case. Saturday’s decision gives the administration time to have the Supreme Court weigh in on the future of the site. The appeals court decision stays a March ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, who had ordered that the construction must stop by April 14, "until Congress authorizes its completion.” The administration began demolishing the East Wing in October to make room for the new ballroom, which is expected to seat 1,000 guests and cost at least $300 million. Trump has defended the ongoing construction, saying the space is necessary to host large events. Last month, the president argued that halting the ballroom construction would pose national security risks, alluding to the existence of a secure bunker under the ballroom. Trump told reporters on March 29 about his administration’s plans to upgrade the FDR-era bunker: "The military is building a big complex under the ballroom." He added that the ballroom "essentially becomes a shed for what’s being built under," adding that the "high-grade bulletproof glass" windows would protect the facility below "from drones and … from any other thing.” Construction of the ballroom was approved in February by the Commission of Fine Arts, a federal agency with review authority over construction in D.C., and made up by a majority of Trump appointees. In response to Saturday’s ruling, Carol Quillen, president and CEO of The National Trust for Historic Preservation, expressed no concerns that construction would continue for three extra days. In a statement, the nonprofit said it appreciated the court’s swift action and would await further clarification from the district court. "The National Trust remains committed to honoring the historic significance of the White House, advocating for our collective role as stewards, and demonstrating how broad consultation, including with the American people, results in a better overall outcome," Quillen said in a statement. Trump administration attorneys did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [4/11/2026 4:54 PM, Dareh Gregorian and Gary Grumbach, 42967K]

USA Today [4/11/2026 3:07 PM, Mike Snider, 70643K] reports a federal court of appeals has ruled work can continue on President Trump’s new $400 million White House ballroom – for now. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on Saturday, April 11, that construction on the ballroom can proceed until at least April 17. That extends by three days a March 31 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon, which allowed construction to continue while the government appealed the decision. The appeals judges voted 2-1 to extend the pause to April 17 and asked the district court to clarify the order that granted the injunction. The Trump Administration argued in an April 3 motion that the potential April 14 work stoppage left the White House "open and exposed" and created "grave national-security harms" to the building, the president and his family and staff. Leon, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, had ruled construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom must pause while a lawsuit, filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, made its way through the courts. The lawsuit seeks to halt the $400 million project on the site of the recently demolished East Wing, alleging it is unlawful and has asked the court to halt further construction until the plans go through a legally mandated review process.

CBS News [4/11/2026 4:23 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports a federal judge must reconsider the possible national security implications of halting construction of President Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, a federal appeals court ruled on Saturday. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it did not have enough information to decide how much of the project can be suspended without jeopardizing the safety of the president, his family or the White House staff. The case was returned to the trial judge, who, in a March 31 ruling, barred work from proceeding without congressional approval, but suspended enforcement of that order for 14 days. The appeals court extended that for three days, to April 17, to allow the Trump administration to seek Supreme Court review. The panel instructed U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to clarify whether — and how — his injunction interferes with the administration’s plans for safety and security. Government lawyers had argued that the project includes critical security features to guard against a range of possible threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards, and that holding up construction "would imperil the President and others who live and work in the White House." Leon, in issuing the temporary pause, concluded that the preservationist group behind the legal challenge was likely to succeed because the president lacks the authority to build the ballroom without approval from Congress. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NPR [4/12/2026 12:20 AM, Betsy Joles, 28764K] reports the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after a day of highly anticipated face-to-face peace talks, Washington’s lead negotiator Vice President J.D. Vance announced on Sunday. "The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the US... they have chosen not to accept our terms," Vance said in a press conference in Islamabad, before boarding Airforce Two to leave the country. Asked what the major sticking point had been that led to the breakdown in negotiations, Vance said: "The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.” However, he left open the possibility an agreement could still be reached, saying: "We leave here with a very simple proposal: a method of understanding that is our final and best offer," adding, "We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.” The talks — which lasted for 21 hours — began in Islamabad on Saturday as the two sides looked to reach a deal to end the war that has shaken the Middle East for six weeks. It was the first face-to-face engagement between the U.S. and Iran since 2015, when the Obama administration negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran that was later scrapped by Trump. The negotiations took place amid a fragile ceasefire between the two countries, made even more shaky following Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon and Iran’s demand to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, Israel’s military said had it struck more than 200 targets in Lebanon affiliated with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in the past 24 hours. Iran, under its 10-point negotiation plan, demanded an end to Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement. Other demands from the Iranian delegation included the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees around its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump’s demands, meanwhile, have shifted since the United States and Israel first launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. On Friday, Trump said that the main objective to end the war was to prevent Iran from having any nuclear capabilities. "No nuclear weapon. That’s 99% percent of it," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Maryland. Trump has also said the goals for the war with Iran included destroying its military capabilities and creating regime change – neither of which have happened.

The Hill [4/11/2026 7:44 PM, Ryan Mancini, 18170K] reports China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran in the next few weeks, following over a month of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s military and missile capabilities, CNN reported Saturday. The outlet cited three people familiar with recent U.S. intelligence assessments. Two of these sources told the outlet that Beijing could route the shipment of the defenses through third countries to hide their place of origin. President Trump told CNN, when asked about the intelligence assessments, that if “China does that, China will have big problems, OK?” He did not say if he has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he is scheduled to meet with in early May. The president’s summit with Xi, intended to focus on tariffs after the Supreme Court struck down the president’s tariffs, was pushed back due to the conflict with Iran. Beijing will ship Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS), which are shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems, the sources told CNN. These weapons are intended for defense against low-flying aircraft. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington told CNN that China has “never provided weapons to any party” involved in the conflict with Iran. They urged “the U.S. side to refrain from making baseless allegations, maliciously drawing connections, and engaging in sensationalism; we hope that relevant parties will do more to help de-escalate tensions.” Previous intelligence reports have indicated that China, along with Russia, has been supporting Iran with its presence and alliance with the Middle Eastern country. Trump earlier this month referred to China, Japan and South Korea as countries that could send troops to the region to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force — let South Korea do it,” Trump said at a Wednesday Easter luncheon prior to his address to the nation on April 1. “Let Japan do it. They get 90 percent of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.”

AP [4/12/2026 12:02 AM, Didi Tang, 34146K] reports that, in 2011, President Barack Obama declared it was time for America to leave behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and “pivot” to Asia to counter the rise of China. Fifteen years later, the U.S. finds itself still at war in the Middle East and has pulled military assets from the Asia-Pacific as it aims to eliminate the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. The demands of the Iran war also caused President Donald Trump to delay by several weeks his highly anticipated trip to China, deepening worries that the U.S. is once again getting distracted at the cost of its strategic interests in Asia, where Beijing seeks to unseat the U.S. as the regional leader. Those skeptical of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East say the war is preventing Trump from adequately preparing for his summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month, when economic interests are on the line, and they warn that a failure to focus on Asia and maintain strong deterrence could lead to greater instability, if China should believe the time is ripe to seize the self-governed island of Taiwan. “This is precisely the wrong time for the United States to turn away and be sucked into another intractable Middle East conflict,” said Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “Rebalancing to Asia is highly relevant to America’s national interests, but it has been undercut by many bad decisions.” Others defend the president’s approach, arguing that the forceful steps he is taking elsewhere, including in Venezuela and Iran, serve to counter China globally. “Beijing is the chief sponsor for the adversaries that President Trump is dealing with sequentially, and it’s wise to do this sequentially,” Matt Pottinger, who served as a deputy national security adviser in the first Trump administration, said in a recent podcast. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also said conflicts may not be confined to a single theater, suggesting that China could call upon its “junior partners” elsewhere to divert U.S. attention if it should move against Taiwan. “Most likely it will not be limited, something in the Indo-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific,” Rutte said, speaking Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington. “It will be a multi-theater issue.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, recently led a bipartisan group of senators to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, where they heard concerns about the impact of the war on energy costs and about the departure of U.S. military assets, including missile defense systems from South Korea and a rapid-response Marine unit from Japan. She sought to reassure them of the U.S. commitment to deterring conflicts in Asia and shoring up regional stability. “Failure is not an option,” Shaheen told The Associated Press after returning from Asia. “We know China has already said they intend to take Taiwan by force if they need to, and they’re on an expedited time schedule. And we also know that what happened in Europe, in the war in Ukraine, in the Middle East is affecting those calculations.”

New York Post [4/11/2026 6:30 PM, David Spector, 40934K] reports President Trump threatened "big problems" for China Saturday if they deliver air defense systems to Tehran while the US is locked in a war with Iran. "If China does that, China is gonna have big problems, OK?" Trump told reporters outside the White House. US intelligence sources have said that the People’s Republic was planning to send shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs to Tehran through third parties over the next few weeks in an attempt to hide the shady weapons transfer, according to CNN. The munitions use heat-seeking guidance to lock onto an aircraft’s engine or exhaust, and were a major obstacle during the six-week war in Iran — with one nearly taking out an F/A-18 Super Hornet last week. The American F-15 fighter jet shot down by Iran on April 3 was hit by a "handheld shoulder missile, [a] heat-seeking missile," according to Trump. China has denied the reports, with its embassy telling The Times of Israel that claims they are planning to arm Tehran with defense weapons are "entirely fabricated.” "As a responsible major country, China always abides by international law and its international obligations, and never provides weapons to any party to the conflict," the Chinese embassy said in a statement. "China firmly rejects the circulation of speculative, misleading, and false information targeting China.” Beijing has been accused of aiding the Islamic Republic in intelligence during the Iran war, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claiming that the two countries — along with Russia — are engaged in "close cooperation.” "Russia and China are our strategy partners, and we have had close cooperation in the past, which is still continues [sic], and that includes military cooperation as well," Araghchi told MS Now.

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