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 [4/4/2026 3:49 PM, Kiki Intarasuwan and Lucia I Suarez Sang, 51110K] reports the niece and grand-niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Major Gen. Qasem Soleimani were arrested Friday night after their lawful U.S. permanent resident status was terminated. The State Department said Saturday in a statement that Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter are now in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Soleimani Afshar promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East, and denounced America as the "Great Satan," all while "enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles," the statement said. "As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary, Soleimani Afshar is an outspoken supporter of the totalitarian, terrorist regime in Iran," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Soleimani Afshar’s 2019 asylum claim was "fraudulent," citing at least four trips back to Iran after being issued a green card. Her husband has also been barred from entering the U.S., the State Department said. The government is now moving to strip them of their green cards and ultimately deport them, DHS said. "It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he also terminated the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Larijani, and her husband, Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. Top Iranian security official Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike last month. His daughter and husband are no longer in the country. "The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes," Rubio said in a statement on X. The Hill [4/4/2026 1:40 PM, Steff Danielle Thomas, 18170K] reports Acting Assistant Homeland Security Director Lauren Bis said the two women entered into the U.S. at separate times in summer 2015, the mother on a tourist visa and her daughter on a student visa, according to a statement shared with The Hill’s sister network NewsNation. Afshar Soleimani, according to Bis, filed a naturalization application in 2025 where she “disclosed she traveled to Iran already four times” since she was issued a green card. FOX News [4/4/2026 1:58 PM, Sophia Compton, Bill Melugin, 37576K] reports that the Trump administration says Afshar has been a supporter of Iran’s "totalitarian, terrorist" regime. According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers arrested Afshar and her daughter on Friday in Los Angeles. DHS said Afshar entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in June 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a green card holder in 2021 under the Biden administration. Her daughter entered the U.S. on a student visa in July 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a green card holder in 2023, according to DHS. In addition to revoking Afshar and her daughter’s lawful permanent resident status, officials said Afshar’s husband has been barred from entering the U.S.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [4/4/2026 4:17 PM, Noah Goldberg, 12718K]
New York Post [4/4/2026 11:15 PM, Daniel Farr, 40934K]
Politico [4/4/2026 1:00 PM, Gregory Svirnovskiy, 21784K]
AP [4/4/2026 12:31 PM, Matthew Lee, 35287K]
Reuters [4/4/2026 10:53 AM, Kanishka Singh, 38315K]
NewsMax [4/4/2026 1:15 PM, Jim Thomas, 3760K]
Washington Examiner [4/4/2026 1:45 PM, Molly Parks, 1147K]
Washington Times [4/4/2026 3:14 PM, Mary McCue Bell, 1323K]
Daily Caller [4/4/2026 3:29 PM, Harold Hutchison, 803K]
Daily Wire [4/4/2026 5:18 PM, Virginia Kruta, 2314K]

FOX News [4/4/2026 3:03 PM, Madison Colombo, 37576K] reports Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is urging President Donald Trump to invoke a rarely used constitutional authority to force Congress to end its spring recess and return to Washington to address national security funding and election integrity. Lee joined "Saturday in America" to explain why he believes lawmakers need to cut their vacations short to serve the American people while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains unfunded. "It was made a possibility back in 1787 when they wrote Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, which gives him this power in extraordinary occasions," Lee said Saturday. "This would give us a chance to get back and get DHS funded, and I hope, next, turn to the SAVE America Act.".

FOX News [4/4/2026 8:08 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, discusses the DHS shutdown, criticizing Democrats for opposing full DHS funding for border security and more on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Los Angeles Times [4/5/2026 6:00 AM, Gavin J. Quinton and Andrea Castillo, 14672K] reports President Trump spent much of last week railing against the courts. The courts, in turn, spent it ruling against him. While Trump made history as the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court, where he stared down justices as they questioned his bid to end birthright citizenship, quieter courtrooms across the country were challenging his agenda. The challenges came in on immigration, on his White House ballroom project, on his own liability in the run-up to Jan. 6. “Dumb Judges and Justices will not a great Country make!” he wrote on Truth Social on Monday. By Friday, judges had served him loss after loss, each finding the administration had taken executive authority too far, too fast. On immigration, the keystone of Trump’s policy platform, he faced a number of setbacks. On Monday, a federal judge in California took a step that would allow a class-action lawsuit against the administration’s handling of certain asylum claims. The case concerns thousands of asylum seekers who had made appointments with immigration officials by using a Biden administration phone app called CBP One. Also Tuesday, a federal judge threw out a Justice Department lawsuit that accused Denver and Colorado of interfering with immigration enforcement and claimed that the city and state’s “sanctuary” laws violated the Constitution. The ruling found that the federal government had not shown it could override state and local decisions about how to use their own resources. The Constitution, the judge said, does not let Washington commandeer local governments. The next day, the Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of Trump’s claim that birthright citizenship doesn’t apply to babies born in the U.S. to parents who are here unlawfully or temporarily.

New York Times [4/5/2026 5:00 AM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Hamed Aleaziz, Christopher Flavelle, Emily Cochrane, and Glenn Thrush, 148038K] reports it was May 2025, a few months into the second Trump administration, and Stephen Miller, the right-wing populist powering the White House crackdown on immigration, was clearly frustrated. President Trump had talked about arresting “the worst of the worst” of undocumented immigrants — the rapists, killers and other criminals he had emphasized during the previous year’s campaign. Mr. Miller, however, had long pushed for removing anyone who had entered the country illegally. So when Mr. Miller arrived one day last spring at the headquarters of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an update from agency leaders, an official raised a question on many agents’ minds: Who exactly should they be going after? Mr. Miller was unequivocal, according to three people with knowledge of the meeting. Agents should not limit themselves to dangerous criminals. Instead, they should stop people with the lowest level of reasonable suspicion, and detain anyone in the country illegally, with warrantless arrests. His message was clear: Push the limits. Eight months later, Mr. Miller did something startling — he backpedaled. His demands had helped set in motion militarized operations on the streets of Democratic-run cities, intensified by immigration agents killing two U.S. citizens protesting in Minneapolis. After initially denouncing one of the slain protesters, an intensive care nurse, as a would-be assassin, Mr. Miller offered a rare concession that immigration authorities might have made a mistake. Now, Mr. Miller, 40, one of the most influential presidential advisers in recent memory and an unabashed champion of Mr. Trump’s hard-line immigrant crackdown, is at a crossroads. He faces questions about how aggressively he can continue to drive the deportation campaign, and how much appetite his party and the country have for tactics that proved successful in helping to boost arrests of immigrants but reignited a polarizing debate over what it means to be American. The administration has toned down its immigration strategy. Federal agents have drawn down from the streets of major cities, and Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary who had become the face of the policy, is out. Mr. Miller even pulled back his public appearances for a time. Far from acknowledging defeat, Mr. Miller appears to have simply adjusted his strategy in an effort to minimize political fallout. He has remained steadfast in his view that the administration should act to reverse an openness to migration that he has called “the single largest experiment on a society, on a civilization, that has ever been conducted in human history.”

AP [4/5/2026 12:03 AM, Valerie Gonzalez, 35287K] reports that, for five months, the young father waited for his 3-year-old daughter’s release from federal custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her mother, hoping through delays for their safe reunion. Only when he turned to the courts as a last resort did he learn that the girl had suffered alleged sexual abuse at the foster home where she’d been placed after immigration officials separated her from her mother. "She was so long in there," said her father, who is a legal permanent resident in the United States. "I just think that if they would have moved faster, nothing like that would have happened." He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to prevent identifying his daughter as a victim of sexual abuse. President Donald Trump’s administration began targeting detained immigrant children, like the man’s daughter, last year when it implemented new rules and procedures, which were immediately followed by a dramatic jump in detention times. The federal government intensified efforts to expand family detention indefinitely by motioning to terminate a cornerstone policy ensuring the protection of immigrant children in federal custody. For months after the girl was placed in foster care, her father’s attempts to be reunited stalled as the government told him it couldn’t make an appointment to take his fingerprints. During that time, according to court documents, the girl said she was sexually abused by an older child staying with her in foster care in Harlingen, Texas. A caregiver noticed the child’s underwear was on backward, according to the lawsuit. The girl then told the caregiver she was abused multiple times and it caused bleeding. Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement officials told the father that there had been an "accident" and his daughter would be examined, he told the AP in an interview. "I asked them, ‘What happened? I want to know. I’m her father. I want to know what’s going on,’ and they just told me that they couldn’t give me more information, that it was under investigation," the father said. The girl underwent a forensic exam and interview. Although the father wasn’t told of the outcome, the older child accused of the abuse was removed from that foster program, according to the lawsuit. The girl was forensically examined and interviewed, according to the lawsuit. The abuse allegations were reported to local law enforcement, said Lauren Fisher Flores, the lawyer representing the girl. The Associated Press does not typically name people who have said they were sexually abused. "To have your child abused while in the government’s care, to not understand what has happened or how to protect them, to not even be told about the abuse, it is unimaginable," Fisher Flores said. "Children deserve safety and they belong with their parents.".

Reported similarly:
Univision [4/5/2026 6:26 AM, Staff, 4932K]

FOX News [4/4/2026 5:34 PM, Alexandra Koch, 37576K] Video: HERE reports FBI Director Kash Patel issued a direct warning to anyone who attacks law enforcement, vowing Saturday that those who "touch a cop" will be tracked down and arrested amid growing concerns over violence against officers. The comments came while Patel was speaking on SiriusXM Patriot’s "Breitbart News Saturday," discussing violence against federal officers. "You have to back the blue," Patel said. "I say the following to as many officers and Americans that I get in front of: If you touch a cop, we’re going to put you down. And that’s what we’re doing." He said the FBI is "going to back our partners," noting that any criminal who assaults or impedes law enforcement is "going to face the full force of law enforcement." "We’re not saying that you can’t go out there and peacefully protest," Patel said. "We are simply saying, ... you cannot interfere with [an officer in their] lawful execution of [their] lawful duty. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/4/2026 9:00 AM, Peter Pinedo, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security revealed that a suspect who fled to China after allegedly planting a deadly explosive device at an important military base is the child of two Chinese illegal immigrants. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Chinese nationals Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, both of whom were living in the U.S. illegally, Homeland Security said. Their arrests came following two of their adult children, Ann Mary Zheng and Alen Zheng, being connected to a failed plot to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in mid-March. The base, located in Florida, is home to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, and Special Operations Command, which oversees all special operations forces across the Department of War. The alleged perpetrators of the attempt were born in the U.S. after their parents illegally entered the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The FBI said Alen Zheng, who is believed to have planted the improvised explosive device at MacDill Air Force Base on March 10, is currently in China. He is facing charges of attempted damage to government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device and possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison. FBI Tampa arrested Ann Mary Zheng March 17 following her return to the U.S. from China, where she had fled with her brother. She has been charged with accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence, facing up to 30 years in prison. The day after Ann Mary Zheng’s arrest, ICE apprehended both parents, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng. They are currently in ICE custody, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Both parents applied for asylum in the U.S. but were denied and ordered removed by an immigration judge in 1998, according to the agency. The Department of Homeland Security said the Bureau of Immigration Appeals denied multiple attempts by the parents to have their case reopened. Despite this, both remained living in the U.S. illegally for nearly three decades.

NPR [4/4/2026 11:34 AM, Meg Anderson, Jake Shore, 28764K] reports a shift appears to be underway in how the federal government does immigration enforcement – away from the high-profile show of force seen during the Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota and toward a less visible approach, relying more on local police. "Partnership is vitally important," Markwayne Mullin, the new secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, told Congress at his confirmation hearing last month. "I would love to see ICE become a transport more than the front line. If we can get back into just simply working with law enforcement, we’re going to them, we’re picking up these criminals from their jail." In a statement to NPR this week, a DHS spokesperson echoed Mullin’s line of thinking: "ICE has supercharged efforts with state and local law enforcement to assist federal immigration officers in our efforts to make America safe again."

NPR [4/5/2026 3:00 AM, Staff, 28764K] reports that, since taking office last year, the Trump administration has pushed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ramp up deportations. This increase in enforcement operations has meant that American citizens and lawful residents have increasingly been entangled in ICE’s activities. Today on The Sunday Story, we talk to NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf and Meg Anderson about the growing trend of Americans getting caught up in ICE’s growing web of tracking and surveillance. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Univision [4/4/2026 7:27 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports two American women have taken on an unusual yet crucial role amid immigration raids in the United States: helping to locate detained and missing migrants within the complex system of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This initiative, known as “Güeras Aliadas,” has built a bridge between separated families and a system that is difficult—and at times hostile. Devyn Brown and Kathryn Coiner-Collier began their work in 2019 following a series of immigration raids in North Carolina, which left numerous families without information about the whereabouts of their loved ones. As a result, they decided to use their knowledge of the English language and their status as U.S. citizens to help those who could not communicate with the authorities. Over time, their work has expanded significantly. Through social media, the Güeras Aliadas share information about rights, legal procedures, and ways to locate detained individuals. In addition, they take direct action: they call detention centers, help migrants top up their phone credit, and send letters with useful information. Thanks to these efforts, they have supported hundreds of families, many of them in Latin America. Through its website, guerasaliadas.com, the organization aims to provide those affected with a tool to help them locate their family members or seek advice in the event they are detained by immigration authorities. On social media, one of the activists has expressed her support for the immigrant community amid the mass raids, stating, “You are not alone. We are fighting; I am fighting with all my strength.” One of the main challenges they face is the lack of transparency in the immigration detention system. Many families do not know where their relatives are or how to contact them. In this context, the work of these volunteers is essential for reestablishing communication. Cases such as that of a young woman who managed to speak again with her detained father, who was later deported to Mexico, demonstrate the impact of their work. Amid stricter immigration policies and an increase in detentions, initiatives like Güeras Aliadas are emerging amidst tensions and transnational solidarity.

Breitbart [4/4/2026 4:40 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports on Friday’s broadcast of CNN International’s “The Brief,” Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) objected to President Donald Trump asking for more money for ICE when “We have American citizens whose parents are undocumented in this country that are being deported.” Host Jim Sciutto asked, “I wonder how your constituents are experiencing this war and the economic effects of this war. Gas prices are now 37% higher than at the start of the war, and California, in particular, seeing big jumps in gas prices. What are you hearing from your constituents?” Correa answered, “80, $90 to fill my gas tank this last week, okay. You talk about the war, prices are going up everywhere, food prices, gas prices, you talk about the war. We have American citizens whose parents are undocumented in this country that are being deported. I say this to you because, now, the President is asking for more money for ICE, more money for the Department of Homeland Security, while he’s cutting back on TSA. I don’t understand the logic behind this ask for more money for the military and cutting back everywhere else.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [4/5/2026 6:00 AM, Mike Lillis, 18170K] reports the Democrats’ push to prohibit facemasks for federal immigration officers is a new fight with very old roots. While Democrats have demanded the ban only in the wake of a pair of fatal shootings by masked agents in Minnesota just this year, many lawmakers are pointing to the country’s long history of racial violence as a factor that’s driving their campaign. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) — and particularly those of a certain generation — say they have haunting memories from a pre-Civil Rights era when a man in a mask was someone to fear. Now, as the parties are battling over new rules governing the conduct of federal immigration enforcers — a clash that’s shuttered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for almost seven weeks — the ban on masks has emerged as a key sticking point preventing a deal. It’s also a clear red line for Democrats demanding reforms. “I grew up in a situation where I have seen masked people,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), 81, a former Black Caucus chairman. “I grew up in the South. A white guy jumps out of the car with a mask on, I mean, my first reaction is self defense.” Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), 84, recounted similar experiences. He was reared in rural Arkansas, where masks were used, he said, only by those who didn’t want to be identified. “And the only reason … you wouldn’t want to be identified, is that you are up to no good,” said Davis, another long-time CBC member. “People were very conservative thinking, and naturally, if you didn’t want to be identified, they thought you were going to do something you didn’t want everybody to know about.”

FOX News [4/4/2026 10:05 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports Fox News host Lara Trump breaks down the repercussions of a DHS shutdown and criticizes Democrats’ sentiment toward federal law enforcement on ‘My View.’[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/4/2026 9:18 PM, Michael Sinkewicz, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday pushed back on claims by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., that ICE agents struck an "asylum seeker," saying the man is an illegal immigrant who caused a crash while trying to evade arrest. DHS told Fox News that the man in question is a Honduran illegal immigrant with a final order of removal dating back to 2018. According to DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempted to arrest the individual, identified as Ever Omar Alvarenga-Rios, on Thursday in Baltimore, but he allegedly tried to evade arrest. When officers conducted a vehicle stop, Alvarenga allegedly failed to comply with law enforcement and "drove recklessly" through the city, DHS said. DHS claimed that Alvarenga then "slammed on his brakes," causing a multi-vehicle crash. He then attempted to flee on foot and ignored law enforcement commands, DHS said, adding that ICE officers "followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest.". DHS said the two officers involved in the incident were injured and taken to the hospital. "This illegal alien broke our laws, resisted arrest, sent two ICE law enforcement officers to the hospital, and endangered the general public. Thankfully both our officers are expected to make a full recovery," DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. "This dangerous attempt to resist arrest comes after sanctuary politicians have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest by hosting webinars instructing illegal aliens how to avoid being caught. Sanctuary politicians must stop encouraging this reckless behavior that endangers illegal aliens, our officers, and the public," she added. Van Hollen on Saturday posted photos on social media of the man in a hospital bed, describing him as an "asylum seeker" who was rear-ended by an ICE vehicle while driving to work Thursday in Baltimore. According to Van Hollen, the man suffered "significant injuries to his head, chest, back and hands.". The Maryland Democrat also said the man was detained and claimed ICE was violating his rights by denying him access to attorneys. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Van Hollen said that ICE under the Trump administration "continues to prevent Ever Alvarenga from meeting with attorneys while in the hospital — preventing them from receiving full updates on his health condition or discussing his case so that the full set of facts can come to light.". "They have also blocked him from signing a privacy release so my office can make further inquiries. No matter what the Trump Administration says, the Constitution applies to everyone in the United States," Van Hollen added. "Mr. Alvarenga has a right to due process and full access to his legal representation. By standing in the way, it looks like the Administration has something to hide.". [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Univision [4/4/2026 7:52 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a judge in Pennsylvania blocked the deportation of Subramanyam Vedam , an Indian-born citizen whose murder conviction was overturned after he spent more than four decades in prison for a crime he always denied committing. The court decision opens the possibility that Vedam, 64, could regain his freedom after being transferred to immigration custody immediately after a court overturned his conviction in 2025. The case dates back to 1980 , when he was accused of murdering his friend Thomas Kinser in Pennsylvania . However, ballistic evidence, which had been hidden during the original trial, allowed the conviction to be overturned decades later. During a recent hearing, the immigration judge determined that Vedam does not pose a danger to society. In prison, he engaged in educational activities, including teaching other inmates, and maintained close ties with his family, which influenced the judge’s decision. Despite the dismissal of the murder case, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking his deportation based on a prior conviction for minor drug-related offenses. Authorities maintain that this record is sufficient to justify his expulsion from the country , although the defense argues that these crimes occurred more than 40 years ago and do not reflect his current situation. Vedam arrived in the United States as a baby in 1962 and has lived virtually his entire life in that country, so his possible deportation to India has generated criticism and concern among his supporters.

FOX News [4/4/2026 5:23 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports former ICE Acting Director Jonathan Fahey discusses outrage after two admitted murderers in Virginia, one an illegal immigrant, received plea deals on ‘Fox Report.’ DHS has strongly criticized Fairfax County, Virginia’s sanctuary policies after two admitted murderers, including an illegal alien, received lenient five-year plea deals. Jonathan Fahey, former acting ICE director, asserts that such policies endanger public safety by protecting criminals. He highlights instances where local officials prioritize political interests over cooperating with ICE, leading to repeat offenses in Virginia communities. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/4/2026 8:56 PM, Alexandra Koch, 37576K] reports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday an immigration detainer has been lodged against an illegal immigrant accused of leading Ohio deputies on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash killing a pregnant 17-year-old girl and her unborn child, and injuring another woman. Tarsem Singh, an Indian national, was recently indicted on vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide charges, according to DHS. He is being held on a $1 million bond, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer with Ohio authorities. The fatal Feb. 16 chase was initiated after a Darke County Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed an SUV driving nearly 25 mph over the speed limit. Officials said the deputy attempted to catch up to the SUV, allegedly driven by Singh, and paced the vehicle at 100 mph. As the deputy activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, the SUV sped away, driving roughly five miles at speeds reaching 124 mph before crashing into an eastbound vehicle on a curve, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy immediately notified dispatch of the crash and checked for injuries, finding pregnant 17-year-old Ashlee Holmes, Singh’s passenger, dead after being ejected from the vehicle, local outlet WDTN reported. Singh was taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital. The female driver of the eastbound vehicle was conscious and alert with injuries, and taken to Union City to Reid Hospital in Richmond, Indiana, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials said the pursuit lasted less than three minutes from the time it was initiated until the crash. It is unclear why Holmes was in Singh’s vehicle. "This is yet another tragic reminder of why illegal aliens should not be driving cars on America’s roads," DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis wrote in a statement. "A 17-year-old woman and her unborn child are now dead as a result of this illegal alien’s reckless actions.". Singh allegedly entered the country illegally in February 2017 through the southern border in California and was arrested before being ordered released by a judge on bond. Bis said the newly filed ICE detainer was lodged against Singh to ensure he is "never released and allowed back behind the wheel to put more innocent lives at risk.".

New York Times [4/5/2026 5:00 AM, Edgar Sandoval, 148038K] reports before the sun rises, Andrea García is already awake, unsettled by an unusual cold spell and tormented by the memory of immigration agents upending her life. Andrea, 22, willed herself out of bed. A child-sized statue of La Virgen de Guadalupe in the living room, a symbol of maternal protection for many Mexican Catholics, stood watch as Andrea set the home in motion. She had to get her five siblings ready for early Sunday mass. After waking her sister Ana, who shares a bed with her, she nudged her two younger brothers sleeping in a nearby room. “Levantense. Get up,” Andrea said using Spanglish, the mixture of English and Spanish that is common along the border. Jorge Orozco, 11, sprang out of bed, his eyes shut tight. He didn’t move again until Andrea returned with an urgent plea, “Ya es hora, it is time.” Getting everyone up and ready for school had gone faster when their parents were around, Andrea said. “They used to listen to dad more. They are not ready to see me as their parent.” In January, immigration agents raided the family’s home in a rural section of Donna, Texas, a small border town of about 17,000 people. They arrested Andrea’s parents, Julio Orosco and Lucero Garza, who had been living in the country without authorization for years. Ms. Garza was deported to Mexico; Mr. Orosco is still in custody. But Andrea and all of her siblings, ages 11 through 22, are all citizens, born in the U.S. And so Andrea, who had been making plans to one day start her own young adult life, to live in her own apartment, and to perhaps find a husband, was instead thrust abruptly into an unlikely and unfamiliar role: matriarch. In the weeks since, the older siblings have put relationships, careers, and education on hold, substituting as caretakers for their younger brothers and sisters.

Los Angeles Times [4/5/2026 6:00 AM, James Queally, 14672K] reports for Javier Hernandez, cooperating with federal prosecutors felt like the only option. Hernandez, 48, faced up to life in prison after U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Fontana police arrested him and seized nearly 22 pounds of meth during a 2015 operation targeting cross-border drug smuggling. Recovering from drug addiction and desperate to avoid being separated from his family, he would do whatever it took to minimize his sentence — even testifying against people he feared were connected to the cartels. Then, a year before Hernandez was set to testify, he received an email with a list of his loved ones, according to a copy of the message reviewed by The Times. At the bottom of the message was a picture of a dead man, his body covered in bandages and stained with blood. Hernandez said he and his wife were terrified. But fear of retribution wasn’t what kept him from taking the witness stand last year. It was Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Six months before trial, ICE agents detained Hernandez in San Bernardino, court records show. In March 2025, he was deported to Tijuana. ICE did not consult with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles before moving to deport their witness, U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder said during a hearing last year. Without Hernandez’s testimony to bolster the prosecution’s case, his co-defendants were acquitted of all charges. Former ICE officials and ex-federal prosecutors say the case highlights how the Trump administration has prioritized deportation efforts over other forms of law enforcement, even serious drug cases. Hernandez was warned he could still be deported under the terms of his deal with prosecutors, but John Sandweg, who served as ICE’s acting director under President Obama, said past administrations coordinated in similar circumstances to ensure informants remained safely in the country. “Anytime someone was a federal defendant or critical witness in a federal case, it would be shocking if we executed a removal of that individual,” he said. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security described Hernandez as a “clear and present threat to public safety” whom agents had to detain quickly.

New York Post [4/4/2026 11:48 PM, David Thompson and Daniel Farr, 40934K] reports the stunned Los Angeles renter of the property owned by the niece of Iranian terror mastermind Gen. Qasem Soleimani said he now realizes the mom and her daughter had been on ICE’s radar for some time before agents swooped on the quiet Tujunga home and hauled the pair away. Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, 47, and her daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, 25, were arrested by ICE Friday and had their green cards revoked for ties to the Iranian regime. Afshar had celebrated attacks on US soldiers and military facilities, praised Iran’s Supreme Leader, called America the "Great Satan," and voiced support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terror organization, according to the State Department. Piano instructor Halasius Bradford, 50, who rents a single-story property owned by Afshar, said the women were taken into custody in dramatic scenes about 5 p.m. Friday. He said ICE had been active in the streets leading up to the arrests. Bradford said he was driving back to the property during the raid and arrived to find the street blocked off by ICE vehicles and three LAPD patrol cars. "It was crazy seeing what happened. I saw three LAPD patrol cars and one or two from ICE," he told the Post. The Post’s visit to the home on Saturday revealed Afshar was living in a small ADU behind the main two-bedroom, two-bathroom home Bradford rents. She had bought the Plainview Avenue property for $505,000 in 2021. Photos from the scene offer a glimpse into the women’s carefully curated Los Angeles lifestyle. Inside her humble home, about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, was a selfie ring light and a full-form mannequin for her to hang her designer label outfits. She also drove a black Tesla, which on Saturday was stuffed with luxury goods, including a Miss Dior bag, some Hermes cushions, a Sephora makeup bag, and another gray leather handbag in the front passenger footwell. Some items inside the car bore Arabic writing, while a few parking tickets were also scattered inside. Friday marked the first time Bradford had met Hosseiny in person. He said both women were at the property for a scheduled City of Los Angeles inspection of the ADU, which explains why they were there when ICE arrived. Bradford added that Hosseiny’s boyfriend was also present during the raid. He told Bradford that he and Hosseiny were driving outside the house when ICE intercepted them, demanding to know where Afshar was. Lauren Bis, a DHS spokesperson, emphasized the seriousness of the revocation. "It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the US, the green card will be revoked.".

Univision [4/4/2026 1:27 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports Armando Gonzalez left his home for work and never returned. His daughters last saw him that morning as he headed to his job in Big Bear, California. Minutes later, he was detained by immigration agents. He has remained in federal custody ever since, while his family faces another crisis: his wife, Erika, is terminally ill with brain cancer. The arrest occurred on Tuesday, March 31, as confirmed by his daughters, during a raid as González was leaving for work. Since then, the family has been divided between a detention center and a home where he is battling an illness that, they say, is irreversible. The daughters describe how the disease has progressed in recent months. Federal authorities confirmed the arrest and indicated that González is facing immigration proceedings. According to this version of events, he has a prior record for a public order offense, although the date and location of the incident were not specified. His daughters maintain that their father has no criminal record and that his history is limited to traffic violations.

CBS News [4/4/2026 7:53 PM, Shanelle Kaul, 51110K] reports the city of Hyderabad has been called the Silicon Valley of India. "Google, Facebook, and all the other bigger companies are here," Rajesh Jaknalli, who has worked for a U.S. tech company in Hyderabad for about 10 years, told CBS News. "This place is actually called High Tech City, but because of the many companies that we have, the term ‘Cyberabad’ has come," Jaknalli explained. Jaknalli says he has worked here with one goal, to get an opportunity to one day move to the U.S. "Our dream was to perform, give you 100%, and then probably, we’ll get a chance to move to the U.S.," Jaknalli said. But in September 2025, the Trump administration announced that it would require that a $100,000 fee be added to new applications for H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers. The White House argued the move would protect American jobs. Prior to this, H-1B visas had ranged in cost from anywhere between $1,700 and $4,500. Hameed Abdul thought his Amazon job in Hyderabad would eventually take him to the U.S., but that outlook has changed. "I got this news, and I was really devastated," Abdul said. "...It’s not beneficial for any employer, to be honest. Nobody’s going to hire you and give $100,000," said Abdul, who disclosed that the fee means he has "decided to move to Canada.". Xavier Fernandes, who founded the immigration agency Y-Axis, says the H-1B visa created a pipeline of tech talent that eventually fueled America’s IT sector. "It’s definitely America’s loss," Fernandes said of the fee. "…Many CEOs are from Hyderabad. It’s just a breeding ground of tech.". According to numbers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, more than 70% of H-1B visa holders in 2024 were Indian. "Indians are the new oil, coal, or gas, it’s brain power to run the modern day industries," Fernandes said. Pressed on whether he believes that same "brain power" exists in the U.S., Fernandes responded: "That kind of talent you can’t manufacture. It’s not a thing that you can get it locally.". It’s something even President Trump admitted to in an interview on Fox News last November, telling host Laura Ingraham that "you also do have to bring in talent.". When Ingraham countered that the U.S. has "plenty of talented people here," Mr. Trump responded, "No you don’t...You don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn.". Fernandes believes the new policy "definitely" threatens the trajectory of U.S. innovation. "Many Indians will stay back and build in India," Fernandes said. Countries like Canada, China and Australia are now scrambling to lure skilled foreign workers by making their visa processes easier. "I’m currently applying to Australia," Jaknalli said. "The process is pretty straightforward there.". [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NPR [4/4/2026 7:41 AM, Scott Simon, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports Maria de Jesús Estrada Juárez returned to the U.S. this week after being wrongfully deported. NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with Estrada Juárez and her daughter, Damaris Bello, about their experience.

Univision [4/4/2026 1:47 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a Mexican citizen was sentenced to 21 years in prison for conspiracy to import methamphetamine in a federal court in Del Rio, Texas. The suspect was identified as Pedro Alvarado Montiel, known as “El Pelón”, 42 years old, who was confirmed to be a member of the Sureños gang, affiliated with the Mexican Mafia. According to court documents, Alvarado Montiel was arrested at a traffic stop on September 20, 2023, in Bastrop County. After being questioned, the arresting officer searched his vehicle and found two gallon-sized bags and one sandwich-sized bag filled with a black, sticky, tar-like substance, which was later sent to a laboratory and confirmed to be two kilos of heroin.

AP [4/4/2026 3:27 PM, Staff, 35287K] reports crews made progress Saturday battling a smoky wildfire in southern California that broke out a day earlier and prompted mandatory evacuations. Encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) in Riverside County, about 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the Springs Fire was at least 45% percent contained on Saturday, a fire department spokesperson said. It was 25% contained on Friday. While gusts up to 45 mph (72 kph) were predicted Saturday, Terra Fernandez, public safety information specialist for the Riverside County Fire Department, said winds had “dissipated a bit” since Friday, helping the efforts of fire crews. “We’re feeling confident. The winds have died down so it’s assisting us in making more progress,” she said. Fernandez also credited efforts to build and strengthen containment lines around the fire perimeter. “We have natural equestrian trails around where a lot of the structures are and so that helps our firefighters make access.” she said. “And the humidity increasing this evening will also help.” So far, no structures have been damaged or destroyed, Fernandez said.

AP [4/4/2026 8:30 PM, Staff, 35287K] reports a smoky wildfire in southern California that broke out a day earlier and prompted evacuation orders was mostly under control Saturday afternoon, fire officials said. Encompassing roughly 6.3 square miles (about 16 square kilometers) in Riverside County, about 64 miles (103 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the Springs Fire was no longer growing and at least 75% percent contained Saturday, said Terra Fernandez, public safety information specialist for the Riverside County Fire Department. It was 25% contained on Friday. Fire officials also lifted evacuation orders for a large swath of neighborhoods Saturday morning. Fernandez said she expected the rest will be lifted by the end of the day. “It’s pretty much under control,” Fernandez said. The fire was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds with gusts predicted to get up to 45 mph (72 kph) on Saturday. But winds had “dissipated a bit” since Friday, helping the efforts of fire crews, Fernandez said. Natural equestrian trails around the area also helped firefighters make access to the fire and build effective containment lines around its perimeter, she said. So far, no structures have been damaged or destroyed.

Washington Post [4/4/2026 3:19 PM, Dan Diamond and Jonathan Edwards, 24826K] reports the Trump administration has appealed a federal judge’s order to halt the construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, arguing in an emergency motion that pausing the $400 million project would raise national security risks. The motion, which was filed Friday night in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, argues that U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s “shocking, unprecedented, and improper injunction” to stop construction would imperil Trump, his family and White House staff. The administration asked for Leon’s order to be stayed pending appeal and said it would seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court if necessary. “Time is of the essence!” Justice Department lawyers wrote, saying that the planned 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House is being designed to defend against “hostile attacks via drones, ballistic missiles, bullets, biohazards” and other potential threats to the president. They also argued that Trump has the authority to build the ballroom, disputing Leon’s ruling that the project requires congressional approval. The tone of the administration’s 27-page filing — particularly its first five pages — departs from the usual style for federal appellate briefs, which typically focus on legal arguments. Instead, the language closely resembles Trump’s charged remarks and social media posts about the ballroom, which the president has identified as a personal priority. The appeal invokes the “American Patriots” who have made donations for the project, lists various materials being used to construct it and repeats Trump’s frequent boasts that the project is under budget and ahead of schedule. “No taxpayer dollars are being used for the funding of this beautiful, desperately needed, and completely secure (for national security purposes) ballroom,” the Justice Department lawyers wrote, defending Trump’s decision to solicit private donations. Leon said that Trump was attempting an “end-run” around Congress by relying on private funding.

CBS News [4/4/2026 5:41 PM, Lucia I. Suarez Sang, 51110K] reports President Trump warned Iran that the nation has 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating consequences. "Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!". The president’s comments on Saturday come days after telling the American people in a prime-time address that "we’ve beat and completely decimated Iran.". "They are decimated both militarily and economically and in every other way," Mr. Trump said, adding: "Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.". Iran’s central military command later rejected Mr. Trump’s threat, Agence France-Presse reports. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, in a statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Mr. Trump’s threat was "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action," according to AFP. And, echoing the religious language of Mr. Trump’s social media post, Aliabadi warned that "the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you.". The war, which began with joint U.S.- Israel strikes on Feb. 28, has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. A total of 365 American service members have been injured as part of U.S. operations against Iran, according to newly released Pentagon figures. The war shows no signs of slowing as Iran responds to airstrikes with attacks across the region. Mr. Trump had initially threatened on March 21 to "obliterate" Iran’s power plants, beginning with the country’s biggest, "if Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS.". Two days later, however, he said "very good and productive conversations" were being held with Iranian authorities, and that he had postponed any strikes on power plants for five days. Mr. Trump then pushed the deadline back to April 6. Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are working to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table in Pakistan, two regional officials told the Associated Press. They said that they were working on a compromise to bridge the gap between the two sides’ demands to stop the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Saturday signaled his country is willing to join talks. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham praised Mr. Trump’s ultimatum Saturday, saying a "massive military operation awaits Iran if they choose poorly.". "This regime has been severely crippled through Operation Epic Fury. Their reign of terror against the region and the world needs to come to an end, hopefully through a peace deal," the Republican wrote in a social media post, adding: "If it’s not clear to Iran and others by now that President Trump means what he says then I don’t know when it will ever be. Choose wisely.". [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [4/4/2026 8:57 PM, Staff, 2238K]

Bloomberg [4/4/2026 6:44 PM, Patrick Sykes and Jeff Mason, 18082K] reports President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash “all hell” on Iran as early as Monday was met with defiance in the Islamic Republic as the US military continued its days-long search for an airman whose F-15E was shot down. The Defense Department maintained its public silence about the downed aircraft — as well as the reported crash of an A-10 Warthog — while Trump posted that the 10-day deadline for Iran to make a peace deal with the US was running out. “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump said in a social media post on Saturday. “Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to God!” Trump had extended a five-day deadline to April 6 as preliminary discussions for peace talks got under way in late March and as he searched for a way out of the expanding war. Iran’s downing of the aircraft pierced the aura of invincibility Trump and top administration officials have sought to project as they try to stave off the increasing political risks. Another signal that the war was no closer to ending in its sixth week is a US decision, reported by Bloomberg, to pull nearly its entire inventory of stealthy long-range JASSM-ER cruise missiles from the Pacific region and the US to be available to attack Iran, leaving only 425 available for conflicts elsewhere. Trump has warned that if Iran doesn’t agree to his terms — which the government has rejected — and open the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic out of the Persian Gulf, the US would bomb the country’s civilian energy infrastructure, strikes that could constitute a war crime under international law.

FOX News [4/4/2026 2:41 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports the Trump administration confronts Iran after a US F-15E fighter jet was shot down, with one airman still missing. President Trump states the incident won’t impact negotiations. Meanwhile, the White House defends a massive $1.7 trillion defense budget increase and dismisses rumors of cabinet shake-ups. Congress debates DHS funding, highlighting GOP tensions over ICE and CBP. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [4/5/2026 1:09 AM, James LaPorta, Olivia Rinaldi, Eleanor Watson, Jennifer Jacobs, Faris Tanyos, 51110K] reports a U.S. crew member who went missing when an F-15E fighter jet was shot down over a remote area of Iran was rescued by U.S. forces early Sunday morning local time, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News. The jet’s pilot was rescued Friday. "WE GOT HIM!" President Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post. "My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!". The president said that the rescued officer had "sustained injuries, but he will be just fine.". Of the rescue operation, the president said that "at my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him.". U.S. officials had previously told CBS News the jet was carrying a two-person crew when it was downed by Iranian forces Friday. Iranian Revolutionary Guards took credit for the strike, alleging the jet was brought down in southwestern Iran Friday morning. Photos of debris that Iranian media said showed the wreckage of the downed U.S. fighter jet appeared consistent with an American F-15, two weapons experts told CBS News. The pilot of the F-15E had safely ejected and was rescued by two military helicopters, U.S. officials earlier said, but the second crew member, a weapons system officer, had remained missing. During Friday’s recovery efforts, a U.S. chopper carrying the rescued pilot was struck by small arms fire, wounding crew members on board, U.S. officials said, but the helicopter landed safely. An A-10 Warthog that was part of Friday’s search mission took fire and was damaged. The Warthog’s pilot ejected over the Persian Gulf and was successfully recovered, U.S. officials said. Mr. Trump on Friday put some other operations on pause in Iran to prioritize the search and rescue, directing hundreds of special operations forces to the effort, zeroing in on the stranded crew member’s beacon. A U.S. official and a White House official confirmed to CBS News that U.S. commandos recovered the missing crew member in a complex operation that involved dozens of special forces personnel, and several dozen warplanes and helicopters. The news was first reported by New York Times. The rescued officer was flown to Kuwait to receive treatment for his injuries, the two officials said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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