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.

CBS News [4/1/2026 3:00 PM, Nicole Sganga, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51110K] reports the Department of Homeland Security, now led by Secretary Markwayne Mullin, on Wednesday reversed a policy put in place by former Secretary Kristi Noem that required the secretary to approve contracts and grants worth more than $100,000. There were thousands of contracts in this range. The directive lifts the requirement across all DHS components, including its major immigration enforcement agencies: U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a statement to CBS News, DHS said Mullin "re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently." A Homeland Security official said contracts worth more than $25 million would still be reviewed by the secretary. Mullin’s directive is one of several changes he’s expected to make at DHS. Since he was sworn in, ICE has also started reevaluating plans to convert warehouses throughout the U.S. into detention facilities to hold people suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, DHS officials told CBS News. The Hill [4/1/2026 8:49 PM, Tara Suter, 18170K] reports that in his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last month, Mullin was asked by Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) if he would commit to tossing the review policy. “Absolutely,” Mullin told Kim. “That’s called micromanaging, and I don’t know if the secretary put that in or someone else did. I’m not a micromanager.” Noem was recently booted from her role leading DHS and replaced with Mullin following months of controversy swirling around the department. That controversy ramped up following the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis at the beginning of the year. Reuters [4/1/2026 10:05 PM, Jasper Ward, 38315K] reports that Congressional Democrats, who welcomed the decision, had written to Noem earlier this month, asking that she cancel the policy they said had "resulted in widespread delays in funding and mismanagement." "Today, the Secretary rescinded the $100,000 contract review memo," the department said. "This will streamline the contract process and empower components to carry out their mission to protect the homeland and make America safe again." Contracts worth more than $25 million would still need to be reviewed by the secretary, CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing a homeland security official. Reuters was not able to independently confirm this reporting. "To ensure that DHS effectively performs its critical national security functions on behalf of the American people, we call on DHS to rescind the $100,000 approval policy and return to the prior approval threshold, given the clear risk of mismanagement, confusion, and self-dealing," Democrats wrote in the March 18 letter. The AP [4/1/2026 8:42 PM, Gabriela Aoun Angueira, 35287K] reports that the International Association of Emergency Managers praised Mullin’s decision. "We appreciate Secretary Mullin’s common-sense approach to this matter, and we look forward to working with him," said Josh Morton, president of IAEM-USA. Noem issued a directive last June requiring that she personally approve any Department of Homeland Security expenditure over $100,000. Critics said the rule undermined FEMA in particular, an agency that routinely issues contracts and reimbursements well over that amount in its work preparing for and responding to natural and manmade disasters across the U.S. The policy created "an untenable situation for emergency managers," Morton said, and a bottleneck that also hindered mitigation and preparedness programs, "putting Americans at increased risk from disasters.” About $2.2 billion in recovery and mitigation dollars were in the DHS approval queue Wednesday, according to FEMA data seen by the AP. "It’s got a great mission, and I think people at FEMA want to do their job," Mullin told lawmakers at his March confirmation hearing, sparking cautious hope that he would ease the tumult experienced at the agency under Noem. Mullin said he would keep the agency "adequately staffed" after it lost over 2,400 employees last year, and said he was already considering nominees for a permanent FEMA administrator, which the agency still lacks.

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NewsMax [4/1/2026 10:24 PM, James Morley III, 3760K]

The Wall Street Journal [4/1/2026 7:29 PM, Siobhan Hughes, Olivia Beavers, and Natalie Andrews, 646K] reports President Trump on Wednesday endorsed a two-part plan to quickly fund most of the Department of Homeland Security and then use a special procedure to pay for immigration enforcement with only GOP votes, stepping in to resolve a standoff between Republican congressional leaders. “We are going to work as fast, and as focused, as possible to replenish funding” for immigration enforcement without needing Democratic votes, Trump said on Truth Social. The approach Trump backed effectively sides with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) in what had become an ugly dispute in the party. Lawmakers are currently on a two-week break while some DHS employees continued to go without paychecks. Congress could now pass a bill funding most of DHS that the Senate approved last week, and Trump set a goal of June 1 for funding the rest of the department using a process called budget reconciliation. The maneuver requires a simple majority for budget-focused bills, rather than the 60 votes typically required in the Senate, which Republicans control 53-47. Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), who had publicly disagreed over the best way to end the DHS shutdown, issued a joint statement backing Trump’s directive and saying they agreed on the two-step path to fully fund the department in “coming days.” The plan will “make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited,” Thune and Johnson said. While Trump’s statement mentioned only the enforcement funding, a White House official said the administration is supportive of the overall plan. Roll Call [4/1/2026 4:42 PM, Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton, 673K] reports President Donald Trump and GOP leaders united behind a plan Wednesday to end the record-breaking partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, committing themselves to a two-track strategy that includes passing a reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement funding by June 1. With the shutdown stretching into its seventh week and pressure growing to pay DHS workers, Trump rallied behind a Senate plan that envisioned passing a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill to provide immigration enforcement funding that Democrats have rejected. The move could convince House Republicans to revisit a Senate-passed proposal that would fund all of the department except for the two immigration agencies at the heart of the conflict: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. That plan, which the House set aside in favor of an eight-week funding extension, could gain new life with the assurance that more money for immigration enforcement would be coming through reconciliation. Trump announced in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the administration would work in "close conjunction" with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bypass Democratic opposition and approve the immigration funding package through reconciliation. The president added that the administration would continue to draw from funds approved in last year’s "big, beautiful" reconciliation law to "ensure that ICE and Border Patrol Agents are paid ON TIME, and IN FULL." The New York Times [4/1/2026 3:00 PM, Carl Hulse and Michael Gold, 330K] reports that the plan would fund the department through Sept. 30 but omit money for the agencies carrying out Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown. G.O.P. leaders hoped to push it through without any debate or formal vote as early as Thursday morning, though hard-right Republicans irate about the deal signaled they might not allow it to move quickly. Under their plan, Republicans said, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol would continue to be paid for out of funds the G.O.P. pushed through Congress last year over solid Democratic opposition. This year, Democrats have refused to approve spending for those agencies without new restrictions on federal immigration agents’ conduct. The spending bill does not include any such restrictions, which Democrats began demanding after immigration officers killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. The AP [4/1/2026 7:34 PM, Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves, 35287K] reports Republicans in Congress will pursue a two-track approach. The first track returns to the Senate plan to fund most of the department, with the exception of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol. On the second track, Republicans would try later to fund those agencies through party-line spending legislation. Neither outcome is guaranteed, and the strategy could potentially still face opposition from the GOP’s own ranks even though President Donald Trump has given his support. “We appreciate and share the President’s determination to once and for all bring an end to the Democrat DHS shutdown,” said Johnson, R-La., and Thune, R-S.D. The plan represents a do-over of what senators had in mind when they passed a bipartisan funding agreement through unanimous consent last Friday. The Senate could approve that same legislation again as soon as Thursday morning, but even if that happens, it’s unclear how quickly the bill could move through the House. It will likely take several months for Republicans to act on the second part of Trump’s plan and pass budgeting legislation to fund ICE and Border Patrol. ABC News [4/1/2026 5:08 PM, Allison Pecorin and Lauren Peller, 34146K] reports House Republicans appear to have caved to those in the Senate, who wanted to fund DHS with the exception of immigration enforcement, which Democrats supported. To tackle that thornier issue, which prompted the shutdown in the first place, Republicans say they will use the reconciliation process, which avoids the filibuster in the Senate. However, doing so would require them to rely on their incredibly thin margins in both chambers. The announcement came shortly after Trump publicly demanded Republicans use reconciliation -- a process that avoids the filibuster in the Senate -- to send him a bill no later than June 1 that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. It’s unclear how this will play out over the next several days, but House Republicans could to try to pass the Senate bill during pro-forma sessions over recess. Additionally, Johnson and Thune said Republicans will move forward to fund border security and immigration enforcement for three years through budget reconciliation -- a legislative tool that gives Congress an expedited way to move forward certain spending and tax bills. But with such small GOP majorities in both chambers, passing a bill this way would require almost every single congressional Republican to endorse it. Gaining that support is not a given, and could prove quite time consuming, making Trump’s June 1 deadline rather ambitious.

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NewsMax [4/1/2026 1:55 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that President Donald Trump on Wednesday informed the Republican-led Congress he wants a bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol on his desk by June 1. In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump praised law enforcement officers and made clear that securing full funding for immigration enforcement agencies is a top priority for his administration. "Republicans fully support our great men and women of law enforcement — maybe the word should be LOVE!" Trump wrote. "America thanks each and every one of our wonderful Police, Border Patrol, ICE, and others, for their work to protect our country." Trump sharply criticized Democrats, accusing them of undermining law enforcement and border security while promoting policies that he said have led to rising crime and illegal immigration. "Democrats want to defund the police, Border Patrol, and all immigration enforcement," Trump wrote. "They want to allow Criminals, the Mentally Insane, and Lunatics from all over the World to come into our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, putting Americans in serious danger." The president said Republicans are moving forward with a legislative strategy that would allow them to pass funding for ICE and Border Patrol without relying on Democrat votes, potentially bypassing the Senate filibuster.

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Washington Examiner [4/1/2026 1:29 PM, David Zimmermann, 1147K]

FOX News [4/1/2026 7:32 PM, Amanda Macias, 37576K] reports the Trump administration will extend tax filing deadlines for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel as the ongoing shutdown intensifies financial pressure on thousands of federal workers. The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are set to announce a 30-day automatic tax filing extension for affected employees, shielding them from penalties and interest. The partial government shutdown has now entered its 46th day, intensifying pressure on federal workers. Such broad tax relief is highly unusual and typically reserved for major disasters and other extraordinary circumstances, underscoring the severity of the current shutdown. "The continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has created unnecessary disruptions, placing an unfair burden on DHS personnel and their families," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. "We are committed to supporting our hard-working DHS officers and employees so they can stay focused on their mission and keep the American people safe without being penalized for missing a tax filing deadline," he added. Under the measure, affected workers will now have until May 15, 2026, to file their taxes and pay what they owe without facing additional financial penalties. DHS personnel include Border Patrol agents, TSA officers, Secret Service agents and FEMA responders—frontline workers responsible for border security, aviation safety, disaster response and counterterrorism.

The New York Times [4/1/2026 4:53 PM, Abbie VanSickle, 148038K] reports a majority of the Supreme Court appeared skeptical of President Trump’s efforts to limit birthright citizenship during arguments on Wednesday. Key conservative justices raised doubts about the constitutionality of the president’s executive order that would end automatic citizenship for children born on U.S. soil to undocumented immigrants and some temporary foreign visitors. Still, in an argument that lasted more than two hours, the chief justice and several other of the court’s conservatives also asked tough questions of a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the legal challenge, making the outcome of the legally complicated and hugely consequential case not fully clear. In an unprecedented move and a signal of the stakes of the landmark case, Mr. Trump attended the first part of the argument, watching from a public gallery as his solicitor general defended the policy. The case before the court has enormous stakes, potentially redefining what it means to be an American. A decision to limit birthright citizenship could also have sweeping practical consequences, stripping the promise of citizenship from the estimated 200,000 babies or more born in the United States each year to undocumented immigrants. Although the Trump administration has said that the executive order, which was blocked by lower courts and has never gone into effect, would affect only babies born in the future, opponents say a decision to uphold it could potentially cast doubt over the status of millions of people who have already benefited from birthright citizenship. A decision is expected in the case by the end of June or early July. Politico [4/1/2026 12:44 PM, Josh Gerstein, 21784K] reports Trump looked on from the front row of the public gallery as Solicitor General John Sauer attempted to defend Trump’s executive order that would deny U.S. citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants and foreigners on temporary visas. The court’s conservative majority joined the liberals in aggressively questioning Sauer about the potential implications of disturbing the decades-long consensus on citizenship. The president sat through about an hour of arguments before silently exiting after a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union stepped to the lectern to attack Trump’s policy as a violation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment and Supreme Court precedent dating back to the 19th century. Chief Justice John Roberts suggested it was strange for the administration to seize on some narrow exceptions to the birthright citizenship rule, such as an exclusion for American Indians and for children of diplomats, in order to justify denying citizenship to millions of children of undocumented immigrants and visitors. “I’m not quite sure how you get to that big group from such tiny and idiosyncratic examples,” Roberts said. Even Justice Samuel Alito, one of the court’s most strident conservatives, expressed some discomfort with the administration’s claim that the children of undocumented immigrants who’d spent years living in the U.S. could be denied citizenship on the grounds that their parents were not “domiciled” here. However, Alito laid blame for the situation at the feet of prior administrations. “We have an unusual situation here because our immigration laws have been ineffectively and in some instances unenthusiastically enforced by federal officials,” Alito said. “So, there are people who are subject to removal at any time … but they have, in their minds, made a permanent home here and have established roots and that raises a humanitarian problem.” Justice Neil Gorsuch also expressed doubt about the administration’s claim that one has to be living legally in the U.S. to be domiciled here and get citizenship for a child. He noted that when the 14th Amendment was adopted in the 1860s the U.S. had no real immigration laws and left foreigners free to take up residence here. “That was perfectly fine,” he said.

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Washington Post [4/1/2026 6:30 PM, Andy Beshear, 24826K] reports the Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order restricting birthright citizenship, and a majority of the justices sounded skeptical. But the court has two paths to block Trump’s order, and it matters which one it takes. The first path is a sweeping constitutional ruling that the 14th Amendment of 1868 requires automatic citizenship for anyone born to immigrants in the country illegally, for now and all time. The second is a narrower ruling that blocks Trump’s unilateral effort to rewrite U.S. citizenship rules but leaves the door cracked for Congress to legislate on the subject in the future. Two justices sounded potentially open to the more modest resolution. The 14th Amendment promises citizenship to anyone “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and born on its soil. Trump and briefs supporting him make the case that this is a term of art. Those who advocated the provision after the Civil War, they argue, meant to exclude people subject to a foreign sovereign. But even if that were true — the evidence is apparently mixed — Congress has passed immigration law in the meantime that the Supreme Court can rely on. In particular, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 uses the same phrase about “jurisdiction,” and legislators who passed that law seemed to take birthright citizenship for granted. As Justice Neil M. Gorsuch put it, “there was a lot of water over the dam” between the 1868 amendment and the 1952 law. The Trump administration claims the modern “misreading” of the 14th Amendment took root during the Franklin D. Roosevelt years. But if the modern understanding was also the understanding when Congress legislated on citizenship in the mid-20th century using the same terms, then that is enough to invalidate Trump’s order. As Gorsuch asked Solicitor General D. John Sauer: “Would there be an argument for reading that statute under its original plain meaning at the time — 1940, 1952 — to perhaps have a different meaning than the Constitution?” In other words: Even if the 14th Amendment doesn’t mandate unrestricted birthright citizenship, Congress might have done so. Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh also pressed that point. The 14th Amendment explicitly authorizes Congress to enforce its provisions. “Does that give Congress room,” Kavanaugh asked Sauer, to adjust the scope of birthright citizenship? He put the same question to Cecillia Wang, the lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union. He proposed a hypothetical where Congress voted “435 to zero in the House and a hundred to zero in the Senate” to change birthright citizenship rules: “Your point is no, they’re closed, they’re frozen forever?”

Breitbart [4/1/2026 6:43 PM, Staff, 2238K] reports President Donald Trump took the unusual step of attending Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship, later criticizing the United States for being "stupid enough" to allow the practice. The high court heard oral arguments in the case — Trump vs. Barbara — a challenge to Trump’s January 2025 executive order seeking to change the application of the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, ending birthright citizenship. By attending the hearing, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to sit in on oral arguments before the Supreme Court. He stayed in the courtroom for about an hour to hear Solicitor General D. John Sauer defend Trump’s executive order. Trump left the hearing about 15 minutes after a lawyer for the American Civili Liberties Union began its case against the order, CNBC reported. After returning to the White House, Trump took to Truth Social to voice his opposition to birthright citizenship, which offers citizenship to the children born to immigrants in the United States in some situations. "We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!" Trump wrote. A Pew Research Center analysis found that 32 other countries have birthright citizenship laws similar to the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Pakistan and Venezuela. Birthright citizenship is generally automatic in the United States with the exception of children born to foreign diplomats, born on foreign public ships in U.S. waters and born to foreign enemies with the United States during a hostile occupation. Arguments Wednesday in part centered on what constitutes being domiciled in the United States. Trump’s lawyers argued that since undocumented immigrations aren’t in the United States legally, they’re not domiciled nor are they pledging allegiance to the United States. Therefore, they said, their children should have no claims to U.S. citizenship, The Guardian reported.

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Washington Post [4/1/2026 1:49 PM, Victoria Craw and Justin Jouvenal, 24826K]
NewsMax [4/1/2026 1:33 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K]

Reuters [4/1/2026 9:05 PM, Staff, 38315K] reports that, with President Donald Trump present, U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled skepticism on Wednesday (April 1) toward the legality of his directive to restrict birthright citizenship in the U.S., part of his hardline immigration approach that would upend the long-held understanding of a key constitutional provision. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/1/2026 11:43 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports Republican strategist Luke Ball and Citizen’s Alliance spokesperson Michelle Backus discuss the Supreme Court’s oral arguments concerning birthright citizenship on ‘Fox News @ Night.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [4/1/2026 5:30 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports Solicitor General D. John Sauer seemed to struggle when pressed by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch on Wednesday on whether Native Americans should be considered birthright citizens. The question came during two hours of arguments at the Supreme Court in a case challenging President Trump’s 2025 executive order that aimed to end birthright citizenship. The question of being “lawfully domiciled” is pertinent as justices reflect on the Trump administration’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment. However, the Trump administration is pushing to invoke the “subject to the jurisdiction” phrasing to disallow birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visitors.

FOX News [4/1/2026 3:22 PM, Ashley Oliver, 37576K] reports Justice Samuel Alito invoked an analogy from late Justice Antonin Scalia Wednesday as the Supreme Court weighed whether birthright citizenship extended to children of illegal immigrants. Alito said Scalia had illustrated how to apply textualism to modern circumstances, a point he raised during high-stakes oral arguments over President Donald Trump’s effort to limit birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, which grants most people born in the United States automatic citizenship. Alito said illegal immigration, similar to modern technology such as microwaves, was relatively unknown when the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868. Alito acknowledged historical exceptions to the amendment, including children born to foreign diplomats and certain Native Americans, and he questioned whether illegal immigrants’ children could be considered a comparable modern-day exception. Alito said illegal immigration "was basically unknown at the time when the 14th amendment was adopted."

Axios [4/1/2026 3:25 PM, Avery Lotz, 17364K] reports the legal battle over President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship largely boils down to five words found in the 14th Amendment: "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." The court’s interpretation of that phrase could have massive implications for who gets to be an American — and therefore enjoy the rights and responsibilities that come with U.S. citizenship. The administration argues that the phrase applies to those legally — and not temporarily — in the U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in the administration’s petition to the high court that "the jurisdiction thereof" refers to political jurisdiction or allegiance. That "allegiance," he argues, would be "lawful domicile." ACLU attorney Cecillia Wang rejected Sauer’s argument during Wednesday’s oral arguments before the court, saying that "virtually everyone born on U.S. soil is subject to its jurisdiction and is a citizen," excluding "only those cloaked with a fiction of extraterritoriality." If the justices side with the president, children of H-1B visa holders and children born to parents with temporary protected status are among those who could lose automatic citizenship. Justices across the ideological spectrum expressed skepticism about Sauer’s argument on Wednesday. Chief Justice John Roberts called the examples Sauer used to support his argument "very quirky."

New York Times [4/1/2026 10:51 AM, Amy Qin, 148038K] reports Cecillia Wang, the lawyer who is arguing before the Supreme Court for birthright citizenship, has spent much of her career defending immigrants’ rights in America. But there is a personal element, as well. Ms. Wang, 55, is herself a birthright citizen. In a recent telephone interview, she described the case as a culmination of her work for over two decades as a constitutional lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, defending the rights of noncitizens in America. Ms. Wang said that she is defending a right that has long been central to defining what it means to be an American. “It feels like I’m meeting a historic moment both for so many families who might be affected by the executive order, but also for all Americans,” said Ms. Wang, who is now the A.C.L.U.’s national legal director. “This administration is really attacking a foundation stone of American life.” Ms. Wang said her parents moved to the United States from Taiwan in the late 1960s to attend graduate school. They were able to do so, she said, because of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which lifted race-based quotas on immigration from Asia and was a part of the broader civil rights movement.

Breitbart [4/1/2026 11:45 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reportson Wednesday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Beat,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) discussed the birthright citizenship case before the Supreme Court and stated that it’s true that “times have changed” since the 14th Amendment’s ratification, “But the Constitution remains the same, and that has not been changed.” Jeffries said, “[T]he Constitution, the 14th Amendment, the birthright citizenship clause is very clear. And, as, I think it was Justice Roberts pointed out, while the Trump administration, for whatever reason, is arguing that times have changed, of course, that is, in fact, the case. This was a Reconstruction amendment. But the Constitution remains the same, and that has not been changed.” He continued, “And so, hopefully, the Supreme Court justices are going to do the right thing in terms of ruling, as has been the case in prior Supreme Court decisions or every other federal court that has considered this matter, and Donald Trump’s last-ditch, desperate effort to show up and try and intimidate the justices will go nowhere.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [4/1/2026 8:34 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports that, Wednesday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Beat,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said that the DHS shutdown is the fault of Republicans while also stating that “We need to get the Department of Homeland Security reopened, in terms of every other part of it that doesn’t relate to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine,” and there are “reforms that need to be put into place before ICE gets another dime in taxpayer dollars.” Guest host Melissa Murray asked, “Speaking of ICE, there is now a measure that is likely — that has gone through to continue funding DHS, although there is an exemption for the provisions that would fund ICE and Customs and Border Patrol enforcement. What was the process like for that? Are you and your caucus happy with this resolution to what has been a standoff with the administration?” Jeffries answered, “Well, what we’ve made clear to Donald Trump and Republicans during this entire Trump Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, is that we should fund TSA, fund FEMA, fund the Coast Guard, fund our cybersecurity professionals, and make sure that there are actually dramatic, bold, meaningful changes to ICE so that ICE is brought back under control, because we know they’re conducting themselves in a violent and extreme fashion. Immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, just, and humane. We need to get the Department of Homeland Security reopened, in terms of every other part of it that doesn’t relate to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine, and that’s a positive outcome [for] the American people, while we continue to fight the battles that need to be fought, in terms of the type of reforms that need to be put into place before ICE gets another dime in taxpayer dollars.”

FOX News [4/1/2026 9:45 PM, Chad Pergram, 37576K] reports what would you say if one body of Congress didn’t take a formal roll call vote on a major piece of legislation – yet passed it at 2:19 on a Friday morning? Would you try to outdo your colleagues across the Capitol Rotunda with some Congressional chicanery of your own? Perhaps by passing an equally important version of the same bill – while officially sidestepping a direct up/down vote on the measure – at 11:28 p.m. on that same Friday night. That’s what happened late last week. The Senate scored approval from all 100 senators to pass a bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security for the rest of the fiscal year – but did it on a voice vote at 2:19 a.m. Friday with only five senators in the chamber. House Republicans scoffed at this. So they passed their own bill – to fund all of DHS – just before the witching hour Friday. But technically, the House didn’t even vote directly on the legislation itself. The House voted to approve a "rule" (which manages debate for bills). With adoption of that rule, the House "deemed" the underlying DHS funding measure as passed. But despite all of this, the House and Senate weren’t aligned. They hadn’t approved the same bill. And despite the parliamentary antics, House Republicans then implored the Senate to pass the measure it approved Friday night on Monday morning – without a roll call vote and with just two senators in the chamber. If you followed all of that, that is exactly what’s unfolded on Capitol Hill the past few days as lawmakers struggled to end the six-week Department of Homeland Security shutdown. It was clear early Thursday evening that there wasn’t a path in the Sente to approve a partisan GOP bill to fund DHS after a lengthy roll call vote which started in the afternoon. Congress was staring at a 15-day recess for Easter and Passover on Friday. Failure to address the crisis now meant that lawmakers would leave town until the middle of April – extending the shutdown until then as airport lines swelled. So Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., got to work on something which could pass the Senate – and potentially pass the House – before everyone abandoned Washington for the break. Thune suggested earlier in the week that the Senate usually has to get "to Thursday" before frozen positions may begin to thaw. He was right. There was a corridor for the Senate to approve a bipartisan bill to tackle most of the funding crisis at DHS. So Thune’s charge late Thursday night and into the wee hours of Friday morning was not necessarily to persuade bipartisan senators to support the bill he was putting on the floor. But instead, Thune’s goal was to coax skeptical senators not to object and blow the whole thing up. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [4/1/2026 10:30 PM, Victor Nava, 40934K] reports Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) acknowledged at a town hall Tuesday that Democrats are responsible for the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown at a time the nation’s terror threat is "higher than usual.” While discussing the 47-day-long shutdown in Spring Lake Park, Minn., the far-left "Squad" lawmaker explained that congressional Democrats refused to back a DHS funding bill unless Republicans agreed to include changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). "As many of you know, Democrats said we are not going to pass the appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security unless they agreed to ten reforms, simple things like unmasking ICE agents when they were patrolling our communities," Omar said. The congresswoman asserted that Republicans and the White House "refused" to accept the proposal, resulting in the partial government shutdown. "So far, the Republicans and the president have refused to say ‘yes’ to any of those reforms," Omar said. "Which means the department doesn’t have the resources to be able to pay for not just ICE and [Customs and Border Protection], but they don’t have the resources to pay for TSA agents. They don’t have the resources to fund the Coast Guard, to fund our cybersecurity employees.” "In a time when our terror alarm is higher than usual," she added. House Democrats have repeatedly refused to reopen DHS since federal funding lapsed on Feb. 14. Early last month — amid heightened concerns over the potential for Iran and its terrorist proxies to attempt some type of attack on the homeland – all but four House Democrats voted against a DHS funding measure that included several Democratic demands, including a body camera mandate and training requirements for ICE agents. Last week, nearly every House Democrat opposed a stopgap measure to fund DHS for 60 days. Senate Democrats have similarly repeatedly refused to support GOP efforts to reopen the department. Last week, the upper chamber cleared a DHS funding bill – without appropriations for ICE and CBP – that the House plans to take up in the coming days. Senate Republicans intend to fund ICE and CBP through the reconciliation process – which does not require a 60-vote threshold to pass – at a later date.

Federal News Network [4/1/2026 5:33 PM, Justin Doubleday, 1297K] reports many employees at the Department of Homeland Security continue to work without pay, with the now record-long partial government shutdown leading to financial challenges and low morale for many civilian employees across various DHS components. While the Trump administration is now redirecting funds to pay Transportation Security Administration employees through the shutdown, staff at other DHS components are concerned the move could lessen the pressure on Congress to reach a funding deal. Approximately 800 employees at CISA – roughly 40% of the staff – are "excepted" during the shutdown and have continued to work unpaid over the last 47 days. A Federal Emergency Management Agency employee expressed similar concerns. While some FEMA staff are paid through the Disaster Relief Fund, permanent full-time employees at FEMA go unpaid when appropriations lapse. While the Trump administration has also used funds from last year’s reconciliation bill to pay DHS law enforcement officers, many civilian employees at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are working unpaid.

NBC News [4/1/2026 5:42 PM, Doha Madani and Corky Siemaszko, 42967K] reports as word spread through the federal bureaucracy Monday that Transportation Security Administration workers were getting some back pay, a collective gloom descended on a Coast Guard administrative office, a USCG worker, who asked not to be identified, told NBC News. Like the TSA agents who man security checkpoints at airports across the U.S., thousands of civilian Coast Guard workers have also been working without pay during the more than a monthlong partial government shutdown. But Trump’s order was just a temporary fix for the TSA workers and did not cover the thousands of other DHS staffers who have also been required to show up for work even though they are not being paid. The group includes civilian Coast Guard workers, Federal Emergency Management Agency workers, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency employees. While Coast Guard military workers have been getting paid throughout the shutdown, the last full paycheck their civilian counterparts received was on Feb. 16, and they received a partial paycheck on March 2, according to the USCG. Some of the Coast Guard civilian workers are moonlighting.

New York Times [4/1/2026 2:02 PM, Madeleine Ngo, 148038K] reports that some federal workers have taken on side jobs delivering food in the six weeks since the Department of Homeland Security shut down. Others could not pay their mortgages or canceled their child care because they missed paychecks. Now, the department is soliciting their stories to share on social media as part of a campaign to pressure lawmakers to fund the agency. The department’s public affairs office is seeking “selfie videos” up to 30 seconds from employees to share the “hardships you have experienced during the shutdown,” according to an email reviewed by The New York Times. Those videos could then be shared on the department’s social media channels, according to the email, which was sent Tuesday evening. In recent weeks, the department has posted a barrage of videos on social media depicting long security lines at airports across the country and urged people to “thank a Democrat.” Tens of thousands of workers at the department have been working without pay or have been furloughed since the shutdown began on Feb. 14. Wednesday was the shutdown’s 46th day, eclipsing all previous partial shutdowns and the 43-day shutdown of the full government last fall to become the longest in history. The department has moved to pay some workers. Transportation Security Administration officers began receiving back pay this week, though it is unclear if they will be paid in another two weeks if the shutdown drags on.

The AP [4/1/2026 9:37 AM, Rebecca Santana and Heather Hollingsworth, 1323K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security is pausing the purchase of new warehouses intended to house immigrants as it scrutinizes all contracts signed under former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to a senior Homeland Security official. The development comes just days after the new Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin, was sworn in last week to lead a department that was steeped in controversy during Noem’s tenure but also central to President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. When asked about reports of the pause, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “as with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.” The Department also noted that Mullin said during his confirmation hearing that he wanted to “work with community leaders” and “be good partners.” Mullin inherited a $38.3 billion plan to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds by acquiring eight large-scale detention centers, capable of housing 7,000 to 10,000 detainees each, and 16 smaller regional processing centers. So far, 11 warehouses have been purchased in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah, with the federal government spending a combined $1.074 billion. USA Today [4/1/2026 4:44 PM, Swasti Singhai, 70643K] reports that in an emailed statement to USA TODAY, DHS said that "As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals." It’s not clear whether Mullin intends on moving forward with the agency’s plan to convert already acquired warehouses into detention centers. The former Oklahoma senator has previously expressed some hesitancy, noting at his confirmation hearing last month that "it’s important that we’re talking to the communities" where such centers would be constructed and maintained. DHS’ estimated $38.3 billion plan to buy 24 commercial warehouses and boost its detention capacity to more than 92,000 beds in a few months had received criticism from some local officials and residents in the potential locations, according to previous reporting by USA TODAY. Local authorities have voiced concerns that the facilities could overwhelm public sewage and water systems. The pushback contributed to the collapse of at least 11 deals, but as of early March, the federal government had purchased at least 10 warehouses. Some proposed warehouses are expected to hold more than 8,000 individuals at a time.

Reported similarly:
(B) KFOX14 Morning News 6-8A [4/1/2026 9:05 AM, Staff]

New York Post [4/1/2026 8:08 PM, Victor Nava, 40934K] reports Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Katie Zacharia announced Tuesday that she’s leaving the agency just weeks after being hired. "I joined [DHS] with a genuine passion for supporting [President Trump] in his decisive and effective policies to secure our homeland, be a voice for the precious Angel Families, and an advocate for the men and women of [ICE]," Zacharia wrote on X. "I look forward to continuing that work in other capacities. God bless America, God Bless President Trump, and I am grateful to be alive during the presidencies of [Trump]!!" she added. Zacharia served as a DHS spokeswoman for about six weeks. Zacharia, a frequent guest on Fox News, joined the agency in mid-February after DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin left her post as the top spokesperson for the department. Zacharia’s departure also comes after President Trump replaced Kristi Noem as head of DHS last month with Markwayne Mullin. Noem’s top adviser and alleged lover, Corey Lewandowski, has recently left his role at DHS as well. Zacharia explained in an interview with Just the News that she had been regularly traveling from California to Washington for the job, which put a strain on her family and motivated her to leave the post. She denied a report indicating that her alleged ties to Lewandowski played a role in her departure, claiming she met him for the first time during a February meeting discussing a job in the Trump administration. DHS did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [4/1/2026 12:44 PM, Theodore Bunker, 3760K]

Los Angeles Times [4/1/2026 5:36 PM, Carlos De Loera, 12718K] reports a Utah law firm has filed a personal injury notice of claim against the U.S government on behalf of a Venezuelan national who was allegedly tortured at the Salvadoran maximum security prison CECOT. Attorneys from Parker & McConkie wrote in a legal filing that their client — using the alias Johnny Hernandez — entered the U.S. legally and had no criminal record, but was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in San Diego and sent to CECOT "without due process." With the notice of claim, the legal team is gearing up toward a $56-million lawsuit against the government. Hernandez was released from CECOT and sent to Venezuela along with 252 of his fellow countrymen in July 2025. Since his release, Hernandez has claimed he was severely mistreated at the maximum security detention center. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The Times that the agency stands by its agents’ decision-making. McConkie said that Hernandez is seeking accountability from the U.S. government and fears what the allowance of such governmental activities could mean for others like him in the future.

AP [4/2/2026 12:01 AM, Rim Sullivan, 35287K] reports the Afghan man had fled the Taliban for refuge in upstate New York when U.S. immigration authorities ordered him deported to Uganda. The Cuban woman was working at a Texas Chick-fil-A when she arrested after a minor traffic accident and told she was being sent to Ecuador. There’s the Mauritanian man living in Michigan told he’d have to go to Uganda, the Venezuelan mother in Ohio told she’d be sent to Ecuador and the Bolivians, Ecuadorians and so many others across the country ordered sent to Honduras. They are among more than 13,000 immigrants who were living legally in the U.S., waiting for rulings on asylum claims, when they suddenly faced so-called third-countrydeportation orders, destined for countries where most had no ties, according to the nonprofit group Mobile Pathways, which pushes for transparency in immigration proceedings. Yet few have been deported, even as the White House pushes for ever more immigrant expulsions. Thanks to unexplained changes in U.S. policy, many are now mired in immigration limbo, unable to argue their asylum claims in court and unsure if they’ll be shackled and put on a deportation flight to a country they’ve never seen. Some are in detention, though it’s unclear how many. All have lost permission to work legally, a right most had while pursuing their asylum claims, compounding the worry and dread that has rippled through immigrant communities. And that may be the point.

New York Times [4/1/2026 8:37 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, Tyler Pager, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Scott Dance, 148038K] reports an expansive inquiry by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general into the handling of contracts under the agency’s former secretary, Kristi Noem, is scrutinizing her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski’s interactions with companies seeking federal business, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation. The inquiry comes as administration officials have fielded complaints from companies about their dealings with Mr. Lewandowski, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. They and others familiar with the inquiry spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation. Among the companies that complained, the people said, is Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm whose services have been used broadly by the Homeland Security Department, including for a new program to help track individuals for deportation. The focus of the investigation by the inspector general, Joseph V. Cuffari, who was nominated to his post by President Trump in his first term, reflects the widening fallout from Ms. Noem’s rocky tenure. Mr. Trump abruptly fired her last month amid criticisms of an expensive advertising campaign that prominently featured her. The inquiry deepens the questions about the latitude she granted to Mr. Lewandowski, a special adviser who was not an official government employee and was supposed to serve in a limited capacity. A spokesman for Mr. Cuffari’s office declined to comment, noting that it does not confirm or deny any potential ongoing investigation. Palantir did not respond to requests for comment. A statement released by Mr. Lewandowski’s office said he was not aware of any outreach from the inspector general and denied any impropriety in his dealings with companies. “Contracting decisions rest with authorized officials at D.H.S.,” the statement read. “When $15 billion has been saved for American taxpayers, he recognizes that entrenched interests may be resistant to the reforms which were executed.” The Homeland Security Department did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by the attention that Ms. Noem and Mr. Lewandowski have drawn, according to people familiar with his views. The president’s anger grew when photos were released last week showing Mr. Lewandowski accompanying Ms. Noem at a diplomatic meeting with leaders from Guyana. Ms. Noem is now in a new role as a special envoy for the Shield of Americas, a new coalition of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is unclear how the investigation could affect her tenure.

Washington Examiner [4/1/2026 5:00 AM, Staff, 1147K] reports the rapid evolution of U.S. national security strategy in the Western Hemisphere has taken a decisive turn with the launch of the "Shield of the Americas" — a multinational initiative that is already reshaping diplomatic, military, and law enforcement cooperation across the region. In the wake of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s reassignment as special envoy and her engagements over the past weeks with Ecuadorian leadership, as well as meetings with leaders across Latin America, the importance of this initiative has come into sharper focus. Far from a symbolic gesture, the Shield represents a strategic recalibration grounded in urgent realities: transnational crime, migration pressures at their origin, and, in the process, intensifying geopolitical "soft power" competition. But at its core, the Shield of the Americas is a coordinated security coalition designed to combat drug cartels, disrupt trafficking networks, and address illegal migration through joint intelligence and military cooperation. Its formation in March 2026 brought together more than a dozen nations from Latin America and the Caribbean, signaling a renewed emphasis on hemispheric alignment, truly at a time when these threats have become unprecedentedly transnational.

FOX News [4/1/2026 11:54 AM, Eric Mack, 37576K] reports that President Donald Trump, frustrated by the Senate stalemate on the SAVE America Act, has moved via executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, a move that swiftly drew legal threats from Democrats. "I don’t see how they can challenge it," Trump said at Wednesday night’s Oval Office signing, admitting, "maybe it’ll be tested.” "I believe it’s foolproof." Arizona, California and Oregon, states that widely offer mail-in voting, immediately pledged to sue the Trump administration, but Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Utah, Vermont, Washington state, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin could follow suit. "The President wants to limit which Americans can participate in our democracy," California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X. "We’re challenging it," he added. "See you in court." Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said the state’s vote-by-mail system is now used by 80% of voters, adding Arizona does not need the federal government to tell it who can vote and arguing federal data is not always reliable. "It is just wrongheaded for a president of the United States to pretend like he can pick his own voters," Fontes, a Democrat, told The Associated Press. "That’s just not how America works."

Blaze [4/1/2026 3:35 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1556K] reports President Donald Trump has taken action to implement new policies to shut down mail-in voting fraud, and Democrats have wasted no time in announcing efforts to oppose it. Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that directs the secretary of Homeland Security, with the aid of the Social Security Administration, to compile a list of U.S. citizens in each state who are eligible to vote. The order further asks the U.S. Postal Service to adjust its rules and send ballots only to people on the voter list for each state and that all mail-in ballots be sent in secure envelopes that include a unique tracking barcode. Each state will receive a list of the eligible voters no fewer than 60 days prior to each regularly scheduled federal election. The order also directs the U.S. attorney general to prioritize investigating and possibly prosecuting anyone — including state and local officials, public and private entities, and individuals — involved in sending ballots to ineligible voters. Democrats immediately accused the president of infringing on Americans’ right to vote with the order as well as the right of states to run their elections. Congress is currently debating the SAVE Act, also called the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Democrats have promised to vehemently oppose the bill’s passage. The president has threatened to veto any other bill the Congress passes until the SAVE Act is passed.

CBS News [4/1/2026 11:02 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports a coalition of major Democratic groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, seeking to strike down an executive order that would exert more federal influence over mail-in voting — including by creating lists of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote in each state. The suit — filed in D.C. federal court by the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Governors Association and two major Democratic campaign groups — is the first major legal challenge to the executive order, which President Trump signed on Tuesday. The top two Democrats in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are also listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Mr. Trump’s order requires Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to put together a list of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote in every state, using data from the Social Security Administration. It also directs the U.S. Postal Service to only send absentee ballots to people on each state’s federally approved mail-in ballot list. States that don’t go along with the executive order are at risk of losing federal funding, a White House official told CBS News earlier this week. It’s not clear what would happen if an eligible U.S. citizen is left off the list. The plaintiffs in Wednesday’s lawsuit argued the order unconstitutionally intrudes on Congress and the states’ power to regulate elections, since the Constitution doesn’t give the president any direct authority over how federal elections are conducted. Their suit cast the order as part of a gambit by Mr. Trump to "rewrite election rules for his own perceived partisan advantage.” "Our Constitution’s Framers anticipated this kind of desire for absolute power. They recognized the menace it would pose to ordered liberty and the ways in which it would corrode self-government like an acid," the Democratic groups wrote in a 64-page complaint. "That careful division of authority has held fast against President Trump’s attacks.” The suit called the executive order "convoluted and confusing," and said it "dramatically restricts the ability of Americans to vote by mail, impinging on traditional state authority." It also alleged the order "runs headlong into myriad other guarantees provided by the Constitution, the States, and Congress — authorities that do regulate elections.” The groups are being represented by attorney Marc Elias, and are asking for the executive order to be struck down on First, Fifth and Tenth Amendment grounds. The complaint also alleges a violation of the separation of powers, plus violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, the Voting Rights Act and other federal laws. CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment on the lawsuit.

Houston Chronicle [4/1/2026 12:02 PM, James Osborne, 2493K] reports that Gov. Greg Abbott signaled his support Wednesday for President Donald Trump’s executive order imposing stricter rules on mail-in voting and creating voter databases for states, through which the federal government can decide who is eligible to vote and who is not. The move by Trump Tuesday evening drew immediate pushback from Democrats and election experts, who claim it is unconstitutional. When asked about the governor’s views on the order, a spokesman for Abbott issued a statement saying he would "work with the legislature and the federal government to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat." "Safe and secure elections are a fundamental function of government to protect the freedoms and rights of Americans," the spokesman said. Earlier this year, Trump called for Republicans to "nationalize elections" and his administration moved to "clean" voter rolls in Texas and other states ahead of the midterm elections. In December, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson struck a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over the names, addresses and partial social security numbers of almost all of the 18.6 million Texans registered to vote. Already Democrats and advocacy groups are saying they will sue to block the executive order, with the American Civil Liberties Union warning state and local officials who do not comply could face the loss of federal funding and criminal prosecution.

NewsMax [4/1/2026 12:05 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law his state’s version of the SAVE America Act. The new measure, aimed at strengthening election integrity, requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and imposes stricter voter ID requirements — reforms DeSantis says are essential to ensuring only eligible citizens participate in elections. "This bill protects and expands integrity in our voter registration process," DeSantis said, NBC News reported. "Our Constitution in the state of Florida says only American citizens are allowed to vote in our elections, so we need to make sure that is the law." The legislation builds on years of election reforms in Florida, which DeSantis touted as a national model for efficient and transparent voting. He pointed to the state’s rapid vote-counting in recent elections as proof that tighter safeguards can coexist with smooth administration. "All you have to do is watch these elections and see how Florida performs. We’ve become the envy of the nation. Who would have thought that 25 years ago?" DeSantis said, WJXT reported, alluding to the state’s recount in the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Under the new law, election officials will verify voters’ citizenship after registration. Floridians who have already provided documentation, such as a passport or birth certificate when obtaining a driver’s license, will see their registrations automatically confirmed.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [4/1/2026 1:04 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K]

Washington Post [4/1/2026 6:34 PM, Juan Benn Jr., 24826K] reports with its top prosecutor and sheriff already set to testify before a House subcommittee on immigration policies this month, Virginia’s largest county is again facing Republican scrutiny over its handling of crimes allegedly committed by people in the country illegally, this time at a local high school. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into the Fairfax County Public Schools system, following the arrest of an 18-year-old male student from El Salvador who allegedly groped several female classmates on a single day. “Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology, race-based admissions systems, far-Left indoctrination, and unlawful discrimination has inflicted immeasurable harm on our students,” the Education Department wrote in a post on X announcing the investigation under the Title IX federal law that prohibits sexual harassment, assaults and other gender-related crimes in schools and other facilities that receive federal assistance. “It must stop.” The probe is the latest from the Trump administration targeting the Fairfax schools system and other Northern Virginia districts, which have previously faced federal inquiries over allegations a staff member helped two students schedule abortions and into policies protecting transgender students and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. In the new investigation, the alleged series of incidents occurred at a school in the city of Fairfax, whose local high school is part of the Fairfax County Schools system. Fairfax City police officials said they were notified on March 5 of multiple alleged assaults that occurred on the grounds of Fairfax High School about a week earlier. The department investigated and learned “an adult male student assaulted numerous female juvenile victims,” according to a news release.

New York Times [4/1/2026 6:13 PM, Jonah E. Bromwich, 148038K] reports Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate facing the threat of deportation, on Wednesday asked a federal judge in New Jersey who was formerly a top Justice Department official to recuse himself from weighing in on Mr. Khalil’s case. In March of last year, Mr. Khalil became the first campus protester to be arrested during President Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations at American colleges. His lawyers wrote Wednesday that the judge in New Jersey, Emil Bove III, was probably involved in high-level decision-making related to Mr. Khalil’s case while still at the Justice Department. They said it would be a conflict of interest for Judge Bove to weigh in on a high-stakes legal issue related to Mr. Khalil’s release from detention last June. Mr. Khalil, 31, a legal permanent resident whose wife and infant son are U.S. citizens, was held in Louisiana for months before a different federal judge ordered him released. While at the Justice Department, “Judge Bove wrote memoranda about and directed immigration enforcement investigations and decisions against student protesters on college campuses — particularly at Columbia University, where Mr. Khalil was enrolled,” Mr. Khalil’s lawyers wrote in a brief filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where Mr. Bove has been a judge since September. Mr. Khalil’s lawyers said the department had conveyed to them that it “sees no basis for recusal but defers to Judge Bove.” It is not unusual for judges to recuse themselves, particularly if a case before them involves work they did before they took the bench. But the situation in which Judge Bove and Mr. Khalil find themselves is unusual: The two were on opposite sides of the early phase of President Trump’s second-term crackdown on college campuses, with Mr. Khalil becoming the face of an aggressive approach to immigration enforcement that Mr. Bove pushed at the Justice Department.

New York Times [4/1/2026 6:30 PM, Stephen I. Vladeck, 148038K] reports If anything was clear during Wednesday’s Supreme Court oral argument in the birthright citizenship case, Trump v. Barbara, it’s that President Trump is going to lose. The justices’ questions were skeptical enough to suggest that somewhere between six and eight of the justices will hold that Mr. Trump’s executive order purporting to limit birthright citizenship is unlawful, whether because it violates an immigration statute Congress enacted in 1940 and updated in 1952, the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, or both. In retrospect, and despite efforts by some right-wing commentators and scholars to muddy the waters, this has always been an open-and-shut case under almost any approach to constitutional and statutory interpretation. What may get lost in the discussion of such an outcome is the uniquely twisted procedural path that this case took to the Supreme Court — one that, along the way, made it much harder for lower federal courts to block lawless executive action. That distinction won’t end up mattering here; whatever the Supreme Court ultimately decides about birthright citizenship will necessarily have nationwide effect. The real question we should be asking is whether this case will come to be the exception going forward, not the rule — and whether the government will, in the future, simply stop appealing its lower-court losses all the way to the nation’s highest court. Recall that the Supreme Court first tackled the birthright citizenship executive order last spring. Initially, the issue the justices took up was not whether Mr. Trump’s order was lawful; it was whether the three Federal District Courts that had blocked its implementation had exceeded their authority by having their rulings apply on a nationwide basis. In a 6-to-3 decision handed down in June, the Supreme Court’s Republican appointees all said “yes,” and substantially limited the ability of Federal District Courts to issue so-called nationwide injunctions.

New York Post [4/1/2026 8:10 PM, Ilya Shapiro, 40934K] reports that, when President Trump left the courtroom midway through the argument in the case challenging his birthright-citizenship executive order, he was signaling what all of us following the argument were feeling: the administration was going to lose. Of course, that was the conventional wisdom going in, which is probably why Trump has been so negative on the court, culminating in a Tuesday press conference where he announced that he’d come to the argument. Trump’s presence was a big deal — the first time a sitting president has ever attended a Supreme Court argument — but it didn’t affect the argument. It showed how important this case is to the president’s agenda, but his policy arguments in response to historic levels of illegal immigration and birth tourism, popular as they are, didn’t seem to change any justice’s vote. Which isn’t to say that there were no surprises. The smart bet going into the argument was that the court would take an "off-ramp" that would allow it to avoid deciding whether the 14th Amendment requires birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens and temporary visitors. The relevant provision states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States" (emphasis added). But it’s unclear what "jurisdiction" means, particularly given that neither illegal immigration nor birth tourism existed at the time of the 14th Amendment’s ratification in 1868. There was thus much discussion of "allegiance" or "domicile" both technical legal terms that could shift depending on a person’s state of mind or intent to remain in the country (or not). Those who claim that the administration’s legal arguments are frivolous or borne of xenophobic malice are simply wrong: These are hard questions and live disputes. But regardless, it very much looks like the justices will bite the bullet and rule squarely on the constitutional issue. For example, late in the ACLU’s argument for the challengers, Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked about a potential resolution on statutory grounds — that Trump’s executive order goes against existing law, implying Congress could change birthright citizenship rules — but there seemed to be little appetite for that kind of compromise. Other key justices expressed significant skepticism of the administration’s position. Chief Justice Roberts called Solicitor General John Sauer’s examples of historic exceptions to birthright citizenship "quirky.” Justice Neil Gorsuch characterized Sauer’s supporting authorities as "Roman law," while stumping Sauer — who otherwise performed better than the ACLU lawyer representing the challengers — with a question about whether Native Americans (who were made citizens by the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924) would still be citizens under his approach. Justice Amy Coney Barrett said reinterpreting existing law and practice would be "messy in some applications.”

The Hill [4/1/2026 2:21 PM, Mallory Wilson, Ella Lee, and Zach Schonfeld, 18170K] reports that President Trump fired off a short TruthSocial post shortly after oral arguments wrapped up for the birthright citizenship case at the Supreme Court, slamming the challenge to one of his Day 1 executive orders. “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” he wrote. It was the only time he weighed in on the arguments the morning of a blockbuster case that saw several of the justices, including ones nominated by Trump during his first term, appear skeptical of the administration’s arguments over whether an executive order to limit birthright citizenship signed by Trump last year was constitutional. Trump attended part of the oral arguments in person, marking a historic moment as a sitting president at the Supreme Court for arguments about one of his own policies. He stayed during roughly the first half in which the administration’s top lawyer, D. John Sauer, argued on his behalf. The president sat through several key justices who appeared reluctant to upend the conventional understanding of birthright citizenship, which for more than a century has been that almost anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a citizen. The Trump administration contends the longstanding principle has been misinterpreted.

Daily Caller [4/1/2026 1:00 PM, Natalie Sandoval, 803K] reports that over 900,000 migrants may have been paroled into the United States between May 16, 2023 and January 19, 2025, thanks to former President Joe Biden’s CBP One app. The Trump administration told those migrants to hit the road in April 2025. In an act of stunning overreach, a district court judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday to restore the parole status of those potentially hundreds of thousands of migrants. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs certified the following class: "All individuals who (i) scheduled their appointments for entry to the United States using the CBP One app; (ii) were paroled into the United States between May 16, 2023 and January 19, 2025; (iii) had their parole terminated in April 2025 pursuant to an email substantially similar to the one reproduced at paragraph 38 of the Complaint without any further explanation; and (iv) remain in the United States." That termination email reads, in part: "It is time for you to leave the United States. You are currently here because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) paroled you into the United [States] for a limited parole period … DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole. Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice … Again, DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States—the federal government will find you. Please depart the United States immediately."

Daily Caller [4/1/2026 7:00 AM, Amber Duke, 803K] reports the Mass Deportation Coalition released a playbook this morning for the Trump administration to continue its mass deportation operation with the goal of removing one million illegal aliens in 2026. The playbook, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily Caller, features 21 recommendations, including enhanced worksite enforcement, debanking illegal aliens, identifying and targeting visa overstays, and reforming and substantially limiting asylum. President Donald Trump has expressed hesitancy in the past to enforce illegal immigration in a way that harms business interests, noting that the agricultural and hospitality industries rely on cheap, illegal labor. The Mass Deportation Coalition highlights Trump’s campaign promise to mass deport illegal aliens and says the consequences of mass illegal migration are “no longer theoretical.” “State and local governments are carrying an unsustainable fiscal burden as public services are extended to those who should not be here and their dependents,” the roadmap says. “What was once understood as a limited safety net for citizens has, in practice, been stretched into a parallel system for non-citizens” Although the Trump administration has signaled an interest in softening their tone on illegal immigration, the Mass Deportation Coalition features polling in conjunction with McLaughlin & Associates and the Immigration Accountability Project that found three-quarters of voters say dealing with illegal immigration is an important priority. They also found that three-quarters of Trump voters are more likely to vote for Republicans in the midterms if Trump is able to deport more than one million illegal aliens in 2026.

Bloomberg [4/1/2026 5:31 PM, Ryan Gallagher, 18082K] reports US Immigration and Custom Enforcement has said it purchased spyware designed to hack phones and access encrypted messages as part of an effort to counter the flow of fentanyl into the US. The immigration agency signed a $2 million deal in 2024 to acquire spyware manufactured by Israeli company Paragon, which is designed to covertly access private messages and other data stored on mobile phones. The contract was the subject of a stop work order soon after by the Biden administration. But it was reactivated last August by the Trump administration, triggering concerns from rights groups about potential abuses of the technology to target opponents of ICE’s mass deportation campaign. Responding to questions posed by US lawmakers about its purchase of the spyware, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons wrote in an April 1 letter that the agency’s Homeland Security Investigations team had been approved to use “cutting-edge technological tools” that address challenges posed by “foreign terrorist organizations’ thriving exploitation of encrypted communication platforms.” The decision was taken, he said, “in response to the unprecedented lethality of fentanyl and the exploitation of digital platforms by transnational criminal organizations.” ICE’s use of the spyware “does not pose significant security or counterintelligence risks, or significant risks of improper use by a foreign government or foreign person,” Lyons wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News. He added that use of the technology would “comply with constitutional requirements.” The technology is intended to be used to fight crime. But critics say it can be misused to target government critics.

Newsweek [4/2/2026 8:09 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports a federal judge has temporarily barred immigration authorities from detaining a severely disabled man upon his return to the United States after he was deported to Mexico, according to court filings. The court found that the man, who has significant cognitive impairments, appeared to have consented to removal without understanding the process and without his caretakers being notified, according to court documents reviewed by Newsweek. In an order issued Monday, Chief Judge Dolly M. Gee of the United States District Court for the Central District of California said the circumstances surrounding the man’s removal raise serious legal concerns, including whether his constitutional rights were violated. The man, identified in court filings as Doe 2, has severe intellectual disabilities and has lived in the United States since the early 1990s under the care of a conservator, per the documents. "No removal proceedings were, or have been, initiated against Doe 2. Doe 2 has not appeared before an Immigration Judge," the judge, who was appointed by then President Barack Obama in 2010, wrote in court documents.

The Daily Caller [4/1/2026 3:12 PM, Derek VanBuskirk, 803K] reports a Virginia father charged Tuesday with murdering his infant daughter is reportedly an illegal alien. Officials charged 28-year-old Misael Lopez Gomez with the murder of his three-month-old daughter, according to a statement Tuesday from the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD). Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin said Wednesday that two Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) sources said Lopez was a Guatemalan illegal alien. The sources alleged that Gomez was a "gotaway" and that ICE has now filed a detainer, according to Melugin. On March 27, officers answered a report of an unresponsive infant in Bailey’s Crossroads and found Lopez’s three-month-old daughter not breathing shortly following 7:30 p.m., according to the FCPD. Life-saving measures were taken by police and fire and rescue before she could be taken to the hospital and declared dead, police said. A preliminary autopsy allegedly found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma. Investigators and hospital staff witnessed evidence consistent with abuse, the FCPD said. Gomez, who was in charge of the daughter, was apprehended and charged with Second Degree Murder and Felony Child Abuse, according to the statement. He remained in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond. FOX News [4/1/2026 3:52 PM, Peter Pinedo, Bill Melugin, 37576K] reports that, though his immigration status is not listed on the judiciary website, DHS told Fox News that Lopez Gomez is a Guatemalan illegal alien who admitted in an interview to crossing the New Mexico border illegally in July 2023 during the Biden administration. Fox News is told ICE has lodged a detainer – request to hold – on Lopez Gomez with Fairfax County law enforcement. This is the latest in a string of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Fairfax County, the most populous county in Virginia and a major suburb of Washington, D.C. Fairfax County is considered a deep-blue Democratic stronghold. DHS has been pressuring new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger to commit to having authorities honor ICE’s detainers against illegal immigrant criminals.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [4/1/2026 4:25 PM, John Binder, 2238K]
Daily Wire [4/1/2026 1:44 PM, Jennie Taer, 2314K]

Daily Mail [4/2/2026 12:14 AM, Wilko Martínez-Cachero] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has urged Virginia’s new liberal governor not to free illegal migrants charged with murder. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said this week that ICE had issued two arrest detainers, requests that suspects be held in custody rather than released, for two illegal migrants from Guatemala. The first detainer was filed for Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, who was arrested for second-degree murder in Fairfax County, according to the DHS. Chavarria Muy was taken into custody on Monday in connection with a fatal stabbing that happened the day before. A second detainer was issued the following day for Misael Lopez Gomez, 28, who allegedly murdered his three-month-old daughter last month. Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis called on Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, to not allow the murder suspects to be released back into the community. ‘We need cooperation from sanctuary politicians to stop criminals from being released from jail to perpetrate more crimes and create more innocent victims,’ Bis said

Breitbart [4/1/2026 12:15 PM, Katherine Hamilton, 2238K] reports that the man accused of stabbing a person to death in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Sunday is an illegal immigrant, law enforcement sources told a local news reporter. Sources told 7News reporter Nick Minock that 38-year-old Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy is from Guatemala. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Muy illegally entered the United States at an unknown time and place. DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Media Relations Lauren Bis said: Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, was charged with second-degree murder after repeatedly stabbing a man to death in Fairfax County. ICE is calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to not release this murderer back into our communities. This incident comes just one month after an innocent woman was murdered by another criminal illegal alien at a bus stop in Spanberger’s state. Open-border policies yet again have caused another preventable tragedy. Muy is facing a second-degree murder charge after allegedly stabbing and killing a man inside a home in Bailey’s Crossroads. The man was found with several stab wounds on his upper body and was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the report. Muy left the scene before law enforcement arrived, and the two reportedly knew each other, investigators said. Muy is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

FOX News [4/1/2026 3:29 PM, Peter Pinedo, Bill Melugin, 37576K] reports Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger and local authorities in deep blue Northern Virginia are facing mounting hold requests from ICE after two more illegal immigrants were arrested for murder in Fairfax County this week. This week, ICE lodged two detainers — requests to hold — for illegal immigrants charged with murder in Fairfax County. One detainer was lodged against 28-year-old Guatemalan national Misael Lopez Gomez, who is charged with second-degree murder and felony child abuse after allegedly beating his 3-month-old daughter to death. The agency lodged another detainer for a Guatemalan national, Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, following his arrest by local authorities for second-degree murder in a machete stabbing. The Department of Homeland Security has personally appealed to Spanberger and "Fairfax County sanctuary politicians" to not release Chavarria Muy. These cases are the latest in a string of high-profile crimes involving illegal immigrants in Northern Virginia that have rocked the community.

Washington Post [4/1/2026 4:37 PM, Dan Lamothe and Mariana Alfaro, 24826K] reports the Marine Corps is scrambling to reassure military families that there will be no immigration enforcement during boot camp graduation ceremonies, officials said Wednesday, after an outcry over plans for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to join security efforts at upcoming events. Defense officials said an internal communications failure is to blame for a notice that was posted Tuesday on the website for the service’s famed training facility at Parris Island, South Carolina. It said that federal law enforcement “will be present at installation access points to conduct enhanced screening and lawful immigration status inquiries” of recruits’ families. ICE’s involvement, first reported by NBC News, prompted immediate backlash from immigrant advocates, Democrats and other critics of the Trump administration. ICE officials labeled the reporting “blatant fake news” and denied that its agents would be making any arrests at Parris Island graduation ceremonies. The Marines adjusted their message Tuesday, altering the online notice to say federal authorities will be on hand due to “increased force protection measures and to expedite enhanced base access procedures” at boot camp graduations.

National Today [4/1/2026 11:03 PM, Staff] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a detainer on a suspect held in the Fayette County Detention Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Jorge Luis Martinez-Ulloa, 31, was arrested on Saturday and charged with kidnapping, strangulation, rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 12. According to ICE, Martinez-Ulloa entered the U.S. in 2012 and has attempted to re-enter the country three times in 2021. This case highlights the ongoing tensions between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, as well as the challenges in balancing public safety concerns with immigration enforcement. It also raises questions about the screening and monitoring of individuals with prior immigration violations who are accused of violent crimes. “We need more cities and states to cooperate with us to help remove sickos like this from our country.” — Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

CBS News [4/1/2026 11:38 PM, Nakell Williams, 51110K] reports plans to establish an ICE detention center in Social Circle, Georgia, are on hold for now. City Manager Eric Taylor said he learned from an online article that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has decided to pause its efforts to open a large detention center at 1365 East Hightower Trail. "It looks like DHS has put all ICE detention facilities on hold for now. From what I can tell, it’s not permanent, but they are reviewing their processes. I was supposed to meet with them today, but the meeting was canceled a couple of days ago due to a department-wide review under the new leadership.” President Trump recently appointed Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of Homeland Security. Taylor and several other residents declined to go on camera but said they do not want an ICE detention center in Social Circle. "We are 100 percent opposed to it," Taylor said. Others previously told CBS Atlanta they supported the detention center opening in town. The government purchased the facility in January, with plans to open it early this summer. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/1/2026 2:27 PM, Peter D’Abrosca and Adam Sabes, 37576K] reports that Chicago’s mayor in a Tuesday news conference doubled down on recent comments that sparked backlash in the wake of the killing of 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman. At a "No Kings" rally in the Windy City on Saturday, Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed to stop "assaults" on immigrants. The comments came on the same day that Gorman was buried, drawing fierce criticism from some. The suspect in her murder is Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Colombia. "We have [to] end the assaults against immigrants," Johnson said at the rally. "We have to get active. First of all, we have to make sure that we’re participating in our democratic process. We’ve already seen election shift around this country, so things are happening. We have signed multiple executive orders to force ICE out of the city of Chicago.” Asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether he would apologize to Gorman’s parents, Johnson ducked the question. "I will again acknowledge the tragedy of the loss of life here," Johnson said. "You know, look, burying a child is something that no parent should have to do, especially as someone who is a parent. The tragedy that occurred is one that, quite frankly — it challenges us to do better to ensure that we are protecting people — and you know, as far as the call for no kings, what I said, and I still stand by this, that we do have to protect working people. We do have to ensure that the immigrant community is not being assaulted."

CBS News [4/1/2026 8:10 PM, Lilia Luciano, 51110K] reports the federal government may try to send 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos back to detention. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Wednesday in federal court in Texas, challenging a January ruling that freed the 5-year-old Minnesota resident and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, from an immigration detention facility. The father and son were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a crackdown in the Minneapolis area earlier this year, drawing nationwide attention. The filing, obtained by CBS News, takes the fight to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. If the government succeeds, the two could find themselves back in detention. "The first time they came for us it was unjust. The second time they came for us is unjust. We are not giving into their fear," Adrian Conejo Arias told CBS News through his attorney, Danielle Molliver. He also sent a message of gratitude to people around the world who have advocated on their behalf, saying, "Thank you to all those who continue to support and love us." A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CBS News that the father and son "received full due process and were issued a final order of removal on February 19." "The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of illegal aliens who have no right to be in this country," the spokesperson continued. The government is appealing a ruling by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who ordered the father and son released after finding their constitutional rights had been violated. Biery called their detention the product of a "perfidious lust for unbridled power" and said the case had its "genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children." A spokesperson for the Columbia Heights School District confirmed to CBS News that the 5-year-old was back in the classroom and his family wanted to make sure he wasn’t singled out over the rest of the students as he re-adapted. Then-DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded to questions about the viral photo of Conejo in front of his home, saying his father "fled on foot—abandoning his child. For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias." The DHS statement added, "Our officers made multiple attempts to get the alleged mother who was inside the house to take custody of her child. Officers even assured her she would NOT be taken … into custody. The alleged mother refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him."

Blaze [4/1/2026 5:30 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement is urging Dallas County to honor a detainer request lodged against an illegal alien accused of possessing child pornography, according to a press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News. Orvin Bayardo Fuentes Borjas, 24, was arrested by the Irving Police Department and booked into the Dallas County jail system on March 6 after he was charged with possession of child pornography — over 50 visual depictions, a first-degree felony. Fuentes Borjas’ bond was set at $100,000. A press release from the Department of Homeland Security revealed that ICE issued an arrest detainer against Fuentes Borjas. ICE is urging Dallas County not to release the suspect from local custody to allow agents time to transfer him to federal custody. The DHS described Fuentes Borjas as an illegal alien from Honduras. The DHS claimed that the suspect previously failed to show up for his immigration hearing and was issued a final order of removal on February 3, 2020.

Univision [4/1/2026 12:11 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports the fear of family separation is already having consequences in South Texas school classrooms, as hundreds of students have stopped attending school in areas where ICE agents are present. Some school districts are already reporting a direct impact on student attendance due to the deployment of ICE in their communities. Even residents of the area say they have already begun to notice a change in the routine of school buses. It has recently come to light that Stephen Miller, the architect of Donald Trump’s immigration policy, is pressuring Texas lawmakers to exclude undocumented students from the public school system. The Department of Homeland Security has stated that it does not conduct raids on schools; however, the presence of immigration agents near sensitive areas is often enough to affect many families in the area.

Bloomberg [4/1/2026 1:35 PM, Mallory Culhane, 763K] reports that the Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging Colorado’s state and local sanctuary laws was tossed by a federal judge, who said a win for the federal government "would result in allowing Congress to conscript Colorado and Denver resources to implement the federal immigration scheme." States have the right to refuse to use their resources to implement federal regulatory programs, Judge Gordon P. Gallagher of the US District Court for the District of Colorado said Tuesday. The administration "seeks to usurp control over Colorado and Denver officials by dictating what the officials can and cannot do," he said. Colorado laws limit the collection and disclosure of individuals’ personal information and detention of individuals for federal immigration enforcement purposes, as well as state and local officials from facilitating federal immigration agents’ access to Colorado facilities and detainees. The federal government asserted the statutes violated the US Constitution’s supremacy clause and are preempted by federal immigration laws. Although the supremacy clause bars states from "contradicting or obstructing the federal immigration scheme," it doesn’t compel state assistance. Concluding that states’ implementation of the federal immigration scheme is voluntary is also supported by federal immigration laws the Trump administration points to. Those laws allow the government to contract with state and local officials to further federal immigration enforcement, "but does not require such," Gallagher said.

Axios [4/1/2026 4:36 PM, Kim Bojórquez, 17364K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing a wave of recent warehouse purchases — including one in Salt Lake City for $145 million — amid growing scrutiny, according to multiple reports. The review throws plans for a massive Salt Lake City detention center — the first of its kind in Utah — into question. DHS is also pausing new warehouse acquisitions, per the Associated Press. Recent warehouse purchases made under embattled former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have been met with pushback from city leaders and residents nationwide.

Univision [4/1/2026 6:02 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a couple of workers captured the moment an ICE agent broke the car window in an attempt to stop them. According to one of the passengers, who recorded the video, it all happened around 9:00 a.m. on March 30 when they were stopped for speeding by the Utah Highway Patrol. He said the officer contacted the immigration agency, whose agent arrived at the scene to demand that the passenger open the window. After screams, fear, and desperation from those inside the truck, the ICE agent broke the driver’s side window, and the Highway Patrol officer assisted him in making the arrest. The passenger who recorded the incident repeatedly said that they had done nothing wrong, and that they should not be arrested, at least not him, because he was a U.S. citizen. He added that he felt fear for his boss at work, and that he tried to record how he was treated during the police intervention, so he was also arrested on charges of allegedly interfering with the arrest.

San Francisco Chronicle [4/1/2026 4:30 PM, Bob Egelko, 3833K] reports a judge’s order prohibiting immigration agents and other federal officers from violently attacking journalists and protesters in Los Angeles was largely upheld Wednesday by a federal appeals court, which said officers had fired rubber bullets and other projectiles at peaceful demonstrators and reporters. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the injunction issued in September by U.S. District Judge Hernan Vera went somewhat too far by prohibiting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents and other officers from using force against all protesters, including some who had committed crimes. But the court said Vera properly barred officers from trying to punish nonviolent demonstrators, for speaking against the government, and the reporters who were covering them.

New York Post [4/1/2026 7:07 PM, Ben Chapman, 40934K] reports a machete-wielding MS-13 executioner known as “the witch” who was wanted for a brutal gang murder in his home country of El Salvador was captured by federal immigration agents in San Diego. David Antonio Aviles Perez, 35, had been sought on an international warrant for aggravated murder by authorities in El Salvador and was nabbed by ICE agents on Thursday. Aviles Perez was arrested in 2023 for assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly swung a machete at a man in Monterey, California, according to Department of Homeland Security officials and police documents. Aviles Perez, who had been living in the US illegally, was released under California’s sanctuary laws and remained at large until he was arrested last week, DHS officials said. He is currently being held as he awaits his return to El Salvador to serve his sentence for a 2014 murder. In December, officials in El Salvador sentenced him to 20 years in prison on a charge of aggravated homicide for the execution of an MS-13 adversary, authorities there reported. In July 2014, Aviles Perez and an accomplice named Ismael Enrique Mendoza Flores murdered a man in the town of Yucuaiquín in El Salvador’s eastern state of La Union, according to the country’s attorney general. Aviles Perez, also known as “la bruja” or “the witch,” and his fellow gang members followed the victim and shot at him during a dispute, according to an alert issued by the country’s attorney general on Dec. 16. Later, more henchman arrive “and forced [the victim] to stop and kneel, holding him by the shoulders, while Ismael and David arrived,” the Salvadoran prosecution’s indictment states. The pair then “shot the victim in the chest, back, and face,” according to the attorney general’s report, which identified both men as “active members of MS-13.” It’s unclear how and when Aviles Perez entered the US, but he turned up on California law enforcement’s radar nearly a decade after the El Salvador murder.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/1/2026 7:40 PM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1257K] reports standing on the sidewalk outside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building on Wednesday, as vehicles and pedestrians passed by, dozens of volunteers and religious leaders alike waved palm branches. Some of the group members routinely accompany immigrants to the downtown San Diego federal building for court hearings or check-ins with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But on this day, a bigger group was outside the building, holding the branches as Easter approaches. “We chose this Wednesday of Holy Week as a way of saying that we also placed palms on the sidewalk here, to really show honor and respect for immigrants who come here (…) to let them know they’re not alone,” said Rev. Scott Santarosa from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Logan Heights. Since August, volunteers from the Faithful Accompaniment in Trust and Hope, or FAITH, program have been present every weekday inside the building as cases were reported of immigrants being detained after their hearings or check-ins. But on two consecutive days in late February, some of the volunteers who regularly pray or observe the building’s hallways were being issued citations alleging they had failed to comply with posted signed or security personnel’s directions, which indicated loitering was not allowed. For a moment, some volunteers wondered if it was worth continuing given the restrictions. But after a meeting attended by several members, it became clear that there was still strong commitment to the effort, said Santarosa. On Wednesday, Bishop Michael Pham of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego reiterated the program’s commitment to staying put. “Despite these challenges, we are here today to publicly proclaim that we are not going away,” said Pham. “We are not afraid, we will be intimidated to stop doing what we do. We will stand, we will pray, we will not loiter, instead we bear witness to the dignity of our sisters and brothers.”

Newsweek [4/2/2026 3:07 AM, Sam Stevenson, 52220K] reports new U.S. visa rules are now in force, requiring travelers from dozens of countries to post bonds of up to $15,000 before receiving business or tourist visas. President Donald Trump’s administration has spent the past year tightening legal immigration rules, arguing that existing visa programs allow too many visitors to overstay. State Department officials say the bonds are intended to deter visa overstays. If a traveler leaves the United States before their visa expires, the bond is canceled and the money is returned, and if they overstay or violate visa terms, the bond can be forfeited. The policy does not apply automatically. A consular officer determines whether a bond is required during the visa interview, and many applicants will not be asked to pay one. The latest expansion brings the total number of countries subject to the B‑1/B‑2 visa bond requirement to 50.

Breitbart [4/1/2026 5:12 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports a federal judge has revoked the naturalized American citizenship of a Chinese couple who initially arrived in the United States on H-1B visas, after they were convicted of stealing medical trade secrets for China. This week, Judge James E. Simmons Jr. entered an order revoking the naturalized American citizenship of Li Chen and Yu Zhou, who each pleaded guilty in 2020 to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of trade secrets and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Chen, a Chinese national, first entered the U.S. in 2007 on an H-1B visa and was employed by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH). The following year, in 2008, Zhou arrived in the U.S. on an H-1B visa and was also employed at the NCH. Both Chen and Zhou adjusted their immigration statuses in 2011. Chen was rewarded naturalized citizenship in 2016, while Zhou secured naturalized citizenship in 2017. In 2019, Chen and Zhou were arrested after they were accused of stealing medical trade secrets from NCH research scientists and selling them to sources in China. The Department of Justice (DOJ) found that Chen and Zhou, who were receiving funding from the People’s Republic of China’s State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs, received nearly $1.5 million in transactions related to their theft of such trade secrets. After having pleaded guilty in 2020, Chen was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release, while Zhou was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Daily Caller [4/1/2026 3:46 PM, Jason Cohen, 803K] reports immigrant workers in America are far more likely to get visas for farm jobs than tech or other high-skilled positions amid President Donald Trump’s H-1B visa crackdown, Axios reported on Wednesday. Trump signed a proclamation in September imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applicants. Only 85 applicants had paid the fee as of Feb. 15, according to a lawsuit cited by Axios. Over 65,000 individuals approved for H-1B visas in fiscal year 2024 would have been affected by the fee, according to Axios. The USCIS said on Tuesday that it had received enough electronic registrations to reach the fiscal year 2027 H-1B visa cap. Moreover, the Department of Labor (DOL) is developing a revised wage formula that is anticipated to raise the cost of employing H-1B workers, according to Axios.

New York Times [4/1/2026 10:31 AM, David W. Chen, 148038K] reports President Trump’s executive order to limit birthright citizenship in the future stipulates that babies born in the United States to undocumented immigrants, and some temporary foreign residents, will no longer be granted citizenship automatically. Verifying citizenship at birth would be costly and difficult, complicated by the likelihood of inaccuracies and incomplete information, according to data scientists, former government officials and lawyers who have worked on citizenship cases. For one thing, the current system for recording and handling vital records in the United States — official legal documents memorializing life events like birth, death, marriage and divorce — is highly decentralized. Registering birth records is the responsibility of the jurisdiction where the event occurred, usually a town or county, according to the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, which represents vital records offices in all states and territories, along with New York City and the District of Columbia.

New York Times [4/1/2026 2:59 PM, Miriam Jordan, 148038K] reports if President Trump succeeds in eliminating universal birthright citizenship, there could be 6.4 million U.S.-born children without legal status by 2050, according to a new study. In addition to affecting undocumented immigrants in the country, the authors say, that change would have a disproportionate effect on Asians who are in the country lawfully. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Wednesday over Mr. Trump’s executive order to deny U.S. citizenship to children born in the country to undocumented immigrants and to those born to foreign nationals in the country lawfully on temporary visas. His plan, if upheld by the court, would reinterpret the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The largest number of people affected would be Hispanics, according to the study, which was conducted by Penn State scholars who research immigration. Latinos make up the largest undocumented group in the United States, and Hispanic babies would account for eight out of 10 people born in the country but not considered American citizens by 2050. However, the biggest relative change in births of babies without citizenship would be among Asians, at 41 per 1,000 Asian immigrants. That compares with 17 births of children without citizenship per 1,000 undocumented Latinos, according to the authors of the study.

USA Today [4/1/2026 4:31 PM, Sara Chernikoff, Ramon Padilla, George Petras, 70643K] reports with President Donald Trump there to watch, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments April 1 on whether children born in the United States should automatically be granted U.S. citizenship – a significant case that could upend a precedent set 158 years ago. The court will decide in Trump v. Barbara whether Trump’s executive order to limit birthright citizenship is constitutional. Trump, who signed the order shortly after taking office in January 2025, attended the hearing, the first time a sitting president has been present for oral arguments. A ruling is expected this summer. It’s the second time the Supreme Court has considered Trump’s citizenship order. The court did not rule on whether Trump’s order itself was constitutional. But none of the justices voiced support during oral arguments May 15 for the administration’s assertion that Trump’s order is consistent with the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause and past Supreme Court decisions about that provision. Changes to birthright laws would affect a large portion of the U.S. population.

New York Times [4/1/2026 9:56 AM, Adam Liptak, 148038K] reports President Trump’s executive order curtailing birthright citizenship, issued on the first day of his return to office, has an improvised quality to it. It draws distinctions that are hard to justify, unprincipled and even absurd, legal scholars said. For instance, the order says that the children of some noncitizens in the United States lawfully — namely green card holders — are entitled to automatic citizenship. But children of other people also here lawfully, like those holding visitor visas, student visas or business visas, are not. What part of the 14th Amendment, a brief filed on behalf of Akhil Reed Amar, a law professor at Yale, makes that distinction? Similarly, the executive order, as interpreted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, lets fathers confer citizenship on their children born in the United States only if the fathers are citizens or lawful permanent residents. But mothers can also do so if they are refugees or seeking asylum. That differing treatment seems at odds with a 2017 Supreme Court decision on conferring citizenship that said Congress could not treat mothers and fathers differently on equal protection grounds.

Breitbart [4/1/2026 3:55 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K] reports migration advocates claim that "millions" of U.S.-born children, youths, and adults could have their citizenship cancelled if the Supreme Court allows President Donald Trump’s Executive Order barring citizenship for the new children of illegal migrants to stand. The claim was promptly shot down by Trump’s lawyer in the courtroom, Solicitor General John Sauer. Legal observers said after the debate they were unable to predict what the nine-judge panel would decide by the end of July.

FOX News [4/1/2026 6:00 AM, Ashley J. DiMella, 37576K] reports birth tourism has become big business, as concierge services and others rake in cash assisting foreigners who want to have their babies in the U.S. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments beginning Wednesday on a challenge to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14160, which limits birthright citizenship in the U.S. The term birth tourism in general refers to foreign nationals traveling to another country and giving birth there so that their newborn children can obtain citizenship in that particular country. A concierge service in South Florida called Have my Baby in Miami provides maternity services that have helped with over 2,000 international births, according to the firm’s website. "The dream of having your child in a country with one of the best medical systems in the world is much more real than you think," the practice notes. The practice asks parents to prepare travel documents for all those taking part, recommending a minimum validity period of six months, starting on the day scheduled for arrival in the United States. Parents must begin the process of applying for the baby’s documentation prior to their return trip. "We offer support and information on how to carry out these activities, which are usually completed easily," the practice notes on its site. Testimonials by parents from such countries as Brazil and Colombia are featured on the website, with many praising the practice’s continued support once they’re back in their home countries.

AP [4/1/2026 2:17 PM, Sophie Austin, 35287K] reports that a California woman who had been living in the U.S. for 27 years before the Trump administration deported her to Mexico in February reunited with her daughter this week after a judge ordered her return. Mexican citizen Maria de Jesús Estrada Juárez was among the hundreds of thousands of people shielded from deportation under an Obama-era program allowing people brought to the U.S. as children to stay in the country if they generally stay out of trouble. But that changed Feb. 18 when she showed up for an immigration hearing and was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deported the next day. “I didn’t get to say goodbye,” the 42-year-old mother said at a news conference Tuesday in Sacramento. “It all happened so fast. This has been one of the most painful experiences of my life.” Estrada Juárez held hands with her daughter and began to choke up as she recounted those experiences. “It’s hard to describe what it feels like to lose your mother so suddenly, especially when you believed she was safe,” said Damaris Bello, Estrada Juárez’s 22-year-old daughter. “It was like grieving someone who was still alive.” The federal government has deported dozens of recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, during President Donald Trump’s second term, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The events come amid the Trump administration’s reshaping of immigration policy more broadly. Immigration advocates say Estrada Juárez’s removal highlights the need to offer more permanent protections for DACA recipients, often referred to as “Dreamers.”

Reported similarly:
Univision19 [4/1/2026 11:53 AM, Staff, 4937K]

Univision [4/2/2026 4:07 AM, Staff, 4937K] reports a federal judge ordered the United States government to facilitate the return of Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, a 42-year-old Mexican citizen who lived in the country for 27 years and was deported to Mexico in February after being detained while attending an immigration hearing. Estrada Juárez had status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program since 2013. However, she was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on February 18 during an immigration appointment and deported the following day. Federal District Judge Dena Coggins issued a temporary restraining order on March 23 and gave the federal government seven days to facilitate Estrada Juárez’s return to the United States. In her ruling, the judge wrote that the deportation was a “ flagrant violation “ of his protections under DACA and violated his due process rights. The federal government maintained that the deportation was based on a 1998 removal order , issued when Estrada Juárez was a teenager, shortly after arriving in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the action, and a spokesperson stated: “ICE complies with all court orders.”

The Hill [4/1/2026 3:27 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a Tuesday filing said tariff refund payments may take up to 45 days to review and process once its new claims portal system is operational. The U.S. Court of International Trade is overseeing the process for tariff refunds to importers who paid levies issued by the Trump administration. The duties were ultimately deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court in February, but the high court did not issue guidance on how to issue refunds. Brandon Lord, the CBP official who entered the Tuesday filing, says the administration’s new refund system is 60 to 85 percent complete. The system will accept refund applications without requiring the more than 330,000 importers who paid tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to ​sue for reimbursement. The customs agency set an initial deadline of April for the system to be up and running. For the most part, CBP will issue refunds electronically, except for outstanding circumstances where other payment methods may be necessary.

NPR [4/1/2026 12:14 PM, Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, 28764K] reports that a federal judge in Boston Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration violated the law when it ended the immigration status of nearly 900,000 migrants who came to the U.S. through a Biden-era parole program called CBP One. The program allowed migrants waiting in Mexico to schedule an interview to report to a port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border. After being vetted, they then were allowed into the country while waiting for their asylum claims to be heard in court. The Trump administration abruptly cancelled CBP One in April of last year. The administration sent emails to the migrants, notifying them that their status had been revoked, and encouraging them to leave the U.S. as soon as possible. But U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs, of Boston, said in her ruling that "when Defendants terminated the impacted noncitizens’ parole without observing the process mandated by statute and by their own regulations, they took action that was ‘not in accordance with law.’". In a statement to NPR, the Department of Homeland Security called the ruling "blatant judicial activism" that undermines the president’s authority. "Under federal law, DHS had full authority to revoke parole. Canceling these paroles is a promise kept to the American people to secure our borders and protect our national security," the statement said.

NewsMax [4/1/2026 11:04 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks allegedly took regular trips abroad to engage in sex with prostitutes, according to current and former agency employees who spoke to the Washington Examiner. The allegations, which date back more than a decade, have raised serious questions about leadership, ethics, and accountability at one of the nation’s most critical law enforcement agencies tasked with securing the southern border. According to the Examiner, six current and former Border Patrol employees said Banks frequently traveled to countries such as Colombia and Thailand, where he allegedly paid for sex and discussed the trips with colleagues. "He would tell people that’s why he was going on these trips," one source said, adding that the behavior was widely known within some circles of the agency. Another former agent claimed Banks encouraged colleagues to join him on such trips, describing how the now-chief allegedly framed the travel as recreational before revealing its purpose. The accusations are particularly troubling given the Border Patrol’s mission, which includes combating human trafficking and protecting vulnerable individuals from exploitation.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [4/1/2026 5:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 1147K]

AP [4/1/2026 5:51 PM, Jennifer Peltz and Jake Offenhartz, 35287K] reports the death of a nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who was found on a Buffalo street in February — five days after Border Patrol agents left him at a doughnut shop — has been ruled a homicide, authorities said Wednesday. The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office didn’t reach any conclusions about responsibility for Nurul Amin Shah Alam’s death, which the agency said was caused by complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer, precipitated by hypothermia and dehydration. Ruling a death a homicide means it resulted from another person’s actions — or inaction — but doesn’t necessarily mean that a crime was committed. A message seeking comment was sent to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The agency has previously said that Shah Alam “showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance” when agents dropped him off Feb. 19 at a Tim Hortons restaurant north of Buffalo’s downtown. The agency said the establishment was chosen as a warm, safe location near his last known address. The restaurant was closed at the time, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan has said. Shah Alam, 56, had been released from a county jail and then briefly detained by Border Patrol, until the federal agency determined he wasn’t eligible for deportation. His family, which had been awaiting his release from jail, wasn’t informed of it. On Feb. 24, he was found dead near the downtown sports arena where the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres play. It was unclear how he got there from the Tim Hortons, several miles away, or when he died.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [4/1/2026 8:27 PM, Ana Ley, 148038K]
Reuters [4/1/2026 4:13 PM, Daniel Trotta, 38315K]
NBC News [4/1/2026 4:34 PM, Daniella Silva, 42967K]

USA Today [4/1/2026 4:34 PM, Lauren Villagran, 70643K] reports in a state with a historic rebellious streak, an unlikely coalition of Texans of diverse backgrounds and opposing politics are uniting to fight President Donald Trump’s plan to spend billions on a border wall here in the state’s rugged Big Bend region. The Department of Homeland Security has updated its online "smart wall" map to replace plans for a physical barrier in the region’s national and state parks with "deterrent technology." Local officials, including the governor, say they’ve been privately assured a wall won’t go up in the parks. Texans in the Big Bend say a border wall in the region threatens their land, lives and livelihoods; they don’t want faraway government bureaucrats making decisions without their input. Any physical barrier could jeopardize the landscape that draws more than half a million visitors annually and drives the local economy. In an emailed response to questions, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told USA TODAY that a combination of barriers, roads and technology adjacent to Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park "are still in the planning stages." CBP said it is coordinating with federal and state agencies "throughout the planning of border barrier and technology deployments, in order to achieve Border Patrol’s operational priorities." The Big Bend region of Texas is one of the last along the border without some type of fencing or barrier. Locals say the mountains, remote desert and extreme weather are deterrent enough to prevent illegal crossings. The Border Patrol’s own numbers bear it out.

Reuters [4/1/2026 11:17 PM, Kanishka Singh, 38315K] reports a federal judge in California said on Wednesday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had violated a previous order from her on warrantless arrests when they carried out an immigration sweep in a Home Depot parking lot in Sacramento. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, had issued an order in April last year barring federal agents from warrantless arrests without finding probable cause of a flight risk. The judge said that border agents appeared to be in violation of her order when they carried out an immigration enforcement action in a Home Depot parking lot in Sacramento in July 2025, and ordered agents throughout the Eastern District of California to properly document reasons to make future stops. President Donald Trump’s administration has pursued an aggressive and hardline immigration crackdown which has been widely condemned by human rights groups as being in violation of due process and free speech rights. Rights groups also say the crackdown has created an unsafe environment for ethnic minorities in the U.S. and raised fears of racial profiling. Trump has cast his actions as being aimed at reducing illegal immigration and improving domestic security. "Congress requires Agents to consider whether, when making warrantless arrests, the noncitizen poses a flight risk or a danger to community if released. Rather than abide by Congress’ mandate, Agents arrested everyone who could not establish citizenship," Thurston said in court records released on Wednesday. The judge said that in the July 2025 immigration enforcement action in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Sacramento, agents used 11 "virtually identical" forms to support detentions and arrests. "Having carefully examined the entire record, including the recorded footage of the Sacramento action, the Court finds that Defendants have again detained people without reasonable suspicion for doing so," the judge said.

New York Post [4/1/2026 3:36 PM, Reda Wigle, 40934K] reports as of today, United is rolling out a tracker in its mobile app that provides passengers with estimated TSA wait times for both security and TSA PreCheck lanes. The app tracks wait times at United hubs, including Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. The app will provide wait time updates throughout the day, helping passengers plan their travel accordingly. The release of United’s new app feature comes in the wake of airline passengers experiencing some of the highest security wait times in TSA’s 25-year history, with some taking more than four-and-a-half hours to clear checkpoints. Blessedly, lines dwindled this week, easing the worst bottlenecks as Transportation Security Administration officers began receiving back pay for working during the government shutdown.

MassLive.com [4/1/2026 2:48 PM, Will Katcher] reports at least 29 Transportation Security Administration officers have quit at Logan International Airport in Boston during the partial government shutdown, their union said, as officers nationwide begin to receive backpay for their time working without compensation. The ongoing shutdown has strained TSA staffing in recent weeks, causing hours-long security lines at some airports. But Logan Airport appeared to avoid the worst of the turmoil. Lines were minimal at security checkpoints in multiple terminals last week. “Working without pay forced more than 500 officers to leave TSA and thousands were forced to call out,” acting TSA Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said this week, according to the Associated Press, in announcing the delayed payday. At some airports, more than 40% of TSA agents reportedly called out of work last week as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security dragged on. Far fewer agents called out of work at Logan and other New England airports, said Mike Gayzagian, the president of the union representing TSA officers across New England. He said Logan Airport’s call-out rates had recently been around 6%. The union represents about 1,000 TSA officers at Logan and about 2,300 total across New England.

USA Today [4/1/2026 9:21 AM, Mike Stunson, 70643K] reports security checkpoint lines in Washington DC-area airports have shown signs of improvement days after President Donald Trump announced TSA workers would soon get paid. Workers had been without pay since the Department of Homeland Security shutdown began in February, but they started receiving backpay Monday. Lines at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, which had hours-long waits through TSA last week, have ran smoothly the past few days, as have checkpoint lines at Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, security checkpoint wait times at DCA are less than five minutes at Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 South. Travelers can expect a 5-8 minute wait through Terminal 2 North. For the second straight day on Wednesday, the airport said parking is "very limited" as it encouraged travelers to use the area’s Metro or rideshare. At Dulles (IAD), estimated wait times Wednesday morning are 0-15 minutes, according to the My TSA app. "Security screening lines at Dulles International remain steady and within normal wait times," the airport says on its website. "We are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with our federal partners.” Many travelers had to wait hours to make it through TSA checkpoints last week at BWI, but the airport has since returned to normal operations. The My TSA app showed estimated wait times of 0-15 minutes Wednesday morning at BWI.

CNN [4/1/2026 6:00 AM, Andrew Kaczynski, 19874K] reports the top official in charge of the federal government’s disaster response has taken to social media to double down on his claim that he’s experienced "teleportation" – an experience he insists was real and connected to his religious beliefs – while also saying his remarks have been taken out of context. "Haters gonna hate," Gregg Phillips, a senior official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, wrote in one comment defending himself earlier this month. "I know what I’ve experienced," he wrote in another post, in what appeared to be a poem where he refers to people ridiculing what they don’t understand and to Jesus Christ rising from the dead.

The Hill [4/1/2026 4:53 PM, Rachel Frazin, 18170K] reports that President Trump this week criticized State Farm and other insurance companies, saying they did not give adequate help for claims related to last year’s California wildfires. Trump pledged that the government would investigate the issue, though it’s not clear what follow-up, if any, could follow a probe. “I have just met with various Political Representatives of the tragedy that took place in California concerning the burning of thousands of once beautiful homes. It was brought to my attention that the Insurance Companies, in particular, State Farm, have been absolutely horrible to people that have been paying them large Premiums for years, only to find that when tragedy struck, these horrendous Companies were not there to help!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon. He said he would ask Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to make a list of companies that acted poorly, as well as those that acted well. “State Farm, and others, should get their act together, and treat people fairly. The Government is looking into this matter as we speak!” he wrote. Reached for comment, State Farm referred The Hill to its webpage outlining its response to the fires. The page states that the company paid more than $5.7 billion related to 13,700 claims and that its total payments could reach $7 billion. In addition to burning property, last January’s wildfires killed at least 31 people, though one study estimates that the real death toll is at least 440.

(B) Today [4/1/2026 1:56 PM, Staff] reports that the State of Hawaii is still waiting to find out if the Trump administration will sign off on a federal disaster declaration. Governor Green submitted that request March 23, hoping to receive federal funding for debris removal, repairs, and housing assistance. Congresswoman Jill Tokuda says the Department of Homeland Security which runs FEMA already had a backlog of disaster requests from around the country. Assessment teams in Hawaii are busy documenting all the damage. The governor previously estimated that there would be more than $1 billion in damage.

NBC News [4/1/2026 6:54 PM, Tom Winter and Raquel Coronell Uribe, 42967K] reports a Massachusetts man brandished a sword when federal agents tried to arrest him on Wednesday for allegedly making threats online against President Donald Trump, the FBI said. Andrew D. Emerald, of Great Barrington, held “a long, metallic sword in one hand” and a “sheath to that sword in the other hand” when officers showed up at his door. The man, who is in his 40s, told agents they would have to shoot him, according to an affidavit filed Wednesday. Emerald was ultimately arrested with the help of an FBI crisis negotiator and a local police officer who got him to voluntarily leave his residence and surrender to authorities, the affidavit said, adding that the FBI seized multiple swords and bladed weapons from Emerald’s house following his arrest. He was charged with eight counts of interstate transmission of threatening communications and could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 if found guilty. Emerald pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday, according to court documents. The FBI affidavit said Emerald had previously been barred from owning a firearm after the Secret Service contacted him in 2018 for allegedly making threats against the Trump administration online, in which he asked: “Why the f--- can’t anybody go on a mass shooting against Trump and his administration.”

Univision [4/1/2026 9:09 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a Massachusetts man was arrested and formally charged for allegedly threatening to kill former President Donald Trump via social media, federal authorities said. The defendant, identified as 45-year-old Andrew D. Emerald, was indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts related to sending threatening communications across state lines. He was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, April 1, 2026, and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts. According to the indictment, between May and July 2025, Emerald allegedly posted at least eight messages on Facebook threatening to cause physical harm and even kill the US president. Authorities indicated that this type of federal crime can be punished with a maximum sentence of five years in prison , in addition to three years of supervised release and a fine that could reach $250,000 . The final sentence will depend on what a federal judge determines based on current U.S. laws and guidelines . The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and FBI Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks in Boston. The United States Secret Service, the Postal Inspection Service, and the Great Barrington Police Department also collaborated in the investigation . What did the messages he posted against Trump say? May 3, 2025: "When I succeed in having Trump executed , that will be the day that the purpose for which creation put me here, beyond creation itself, will be fulfilled. (Because what she is destined to do for the world is far greater than mine: to end the orange menace!)" May 13, 2025: "Oh, I’m not just watching! Either Trump is dead and six feet under by 2026 or I’m going to hunt him down and put him there. Do you hear me, FBI and any other organization that wants to show up at my damn door? Put the enemy of the United States in a damn body bag or I will!" May 15, 2025: "Cause and effect. Trump being a monster to humanity caused suffering to this family, and they may never decide to have children because of him. We’re going to kill Trump on public television so the world can see what we do to monsters, and then we’ll hang him from the Statue of Liberty until his pathetic, bloated corpse rots and falls into the ocean, and I’ll sweep it up to see the garbage of humanity. After what I just heard, if Trump isn’t dead by 2026, I’m going to Mar-a-Lago and killing myself . "May 15, 2025: "That’s not a threat, it’s a damn promise , and I don’t have Trump Syndrome. What a load of crap they’ve made up! I’m coming after him for violating my Second Amendment constitutional rights by calling him the Russian agent he is! Cause and effect! I’m coming after him because I’m a true patriot. By the way, if there is any syndrome caused by Trump, it’s what his cult is inflicting on the rest of us! That’s going to be recorded in the history books of psychology. Including the Trump Syndrome bullshit . I have very good reasons to threaten his life and go after him, whether or not I have my Second Amendment rights. If the people who are supposed to go after him haven’t done so by New Year’s, I’m telling you: Trump, I’m coming for you, you little bastard !"

StateScoop [4/1/2026 5:10 PM, Colin Wood, 122K] reports a water treatment plant in northern North Dakota last month fell victim to a ransomware attack, forcing the facility’s operators to temporarily revert to reading gauges manually. A spokesperson for the City of Minot, North Dakota, on Wednesday confirmed recent statements by officials claiming that the region’s water supply was “safe at all times” during the incident. According to a letter provided by the city to the FBI, seen by this publication, staff detected the ransomware on March 14, requiring “manual procedures” for about 16 hours, before a replacement server could be installed. Jennifer Kleen, Minot’s communications and engagement manager, said ransomware was detected on the Minot Water Treatment Plant’s SCADA system, “which is kind of like a dashboard system. It brings all of those gauge readings to one spot.” Kleen said staff usually do manual gauge readings anyway, but that more frequent manual readings had been required while the facility’s supervisory control and data acquisition system was offline. Minot’s water treatment facility serves the city, North Dakota’s fourth-most populous with roughly 50,000 people, and several other communities in a region called the Northwest Area Water Supply, for a total of about 80,000 water drinkers. (The Northwest Area Water Supply, or NAWS, has its own troubled history, facing lawsuits from the time construction of water pipelines began in 2002, until 2019 when an appeals court upheld a previous court’s ruling in favor of North Dakota. The disputes were brought by Manitoba, the Canadian province, which opposed details of interbasin water transfers that were to be performed in North Dakota, and the State of Missouri, which was concerned about depletions to its river system.)

Politico [4/1/2026 2:43 PM, John Sakellariadis, 21784K] reports the FBI last week deemed a recent China-linked cyber intrusion into a sensitive agency surveillance system a “major incident,” meaning it poses significant risks to U.S. national security, according to one congressional aide and two U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter. The bureau first told Congress on March 4 that it was investigating suspicious activity on an internal agency system that contained “law enforcement sensitive information.” The FBI did not publicly identify who was behind the activity at the time, but POLITICO previously reported that China is suspected. The FBI determined the intrusion meets the definition of a major incident under a federal data security statute known as FISMA, said the three people. Congress was informed of the decision earlier this week, according to the aide. This person, like others in this report, was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the investigation. The determination suggests the hackers successfully compromised swathes of sensitive data stored directly on FBI systems, likely marking a major counterintelligence coup for China. FISMA requires agencies to tell lawmakers within seven days about any digital intrusion it has determined is “likely to result in demonstrable harm” to U.S. national security. Cynthia Kaiser, the former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, said she is not aware of the FBI making any such determination on a hack affecting its own systems since at least 2020. “Thresholds under FISMA are quite high, and only a few agencies declare a major cyber incident every year,” Kaiser said. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the declaration, instead referring POLITICO to a prior comment it made on the incident in early March: “FBI identified and addressed suspicious activities on FBI networks, and we have leveraged all technical capabilities to respond.” Under guidelines set by FISMA, an intrusion can meet the major incident threshold if it involves the exfiltration or compromise of personally identifiable data, or presents acute risks to the national security, foreign relations, public confidence or civil liberties of Americans. It is not clear what finding triggered the FBI determination. In the March notice to Congress viewed by POLITICO, the FBI told lawmakers that unspecified hackers appeared to break into an agency system by “leveraging a commercial Internet Service Provider’s vendor infrastructure,” which it described as a reflection of the group’s “sophisticated tactics.” The notice also said the “affected” system contained “returns from legal process, such as pen register and trap and trace surveillance returns, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of FBI investigations.”

CNN [4/1/2026 1:14 PM, Patrick Oppmann, 19874K] reports an FBI technical team is in Cuba to investigate a February shootout between Cuban soldiers and the crew of a boat from Florida, CNN has learned from two sources familiar with the visit. The rare visit by US law enforcement to the communist-run island comes amid some of the highest tensions in years between the US and Cuba and after the Trump administration said Cuban officials need to radically alter their system of government. According to Cuban officials, a boat with 10 people aboard sailed to the island from Florida in late February to carry out "an attempt to overthrow the government.” Upon arrival, the boaters engaged in a shootout with Cuban border guards that left four of the boaters dead and one of the Cuban soldiers wounded. A fifth boater later died of his injuries, Cuban officials said. Cuban officials said they found a cache of assault rifles, ammunition, bulletproof vests and Molotov cocktails on the boat. US officials said in February that at least one of those who died and one survivor were US citizens. The five survivors face terrorism charges on the island. Though Cuban officials initially identified all the men as Cuban nationals, the island’s government typically does not recognize dual nationalities and treats anyone born in Cuba as a Cuban citizen.

Breitbart [4/2/2026 4:58 AM, Ildefonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby, 2238K] reports the second-highest-ranking leader of the Gulf Cartel pleaded guilty this week to a federal drug conspiracy charge as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. The feared cartel boss is one of the top cartel figures that Mexico’s government sent to the U.S. in early 2025 after the Trump Administration began pressuring Mexico to take a hard line against drug cartels. The Gulf Cartel is one of six Mexican crime syndicates labeled as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. On Tuesday afternoon, the man known as Vaquero went before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, where he pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking conspiracy as part of a plea deal. Despite the deal, Cruz Sanchez is still facing a term in prison of ten years to life for his role in helping lead the Gulf Cartel. The case against Vaquero centers on the large quantities of cocaine, meth, and fentanyl that the criminal organization smuggled into Texas, primarily through Brownsville. The criminal indictment in the case names Jose Alfredo “El Contador” Cardenas Martinez, Cruz Sanchez, and Ricardo “Billeton” Cortez Mateos as the three main leaders (in that order) of the Gulf Cartel between 2015 and 2021, when authorities in Mexico arrested Vaquero. El Contador is currently in a Mexican jail but is reportedly still running the Gulf Cartel from behind bars. Court documents in Texas revealed that from 2015 to 2021, Contador used Vaquero and Billeton to run his organization.

CBS News [4/1/2026 4:34 PM, James LaPorta, 51110K] reports that American commandos in recent days joined Ecuadorian troops in a joint mission aimed at dismantling a suspected criminal hub operated by an alleged narco-terrorist organization along the country’s coast. The operation, dubbed Lanza Marina, focused on a compound believed to serve as a staging ground for high-speed boats linked to Los Choneros, a powerful Ecuadorian criminal organization, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The two U.S. officials said the American forces worked in advisory roles, assisting and accompanying their Ecuadorian counterparts as they moved against the site, part of a broader effort to curb trafficking networks that rely on fast-moving maritime routes. U.S. Southern Command did not immediately respond to a CBS News request for comment. The Defense Department has historically used several authorities such as security cooperation agreements and train-and-equip programs to allow U.S. special operation forces to support foreign forces. For instance, "127 Echo missions," referring to 10 U.S.C. § 127e, are commonplace. 127e is the legal authority that allows for the U.S. military to support foreign forces to combat terrorism. While these types of missions are overseen by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, the defense secretary has historically been required to approve these missions and to sign congressional notification letters, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

NewsMax [4/1/2026 2:02 PM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 3760K] reports that lawmakers are giving War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth and other federal agencies until April 14 to turn over dozens of classified UFO videos while warning the unidentified objects could pose a threat to U.S. military operations. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., sent a letter to Hegseth requesting 46 specific Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) videos, and said in a statement that the lack of disclosure "regarding the very real threat" posed by the objects being near U.S. restricted airspace is "concerning," The Daily Mail reported Wednesday. "The presence of UAPs in and around the sensitive airspaces of U.S. military installations poses a threat to the security of the armed forces and their readiness," Luna said. Lawmakers are seeking footage of encounters recorded by the military that shows spherical, cigar-shaped, and Tic Tac-like objects observed over war zones, oceans, and restricted airspace. Some of the clips reportedly show formations near Iran and Syria, incidents near U.S. bases and airports, and a 2023 shootdown over Lake Huron. The videos could help identify patterns of activity near sensitive sites and assess whether the objects present a national security risk, lawmakers say. Luna chairs the House Federal Secrets Task Force, which is investigating UAP sightings, declassifying federal records, and working with whistleblowers. She said the panel has received incomplete responses from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, which is tasked with analyzing such incidents.

Wall Street Journal [4/1/2026 10:13 AM, Alexander Ward, Robbie Gramer, and Bojan Pancevski, 646K] reports President Trump has raised with his advisers the possibility of withdrawing from NATO if allies don’t help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials said, as growing tensions with Europeans threaten the alliance that has been the foundation of the post-World War II order. He hasn’t explicitly given an order to pull the U.S. out of the alliance that has stood for more than three-quarters of a century, the officials said. But they added that Trump has discussed leaving NATO or potentially finding ways to weaken the U.S. commitment to the organization. Trump has made no final decision about the future of the U.S. role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the officials said. Trump’s comments, made recently to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others in private conversations, come as he urges Europeans to pry open the Strait of Hormuz so the U.S. can end its military campaign against Iran. He has railed against NATO for not joining U.S.-Israeli military efforts against Iran. When asked about Trump’s private comments, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said “President Trump has made his disappointment with NATO and other allies clear, and as the president emphasized, ‘the United States will remember.’” The State Department and NATO declined to comment.

Washington Examiner [4/1/2026 10:48 PM, Emily Hallas, 1147K] reports NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to meet with Donald Trump after the president threatened to leave the Western military alliance. The NATO chief is coming to Washington, D.C., and holding court with Trump next week. The development comes as Trump has escalated criticism of NATO in recent weeks due to what he believes has been the alliance’s failure to effectively target Iran alongside the United States and secure the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s latest statements on NATO on Wednesday are his strongest yet, marking a new low for the alliance. When pressed on whether he would reconsider the U.S. membership of NATO, the president said, "Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration.” "I always knew they were a paper tiger," he told the Telegraph. Trump made similar remarks in an interview with Reuters, telling the outlet he is "absolutely" considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO. The president’s position has sparked some criticism from Congress, including from Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). "For more than seventy years, NATO has been the cornerstone of American national security — deterring war in Europe, projecting strength around the world, and ensuring that the United States never stands alone in moments of crisis," Warner said Wednesday. "It is not a ‘paper tiger’ — it is the most successful military alliance in modern history, and Donald Trump’s threat to pull the United States out of NATO is reckless, dangerous, and plays directly into the hands of our adversaries.” Trump did not refer to Washington’s relationship with NATO during a rare prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday evening. However, he urged allies to take leadership in securing the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran war. The U.S. will be "helpful," but other countries must take primary responsibility for ensuring the global oil supply begins to flow through the channel once again, he said. Trump stressed that Washington has little to lose if the strategic waterway remains blocked, as the U.S. is a major oil producer. He said other countries could either buy oil from the U.S. to relieve energy woes or send their militaries to clear up the channel. "To those countries that can’t get fuel, many of which refuse to get involved in the decapitation of Iran — we had to do it ourselves — I have a suggestion. No. 1, buy oil from the United States of America. We have plenty. We have so much. And No. 2, build up some delayed courage," he said. "Go to the strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done. So it should be easy.”

Reported similarly:
The Hill [4/1/2026 6:36 PM, Julia Manchester, 18170K]

NBC News [4/2/2026 4:07 AM, Katherine Doyle, 42967K] reports President Donald Trump hailed the U.S. military’s "unstoppable" prowess in the war with Iran, telling Americans in a prime-time address Wednesday night that the conflict, now entering its second month, will end "shortly" without offering a definite timeline. Delivered on Day 32 and framed as an operational update, Trump’s speech offered the clearest public case yet for the conflict, arguing it is necessary for the security of the free world and laying out a framework that he said would measure American success. "Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track and the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat," Trump said. "This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren’s future. The whole world is watching.” Still, he said the conflict would continue until the military objectives were "fully achieved.” "We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks," he said. "We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong. In the meantime, discussions are ongoing." He also said that if Iran does not make a deal with the U.S., "we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously."

Breitbart [4/1/2026 10:38 PM, Nick Gilbertson, 2238K] reports President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that the U.S. military’s core objectives in Iran are nearing completion, and over the next two to three weeks, Iran will be sent "back to the stone ages.” Trump delivered a primetime address to the nation, providing an update on Operation Epic Fury. He emphasized that the United States is closing in on its objectives of destroying the Iranian Navy and Air Force, dismantling its missile capabilities, ensuring it does not obtain a nuclear weapon, and crippling its ability to sponsor terrorism. "As I stated in my announcement of Operation Epic Fury, our objectives are very simple and clear," he said. "We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders.” That means eliminating Iran’s navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their air force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base. We’ve done all of it. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their missiles are just about used up or beaten. Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies, and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb. Our armed forces have been extraordinary. There’s never been anything like it militarily. "I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion," he went on to add. "As we celebrate this progress, we think especially of the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives in this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran.” Trump said Tuesday that he expects the United States to exit Iran in the next two to three weeks, and declared on Wednesday that the United States will bring Iran "back to the stone ages" in that period. "Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly. We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks; we’re going to bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong," he said.

NBC News [4/1/2026 10:27 PM, Dan De Luce, Abigail Williams and Babak Dehghanpisheh, 42967K] reports President Donald Trump said in his address to the nation on Wednesday night that regime change has occurred in Iran because all of the country’s original leaders are dead. But there is no indication that the authoritarian government has lost its grip on power or that successors to assassinated leaders have made a break with the Islamic Republic’s ideology, according to multiple Western officials, U.S. intelligence assessments and regional analysts. The U.S. and Israel say they have killed numerous senior figures in the clerical regime since they launched their campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, including the former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Airstrikes have killed Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and one of the country’s most powerful officials; Mohammad Pakpour, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the ministers of intelligence and defense; and a slew of other senior commanders, according to Israeli officials. But the regime shows no sign of unraveling, and the people who have replaced senior leaders are known as equally hard-line or arguably even more militant than their predecessors, according to Western officials and experts on Iran. "Iran’s new leaders have the same ideology. All are committed to the principles of the 1979 revolution and will rule with greater brutality given their lack of legitimacy. They fear normalization with the U.S. more than conflict with the U.S.," Karim Sajadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social media. It’s unclear whether the administration has found a senior leader in the regime who would be willing to shift the country’s relationship with the U.S. and accede to Washington’s demands, as was the case with the successor to Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, who was captured in a U.S. military raid and brought to the U.S. for prosecution. Siamak Namazi, an American businessman and Iran analyst who was held hostage for nearly eight years by the regime, said gauging the regime’s moves is now much more difficult after so many leaders were killed. "What makes this regime more difficult than ever to predict is the U.S. and Israel just blew up a lot of decision-makers. We don’t know who is in charge week to week," Namazi said. After the supreme leader, Khamenei, was killed on the first day of the war, Iranian government officials announced that his son, Mojtaba, had taken over. He has earned a reputation as a hard-line loyalist to the regime with close relationships to other senior militant figures. Trump has said that it’s unclear whether Mojtaba is alive or dead.

NewsMax [4/1/2026 7:48 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports Iran said Thursday that Washington’s demands were "maximalist and irrational" and denied any negotiations were under way on a ceasefire to end the war in the Middle East, as President Donald Trump prepared to make a national address on the conflict. Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s president had asked for a ceasefire but that the Islamic Republic must first reopen the Strait of Hormuz, spurring global attention on his 9 p.m. EDT televised address from the White House. "Messages have been received through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but there is no direct negotiation with the U.S.," said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, quoted by the ISNA news agency. He accused Washington of making "maximalist and irrational" demands and said Iran was ready for any attack, including an invasion by ground forces. Writing on Truth Social ahead of his address, Trump said the United States would consider a ceasefire "when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!". But Iran’s Revolutionary Guards vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz, through which Gulf oil and gas exports reach global markets, closed to the country’s "enemies.” One-fifth of global oil normally passes through the narrow strait, and its effective closure has sent energy prices soaring and destabilized the world economy. Trump’s address will be his first since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 sparked the war, and comes amid plunging approval ratings, economic jitters, and diplomatic fallout. Trump’s tone has seesawed between combative and conciliatory since the war began. On Tuesday, he said the monthlong conflict could be over in "two weeks, maybe three.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the country has the "necessary will" for a ceasefire, but only if its foes guaranteed hostilities would not resume. Hours before Trump’s address, Pezeshkian asked the American people whether the conflict was truly putting "America First," accusing Washington of war crimes and of being influenced by Israel. Tehran announced Wednesday evening another barrage of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf, striking Israeli cities including Tel Aviv and Eilat as well as U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Israel’s military said early Thursday its air defenses were operating to intercept missiles fired from Iran. As Israel prepared for the Passover holiday, which began at sunset Wednesday, air-raid sirens warning of incoming missiles sounded repeatedly in the Tel Aviv area.

Politico [4/1/2026 9:44 PM, Diana Nerozzi, 21784K] reports President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the U.S. is getting “very close” to finishing its objectives in Iran but warned that the next two weeks will involve intense military activity. “We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” the president said in his first primetime address since the war in Iran began. “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” The president also called on countries who get their oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded, to get involved in ensuring it reopens. “The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won’t be taking any in the future. We don’t need it. We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it,” Trump said. “We will be helpful, but they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on.” While Trump’s remark was clearly targeted at European and Asian countries, the president took a more measured tone than he has on social media of late, where he has criticized NATO allies for not aiding the U.S.’s efforts in Iran. The speech comes one month into Trump’s stated timeline of a four to six-week war. Trump issued his warning about the next two to three weeks alongside a brief reference that “discussions are ongoing” with Iran. It was markedly another vow that the U.S. is seeking to draw the war to a close, one way or another, as some in his inner circle have promised the war would be short. The fate of the Strait of Hormuz, the blockade of which is already causing price spikes globally on energy and other products, will not be a consideration, Trump said. He predicted that “the Strait will open up naturally” when the war is over due to Iran’s need to rebuild its economy. As part of his justification for the war, he cast Iran as an existential threat to America “and the free world.” He reiterated his previous calls that Iran must never be able to possess a nuclear weapon, calling the Iranian regime “terrorists” and saying their acquisition of nuclear weapons “would be an intolerable threat.” “We took them all out so that no one would really dare stop them. And they raced for a nuclear bomb, a nuclear weapon, a nuclear weapon like nobody’s ever seen before. They were right at the doorstep,” he said, speaking at the Cross Hall of the White House. He also took repeated pains to underscore the idea that he has been clear about the war’s objectives all along, including a White House fact sheet issued in conjunction with his talk entitled “President Trump’s Clear and Unchanging Objective Drive Decisive Success Against Iranian Regime.” But Trump has veered among justifications, including regime change – casting it in his initial Feb. 28 address as desiring “freedom for the people” of Iran – to destroying the country’s nuclear capabilities along with a host of military targets.

Reuters [4/1/2026 10:55 PM, Matt Spetalnick and Humeyra Pamuk, 38315K] reports President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday, saying the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age. He delivered his 19-minute speech against a backdrop of high global oil prices and his own low approval ratings. Trump, facing a war-wary American public and sliding poll numbers, said the U.S. had destroyed Iran’s navy and air force, crippled its ballistic missile and nuclear program and would continue to hit them "extremely hard" over the next two to three weeks. But beyond that, even while saying the U.S. military was on track to complete its objectives "very fast," he stopped short of offering a firm timeline for an end to hostilities. And he suggested the war could escalate if Iranian leaders did not capitulate to U.S. terms during negotiations, with strikes on Iran’s energy and oil infrastructure possible. Trump’s use of his speech to reiterate threats and send mixed messages may do little to calm jittery financial markets and ease the concerns of an American public that has shown little support for the country’s biggest military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The often conflicting signals that Trump has issued throughout the course of the conflict have only added to confusion, with the president one moment calling for a diplomatic settlement and in the next threatening to rain further destruction on Iran amid a continuing U.S. military buildup in the region. Trump’s comments on Wednesday were not clear about whether U.S. military operations could end even before Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway on which it has a chokehold that has created the worst global energy shock in history. He instead repeated his calls for countries that rely on Gulf oil to "take the lead" and assume the burden of reopening the waterway, not the U.S., which he said does not need energy supplies from the region. Western allies, however, have resisted joining a war that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started without consulting them. In his speech, however, Trump stopped short of saying, as he has in recent media interviews, that he is considering withdrawing from NATO over what he sees as its failure to support the U.S. in the Iran conflict. The risk, analysts say, is that Iran would essentially be left with significant leverage over the strait, the passageway for a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas shipments. Washington’s Gulf allies may also resent a hasty U.S. exit, given that they could be left with a wounded, hostile neighbor. Trump touted the U.S. military’s successes in the conflict but questions remain about whether he has truly achieved the main goal he laid out at the start of the war: Closing off Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon.

NewsMax [4/1/2026 7:09 PM, Jim Mishler, 3760K] reports U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Iran is not willing to engage in meaningful negotiations to end the conflict with the United States and Israel. The New York Times reported that the assessments indicate Iranian leadership holds a strong position and does not need to accept U.S. demands, while remaining open to limited communication channels. Recent public statements from Iran align with that assessment, including denials that Tehran has sought a ceasefire, despite statements from President Donald Trump suggesting otherwise. Trump has said U.S. military operations could conclude within weeks, though continued resistance from Iran could complicate that timeline. At the same time, Iranian and regional leaders indicate diplomacy could be possible under certain conditions, including discussions about ending the conflict rather than a temporary ceasefire. The two sides are continuing to exchange messages through intermediaries but are not engaged in formal negotiations to end hostilities. Iranian leadership has also signaled it will continue to resist pressure to scale back its nuclear program or missile capabilities, which it views as central to national security. The Trump administration maintains opposition to Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts, while Tehran has argued it has the right to pursue a civilian nuclear program

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