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

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

The Hill [4/6/2026 8:31 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Monday questioned whether cities with international airports that do not work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should face repercussions, such as losing access to customs processing. “If they’re a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into — into their city?” Mullin, whom the Senate recently confirmed as DHS secretary, said during an appearance on Fox News’s “Special Report.” “Seriously, if they’re a sanctuary city and they’re receiving international flights, and we’re asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they’re not going to enforce immigration policy? Maybe we need have a really hard look at that, because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us,” he added. His comments align with those of his predecessor, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who led immigration enforcement operations in blue-led cities and publicly identified 500 cities, counties, and states that are allegedly obstructing the enforcement of immigration laws. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a warning letter to 32 “sanctuary jurisdictions” last August urging them to comply with federal law or face repercussions. President Trump issued an executive order last year outlining a White House crackdown on cities that do not comply with federal immigration authorities. Mullin plans to do the same. “Well, I’m saying we’re going to have to start prioritizing things at some point. Right now, remember, the Democrats are wanting to defund Customs and Border Patrol. Well, who processes those individuals when they walk off the plane? And so I’m going to have to be forced to make hard decisions. Who is willing to work with us and partner with us?” Mullin said on Monday. “Once again, I’m not going outside the policies that Congress passed for me. And we’re not trying to pass those … but we’re saying that you’ve got to partner with us,” he added. Mullin said he spoke with Trump after his recent confirmation to establish a plan to end the partial government shutdown effectively. The Senate recently unanimously passed a bill that would fund most of DHS, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. House Republicans rejected the legislation and countered with a plan to fund DHS in its entirety. “What it is, is there is a problem with what the Senate has proposed. And it’s a fundamental issue that is very difficult for some Republicans to get past. It’s that the bill that has been proposed out of the Senate that was passed with unanimous consent, it essentially, and I say essentially, defunded ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. But the reason why we made that play call is because we want to do it through reconciliation,” Mullin told anchor Bret Baier. “The reason why the president and I have spoke literally for over five hours in the Oval Office about the best path to do this with is because September 30th is when the fiscal year ends again. We are afraid that the Democrats will try to hold the country hostage again and shut us down,” he added. Mullin continued, “And so if we can take Customs and Border Patrol off the table and put it through reconciliation, fund it for three years, then we don’t have to worry about the Democrats playing this political theater.” FOX News [4/6/2026 8:13 PM, Nora Moriarty, 37576K] reports Mullin also warned that sanctuary cities more broadly may be at risk under his leadership of DHS, claiming they are unlawful. "I believe sanctuary cities, it’s not lawful," he told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier. "I don’t think they’re able to do that. And so, we’re going to take a hard look at this.". Mullin took the helm of DHS after his predecessor, Kristi Noem, was fired by President Donald Trump March 5, after she carried out Trump’s mass-deportation agenda for more than a year. Trump was reportedly "furious" with Noem saying during a Senate hearing that he knew about a taxpayer-funded ad contract. The White House told Fox News Digital Trump did not know about the contract. Mullin shared his plans for leading the department that has become embattled with controversy. "My job is to empower them [employees] to do their jobs," he explained. "How do I make sure that they have the tools and the assets they need and the manpower they need to be able to go out and deliver the mission that Congress and the president has tasked us with?". [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The New York Post [4/6/2026 7:57 PM, Victor Nava, 40934K] reports that during his appearance on "Special Report," Mullin also revealed that nearly 3 million illegal immigrants have either self-deported or been deported since Trump took office. "The last number that I’ve seen is we’ve deported between — either deported or self-deported … just shy of 3 million," Mullin told Baier.

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Breitbart [4/6/2026 7:39 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K]
Breitbart [4/7/2026 4:15 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K]
Daily Caller [4/6/2026 9:54 PM, Mariane Angela, 803K]

FOX News [4/6/2026 6:39 PM, Staff, 37576K] Video: HERE reports DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin discusses the partial government shutdown and how he will run DHS differently than his predecessor and more on ‘Special Report.’

San Francisco Chronicle [4/6/2026 9:45 PM, Aidin Vaziri, 3833K] reports the federal government may withdraw Customs and Border Protection officers from San Francisco International Airport and other major “sanctuary” hubs, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin suggested Monday. If the move actually goes through, it would effectively halt international travel at SFO, one of the nation’s busiest airports. In his first interview since being sworn in as secretary, Mullin told Fox News’s “Special Report” that the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing whether jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities should continue to receive federal customs processing services. “If they’re a sanctuary city, should they really be processing customs into their city?” Mullin asked. “If they’re a sanctuary city and they’re receiving international flights, and we’re asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they’re not going to enforce immigration policy — maybe we need to have a really hard look at that.” The proposal marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s long-standing battle with Democratic-led cities. If implemented, the withdrawal of CBP personnel would leave airports like SFO and JFK in New York unable to process arriving international passengers, forcing airlines to reroute thousands of daily flights. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office immediately denounced the idea, citing the potential for a catastrophic disruption to the economy. “If you thought the economy was bad with Trump’s war driving prices at the pump up … just wait until international travel is halted at some of the busiest airports in the world,” Newsom’s press office posted on X. “Talk about a stupid idea.” Legal experts noted that such a move would likely face immediate challenges in federal court. U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick III of San Francisco previously issued an injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from retaliating against sanctuary jurisdictions by withholding federal funds or services. California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the Chronicle in January that the administration’s threats are “completely lawless,” adding, “We’ll stop him in court.” Mullin’s comments come amid an ongoing partial government shutdown triggered by a stalemate over DHS funding. The secretary accused Democrats of “holding the country hostage” by refusing to fund agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. “I’m going to have to be forced to make hard decisions,” Mullin told Fox News. “Who is willing to work with us and partner with us?”

Breitbart [4/6/2026 11:11 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports on Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin floating removing customs from sanctuary cities is “another reason why we need to impose reforms on ICE and the Customs and Border Patrol as part of any funding for DHS.” Guest host Dana Bash said, “I just want to quickly switch topics to something that the new Homeland Security Secretary, your former Senate colleague, Markwayne Mullin, said on television tonight. He floated the idea of forcing cities and states like yours in Connecticut, which are considered — which are sanctuary cities, to cooperate with federal immigration officers, and in order to pressure you to cooperate, to say that customs would not be in your state. So, for example, Bradley International Airport would potentially lose the ability to be an entry point, internationally, if you don’t comply with or change the law and make it no longer a sanctuary city.” Blumenthal responded, “That kind of lawless tactic, I think, would be struck down by the courts. It’s one more threat, bluster, and bullying, and another reason why we need to impose reforms on ICE and the Customs and Border Patrol as part of any funding for DHS. I have said no to more funding, because these lawless and reckless tactics have continued through violent and brutal assaults on American citizens. And Connecticut is not a sanctuary city or state, and I think any move of that kind would be struck down by the courts.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/6/2026 3:11 PM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Peter D’Abrosca, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is blasting Fairfax County, Virginia, prosecutors for offering what it calls an "insane" plea deal to two illegal immigrants who admitted to a brutal murder. DHS says Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo — who are both in the U.S. illegally — stabbed a man to death at a park and walking trail in Oakton, Virginia, in July 2024. The victim’s body was later discovered by a community member in a wooded area, prompting a police response. Despite the severity of the crime, DHS said the two suspects have been offered a plea deal that would result in just five years in prison and the eventual release of "two monsters" back on American streets. The two men pleaded guilty to second-degree murder by mob and were sentenced to 25 years, with 20 years suspended, leaving five years to serve, Fox News has learned. A judge accepted the plea agreements. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said this is a "sweetheart plea deal" with murders. Federal immigration authorities say they have repeatedly asked Fairfax officials not to release Guzman-Videz from custody in the past, but those requests were ignored. According to DHS, Guzman-Videz, a Honduran national, was issued a final order of removal in 2019 but remained in the United States. He later accumulated multiple arrests, including for assault, malicious wounding, larceny, obstruction of justice, and failure to appear. Sort-Portillo, the second suspect, is a Salvadoran national who entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time, according to DHS. ICE has now requested that both men not be released back into the community, as DHS calls on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and local leaders to ensure they remain behind bars. DHS also criticized Fairfax County’s broader approach to immigration enforcement, claiming the county’s sanctuary policies have contributed to an increase in violent crime.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [4/6/2026 6:05 PM, John Binder, 2238K]

FOX News [4/6/2026 4:00 PM, Peter Pinedo, 37576K] reports Democratic leaders in Virginia’s most populous county are facing criticism over an ongoing "epidemic" of violence by illegal immigrants that has left 13 dead in a major American suburb near the nation’s capital. Seven illegal immigrants have been arrested in Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington, D.C., in recent years for violent attacks ranging from infanticide to a machete killing and gang activity. Despite these arrests, critics of Fairfax County leaders say they are prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants over Americans’ safety by maintaining sanctuary-type policies that limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Virginia’s new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is also facing criticism for a day-one executive order that reversed the state’s policy of cooperating with ICE.

The New York Times [4/6/2026 2:03 PM, Ernesto Londoño, Mitch Smith, Haley Willis, and Robin Stein, 148038K[ reports almost immediately after an immigration agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis this winter, the federal government cast the injured man as an attempted murderer and the agent as the victim of a brutal beating. That version of events began unraveling when prosecutors dropped felony charges against the injured man, Julio C. Sosa-Celis, and one of his housemates, Alfredo A. Aljorna, who had fled from immigration agents. Yet video footage of the shooting, newly obtained by The New York Times, raises questions about why it took weeks for the government’s case to fall apart. The video contradicts the agent’s claim that three assailants had beaten him with a shovel and broom for roughly three minutes before he opened fire. Instead, the confrontation depicted in the video lasts about 12 seconds and shows two men struggling with the agent. It shows no sustained attack with a shovel. The federal government had access to that video within hours of the shooting on Jan. 14, the Minneapolis police chief said. Yet prosecutors did not watch the footage, an official said, until nearly three weeks after they filed charges against the two men. “Bare due diligence would have shown that the agents were lying,” Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis said in a recent interview, shortly after he watched the video for the first time. The shooting was a rare instance in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Trump administration ultimately acknowledged a serious lapse. The agency’s acting director, Todd Lyons, said after the charges were dropped that two agents had appeared to have lied under oath about the events, adding that they had been placed on leave and could end up facing criminal charges. The Department of Homeland Security did not answer written questions about the video, including whether it reviewed the footage before describing the incident publicly. The video, which The Times obtained after filing an open records request, was recorded on a city-owned camera at a nearby intersection. The AP [4/6/2026 5:55 PM, Steve Karnowski] reports that the Times reported that federal investigators had access to the video within hours of the Jan. 14 shooting, but did not watch it until nearly three weeks after they had charged the two men. Federal authorities initially accused Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis of beating an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel during the incident. The officer fired a single shot from his handgun, striking Sosa-Celis in his right thigh. Protesters quickly flocked to the scene and clashed with other officers, who were wearing gas masks and helmets. The video, shot from a distance in the dark, appears to show a person standing with a snow shovel outside the house, near the street, then retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard. This happens as a person being chased by another person runs up from the street, falls on the sidewalk, gets up, and keeps heading toward the house. The three appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds. The exact moment when Sosa-Celis is shot isn’t clear. A car with flashing lights pulls up, and another person walks up. The cases against Aljorna and Sosa-Celis were dropped after a highly unusual motion from the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, who said "newly discovered evidence" was "materially inconsistent with the allegations" that were made in the criminal complaint and with evidence presented at a hearing at their preliminary hearing. He said dismissal with prejudice, which meant the charges couldn’t be refiled, "would serve the interests of justice." Both men are free while they seek legal status. They were ordered released even before the criminal charges were dropped, but ICE took them back into custody for alleged immigration violations before releasing them, again under court order. CNN [4/6/2026 6:36 PM, Lauren Mascarenhas and Caroll Alvarado, 19874K] reports that the incident took place during DHS’s monthslong Twin Cities deployment known as Operation Metro Surge — which targeted undocumented immigrants and resulted in the deaths of two US citizens at the hands of federal agents. More than 4,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested during the operation, DHS said. Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem described the men’s actions as "an attempted murder of federal law enforcement" at the time. Federal prosecutors provided incorrect information to the court, the DOJ said. "The video makes it crystal clear that, just like in other situations during Operation Metro Surge, the federal government’s account of what happened simply does not match the facts," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told CNN in a statement Monday. NewsMax [4/6/2026 11:25 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that the discrepancy surrounding the shooting prompted internal action. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the matter is under investigation, emphasizing that "lying under oath is a serious federal offense." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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Axios [4/6/2026 2:31 PM, Kyle Stokes, 17364K]
CBS Minnesota [4/6/2026 6:30 PM, Anthony Bettin]
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NewsMax [4/6/2026 8:19 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K[ reports President Donald Trump early Monday urged Supreme Court justices to "use their powers of common sense" and rule that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, escalating his criticism as the high court weighs one of the most consequential immigration cases in decades. "It’s too bad that the Supreme Court can’t watch and study the Mark Levin Show tonight on the Birthright Citizenship Scam," Trump, referencing the conservative radio and TV host, wrote on Truth Social. "If they saw it they would never allow that money making HOAX to continue. THEY SHOULD USE THEIR POWERS OF COMMON SENSE FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY." Trump also warned the justices not to repeat what he called past mistakes, referencing a recent ruling on tariffs. "They failed miserably on Tariffs, needlessly costing the USA Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in potential rebates for the benefit haters and scammers. Why??? Don’t do it again!" he wrote. "The Country can only withstand so many bad decisions from a Court that just doesn’t seem to care." The comments come as the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants or those in the country temporarily — a key pillar of his broader immigration crackdown. Trump has argued that birthright citizenship, as currently interpreted, is a misreading of the 14th Amendment and has been widely abused.

The Hill [4/6/2026 6:03 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports President Trump on Monday said the Supreme Court just “doesn’t seem to care” about the country after its ruling against his tariffs, and the considerable doubts many of the justices showed toward striking down birthright citizenship. Trump said the justices should use their powers for the good of the country. However, for 125 years, the country has interpreted the 14th Amendment as the law of the land, granting citizenship to all persons born on its soil. The Supreme Court heard arguments over Trump’s order last week. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson asked if mothers would be asked to produce documentation at the hospital while Justice Neil Gorsuch asked how Native Americans would be categorized under the order. Solicitor General D. John Sauer initially sounded unsure of the guidance for the latter issue. Trump argues a decision striking down birthright citizenship as it stands would be a positive choice for the country.

Breitbart [4/6/2026 11:04 AM, Jeff Poor, 2238K[ reports during his Sunday show’s opening monologue, Fox News Channel’s “Life, Liberty & Levin” host Mark Levin argued that the 14th Amendment was not intended to give birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. LEVIN: You know, ladies and gentlemen, this is my pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Now, in the last half century, I’ve probably read this a thousand times. I’ve looked around it, those who wrote it, the history at the time, what they meant, depending on which words, which phrase, which section, which clause we’re dealing with and I went back and I took a look earlier today, and I cannot find this phrase, “birthright citizenship.” I have looked everywhere. I’ve looked in the penumbras and emanations, and I can’t find it. I’ve looked at the invisible ink, I can’t find it, birthright citizenship. And yet, last week, there was a big argument in front of the Supreme Court, and the justices, a couple of them were really wise, but most of them were like kind of strange getting into policy and politics and quirky examples and things of that sort. So, I thought I’d bring us back down to Earth and deal with this, because sometimes lawyers, particularly lawyers in black robes who think they’re really smart, they get carried away with themselves. Now, the Court led by Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that Black people, descendants of imported slaves, were not included in the citizenship definition of the Constitution, and I “… had no rights which the White man was bound to respect.” Now that was a seven to two decision, and the decision helped trigger the Civil War, our costliest war with over 700,000 casualties that almost destroyed the country. That war was fought for two reasons, to keep the Union together and to eliminate slavery.

Federalist [4/6/2026 7:38 AM, Hans Mahncke, 540K[ reports this week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, the most consequential immigration case in decades. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a Honduran national challenging President Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants and tourists with temporary visas. The question posed was whether the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause guarantees automatic citizenship to every child born on American soil, no matter who the parents are or why they are in the United States. The 14th Amendment was adopted in post-Civil War 1868 to secure citizenship for freed slaves and their children. But who else is covered? Does that phrase cover children of illegal immigrants, tourists, or temporary visa holders? The prevailing interpretation has been that it does, and that it only excludes children of foreign diplomats, invading soldiers, and members of Native American tribes. (In the case of the latter, Congress passed legislation granting citizenship, just as it did for children born abroad to American parents who are not automatically covered by the 14th Amendment.). Much of the debate has focused on whether a child is "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States. But one word in the Citizenship Clause has largely escaped scrutiny: reside.

Breitbart [4/6/2026 11:04 AM, Jeff Poor, 2238K] reports that During his Sunday show’s opening monologue, Fox News Channel’s “Life, Liberty & Levin” host Mark Levin argued that the 14th Amendment was not intended to give birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. Transcript as follows: LEVIN: You know, ladies and gentlemen, this is my pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Now, in the last half century, I’ve probably read this a thousand times. I’ve looked around it, those who wrote it, the history at the time, what they meant, depending on which words, which phrase, which section, which clause we’re dealing with and I went back and I took a look earlier today, and I cannot find this phrase, “birthright citizenship.” I have looked everywhere. I’ve looked in the penumbras and emanations, and I can’t find it. I’ve looked at the invisible ink, I can’t find it, birthright citizenship. And yet, last week, there was a big argument in front of the Supreme Court, and the justices, a couple of them were really wise, but most of them were like kind of strange getting into policy and politics and quirky examples and things of that sort. So, I thought I’d bring us back down to Earth and deal with this, because sometimes lawyers, particularly lawyers in black robes who think they’re really smart, they get carried away with themselves.

Bloomberg [4/6/2026 4:24 PM, Zach C. Cohen, 111K] reports that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) hopes to schedule floor votes by the end of this month that would pave the way for a GOP-only bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies, according to his spokesman. Thune plans to have the chamber adopt a budget resolution with instructions for relevant committees to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol — the first step to meet President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline for Congress to restore base funding to those agencies. Republicans are using the complex budget reconciliation process, which kicks off with a so-called vote-a-rama on a topline resolution… [Editorial note: consult extended commentary at source link]

The Hill [4/6/2026 6:00 AM, Emily Brooks and Sudiksha Kochi, 18170K[ reports Republicans’ plan to use the special budget reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement without help from Democrats will complicate their hopes of using one of their few remaining shots at a GOP-only bill on priorities including voting reform, Pentagon funding due to the Iran war and cuts aimed at cracking down on fraud in federal programs. President Trump set a June 1 deadline for a reconciliation bill that funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol as part of a two-step plan to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, giving up on coming to a compromise with Democrats demanding reforms as a condition of funding immigration enforcement. But with Republican leaders hoping to keep that bill as narrow as possible to meet the deadline, there is a growing consensus that those who had been advocating for a follow-up to last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will actually need a third measure to achieve their priorities — a task that becomes exponentially more difficult the closer to election season Republicans get. “Speed is the most important thing. Speed so that we have ICE and CBP fully funded,” said Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), a member of the House Freedom Caucus. “So if you can do other things and be fast, I think that’s great. There’s lot of things we would like to do, but given that we’ve already established there will be a third reconciliation bill, whether it’s in 2.0 or 3.0, we’ll still get it done.”

NewsMax [4/6/2026 9:56 AM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K[ reports Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., warned Monday that Democrats’ refusal to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security is "unacceptable.". He told Newsmax that the standoff comes as the U.S. faces mounting threats at home. Appearing on Newsmax’s "Wake Up America," Haridopolos argued there is no excuse for withholding money from DHS, especially for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, as recent attacks in Michigan, Virginia, and Texas underscore the urgency of securing the homeland. "Well, it’s a must," he said when asked about the funding. "As you know, we are facing challenges right here in the homeland — in Michigan, two attacks, in Virginia and also in Texas.". Haridopolos said Democrats are blocking funding for the agencies charged with protecting Americans. He framed the impasse not as a policy dispute but as a political choice with dangerous consequences. "We’re facing attacks right now, and the Democrats refuse to fully fund DHS, and the most important elements of it, including Border Patrol and ICE, for politics," Haridopolos said. "There’s no other reason." The congressman also accused his Democrat colleagues of helping create the crisis they are now refusing to address. Haridopolos said the same party that opened the border is now standing in the way of enforcement.

NewsMax [4/6/2026 1:08 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K] reports that Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., on Monday criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for urging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reconvene the chamber from recess to address funding for the Department of Homeland Security, calling the move "Democrat propaganda" amid the shutdown. Speaking on Newsmax TV’s "Bianca Across the Nation," Harris blamed Democrats, arguing they are responsible for what he described as a "damaging and dangerous" lapse in government funding. He contended that the American public understands which party is at fault for the impasse. "This is just more and more of the Democrat propaganda," Harris said. "They know that the American people know that at the end of the day, they are responsible for this… shutdown that we’ve seen." Jeffries has called on Johnson to bring lawmakers back to Washington to pass legislation reopening DHS, which plays a central role in border security, counterterrorism, and disaster response. Harris, however, dismissed the request as political maneuvering and accused Democrats of failing to support prior funding efforts. According to Harris, the House previously passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and sent it to the Senate, but Democrats did not back the measure.

NewsMax [4/6/2026 1:08 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K] reports that Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., on Monday criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., for urging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reconvene the chamber from recess to address funding for the Department of Homeland Security. He called the move "Democrat propaganda" amid the shutdown. Speaking on Newsmax’s "Bianca Across the Nation," Harris blamed Democrats, arguing that they are responsible for what he described as a "damaging and dangerous" lapse in government funding. He contended that the American public understands which party is at fault for the impasse. "This is just more and more of the Democrat propaganda," Harris said. "They know that the American people know that at the end of the day, they are responsible for this… shutdown that we’ve seen." Jeffries has called on Johnson to bring lawmakers back to Washington to pass legislation reopening DHS, which plays a central role in border security, counterterrorism, and disaster response. Harris, however, dismissed the request as political maneuvering and accused Democrats of failing to support prior funding efforts. According to Harris, the House previously passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and sent it to the Senate, but Democrats did not back the measure. He said the breakdown dates back roughly 10 days to Senate actions that he believes contributed to the current funding lapse.

Federal News Network [4/6/2026 12:10 PM, Terry Gerton, 1297K] reports that guest: Betsy Brantner Smith. Title: Spokesperson for the National Police Association. Summary: Shutdowns are no longer rare events, and law‑enforcement leaders say that recurring uncertainty creates real risks for public safety agencies that rely on continuity and trust. The National Police Association is throwing its support behind the Eliminate Shutdowns Act as a way to break that cycle. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [4/6/2026 11:40 PM, Jasmyn Jordan, 2238K] reports Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced legislation Monday that would revive the 60-day Department of Homeland Security funding measure previously passed by the House while attaching the SAVE America Act, underscoring that some House Republicans are continuing to press for the election-security package even as the Senate has shifted toward a reconciliation strategy. Roy’s bill would combine the House-passed continuing resolution funding all of DHS for another 60 days with the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, voter ID, eliminate universal mail-in voting except in cases of disability, illness, travel, or military service, and codify protections for women’s sports and a ban on transgender surgeries for children. The legislation, titled "Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026," contains three divisions: full-year DHS appropriations, a further continuing resolution, and the SAVE America Act. The bill’s continuing resolution section would amend the existing stopgap funding law by extending it through the date of enactment and specifying that it covers the period beginning February 14, 2026, when the DHS funding lapse began. It rejects the existing DHS funding framework by providing that language in the explanatory statement relating to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and CBP Border Security Operations "shall have no force or effect," that the amounts listed for those accounts in the "Department of Homeland Security Act, 2026" table "shall all be $0," and that "no amounts may be transferred" into the CBP Border Security Operations account in the DHS appropriations table. Roy told Breitbart News exclusively: “The House GOP has acted responsibly, passing the SAVE America Act and fully funding DHS four times. We should not concede to Democrat demands, putting ICE and Border Patrol funding at risk through a reconciliation strategy that sets a bad precedent. Instead, we should double down and pass this bill I just filed, which would fully fund our agents and also pass the SAVE America Act — President Trump’s top priority to secure our elections. Following passage of my bill, we should go on offense and move a reconciliation bill quickly that funds all of DHS along with key America First priorities like defense.” The bill text would additionally enact the SAVE America Act’s citizenship verification provisions. It states that "documentary proof of United States citizenship" would include "a valid United States passport," a REAL ID-compliant identification showing citizenship, or certain military or government-issued identification showing birth in the United States.

Breitbart [4/6/2026 12:25 PM, John Hayward, 2238K] reports that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) said on Sunday it has agreed to accept migrants from third countries who have been deported from the United States. The first wave of deportees is expected to arrive later this month. The Congolese Ministry of Communications said the agreement was "temporary" and based on the DRC’s "commitment to human dignity and international solidarity." "This stay is not intended to become a mechanism for permanent settlement on national territory. Each situation will be subject to individual review in accordance with the laws of the Republic and national security requirements," the statement said. According to the ministry statement, the United States would pay all of the costs for the deportation program. Few other details were provided, including how many deportees were expected to be covered by the program. The Associated Press (AP) noted that the Trump administration has made similar deals with "at least seven other African nations, many of them among countries hit the most by the Trump administration’s policies that have restricted trade, aid, and migration." "The Trump administration has spent at least $40 million to deport about 300 migrants to countries other than their own, according to a report released recently by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee," the AP added.

Washington Post [4/6/2026 6:00 PM, Staff, 24826K] reports the Trump administration has prioritized quantity over quality in its mass deportation campaign, diverting attention from apprehending hardened criminals to removing people who positively contribute to American society. The case of Annie Ramos is worth looking at closely because it shows the human cost of this misguided approach. Last week, Ramos, a 22-year-old biochemistry student, arrived at Fort Polk in Louisiana with her husband Matthew Blank, a 23-year-old Army staff sergeant. They came with her Honduran passport and birth certificate to get a military ID and activate her spousal benefits. Instead, she was arrested and is now being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement lockup. Ramos was brought to the United States as an infant, and she did her best to follow the rules as she grew older. Yet she was detained over a 2005 deportation order that was issued in absentia when she was 22-months old. Ramos applied for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2020, but her application was never processed. The president recognizes he needs an immigration reset. ICE’s overzealous operations have overshadowed Trump’s success in securing the southern border and the heinous crimes allowed because of far-left “sanctuary” policies. The moral case for allowing immigrants like Ramos to remain in the country is sufficient, but there are practical reasons too. America’s economy depends on immigrants. An orderly system rewards people who try to play by the rules.

Washington Post [4/6/2026 6:30 AM, Peter Lucier, 24826K[ reports in August 2021, as Kabul collapsed and Afghans crowded the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin — then a Republican member of Congress from Oklahoma — tried to travel to Afghanistan. Amid the specter of Taliban rule, Mullin spoke out about the pleas flooding his office from stranded Americans and Afghan allies who had helped U.S. troops and diplomats. His mission to rescue them, he said, carried real risk with “a fifty-fifty chance of coming back.” But he tried anyway. Later, he accused the Biden administration of “absolutely lying to the American people about Americans and our friends being left behind.” The language Mullin used then was familiar to anyone who served in America’s longest war. It carried the old rhetoric of the profession of arms: loyalty, obligation, and that when someone has stood beside you in danger, you do not abandon them. I know that rhetoric because I lived it as a Marine infantryman in Afghanistan. In 2021, as Kabul began to fall, I joined the loose and improvised volunteer network that sprang up around the evacuation. I started by raising money for groups helping Afghans flee. Within days that turned into case work, then encrypted chats, spreadsheets, manifest lists and desperate efforts to get one more family to one more gate. By the end of August, the volunteer network had a list of more than 4,000 people desperate to escape. In those days, veterans, advocates, lawmakers and ordinary citizens were all reacting to the same moral fact: America had made promises to people who had fought beside us. For a time, Mullin clearly understood that duty extended beyond the chaos of the airlift. In 2024, he co-sponsored legislation that would have given Afghan partners in the United States a path to permanent residency after additional vetting. But since taking office, the Trump administration that Mullin is now a part of has steadily narrowed the pathways and protections Afghan allies depended on. Refugee travel has been suspended, relocation infrastructure has been dismantled, entry into the U.S. has been restricted, and legal protections have been stripped from some already here — all in the name of national security. That Afghans were already among the most heavily screened entrants to the U.S. has been disregarded.

Wall Street Journal [4/6/2026 5:24 PM, Bradley A. Smith, 646K] reports the SAVE America Act is tying the U.S. Senate in knots. Democrats will filibuster, and Republicans have no hope of getting the 60 votes necessary to overcome it. President Trump urges scrapping the filibuster to pass it, but that might not garner even a simple majority and would be a controversial precedent dividing his party. But the battle is over tactics, not principle. The act’s core objective—that only U.S. citizens should vote in elections for president and Congress—has overwhelming public support. A national poll from Remington Research Group last year found 90% of Americans favor citizen-only voting in national elections, with only 5% supporting noncitizen voting. Politicians have supported citizen-only voting, too. Congress passed legislation in 1996 that banned noncitizens from voting in federal elections. The Senate vote was 97-3. President Bill Clinton signed it. For 30 years, both parties have shown nearly unanimous support for that statute. In recent years, however, politicians and advocacy groups have pushed at the local level to give noncitizens legal eligibility to vote. Noncitizens now vote in certain elections (such as school board or mayoral races) in the District of Columbia and 23 jurisdictions in California, Illinois, Maryland and Vermont. When it comes to congressional and presidential elections, Article I of the Constitution grants Congress power to regulate the time, place and manner of holding elections but not who is eligible to vote. Although no state allows noncitizens to vote for its legislature, that could change. A state law allowing noncitizens to vote for the state legislature would automatically, as per the Constitution, make noncitizens in that state eligible to vote for Congress, even if the SAVE America Act were passed.

Bloomberg [4/6/2026 7:00 AM, Ronald Brownstein, 18082K[ reports a two-tier system of federal immigration enforcement is emerging as the Trump administration enlists more sheriffs and police officers into its deportation agenda. In many Republican counties, undocumented immigrants face a much greater risk of deportation almost any time they interact with the criminal justice system, even for minor offenses — or no offense at all. This divergence is part of a larger pattern. Red and blue states are pulling apart in their laws covering a panoramic range of issues — abortion, voting, guns, LGBTQ rights. Not since the era of Jim Crow segregation in the South have so many states differed so profoundly in the rules governing daily life. The Trump administration’s approach to deportation extends this divergence into another area: immigration. Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the Department of Homeland Security has intensified its efforts to formally partner with state and local law enforcement agencies. In December 2024, just before President Joe Biden left office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had 135 such partnerships, called 287(g) agreements. As of mid-March, ICE reported 1,537 of those partnerships. That 1,537 figure includes substantial duplication. Combing through ICE’s list, we found 795 counties where either the sheriff or at least one police department have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE. Even so, that represents about a quarter of all counties and covers nearly a third of the total US population. These counties cut a distinct profile, both demographically and politically. Most fit the classic definition of “Trump country” — lower in income, education levels and racial diversity than the national norm, and with fewer immigrants.

The Hill [4/6/2026 7:00 AM, Becket Adams,, 18170K[ reports if you get the feeling the media aren’t being straight with you, that’s because they aren’t. Nowhere is this clearer than in their coverage of illegal immigration, where pertinent details are routinely obscured or buried in favor of naked appeals to emotion. Consider the opener to a recent New York Times report, titled “TSA Tipped Off ICE Agents Before Arrests at San Francisco Airport.” “The woman and her nine-year-old daughter were walking through Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night, heading to their gate to fly to Miami to visit a relative, when a stranger in plainclothes approached,” the paper reported. “Minutes later, Angelina Lopez-Jimenez was on her knees, crying, as two immigration agents were handcuffing her in front of her daughter, according to video footage that went viral this week.” It’s not until 14 paragraphs in, exactly halfway through the article, that the Times reports the woman has had a final order of removal against her since 2019. Read a little further, and you’ll learn that the order was issued after she skipped her immigration hearing. What is this information doing so far down the page? Shouldn’t the “why” of the woman’s arrest appear much earlier, nearer to the who, what, where, and when? This style of coverage, where crucial information appears far below human-interest-heavy headlines and ledes, is hardly unique to this one Times report. When it comes to covering illegal immigration in the U.S., hiding the ball is practically standard operating procedure. The practice has become so widespread that it’s hard to believe it’s accidental.

Breitbart [4/6/2026 11:25 PM, Elizabeth Weibel, 2238K] reports the Department of Homeland (DHS) shared that nearly 35,000 illegal aliens chose to go home through the no-penalty exit of "voluntary departure" last year. Data from the Department of Justice (DOJ) shows that in "fiscal year 2025, more than 34,707 people nationwide were granted voluntary departure," representing a fourfold increase from the "8,663 the year before," NBC10 News reported. Additionally, a document that was "shared internally within DHS and reviewed by CNN" revealed that as of March 2026, roughly 72,000 illegal migrants had chosen to self-deport under the Trump administration. Out of this number, roughly 37,281 migrants who agreed to voluntary deportation "were already" in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CNN also reported that a "sworn statement of an executive from Salus Worldwide Solutions" revealed that as of the beginning of December 2025, the Trump administration "had authorized nearly 35,000 stipends to individuals who had registered as self-deported": As of December 1, the government had authorized nearly 35,000 stipends to individuals who had registered as self-deported, although only 17,406 had been completed at the time, according to the sworn statement of an executive from Salus Worldwide Solutions, which holds a three-year contract to run Project Homecoming. A senior official for the Department of Homeland Security offered similar numbers in a separate sworn statement that month. In addition to more than 38,380 who had voluntarily left the US under the program, nearly 28,600 others were in "various stages awaiting departure," said Benjamine Huffman in his capacity as acting undersecretary for management at DHS. In a post on X, DHS shared a video from NBC10 News, which highlighted how "tens of thousands more" illegal migrants have used the app through Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to return to their home countries. "The number of illegal aliens wisely choosing to use CBP Home is skyrocketing," DHS wrote. "If you are in our nation illegally, download the app NOW to get a free flight home PLUS a $2600 exit bonus.". NBC10 News spoke with a family who "settled in the South Jersey area" after illegally entering the U.S. in 2022. The father, Luis, was arrested in December and "sent to an immigration detention center in Mississippi": The family, whose names we are withholding because of their undocumented status, settled in the South Jersey area. They said they obtained work permits while they sought asylum through immigration court. Luis worked as a butcher at a local grocery store and his wife at a local restaurant.

NewsNation [4/6/2026 6:33 PM, Julian Resendiz, 4464K] reports a congressman from New Mexico on Monday renewed calls for the Trump administration to close an immigration detention center where a measles outbreak rages and three, possibly four migrants have died. “The conditions that I saw inside the detention facility today are beneath our American values,” U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, said after touring Camp East Montana in Fort Bliss, Texas. “We heard concerns regarding withholding of medical care. They said you practically have to be down on the ground, dying, choking before you receive medical care.” The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility just outside El Paso city limits reported three migrant fatalities during its first three months of operation – a suicide, a fatal medical emergency and an alleged homicide. The agency earlier confirmed the measles outbreak which Vasquez says has now affected more than 100 detainees. Vasquez said he heard from detainees a fourth migrant may have died but ICE officials would not confirm that. “I’m here to get answers. I got almost no answers,” the congressman said. “It is a shame that as a member of Congress with direct oversight authorities they could not give me the simple fact of how many (detainees) have criminal records.” One answer he did get points to Camp East Montana having downsized in recently. The facility just a few months ago held up to 4,000 migrants, with Vasquez reporting only 820 remain on Monday.

FOX News [4/6/2026 12:30 PM, Rachel del Guidice, 37576K] reports that a toolkit for students produced by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and several other groups is encouraging a campaign opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and urging them to "create a crisis" at their universities. The campaign strategy in the "Schools Drop ICE" toolkit reads, "Create a crisis for university admin through an escalating campaign, around winnable demands, that combines majoritarian outreach and tactics with non-violent direct action." Produced by the AAUP in concert with the Young Democratic Socialists of America, the Sunrise Movement and the Workplace Justice Lab at Rutgers University, the goal of the campaign is to "Get hundreds of colleges to drop their contracts with ICE’s key enablers — Enterprise, Target, Hilton, Flock, and ICE Air Carriers. If our schools drop these companies, the companies will feel pressure to drop ICE." The website for Schools Drop ICE lists the first one of five "targets" for students to take on as charter flights, naming Eastern, GlobalX and Omni Air. "Athletic teams charter the same planes that deport immigrants," the website states. "Why should students ride deportation airlines?" It also points out that charter flight company Avelo Airlines ended deportation flights on Jan. 27 following widespread protests and opposition.

Chicago Tribune [4/6/2026 1:57 PM, Tim Dunn, 5209K] reports that the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary will be taking up a bill Tuesday that would allow illegal immigrants and anyone else arrested or detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to sue the agents who took them into custody. The proposed bill, An Act Relative to Violations of the United States Constitution Under the Color of Law (S. 2976), was filed in February by state Sen. William Brownsberger and would mirror a federal statute (§1983) that dates back to the reconstruction era and allowed citizens to sue state law enforcement for civil rights violations and excessive force. “Over the past few weeks, federal agents have brutalized people on the streets of Minneapolis. No police necessity can explain their excessive use of force, which has shocked and disgusted fair-minded people across the political spectrum. In the absence of a federal administration willing to hold its agents accountable when they depart from civil norms, states need to impose liability and make court-ordered relief available,” Brownsberger wrote in a February release announcing the legislation. “The proposed act applies equally to local, state, and federal officers. However, it has the effect of creating new liability only for federal officers. The proposed act will not alter the liability of state and local police officers, because they are already subject to liability for violations of the United States Constitution under §1983,” he said.

Breitbart [4/6/2026 10:16 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pleading with the sanctuary jurisdiction of Suffolk County, New York, to ensure that an illegal alien, accused of attempted murder on Gilgo Beach, is not released from jail back into the community. Ruben Guanipa Ramirez, a 26-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, has been indicted in Suffolk County on second-degree attempted murder charges after he allegedly stabbed a man, including trying to slit his throat, on February 28. Police also say they found rope, duct tape, kitchen knives, and a box cutter in Ramirez’s vehicle. Ramirez remains held in jail on bond while awaiting another hearing on April 29. ICE officials are now asking Suffolk County law enforcement to make sure they are notified if Ramirez is released from jail at any time. "Ruben Guanipa Ramirez is a dangerous criminal illegal alien who violently stabbed his victim and attempted to slit his throat," the Department of Homeland Security’s Lauren Bis said: “ICE lodged an arrest detainer requesting Long Island not release this attempted murder from jail without notifying ICE. We need more state and local law enforcement to work with ICE to get criminals out of our neighborhoods. This attempted murderer will never be loose on American streets again. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS has unleashed ICE to target dangerous criminal illegal aliens, like Ruben Guanipa Ramirez, to put the safety of Americans first.” ICE officials confirmed that Ramirez is an illegal alien after having arrived in the United States in June 2019 on a B-2 tourist visa, but he overstayed the visa when he failed to depart the U.S. in December 2019.

Daily Wire [4/6/2026 5:25 PM, Jennie Taer, 2314K] reports more than six years after overstaying his tourist visa, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela allegedly tried to murder a man on a Long Island beach last month, The Daily Wire has learned. Ruben Guanipa Ramirez, 26, allegedly drove an acquaintance to Gilgo Beach, a remote location where he attacked him from behind, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. The Venezuelan national allegedly shoved a black cloth into his victim’s mouth while stabbing him in the left side and attempting to slit his throat. Police arrested Ramirez later that same day after spotting him walking along the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County, prosecutors said. Authorities later discovered three kitchen knives, one of which was covered in blood, along with rope, duct tape, blankets, plastic drop cloths, a large-wheeled bag, gloves, and a boxcutter inside Ramirez’s car. Ramirez came to the United States in June 2019 on a B-2 tourist visa, which required him to leave the country by December of that year, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire — but he never left. Now, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pressuring authorities in New York not to release the illegal immigrant. The district attorney in Suffolk County, Raymond Tierney, has condemned the state’s sanctuary laws and recently used a loophole to have ICE pick up a child rape suspect from Guatemala, according to Fox News.

New York Post [4/6/2026 10:11 PM, Victor Nava, 40934K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rearrested an illegal immigrant accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old girl from a Long Island laundromat last month after a local judge released the alleged creep back into the community. Carlos Corte-Corte, an illegal immigrant from Ecuador, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 31 and placed in removal proceedings, DHS revealed Monday. Corte-Corte, 38, allegedly led the young girl out the back of the Laundry Kingdom in Patchogue on March 28 while her unsuspecting mother was there, according to Suffolk County Police, who later found the tot at a nearby library. Suffolk cops quickly arrested him on charges of second-degree kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child and for an outstanding warrant. A local judge freed him the following day on supervised release. DHS, in a statement, fumed that after Corte-Corte’s initial arrest, "sanctuary politicians released him from jail back into the community.". Corte-Corte illegally entered the country on at least three occasions in 2020, according to DHS, and was removed each time. He illegally re-entered the US a fourth time at an unknown place and time before the alleged kidnapping attempt. "This three-time deported criminal illegal alien, Carlos Corte-Corte, kidnapped an innocent four-year-old girl from a laundromat on Long Island. New York sanctuary politicians chose to release this kidnapper from jail to prey on more innocent children rather than cooperate with ICE law enforcement," Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told The Post. "Sanctuary politicians must stop putting politics above public safety," she added. "This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims. "Thanks to our ICE law enforcement, this sicko is off our streets.". Corte-Corte was on supervised release with a GPS monitor after being freed from jail – without bail – by Suffolk County District Judge James F. Leonick. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told The Post last Sunday that he disagreed with Leonick’s move to release the alleged child kidnapper. "I think if you look at the facts of the case, clearly they’re concerning," Tierney said. Corte-Corte’s public defender had argued that the alleged kidnapping appeared to be a result of miscommunication. "He thought the girl lived alone without parents," Suffolk County legal aid attorney Alexandra Dyroff told the court. "He took her to the library and told an employee there as such, but there was a language barrier. It seems to be a mistake," the defense attorney claimed.

Univision [4/6/2026 11:02 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports that, the case of Liam, a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the United States, continues to take its toll: the child is recovering from the trauma, while his family lives in fear of being arrested again. In an exclusive interview with N+ Univision, his parents described the emotional impact of the detention that took place earlier this year. The incident occurred on January 20, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, as the young boy was returning from school with his father, Adrián Conejo. Both were arrested during a large-scale immigration raid. "Liam was in the back seat, crying, scared; I was in the front, handcuffed. So I couldn’t even hug him… That helplessness of seeing my son," the father recalled. According to official reports and media sources, both Liam and his father had had an active asylum application since 2024 and did not have a valid deportation order at the time of their arrest. Even so, federal agents arrested them in front of their home. There are conflicting accounts of what happened: while ICE claimed that the father tried to flee and left the child behind, the defense and the family alleged that the child was used as “bait” to get other family members to leave the house. Érika Ramos, Liam’s mother, recounted that the agents pressured the child to get her to open the door: “They took my son and even told him to knock on the door… My son said to me, ‘Mommy, open the door.’” Following the arrest, father and son were transferred to an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, where they remained for about 10 days, until a federal judge ordered their release on January 31, 2026, after questioning the treatment of the minor. "My son asked me every day why we were there, why they had brought us there, and when we were going to be released," added Adrián Conejo. The case sparked outrage over its impact on migrant children and became a symbol of the tightening of immigration policies in the United States. Subsequently, an immigration judge denied their asylum request, a decision the family plans to appeal. After his release, things did not return to normal. The family says they live in constant fear of another arrest. "There’s a bit of fear; our minds and bodies are on high alert, always looking around to make sure no one is following us. That feeling that we’re being hunted," said the father. The mother, who is seven months pregnant, also expressed her concern: “I’m constantly calling him: ‘Are you coming yet? Where are you?’ I’m very afraid it will happen again.” Currently, the family’s legal team has filed an appeal to overturn the denial of asylum, and they are awaiting a response from the government in the coming weeks.

AP [4/6/2026 3:26 PM, Kate Huangpu and Danielle Ohl, 35287K] reports a group of Pennsylvania counties has billed the federal government more than $21 million in recent years to detain immigrants in their jails, a first-of-its-kind review by Spotlight PA has found. While these agreements predate the second Trump administration by years or even decades, they are receiving new attention as the president executes a mass deportation campaign that relies heavily on local partners. They also highlight how counties in Pennsylvania already cooperate with ICE and other federal agencies to detain immigrants. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security purchased two Pennsylvania warehouses to turn them into detention centers capable of holding 9,000 people collectively. In those cases, local and county lawmakers say they were blindsided by the planned facilities, which they have limited power to block. The detention agreements involving jails that Spotlight PA has identified require the backing of elected county leaders, prison oversight boards, or both. Five county jails have or recently had agreements with federal immigration enforcement agencies to hold people in their jails, sometimes for months, in exchange for significant fees, Spotlight PA found.

Washington Post [4/6/2026 10:19 AM, Joe Heim and Emmanuel Martinez, 24826K[ reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made nearly 20,000 arrests in D.C., Maryland and Virginia from the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second administration last year through March 10, according to a Washington Post analysis of recent federal data. By comparison, in the last full year of President Joe Biden’s administration, ICE recorded nearly 3,800 arrests in the region. After a dramatic spike in immigration enforcement in D.C. last year, ICE arrests in the nation’s capital have fallen sharply since December, federal data shows. But the rate has remained relatively steady in Maryland and Virginia, where elected leaders and immigrant advocates say they are not seeing any indication that enforcement efforts are lessening. “Even though there haven’t been a lot of the high-profile arrests that were happening in Minnesota or other places, we have not seen arrests in the community actually decrease in Maryland,” said Atenas Burrola Estrada, deputy program director at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in Washington. Many of the arrests of immigrants, she said, are taking place at scheduled check-ins “when people are trying to comply with what immigration had required of them.” The surge of ICE arrests in the region corresponds to national efforts undertaken by Trump, who made eliminating illegal immigration a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign. In late January, then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem trumpeted the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, using figures that, the Associated Press noted in a recent article, experts have called into question.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [4/6/2026 5:50 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2238K]

USA Today [4/6/2026 12:15 PM, Irene Wright, 70643K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security is entering a new era and is under a new microscope after the untimely departure of Kristi Noem. The former secretary was removed from her post on March 5, shortly after fiery exchanges with lawmakers during Congressional oversight hearings. The department had become deeply unpopular in recent months due to controversial ICE operations and unclear department spending, part of the focus of the hearings. "The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.’" President Donald Trump said in a March 5 post on Truth Social. Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, was selected by the president to replace Noem, and was confirmed by the Senate on March 23. With his confirmation came a review of Noem’s actions as she led the department for just over a year. Part of that review is the purchase of property for Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention megacenters, including one in Social Circle, Georgia. A smaller processing facility was also purchased in Oakwood, Georgia to feed the megacenter.

CNN [4/6/2026 6:00 AM, Andy Rose, 19874K[ reports when April Watkins sees a call coming in from her fiancé, she always answers on the first ring. "Hey, pretty girl! How are you doing?" Godfrey Wade tells Watkins, who responds with a slightly embarrassed laugh, in a recent call. "Thank you for keeping the household together," Wade adds. "Don’t be trying to make me emotional," Watkins blushes. Wade smiles broadly over the WhatsApp video call, with the beauty of Jamaica’s landscape spreading out behind him. These calls are as close as he has been to his house in Georgia for more than six months. "I do miss the USA," Wade tells CNN. "That’s my home for 52 years." On September 13, Wade was pulled over on suspicion of not using a turn signal in the north Georgia city of Conyers, and subsequently arrested when an officer saw he didn’t have a driver’s license, a police report shows. That triggered an immigration inquiry that quickly turned into a downward spiral: detention, depression and ultimately deportation on February 5 to his native country, which he’d left with his mother as a teenager. Wade, who lived decades in the US as a lawful permanent resident and served in the US Army, is one of more than 600,000 people the White House says have been deported during President Donald Trump’s second term. While the administration has repeatedly pledged to focus on removal of the "worst of the worst," Wade’s family is appealing his deportation, saying the 65-year-old military veteran doesn’t deserve to be forced out of the life he built, changing their own lives with it.

CBS News [4/6/2026 7:10 AM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51110K[ reports hundreds of people gathered Saturday for the burial of a young Mexican man who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, with family members denouncing the "fabricated" charges that led to his detention and death. Royer Perez Jimenez, a 19-year-old from the municipality of San Juan Chamula in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, died on March 16 at a detention center in Florida. After the family received his body on Thursday, his uncle, Manuel Perez, said Royer was a "hard worker" who immigrated at 15 to "triumph and help his family." He was arrested in January on suspicion of resisting arrest and giving a false identity to law enforcement, but Perez insists he was confused because he was not fluent in English. "He was unjustly accused as a criminal. ... They fabricated a crime," Perez told AFP, while also expressing the family’s doubts about the circumstances of his death. ICE officials said Royer died of an apparent suicide but the official cause of death remained under investigation. "What we want is a thorough investigation because, unfortunately, we do not believe suicide was the cause of his death, rather we suspect it was probably a homicide," Perez said.

FOX News [4/6/2026 4:04 PM, Stepheny Price, 37576K] reports an 18-year-old murder suspect is being held on an immigration detainer after prosecutors say he helped lure a 15-year-old Missouri boy into a deadly ambush where the teen begged for his life. Yefry Archaga, 18, is charged with first-degree murder in the March 12 killing of 15-year-old Miles Young in Greene County. Jail records show Archaga is being held without bond and is subject to a federal immigration hold. A second suspect, Praize King, 18, is also charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the killing. According to court documents obtained by the Springfield Daily Citizen, the attack was premeditated. Young was struck in the chest and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Witnesses told investigators they believed Young had been targeted, possibly tied to a prior dispute. He was expected to testify in a 2025 homicide case, according to the documents obtained by the Springfield Daily Citizen. Authorities allege Archaga fled after the shooting and was arrested March 31 in Webb City following a two-week search. He is scheduled to appear in court April 13. At least one additional suspect, believed to be a juvenile, has not been publicly identified. The investigation remains ongoing.

The AP [4/6/2026 6:59 PM, Jack Brook, 3833K] reports a U.S. Army staff sergeant is trying to halt his wife’s deportation after she was detained inside a Louisiana military base where the couple was planning to live together just days after their wedding. The effort to remove the soldier’s wife, who was born in Honduras and remained in a federal immigration detention center Monday, has drawn backlash from military family advocates who called the detention demoralizing in a time of war and warned that deporting spouses could undermine recruitment. Staff Sgt. Matthew Blank said he brought his wife, Annie Ramos, 22, to his base in Fort Polk, Louisiana, last Thursday so that she could begin the process to receive military benefits and take steps toward a green card. The couple married in March. Federal immigration agents detained Ramos as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, which legal experts say has dispensed with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s practice of leniency toward families of military members. “I never imagined that trying to do the right thing would lead to her being taken away from me,” said Blank, 23, in a statement to The Associated Press. “What was supposed to be the happiest week of our lives has turned into one of the hardest.” Ramos’ detention was first reported by The New York Times. ABC News [4/6/2026 7:57 PM, Armando Garcia, 34146K] reports Attorney Jessie Schreier says Ramos, who was born in Honduras, was 20 months old when she was issued an order of removal. Typically, undocumented immigrants are eligible for a Green Card. Relatives of military service members may also be eligible for additional forms of relief. "Annie Ramos is currently detained for enforcement of a removal order issued in 2005, when she was just 20 months old. At any moment, that order may be executed, resulting in her deportation to a country she has never known. Annie’s deportation would tragically separate her from her husband, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Blank, who is preparing for the possibility of his third overseas deployment," Schreier said. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Ramos was arrested "after she attempted to enter a military base.". "She has no legal status to be in this country and was issued a final order of removal by a judge. This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law. She illegally crossed the southern border and entered the U.S. in February 2005. After she failed to show up for her immigration hearing, she was issued a final order of removal by a judge on April 7, 2005," the DHS spokesperson said.

Reported similarly:
Newsweek [4/6/2026 5:11 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K]

Univision [4/6/2026 10:58 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports the arrest of a Honduran citizen in an operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) has generated outrage, mainly due to the testimony of his wife, who denounces alleged excessive use of force during the arrest that occurred on April 2, 2026. Lurbin Vásquez, wife of 32-year-old Ever Omar Alvarenga , said her husband was hospitalized for four days after the incident and described what happened as a violent and unjustified experience. “My husband was practically treated worse than a criminal,” she stated. According to her account, it all began when vehicles allegedly linked to federal agents intercepted the truck in which her husband was traveling. “First, a car pulled up in front of them; it was terrifying, like they were going to kidnap you. Then the car behind them hit my husband. He was knocked unconscious by the impact,” Vásquez explained. The woman recounted that, after the impact, her husband managed to communicate with her from an ambulance. “He called me and said, ‘I’m in an ambulance, I was beaten up, I was hurt.’ I asked him which hospital they were taking him to,” he recalled. Vásquez maintains that her husband did not resist at any time and rejects the official version released by ICE , which claims the opposite. “That is completely false. The videos show that my husband never resisted. He would be incapable of hitting anyone,” she stated. Furthermore, he defended Alvarenga’s record, noting that he has no criminal record in either the United States or Honduras, and that he was in the middle of an immigration process with a valid work permit. “He has never had legal problems. He has always been a man who has kept everything in order,” he said. The wife also highlighted her family’s deep roots in Baltimore, where her husband serves as a youth pastor and runs a construction company. Amid the uncertainty, Vásquez expressed her wish that her husband would return home soon. “The last thing I felt was the kiss he always gives me as a goodbye,” she said. For its part, ICE indicated in a statement that Alvarenga had a deportation order and that he resisted arrest, a version that the family insists on denying. The case continues to generate reactions as the family demands explanations about what happened. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

CBS News [4/6/2026 5:37 PM, Steve Pickett, 51110K] reports a woman calls it a "Texas nightmare" after her husband was taken into ICE custody after moving to North Texas, despite years of compliance. He was detained by ICE during a routine check-in weeks after their move from Pennsylvania. The 30-year-old stands outside the Dallas Immigration and Customs office advocating for families after what’s happened to her own. Just three weeks after moving to North Texas from Pennsylvania, Adelitto’s husband, Andres Guzman-Cano, a Colombian national who crossed the border in 2024, went to the Dallas ICE office for what Adelitta called a routine check-in. He was taken into ICE custody, part of immigration enforcement actions. According to a data clearing house, Guzman-Cano is one of 18,000 men and women now being held in ICE detention facilities in the state of Texas. His wife says they followed every rule and process. They moved to Texas, she says, and everything changed. Guzman-Cano is in custody at the Bluebonnet facility in Anson, north of Abilene.

CBS News [4/6/2026 6:19 PM, S.E. Jenkins, 51110K] reports a man has been arrested with an ICE hold after authorities uncovered a massive cockfighting operation at his Parker County property, where hundreds of birds were tortured and mutilated in training for illegal fights, officials said. Authorities uncovered a cockfighting operation in north central Parker County on March 23, leading to the arrest of Ernesto Rocha Ramirez, who allegedly tortured and mutilated hundreds of birds while training them for illegal fights, the report states. Parker County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Animal Control Officers responded to an animal welfare check at Ramirez’s residence. They found over 200 chicken coops, numerous dead, burned and injured birds, and evidence of systematic abuse, including live plucking, excessively shortened spurs, and steroid use to enhance fighting abilities. Rocha Ramirez was arrested on March 31 on warrants for cockfighting and cruelty to livestock. Officials then discovered he was in the U.S. illegally, and ICE placed a hold on him pending a deportation hearing. He is currently held in Parker County Jail without bond.

FOX News [4/6/2026 4:53 PM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports an Arizona border county considering multiple ordinances targeting ICE will be investigated after State Senate leaders forced the Democratic attorney general to conduct a review, the top Republican in Phoenix told Fox News Digital. Officials in Pima County, which encompasses Tucson, have directed county authorities to deny immigration enforcement agents access to county property unless they have judicial warrants. Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, told Fox News Digital that the chamber’s resolution, SB 1487, will start a 30-day clock for Mayes to respond and ultimately determine whether Pima County has violated state law or the U.S. Constitution. Depending on Mayes’ findings, the county may be required to change the policy, face a loss of state-shared revenue, or the case could be referred to the Arizona Supreme Court, Senate leadership told Fox News Digital. Kavanagh also faulted Mayes for taking a similarly confrontational tack with DHS and ICE, saying that she doesn’t get to ignore laws she disagrees with. Mayes made waves in recent months with some of her rhetoric, including conjecture that ICE operations could run afoul of stand-your-ground laws, according to FOX’s Phoenix affiliate.

Blaze [4/6/2026 11:15 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1556K[ reports the Department of Homeland Security confirmed over the weekend that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested two relatives of an Iranian terrorist whom President Donald Trump had whacked at the end of his first term. In January 2020, President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general who commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force. "Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion, contributing to terrorist plots as far away as New Delhi and London," Trump said in the wake of the lethal drone strike on Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. "Today we remember and honor the victims of Soleimani’s many atrocities, and we take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over.". Despite her uncle’s role in supporting the Iraqi insurgency against American forces, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar managed to enter the U.S. on a tourist visa in June 2015, said the DHS. Afshar’s daughter, Sarinasadat Hosseiny, entered the following month on a student visa. Both women were granted asylum in 2019. The niece became a green card holder in 2021, and Soleimani’s grand-niece became a green card holder in 2023, both under the Biden administration.

New York Post [4/6/2026 6:49 PM, Ben Chapman, 40934K] reports the terrified boyfriend of Sarinasadat Hosseiny, grandniece of slain Iranian terror mastermind Gen. Qasem Soleimani, told an emergency dispatcher that he thought the 25-year-old was being kidnapped when she was arrested Friday. Los Angeles Police Department records obtained by The Post detail the moment Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers swooped on the Iranian bombshell outside her mother’s house in Tujunga about 5.30pm. Hosseiny’s panicking boyfriend called 911 to report a "possible kidnap" as ICE agents descended on Hosseiny and mom, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, according to LAPD call records. The caller, who identified himself as Hosseiny’s boyfriend, said three "black vehicles pulled up and 5-6 individuals with guns took [his] girlfriend.". When LAPD officers and a supervisor arrived at the scene, they spoke with an ICE agent who confirmed Hosseiny had been taken into custody and ICE officers were "attempting to arrest her mother from inside of a residence," according to the LAPD’s notes. Meanwhile, reps from Homeland Security Investigations, which is the investigative branch of The Department of Homeland Security, had previously warned the LAPD’s watch commander that an enforcement action might be taking place. The LAPD officers stayed put several houses down from Afshar’s house and monitored the scene in case they were needed to keep the peace. Neighbors said Afshar was living in a unit in the backyard of the humble Plainview Avenue property, about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. ICE officers arrested Afshar, 47, at her home. The niece and grandniece of Soleimani had their green cards revoked over their ties to the Iranian regime, according to a statement issued by acting Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis. "It is a privilege to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America," said Bis. "If we have reason to believe a green card holder poses a threat to the U.S., the green card will be revoked.".

Reuters [4/6/2026 3:30 PM, Rory Carroll, 38315K] reports a union representing about 2,000 food service workers at SoFi Stadium said on Monday it was demanding that FIFA keep ​U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement away from World Cup operations in ‌Los Angeles and warned workers could strike if their concerns are not addressed. The union laid out ​three main demands to FIFA and stadium owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: ⁠a public commitment that ICE and Border Patrol will play no role in ​the tournament, protections for union jobs and working conditions, and support for affordable ​housing for hospitality workers. Acting Department of Homeland Security Director Todd Lyons has said that ICE would play a "key part" in the World Cup, a prospect the union said threatened worker and ​guest safety in Los Angeles. Local 11 said it also wanted assurances that ‌artificial ⁠intelligence and automation would not be used during the tournament to eliminate union jobs.

Telemundo52 [4/6/2026 3:49 PM, Cristina Gonzalez, 61K] reports the California Attorney General issued guidelines for childcare centers and preschool programs on what to do in the face of immigration enforcement activities, with measures aimed at protecting the rights of immigrant families. The guidelines come after AB495, known as the Family Preparedness Act, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. The law, which took effect in January, aims to help immigrant families plan for childcare in the event of separation, such as detention or deportation, and limits the extent to which childcare centers can cooperate with ICE. Under California law, childcare centers are prohibited from collecting information or documents about a child’s or family’s immigration or citizenship status. If they receive a request for immigration-related information, providers must notify an administrator and consult with legal counsel, according to the guidelines. Immigration agents cannot enter non-public areas of a school, such as classrooms, without a warrant, subpoena, or court order, unless required by state or federal law or necessary to administer a state or federally funded educational program under AB49. California also requires school staff to request valid identification from immigration agents. Under SB 98, which went into effect in September 2025, schools must also notify students, parents, guardians, and staff if immigration agents are present on campus

San Francisco Chronicle [4/6/2026 1:14 PM, Zara Irshad, 3833K] reports that Kehlani has a message for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who enjoy her music. “(P)ublic service announcement,” the Grammy-winning singer wrote in an Instagram story over the weekend, accompanied by a selfie: “don’t ever fix your mouth to speak to me or ask for a photo or compliment me if you work for ICE. i’m dead to u.” She continued, “don’t acknowledge me and delete all my music.” While the Oakland R&B singer’s photo appeared to be taken in an airport terminal, she didn’t elaborate on what provoked her announcement. Kehlani, who is known for her political candor, has shared her opposition to ICE on several occasions in the past, including during her acceptance speech at the 2026 Grammy Awards. “I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on,” she said after receiving the award for best R&B performance in February. “Imma leave this and say f— ICE.” She was among the attendees who wore pins that said “ICE out” to the awards ceremony, taking a stand against the recent influx of immigration raids. Kehlani has also notably voiced her support of Palestine, which sparked outrage among some of her followers and led to several concert cancellations.

USA Today [4/6/2026 2:36 PM, Daniella Segura, 70643K] reports that California voters strongly disapprove of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, a new poll says. Voters by a two-to-one margin — 64% to 33% — disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies, with 57% of strongly disapproving, according to a Wednesday, April 1, poll from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, which was co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times. "The (poll’s) results show a continuous distrust of Trump immigration practices, with tactics that seem to undercut legal rights – like ICE entering private homes without a warrant and not showing identification – receiving the lowest approval, especially among Democrats," IGS Co-Director G. Cristina Mora said in a news release. "This suggests that a significant number of voters see ICE infringement on the individual rights of the undocumented as also potentially leading to broader infringements on citizens’ rights." Since Trump took office for a second time in January 2025, his administration "has pursued one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement agendas in modern American history," according to Modern Diplomacy. The administration has executed large-scale deportations, restricted asylum, and reshaped legal immigration, the publication reported. In December, the Department of Homeland Security "announced historic progress in securing the homeland, highlighting a year of record-breaking achievement of more than 2.5 million illegal aliens leaving the U.S." DHS officials said that since Trump took up office, their operations had resulted in more than 605,000 deportations.

NPR [4/7/2026 3:05 AM, Kyana Moghadam, Ramtin Arablouei, Rund Abdelfatah, Julie Caine, Casey Miner, Cristina Kim, Devin Katayama, 28764K] reports the 14th Amendment guaranteed equal citizenship after the Civil War, but who exactly counted as a citizen? Today on the show, the story of Wong Kim Ark, a man born in San Francisco to Chinese parents, whose Supreme Court case defined birthright citizenship more than a century ago. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

NPR [4/6/2026 5:01 AM, Vanessa G. Sánchez, 28764K[ reports Rosa María Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old’s back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland. Dressed in hiking gear and beaded necklaces, Carranza, 67, maneuvered between trees and children on a sunny morning in December. "Hold onto that branch," she said in Spanish. "You can do it, my love!". Carranza, a child development professional who grew up swinging through trees and swimming in rivers in El Salvador, said she feels at home in the forest at the outdoor preschool she co-founded. She has worked with children and teens as a caregiver and educator for more than three decades, long enough to know when to lean in and when to step back to let her students find their own footing. When she transitioned to working part time last year, Carranza counted on getting Medicare and Social Security checks — benefits given to American workers and lawfully present immigrants when they retire, if they meet work history and age or disability requirements. She’s contributed tens of thousands of dollars into Medicare and Social Security over 24 years, according to her Social Security Administration earnings record, reviewed by El Tímpano and KFF Health News. But Carranza and an estimated 100,000 other lawfully present immigrants will soon be cut out of Medicare. The GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed last July by President Trump, barred certain categories of lawfully present immigrants — including temporary protected status holders, refugees, asylum-seekers, survivors of domestic violence, trafficking victims and people with work visas — from Medicare. Those already in the program, like Carranza, will be disenrolled by Jan. 4 — a move by Republican lawmakers to rein in Medicare spending, as they and Trump have argued that taxpayer dollars should not be used to pay for the health care of immigrants in the U.S. without authorization. However, the categories of immigrants now losing coverage do have legal status. Neither the White House nor the Department of Health and Human Services responded to a question about whether it was fair to disenroll legal residents from Medicare.

Washington Post [4/6/2026 7:47 PM, Sam Quinones, 24826K] rports last spring, I interviewed a Salt Lake City woman addicted to fentanyl, which came in illicit pills from Mexico. For a long time, she told me, the high levels of the drug in those pills kept her tolerance quite high, making any sort of treatment — and the withdrawal that would come with it — out of the question. But in early 2024, a year before our conversation, the fentanyl supply started to change. The pills she purchased gradually weakened, until finally they no longer contained enough fentanyl to staunch her withdrawals. Eventually, she sought treatment. I was reminded of that conversation last month when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its latest provisional numbers for overdose deaths nationwide. It projected 71,542 deaths in the 12-month period ending in October 2025, a 17 percent drop compared with the previous 12-month period. Even more encouraging, the full year of 2025 is expected to mark a 35 percent drop from the peak number of deaths in 2023. Many factors contributed to this trend, but I think the most important reason is clear: Fentanyl supplies have dropped thanks to collaborative and wide-ranging counternarcotics strategies. Nothing else explains the timing and abruptness of the decline. Drug seizures tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration illustrate this well. In August 2023, the agency reported that the purity of seized fentanyl powder products peaked at more than 20 percent; by the end of 2024, it dropped to just above 10 percent. The purity of fentanyl in pills dropped as well, though with some fits and starts likely due to Mexican producers “having difficulty obtaining some key precursor chemicals,” the DEA reported. Not coincidentally, in my view, this began shortly after federal agents from across the U.S. government implemented a collaborative strategy to disrupt fentanyl supplies. Mexican government agents were also part of the mix. It was a strategy rooted in the counterterrorism approach used to combat al-Qaeda yet applied to Mexican fentanyl traffickers and Chinese chemical companies. The disruption involved attacking cartel finances, imposing sanctions on Chinese chemical companies, arresting money launderers, tracing pill presses, going after border couriers and, above all, sharing information quickly among agencies. The collaboration provided a template for how to fight drug supplies in the era of synthetic drugs.

Bloomberg Industry Group Bloomberg Law [4/6/2026 11:19 AM, Daniel Seiden Senior, 763K[ reports Texas Sterling Construction Co. says the US government owes it more than $4 million for terminating a contract to build a portion of the US-Mexico border wall. US Customs and Border Protection improperly denied Texas Sterling’s termination for convenience settlement proposal due to an injunction in separate litigation, the contractor told the US Court of Federal Claims. The company is entitled to termination costs under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, according to Texas Sterling’s April 3 complaint. [Editorial note: consult source link for extended commentary]

NBC News [4/6/2026 6:04 PM, Nicole Acevedo, 42967K] reports a 3-year-old child was separated from her mother after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and endured sexual abuse while she was kept in prolonged federal immigration custody, according to allegations in court records. On Sunday, the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project published a social media video showing the girl, whose face was blurred, being reunified with her father, a legal permanent resident living in Chicago. The organization had filed a petition for habeas corpus in federal district court on Feb. 18 to expedite her release to her father after she was kept in federal custody for five months. The girl’s mother brought her to the U.S. on Sept. 16. Agents with Customs and Border Protection separated them after they charged the mother with making false statements, according to the habeas corpus petition. Agents then designated the girl as an unaccompanied minor and transferred her to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a subdivision of the Department of Health and Human Services that manages the care of unaccompanied migrant children. On Nov. 11, while she was in ORR care, the girl’s foster parent noticed her underwear was on backward. According to the habeas corpus petition, that’s when the girl "disclosed to her foster parent that an older child in the home had sexually abused her." The older child is alleged to have sexually abused the girl multiple times, causing bleeding, the habeas corpus petition says. The 3-year-old underwent forensic examination and an interview, resulting in the removal of the other child from the ORR-funded foster home. The girl’s father told The Associated Press, which first reported the story, that he didn’t learn about the sexual abuse until he had turned to the courts as a last resort to be reunited with his daughter. Even after the father was identified as a viable sponsor, ORR continued to delay his reunification process, listing an "unknown" timeline for the girl’s release, according to the habeas corpus petition. The girl was released to her father two days after he filed the habeas corpus petition on her behalf, according to the Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project. On Feb. 21, they were reunited for the first time in months. Court records show the case was closed March 5 following the girl’s release. Since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, the average custody times for children cared for by ORR grew from 37 days to almost 200 days this February, the AP reported. The total number of children in ORR custody fell by about half during the same period. As a result, attorneys have increasingly turned to habeas petitions as a kind of emergency lawsuit to expedite the release of children to their parents and sponsors.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [4/6/2026 6:55 PM, Staff, 34146K]

San Diego Union Tribune [4/6/2026 10:22 PM, Alex Riggins, 1257K] reports a U.S. Border Patrol agent indicted on criminal charges last week in San Diego for the 2022 shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old U.S. citizen has been placed on administrative leave by the Border Patrol and is also facing a civil lawsuit filed by the young man he shot, according to new details that emerged Monday. Marcos Javier Andrade made an initial appearance Monday in U.S. District Court in San Diego, where he pleaded not guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Andrade was not in custody, and a U.S. magistrate judge allowed him to remain out of custody on $50,000 bond. Andrade’s defense attorney told a judge that Border Patrol officials placed his client on administrative leave Friday, a day after federal prosecutors unsealed the indictment. That indictment alleges that on July 11, 2022, Andrade tried to stop a minivan that he suspected of smuggling undocumented immigrants on a highway in Calexico, in Imperial County. The van was being driven by a teen “who was unarmed and was not engaged in smuggling activity,” according to the indictment. Andrade allegedly pulled up next to the van after the teen became stuck in traffic, exited his Border Patrol vehicle and almost immediately fired eight shots at the driver, striking him in his neck, hip, shoulder and hand. The indictment also alleges that Andrade had twice been disciplined previously for shooting “at civilians” in 2012 and 2017, and that after the Calexico shooting, he “refused to answer basic safety questions that all Border Patrol agents are required to answer on scene” after they are involved in a shooting. “We have serious concerns about whether the evidence supports the elements required to prove these charges, particularly given what was known at the time of the incident nearly four years ago,” defense attorney Miguel Peñalosa told the Union-Tribune after the hearing. “We intend to challenge the case vigorously in court and ensure Mr. Andrade’s due process rights are upheld.” Attorneys for the driver shot in Calexico identified him Monday as Anthony Flores and said he continues to suffer both physical and psychological injuries. “I think it’s fair to say that he will never fully recover,” attorney Marcus Bourassa said at a news conference after Monday’s hearing in the criminal case. Bourassa and Tim Scott, both from the firm McKenzie Scott, filed a lawsuit on Flores’ behalf in July 2024, though at the time they did not yet know Andrade’s identity. That suit alleges that Andrade violated Flores’ “Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, including freedom from unreasonable and excessive force.” It also alleges assault, battery, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment. The attorneys said Andrade “should have been arrested” the day of the shooting and should have been denied bail Monday, but they were still grateful that a grand jury indicted him and that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was prosecuting the case. “The decision of prosecutors to actually pursue justice is very exciting for us,” Bourassa said Monday. “It’s very rare that they stand up for members of the public against law enforcement. It’s especially rare against the Department of Homeland Security, and so we’re very encouraged that they’re taking it seriously.”

Telemundo [4/7/2026 2:05 AM, Shelby Bremer, 56K] reports a Border Patrol agent accused of shooting an unarmed 19-year-old during an incident in 2022 in Calexico, in which he attempted to stop the young man for a traffic violation, pleaded not guilty on Monday to the federal charges against him. Marcos Andrade appeared before a judge in the Southern District of California on charges of civil rights violations and the use of a firearm in a violent crime. He pleaded not guilty and was set on $50,000 bail. The charges stem from a shooting that occurred in July 2022. According to the prosecution, Andrade was on duty when he attempted to stop a van he suspected was being used for human trafficking. The driver, Anthony Flores, who was 19 at the time, was the only person inside the vehicle and continued driving, according to the indictment. At a traffic light, the prosecution claims that Andrade pulled up alongside the van, partially blocking it, then got out and pointed his gun at Flores. The indictment alleges that Andrade fired eight shots, wounding Flores in the neck, thumb, shoulder, and hip. Glass shards also lodged in Flores’s eye. Flores survived but was hospitalized. He subsequently filed a civil lawsuit against Andrade and the federal government. In that lawsuit, he alleges that he suffers from “lifelong disabilities, pain, and trauma.” Andrade and his attorney declined to comment on the case following their appearance before the judge. Flores’s attorneys in the civil case expressed optimism regarding the charges filed after, according to attorney Marcus Bourassa, “Mr. Flores was driving near the border, which, if that were sufficient to suspect someone of human trafficking, would make us fear that Mr. Andrade was trying to kill us in traffic.” “Mr. Flores had nightmares that this agent would return and finish the job.” Federal prosecutors allege that Andrade refused to answer basic questions after the shooting. They also stated that the Border Patrol had disciplined him twice for firing his service weapon at civilians in 2012 and 2017—information that, according to Flores’s attorneys, they only obtained through the formal indictment. At the hearing, Andrade’s attorney stated that his client had been working as a Border Patrol agent until last Friday, when he was suspended from duty. The attorney requested $10,000 in bail, while federal prosecutors sought $50,000. During the hearing, Flores’s attorneys in the civil case asked the judge to keep Andrade in custody without bail. “This has to stop,” said Tim Scott, Flores’s attorney, “and the reason we are seeking civil justice, as difficult as it may be, is because we believe this is one of the few ways to hold officers accountable.” Andrade has moved to dismiss the civil lawsuit, and a hearing on his motion was held in December. The judge presiding over the case has not yet ruled. The Border Patrol has not responded to a request for comment regarding the incidents that occurred in 2012 or 2017. If convicted, Andrade could face a sentence ranging from 10 years to life in prison. He is expected to appear in court again in May. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

NewsMax [4/6/2026 6:12 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports the White House is proposing to cut more than 9,400 workers and just over $1.5 billion from the 60,000-employee Transportation Security Administration that handles airport security operations, according to budget documents. The details were part of a budget document for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA, that is part of the White House budget proposal for the next fiscal year. Congress will hold hearings on the White House budget request later this month as lawmakers aim to reach a new budget deal before the fiscal year ends on September 30. Some Republican lawmakers have pushed to privatize TSA completely. The budget details were unrelated to the funding impasse in Congress over DHS for the current year, which has caused airport delays as TSA workers went without paychecks. President Donald Trump on Friday proposed requiring smaller airports to use private security instead of TSA as a first step toward privatizing the agency created after the September 11, 2001, attacks. The White House said this change would cut the TSA payroll by more than 4,500 jobs. The TSA proposes to cut another 4,800 jobs by improving efficiency, ending staffing at exit lanes and eliminating redundancies. The employee cuts would save more than $500 million. The union that represents TSA security officers, the American Federation of Government Employees, opposes privitization, saying it would make air travel less safe. The proposal would cut the agency’s $7.8 billion budget by about 20% and comes after TSA has lost more than 1,600 workers during government funding disruptions last fall and this spring. About 50,000 security screeners at U.S. airports are TSA employees. Trump has been critical of the TSA. He fired its head, David Pekoske, on his first day in office in 2025 and has not nominated a replacement.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [4/6/2026 1:54 PM, David Shepardson, 38315K]

Bloomberg [4/6/2026 1:24 PM, Staff, 18082K] reports that Clear CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker joined Bloomberg Open Interest to break down how TSA delays and government inefficiencies are driving demand for faster travel solutions and how privatization could transform airport security. She also shares insights on how CLEAR is expanding into healthcare and digital identity. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

USA Today [4/6/2026 9:30 AM, Kathleen Wong, 70643K[ reports every July, Bridget Shirvell and her 7-year-old daughter go on a monthlong international trip together. But the current political climate gave the mother pause about continuing the annual tradition. The writer and environmentalist had booked the trip to Lake District – the United Kingdom’s largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage. The location holds a special place in their hearts as the destination of their first annual trip when Shirvell’s daughter was 3 years old. Previously, they’ve been to New Zealand and Nova Scotia. "I booked those tickets back in November and even then I was like a little nervous about it," Shirvell told USA TODAY. "I guess, just overall political climate and what people think of Americans." When the Iran war broke out, travel was disrupted beyond just the Middle East. Travelers were told to shelter in place or were stranded by canceled flights. For safety reasons, Shirvell said she hesitated again over her summer travel plans. The recent snarl for U.S. travelers was the strain on Transportation Security Administration staffing caused by the partial government shutdown. With TSA workers going weeks without pay, the highest level of absences led to the longest security checkpoint lines. After President Donald Trump signed a decree on March 27 to redirect federal funds to provide back pay to TSA workers, airport lines returned to normal. It’s unclear how long this temporary relief will last. Shirvell said she’s planning to continue her trip, hoping government funding is clearer by July. On April 2, Congressional Republicans announced a new deal to be voted on in the U.S. House, but there’s still no clear end to the longest partial shutdown in history. She’s monitoring the news to make the final call. "If the war escalated into other countries and to the point where I didn’t feel safe traveling, that would probably be what I would reconsider," she said. Travel feels like it’s up in the air for many Americans. From the war in Iran to the government shutdown and a worldwide security alert from the State Department, people are being forced to weigh multiple factors when it comes to their 2026 travel plans – and many are concerned if it’s worth the risk. In a March 2026 survey by Squaremouth, 56% of Americans said they’re worried about their summer trips being disrupted.

USA Today [4/6/2026 11:44 AM, Amethyst Martinez, 70643K[ reports long wait lines at terminal security are starting to ease in New York City after a partial government shutdown left TSA employees without paychecks for weeks, leading to mass call-outs and resignations. TSA workers began to receive backpay last week after President Donald Trump signed an order directing the Department of Homeland Security to use available federal funds to pay employees. Airports across the country are still feeling the shockwaves, with some urging passengers that it is no longer necessary to arrive multiple hours before their flights as wait times fluctuate. As of Monday, April 6 at 11 a.m., LaGuardia Airport (LGA) reported less than 10 minute waits for all terminals, according to its website. Terminal A reported a nine-minute wait in its general line, and a four-minute wait for TSA PreCheck. Terminal B reported no wait for its general line, and a one-minute wait for TSA PreCheck. Terminal C had a two-minute wait time, with a one-minute wait for TSA PreCheck. "As TSA staffing begins to stabilize, wait times are still subject to fluctuations. Staff are monitoring lines that extend beyond the security checkpoint entrance and updating wait times regularly," a banner on LaGuardia’s website said. "Please allow extra time." JFK Airport had all of its security checkpoint wait times under 30 minutes as of Monday, April 6 at 11 a.m., according to its website. Terminal 1 had an 11-minute wait for its general line and seven-minute wait for its TSA PreCheck line. Terminal 4 had an eight-minute line for general passengers and one-minute line for TSA PreCheck fliers. For Terminal 5, passengers had a 23-minute wait in the general line and six-minute wait for TSA PreCheck. Terminal 7 had a 12 minute line for general passengers and no line for TSA PreCheck, while Terminal 8 had a nine-minute general line and three-minute PreCheck time.

USA Today [4/6/2026 10:42 AM, Kaitlyn McCormick, 70643K[ reports after a partial government shutdown left Department of Homeland Security workers in furlough limbo for nearly seven weeks, airports across the country are trying to recuperate. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum demanding DHS employees be paid as Washington lawmakers continue efforts to restore funding. In Philadelphia, all TSA security checkpoints are set to reopen this week. According to the Philadelphia International Airport, all TSA checkpoints will be reopened by Tuesday, April 7. Terminal C’s security checkpoint reopened Thursday, April 2, and Terminal A-West reopened April 3. Terminal F’s security checkpoint is scheduled to reopen Tuesday, and all checkpoints will be back to operating at regular hours. The checkpoints originally closed mid-March in an effort to streamline security operations at other terminals in the airport.

Yahoo News [4/7/2026 5:08 AM, Christine Zhu] reports U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is visiting Western North Carolina on Tuesday. Mullin, who was confirmed by the Senate last month, will head to the Asheville area. He’ll participate in events focusing on the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Florence, according to Spectrum News. The secretary previously represented Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate from 2023 to 2026, and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023. Mullin replaces Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump after disputes over immigration enforcement led to a partial government shutdown for Homeland Security. After Mullin’s confirmation, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein wrote a letter sending congratulations and asking for help with Hurricane Helene recovery. Stein also extended an open invitation to visit western North Carolina. “Given your firsthand experience with disaster response and recovery in Oklahoma, I know you understand the long road communities face after the initial headlines fade,” Stein wrote. Mullin will be joined by representatives including U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, U.S. Reps. Chuck Edwards and Tim Moore and Budget Director Russ Vought, according to WXII 12 News. FEMA announced more than $103 million for recovery efforts in North Carolina last week. The funding serves over 50 public assistance projects to assist with repairing and protecting critical infrastructure across the state. “Ensuring Public Assistance funds are approved and disbursed quickly means more projects — like removing debris, reopening schools and repairing roads — can move forward,” Budd said in a statement. Mullin’s first major action as Homeland Security Secretary last week was to rescind a controversial rule requiring DHS expenditures over $100,000 be personally approved by his office. Critics said the policy hindered FEMA’s work aiding disaster response and recovery.

Washington Examiner [4/6/2026 2:01 PM, Jack Birle, 1147K] reports that the Trump administration is urging a federal appeals court to allow construction of the White House ballroom to continue on grounds of national security, underscoring the implications if the addition is halted by a lower court’s ruling. The Justice Department filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit late Friday, asking for the federal appeals court to halt a lower court’s order pausing construction on the new East Wing of the White House, where the proposed ballroom is set to be built. The DOJ asked the appeals court to act by Friday, ahead of when the district court order would go into effect April 14, arguing that President Donald Trump has the authority to make changes to the White House without congressional approval. The DOJ’s filing also highlighted the "grave national-security harms" that pausing construction would have. The filing discussed the security concerns for the president and administration officials that would arise if the renovations being made to protect the White House from potential attacks are not completed, especially at a time when tensions around the world remain high. "This order is untenable and must be stayed in that the building is under construction, with deep Top Secret excavations, foundations, and structures, already built, and ready to receive heavily fortified, for security reasons, steel, bullet, ballistic, and blast proof glass, and drone proof roofing materials, which must be finished quickly, and not allowed to be exposed to the conditions and elements of an open construction site," the DOJ filing said. "Time is of the essence!"

NewsMax [4/6/2026 7:13 PM, Michael Katz, 3760K] reports a 20-year-old Florida man was arrested and charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump after allegedly posting a message on social media alongside an image of himself holding a rifle, federal authorities said Monday. Nick Guadalupe Cruz-Lopez, of Plant City, was charged Friday with making threats against the president, the Department of Justice said in a news release. Threatening the president is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. According to a criminal complaint filed in the Middle District of Florida, the Secret Service received an emergency disclosure from Meta on April 2 regarding an Instagram user identified as "813.cruzz," who allegedly posted, "MAGA Otw to kill trump.". "Otw" is frequently used on social media for "on the way.". The post included an image of the individual holding what authorities described as an AR-15-style rifle while inside a vehicle, the complaint said. Investigators said Meta, which owns Instagram, also provided location data placing the post near St. Pete Beach, Florida. Automated license plate reader data showed Cruz-Lopez’s vehicle, a gray Honda, was in that area earlier the same day, according to the affidavit. Federal agents traced the account using subscriber information and cellphone data, which led them to Cruz-Lopez’s home in Plant City, which is near Tampa. Further open-source research, including a TikTok account, helped confirm his identity, investigators said. A Secret Service agent wrote in the affidavit that there was probable cause to believe Cruz-Lopez violated federal law prohibiting threats against the president.

ABC News [4/6/2026 5:03 PM, Meredith Deliso, 34146K] Video: HERE reports an American woman is missing in the Bahamas after she reportedly went overboard while traveling on a dinghy and strong currents carried her out to sea, according to police. The woman and her husband had departed Hope Town on the Abaco Islands for Elbow Cay around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force. They were en route to their yacht -- dubbed the "Soulmate" -- when, her husband said, the woman fell overboard due to poor weather, Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Stafford Patterson said. Patterson identified the missing woman as 55-year-old Lynette Hooker, of Onsted, Michigan. It is unknown if she had a life jacket on, he said. A search and rescue mission involving Bahamian and U.S. authorities and volunteers is ongoing, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard launched an aircraft to support the search and rescue, Patterson said.

New York Post [4/7/2026 12:47 AM, Zoe Hussain, 40934K] reports heart-stopping footage captured the moment a Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued four people stranded on a broken-down yacht in rough seas and pitch darkness off the coast of Long Island. Coast Guard crews received a report around 5:45 p.m. on Saturday that the 42-foot "Proudfoot" vessel had become disabled and was left rocking in 12-foot waves roughly three miles southwest of Moriches Inlet in Suffolk County, according to the US Coast Guard. Local police and first responders were unable to rescue the four people aboard the motor yacht due to the hazardous weather conditions, authorities said. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound watchstanders also launched a boat crew from Shinnecock to complete the rescue, but they were forced to return to their station over the "degrading sea state.". An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from the Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod was then deployed and flew to the scene at 8:30 p.m. to airlift the stranded boaters, officials said. Harrowing footage released by the Coast Guard captured the helicopter team lowering a metal basket to retrieve the two men and two women aboard the boat and lift them to safety in complete darkness. By 9:42 p.m., all four people were hoisted out of the visibly rocking vessel and transported to Gabreski Airport, where emergency medical services were waiting. No injuries were reported during the nail-biting rescue. The group’s boat washed ashore at Democrat Point in Fire Island on Sunday morning. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and local police reported that the vessel remained intact. "The challenging nature of this rescue underscored the importance of reliable forms of communication and required safety equipment, including life jackets," Coast Guard Lt. Jonathan Roth, a member at Sector Long Island Sound, said in a statement. "These are instrumental in getting the mariner to safety and are a must-have on any voyage, any time of year, and in all weather," Roth added.

FOX News [4/6/2026 4:45 PM, Tracy Wright, 37576K] reports "Deadliest Catch" deckhand Todd Meadows’ cause of death was revealed Monday. Meadows, 25, died from "drowning with probable hypothermia" on Feb. 25 after falling overboard while on a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea, according to a death certificate TMZ received. Authorities also attributed "submersion of body in cold water" as a cause of death before detailing that he "fell into ocean water while commercial crab fishing," the document stated. His manner of death was ruled an accident, and an autopsy was performed. The Coast Guard confirmed to Fox News Digital last month that Meadows’ death is under investigation. Coast Guard watchstanders at the Arctic District command center in Juneau received notification from a fishing vessel just after 5 p.m. local Alaska time that a crew member fell overboard, officials told Fox News Digital. The Los Angeles Times [4/6/2026 7:55 PM, Emily St. Martin, 12718K] reports that the official cause of death listed on the crew member’s death certificate, which was obtained by TMZ, states that Meadows died from drowning with probable hypothermia and submersion of his body in cold water. The death has been ruled an accident by the Alaska Department of Health. Meadows was reported to have fallen overboard around 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. "He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately 10 minutes later," Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee, a spokesperson with the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, told the AP. The incident is still being investigated by the Coast Guard.

New York Times [4/6/2026 2:28 PM, Cade Metz and Kate Conger, 148038K[ reports Anthropic said late last year that state-sponsored Chinese hackers had used its artificial intelligence technology in an effort to infiltrate the computer systems of roughly 30 companies and government agencies around the world. In a blog post, Anthropic said it was the first reported case of a cyberattack in which A.I. technologies had gathered sensitive information with limited help from human operators. Human hackers, the company said, handled about 10 to 20 percent of the work needed to conduct the attack. Five months later, that remains the only known example of a cyberattack driven largely by an “A.I. agent” — technology that can write computer code and use software on its own. But as Anthropic and its chief rival, OpenAI, prepare to release new and more powerful A.I. systems, cybersecurity experts are increasingly vocal in their warnings that A.I. is fundamentally changing cybersecurity. Technology from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and other companies could allow hackers to identify security holes in computer systems far faster than in the past, vastly raising the stakes in the decades-long fight between hackers and the security experts guarding computer networks. But like other tools from the long history of cybersecurity, the latest A.I. can be used for both offense and defense. As hackers deploy A.I. to break and steal, security experts are also leaning on A.I. to spot flaws in their systems — including some that had gone unnoticed for decades. The question is who finds the flaws first. “This is the most change in the cyber environment, ever,” said Francis deSouza, the chief operating officer and president of security products at Google Cloud. “You have to fight A.I. with A.I.” Since last year, the leading open source software projects — which provide the underlying infrastructure for sites and services across the internet — have been flooded with messages from people using A.I. to identify security holes. Many of these so-called bug reports were erroneous, because of mistakes made by the A.I. systems. But in recent months, as A.I. has improved, they have started to identify legitimate bugs at a remarkable rate, and programmers have raced to make fixes. “These A.I. models are augmenting what humans can do,” said Daniel Stenberg, who runs an important and popular open source project called Curl. “If you use these tools correctly, they can really raise your ability to find problems in software.”

Daily Caller [4/6/2026 1:36 PM, Jason Cohen, 803K] reports that artificial intelligence and government officials warned that tech companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI are slated to deploy advanced models that are highly effective at hacking complex systems, Axios reported on March 29. Fortune also obtained a draft blog post from Anthropic characterizing "Mythos" as "currently far ahead of any other AI model in cyber capabilities." The post further suggested that the model "presages an upcoming wave of models that can exploit vulnerabilities in ways that far outpace the efforts of defenders." Moreover, Axios co-founder Mike Allen also asked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman whether he agreed there was a likelihood of a "world-shaking cyberattack" in 2026 during a Monday interview. "I think that’s totally possible, yes," Altman told Allen. "I think to avoid that, it will require a tremendous amount of work." Furthermore, OpenAI on Monday released a blueprint for how the government should handle AI, titled, "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First." The blueprint warns of cyberattacks resulting from advanced and prevalent AI models. "As AI systems become more capable and more embedded across the economy, they may introduce new vulnerabilities alongside new abundance," the blueprint states. "Some systems may be misused for cyber or biological harm." The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also been affected by the ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. CISA acting Director Nick Andersen asserted that about 60% of agency employees had been furloughed or were "otherwise unable to work" during a March 25 House Homeland Security Committee hearing, according to TIME.

The AP [4/6/2026 3:09 PM, Staff] reports Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law Monday that gives him along with other Florida leaders the ability to label groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations and expel state university students who support them. The law, criticized by free speech advocates, allows a top official at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to designate a group as a domestic or foreign terrorist organization, with the governor and three other members of the Florida Cabinet approving or rejecting the designation. Besides the governor, the Cabinet is made up of the state attorney general, the chief financial officer and the agriculture commissioner, all of whom are elected separately. Once designated a terrorist organization, a group can be dissolved and it can no longer receive any state funding through school districts or state agencies. Universities also would have to report the status of expelled students attending on visas to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Reuters [4/6/2026 7:11 PM, Kanishka Singh, 38315K] reports that the Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the country’s most prominent Muslim rights groups, ​called the law "draconian" and unconstitutional in a Monday statement. Late last year, DeSantis signed an executive order designating CAIR as a "foreign terrorist organization." CAIR sued over the designation and a judge eventually blocked the order. Free speech group PEN America says the measure ​signed by DeSantis "could chill free speech by placing unprecedented pressure on individuals to avoid speaking, organizing, or ​engaging with certain viewpoints." In November, Texas also designated CAIR as a "terrorist organization," alleging the rights group had ties to extremists. ‌CAIR ⁠sued over that designation as well and dismissed the claims. The Washington Examiner [4/6/2026 5:04 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K] reports DeSantis said the measure is intended to protect Floridians and taxpayer dollars from organizations that he views as promoting extremism. Critics, such as free speech advocacy organization PEN America, argue the law’s language is overly broad and could chill free speech on college campuses. PEN warned the policy could suppress classroom discussion and student protests by penalizing what constitutes "support" for targeted groups.

Washington Examiner [4/6/2026 12:18 PM, Brady Knox, 1147K] reports that an even bigger blow came last month, when the United States sanctioned Rwanda’s military over its alleged actions in the DRC, a move the Congo had been calling for months. Though one of the most prosperous countries in Africa, Rwanda still benefits significantly from U.S. aid and investment. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe vented his frustrations about the U.S.’s slight in posts on X last month, saying Rwanda was ready to leave Mozambique altogether "if our work and achievements are not appreciated.". "It is not that ‘Rwanda could withdraw,’" he wrote. "It is that ‘Rwanda WILL withdraw’ its troops from Mozambique, if sustainable funding is not secured for its counter-terrorism operations in Cabo Delgado," the northernmost Mozambican province. Richard Moncrieff, a projects director for the International Crisis Group focusing on Central Africa, told the Washington Examiner that Rwanda’s peacekeeping deployments rank "very high" on Kigali’s priorities list, making such a move even more drastic. Western oil companies have been eyeing Mozambique as a target for investment, but political violence and instability threaten their future plans.

Breitbart [4/7/2026 12:56 AM, Jeff Poor, 2238K] reports that, Monday on CNN’s "The Lead," Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) reiterated his opposition to the United States pulling out of NATO. The Nebraska Republican lawmaker said it would be a "disaster," adding that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric had damaged Europe’s trust in the United States. "The president today again slammed NATO, calling NATO a paper tiger," host Jake Tapper said. "He has recently said he’s going to consider withdrawing the U.S. from NATO. You say that would be unacceptable. It would cause a civil war within the GOP conference. Have you tried to speak directly to the president about this to share your perspective?". Bacon replied, "I’ve not had direct conversation with him, but I have had with members of his team. And I just want to restate, pulling out of NATO would be a disaster for decades to come. It would weaken America. America alone is a weaker America. And our European allies are democratic. They reflect our values. We need to work together with Europe on the world’s problems. We need their help to deter Russia, we need Japan and Australia to help deter China, and we need allies around us in the Middle East. We can’t do it alone.". "And I would point out that though there’s some blame to go on both sides, the president’s threats towards Greenland, Denmark, and Canada have really hurt our standing in Europe," he added. "I know some of the prime ministers and presidents personally, I know many of the ambassadors, and that caused a great damage. The trust between the European leaders towards President Trump is significantly weakened. I think it’s going to take post, after Trump leaves, for us to be able to heal this if we even can then. So, great damage has been done, and I think it has hurt our national security by what has happened.". [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [4/7/2026 3:18 AM, Staff, 2238K] reports the UN Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a watered-down resolution calling for the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz — far from the sponsoring Gulf countries’ initial goal of obtaining clearance to free it by force. The vote is expected at 11:00 am (0300 GMT), though the outcome is not certain. The text in question has been diluted in recent days in the hope of avoiding rejection. A draft seen by AFP on Monday no longer mentions authorization to use force — even defensively. The vote comes just hours before Donald Trump’s 8:00 pm (midnight GMT) deadline for Iran to make a deal or face the US military destroying its power plants and bridges. Bahrain, with the backing of the United States and other oil-exporting Gulf countries, launched negotiations two weeks ago on a draft that would have given a clear UN mandate to any state wishing to use force to unblock the strait. Iran has imposed an effective blockade on the critical waterway since the United States and Israel launched the war on February 28, sending ripple effects throughout the global economy.

CNN [4/7/2026 12:02 AM, Kevin Liptak, 612K] reports the war with Iran is raging, gas prices are rising and spending battles endure on Capitol Hill. So why is the No. 2 man in the White House flying to Budapest? Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Hungary this week, days ahead of the country’s national elections, is officially intended to deepen ties with the nation of 10 million. Inside Hungary, however, the visit is viewed mainly as an attempt to boost longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose grip on power is facing its biggest test in years. Endorsed by President Donald Trump and hailed as a model for the rest of Europe by US administration officials, the nationalist, pro-Russia Orbán and his party are trailing in polls behind the opposition ahead of Sunday’s contest. It’s unusual for a high-profile American official to visit a country so close to an important election, and it’s seen as a signal of the lengths the US administration is willing to go to help an embattled global ally. But the trip also comes at a critical moment in the war with Iran: Vance will be in Hungary on Tuesday evening when Trump’s ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — or suffer massive attacks on power plants and water facilities — expires. And Vance has recently been at the center of ongoing efforts to broker an end to the conflict, as it enters its sixth week. Trump said the vice president "could be" involved in an in-person meeting to negotiate an end to the Iran war when reporters asked about the possibility Monday. When Vance’s trip to Hungary was announced last week, speculation mounted that he could add a stop somewhere to engage with Iranian officials. Among administration officials, Vance has been among the most critical of traditional American allies in Europe, claiming during a speech in Munich early in his term that leaders there were suppressing free speech, losing control of immigration and refusing to work with hard-right parties in government. Tuesday’s visit comes amid new strains between Washington and most of Europe, as Trump has repeatedly said he’s reconsidering American commitment to NATO after leaders in the alliance refused his demands to send naval assets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Orbán has worked assiduously to cultivate ties to Trump’s MAGA movement, which has come to share his disdain for Europe’s liberal democracies. The prime minister’s lengthy tenure has been marked by hardline immigration policies, politicization of the justice system and attacks on the press — all something of a blueprint for Trump’s own second term. Trump hailed Orbán as a "truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results" in a social media endorsement earlier this year.

CNN [4/7/2026 12:01 AM, Mostafa Salem, Tal Shalev, 612K] reports that, as rain poured on the northern provinces of Iran in late March, a somber crowd snaked through the mountain ranges of Asara carrying the coffin of Mohammad Reza Kia. The city of just a few thousand people was draped in banners now hailing the young nuclear scientist as a "martyr of the imposed war.". Piecing together information on Kia and the circumstance of his obscure death is difficult, but two weeks ago his mother said in a short clip that he was killed in an attack. Beyond a few research papers attributed to him and an inactive social media page bearing his name, the only information available is that he was a doctoral candidate in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology from 2010 to 2017. Kia’s killing, and those of countless Iranian scientists in all parts of the country, demonstrates the lengths to which Israel and the United States are willing to go to ensure that Tehran’s ability to weaponize its nuclear program is significantly curtailed after the war ends. Last week, US President Donald Trump said the US was on track to achieve its objectives in the Iran war – including preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon – and suggested the conflict could last two to three more weeks. But Iran still retains hundreds of kilograms of the core component needed to build a bomb, as well as decades of expertise. As the US and Israel look to wind down the war, they are determined to target that expertise in a bid to cripple the nuclear program. Over the past decades, Iran built an extensive knowledge ecosystem around its nuclear program - university departments, specialized machinery, and a robust system that included domestic uranium mining, processing, enrichment using advanced centrifuges, and storage in stockpiles. Experts say that even if Iran’s program is peaceful, Tehran has the architecture to weaponize it should it choose to. An Israeli security source said all of those are on its hit list. A few days after Kia’s funeral, another strike hit a building 300 miles away, killing nine people - including Ali Fouladvand, a scientist in charge of research at a leading organization long accused by Western powers and Israel of serving as a front for acquiring the knowledge needed to weaponize Iran’s nuclear program. The founder of the organization, known by its Persian acronym SPND, was Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a leading nuclear scientist widely believed to have been assassinated by Israel six years ago. The organization’s current chairman, Jabal Amelian, was killed in the initial wave of Israeli-US strikes in late February, while other leading figures have been systematically targeted by Israel since last year. "Every link in the nuclear production chain is a target – from the knowledge base to the production floor. The goal is to cut off all the roots," an Israeli security source told CNN. "From the people working in laboratories to the factories that produce components for those labs.".

New York Post [4/6/2026 6:48 PM, Ronny Reyes, 40934K] reports one of America’s "doomsday planes" was spotted circling above a key Nebraska air force base on Monday — just hours before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to accept his peace deal is set to expire. The Boeing E-4B Nightwatch — which was designed to protect national security officials and keep the government operating in a time of nuclear war — was spotted by flight trackers above the Offutt Air Force Base, home to the headquarters of the US Strategic Command. The jet had taken off from Offutt at 10:17 a.m. EST, circling around the area at least six times before landing back at the base, the Daily Mail reported. The aircraft’s movements are regularly monitored by flight trackers during high tension moments, with a flight last year garnering attention just days before the US joined Israel in the 12-day war campaign to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump has now set a deadline for Tuesday for Iran to agree to his peace plan and open the Strait of Hormuz or the US would destroy the Islamic republic’s power plants and bridges. "The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. The US has a fleet of four E-4Bs that make regular flights year-round to maintain military readiness. The Nightwatch serves as an airborne command center for the president, secretary of defense and the chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure continued critical command, control and communication in case of emergencies. With 18 bunks, a briefing room, teamwork area, conference room, command room, and designated rest area spread across three decks, the aircraft is designed to be a "flying Pentagon" in the event of a national emergency. The plane is heavily modified to withstand nuclear blasts, cyberattacks, electromagnetic pulses, and other disasters that could threaten the US.

ABC News [4/6/2026 11:36 AM, Alexandra Hutzler, 34146K] reports that President Donald Trump on Monday held firm to his threat to launch massive attacks on critical Iranian infrastructure if Tehran doesn’t make a peace deal that he said needs to include reopening the Strait of Hormuz. "The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said as he held a news conference in the White House briefing room. Trump’s latest deadline for Iran to agree to his demands or face a huge bombardment is 8 p.m. ET Tuesday. "And after that, they’re going to have no bridges," Trump said on Monday. "They’re going to have no power plants. Stone ages." The president said the administration is planning a four-hour blitz. "We have a plan because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again," Trump told reporters. "I mean, complete demolition by 12 o’clock. And it will happen over a period of four hours if we want it to." "We don’t want that to happen," the president added. Trump has previously pushed back his deadlines for Iran to comply with his demands. ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked Trump about his threats to take out Iran’s energy infrastructure.

NewsMax [4/6/2026 8:51 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports a deadline loomed Tuesday local time for Iran to accept a deal or face what President Donald Trump said would be the "complete demolition" of the country’s critical civilian infrastructure. The Iranian army reacted defiantly, saying Trump’s "arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats" would not hinder operations against U.S. and Israeli forces. Five weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the U.S. leader has demanded that Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz oil conduit to international shipping by midnight GMT on Tuesday or face a newly devastating round of bombing. "We have a plan ... where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again," Trump said, brushing aside accusations that such a move would be a war crime. "I mean complete demolition by 12 o’clock, and it’ll happen over a period of four hours — if we wanted to," Trump said at a press conference during which he also recounted the rescue of the two crew members of a U.S. F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran last week. Both Trump and Iran said, meanwhile, that a proposal touted by international mediators for a 45-day ceasefire is not yet ready. Trump had said earlier that the plan, which the U.S. media said is being mediated by Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, was a "significant proposal," but he later went on to say it was not good enough. Iranian state media quoted officials as saying that Tehran too "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict.". The Iranian army’s Khatam Al-Anbiya central command, responding to Trump’s threats, called him "delusional" and said "crushing operations of the warriors of Islam against the American and Zionist enemies" would continue. Also on the diplomatic front, the U.N. Security Council is set to vote Tuesday on a watered-down resolution addressing Iran’s threats to the Strait of Hormuz, diplomatic sources told AFP, after more robust earlier drafts faced potential vetoes. Iran has imposed an effective blockade on the critical waterway since the United States and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, sending ripple effects throughout the global economy. Iran’s virtual blockade of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil normally flows, has sent oil and gas prices soaring and pushed countries around the world to enact measures to contain the fallout. Bahrain, backed by other oil-exporting Gulf countries, launched negotiations two weeks ago on a draft resolution that would have given a clear U.N. mandate to any state wishing to use force to unblock the strait. However, objections from several veto-holding permanent members have seen the text watered down, and the latest draft seen by AFP does not expressly authorize force.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [4/7/2026 12:21 AM, Staff, 38315K]

AP [4/6/2026 7:40 PM, Ben Finley, Lindsay Whitehurst and Gary Fields, 16072K] reports in his news conference Monday, President Donald Trump threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran, action that would be so far-reaching that some experts in military law said it could constitute a war crime. The issue could turn on whether the power plants were legitimate military targets, whether the attacks were proportional compared with what Iran has done and whether civilian casualties were minimized. Trump’s threat was so broad it did not seem to account for the harm to civilians, prompting Democrats in Congress, some United Nations officials and scholars in military law to say such strikes would violate international law. The president’s eventual actions often fall short of his all-encompassing rhetoric in the moment, but his warnings about the power plants and bridges were unambiguous both on Sunday and Monday as he set a deadline of Tuesday night for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned that attacking such infrastructure is banned under international law. “Even if specific civilian infrastructure were to qualify as a military objective,” Stephane Dujarric said, an attack would still be prohibited if it risks “excessive incidental civilian harm.” Rachel VanLandingham, a Southwestern Law School professor who served as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Air Force, said civilians are likely to die if power is cut to hospitals and water treatment plans. “What Trump is saying is, ‘We don’t care about precision, we don’t care about impact on civilians, we’re just going to take out all of Iranian power generating capacity,’” the retired lieutenant colonel said. Trump said Monday that he’s “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes as he continues to threaten destruction. He also warned that every power plant will be “burning, exploding and never to be used again.” “I hope I don’t have to do it,” Trump added. When asked for further comment Monday, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said “the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing.” “The Iranian regime has committed egregious human rights abuses against its own citizens for 47 years, just murdered tens of thousands of protestors in January, and has indiscriminately targeted civilians across the region in order to cause as much death as possible throughout this conflict,” Kelly wrote in an email.

AP [4/6/2026 5:38 PM, Jonathan J. Cooper, Konstantin Toropin and Farnoush Amiri, 1297K] reports the United States relied on dozens of aircraft, hundreds of personnel, secret CIA technology and a dose of subterfuge to rescue a two-man fighter jet crew downed deep inside Iran, a risky mission that President Donald Trump and his top defense aides detailed Monday. U.S. forces rescued the pilot within hours of the F-15E Strike Eagle going down late Thursday, surging helicopters, midair refuelers and fighter aircraft deep into Iran after confirming his location, Trump said in a valedictory news conference at the White House, describing the military operation in an unusual level of detail. The second aviator aboard the aircraft — the weapons systems officer — was rescued nearly two days later. Trump boasted of the military resources surged and coordination across U.S. agencies to pull off the daring mission to recover the troops in enemy territory, describing the shootdown of the jet by Iran as "a lucky hit" after claiming in a national address last week to have "beaten and completely decimated Iran.". The search and rescue operation began in daylight over Iran, with helicopters and other aircraft flying low for seven hours, "at times facing very, very heavy enemy fire," Trump said. An A-10 Warthog, which was the attack aircraft primarily responsible for keeping in contact with the downed F-15 pilot on the ground, was hit by enemy fire while engaging Iranian forces, said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The A-10 was "not landable," Caine told reporters, but the pilot continued fighting before flying to a friendly country and ejecting. He was quickly rescued and is doing fine. After rescuing the F-15 pilot, HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopters were "engaged by every single person in Iran who had a small-arms weapon, and one of the aircraft, the trailing aircraft, took several hits," he said. The crew members received minor injuries and were going to be OK, Caine said. The rescue of the fighter jet pilot, who was flying under the call sign Dude-44 Alpha, occurred before the Iranians could marshal a comprehensive search of their own, but finding and bringing home the weapon systems officer was an even more complicated endeavor.

FOX News [4/6/2026 7:03 PM, Staff, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports on details on the mission to recover a downed U.S. airman in Iran on ‘Special Report.’

FOX News [4/6/2026 7:43 PM, Staff, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports on details surrounding the rescue of a downed U.S. airman in Iran on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’

New York Post [4/6/2026 2:33 PM, Steven Nelson and Caitlin Doornbos, 40934K] reports that President Trump vowed Monday to catch the "leaker" who revealed that US forces were not immediately able to rescue the second F-15 pilot shot down over Iran — as he told again of the wounded airman’s dramatic weekend rescue. "We’re looking very hard to find that leaker," Trump said in the White House briefing room. "They basically said that we have one and there’s somebody missing. Well, [Iran] didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information." Trump explained that the leak could have endangered the missing pilot’s life. "We think we’ll be able to find it out, because we’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘national security, give it up or go to jail,’" Trump said. Israel’s Channel 12 was credited by Military Times with being the first to report that a second American pilot was missing in a broadcast. The Post was unable to immediately find the clip, but Channel 12 reporter Amit Segal posted the information to X at 11:19 a.m on Friday.

FOX News [4/6/2026 2:01 PM, Taylor Penley, 37576K] reports that U.S. intelligence agencies had already done the groundwork needed to locate a missing colonel inside Iran, Paul Mauro said Monday, arguing the operation relied on intelligence gathered well before the mission began. "You’ve got to collect, you collect, you collect and a lot of it sometimes you’re never going to use," Mauro told "Fox & Friends." "The key is when you need it, it has to be there." Mauro pointed to the Maduro case, which unfolded at the behest of the Trump administration in January, noting U.S. forces’ ability to pinpoint where the Venezuelan dictator and his wife were going to be at the time in order to make an effective capture. "They got him as they were running to a safe room without a scratch. Everybody comes out without a scratch," he said. "They got them as they were fleeing. That’s how detailed the messaging was, and that’s how synchronized the operation was." Mauro said that same level of preparation and coordination was on display in the Iran mission, where U.S. forces rescued a missing U.S. weapons systems officer from a downed F-15E following a multi-day search inside enemy territory. U.S. intelligence was able to act quickly to retrieve the missing colonel once his location was confirmed.

New York Times [4/6/2026 3:13 PM, Amelia Nierenberg, 148038K[ reports the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was killed overnight on Monday, the latest blow to senior Iranian leadership since the United States and Israel began the war against Iran in late February. The intelligence chief, Major General Seyed Majid Khademi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Israel’s defense minister said on Monday. Iran’s state broadcaster had earlier reported that Mr. Khademi had been “killed in the criminal terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy.” Israel has killed a number of Iran’s most senior officials, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader, and Ali Larijani, a top national security official who had effectively been running Iran. Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, described Mr. Khademi as one of the top three leaders of the Revolutionary Guards. He vowed that Israel would continue to target senior Iranian officials, saying in a statement that it would “hunt them down, one by one.” Mr. Khademi was one of several Iranian officials who occupied their post for only a few months, as Israel has ramped up its killing of top Iranian generals, senior officials and nuclear scientists. He was appointed in June after his predecessor and his deputy were killed in an airstrike during a 12-day war with Israel.

Reported similarly:
Washington Times [4/6/2026 5:48 PM, Vaughn Cockayne, 1323K]

Reuters [4/7/2026 2:07 AM, Tom Balmforth and John Irish, 38315K] reports Russian satellites have made dozens of detailed imagery surveys of military facilities and critical sites across the Middle East to help Iran strike U.S. forces ​and other targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment. The conclusions, reviewed by Reuters, also found that Russian and Iranian hackers were collaborating in the cyber domain. They ‌represent the most detailed account yet of how Russia has provided secret support to Iran since Israel and the U.S. launched their assault on February 28. Russian satellites, the undated assessment said, made at least 24 surveys of areas in 11 Middle Eastern countries from March 21 to 31, covering 46 "objects", including U.S. and other military bases and sites including airports and oil fields. Within days of being surveyed, military bases and headquarters were targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles and ​drones, the assessment said, in what it described as a clear pattern. A Western military source and a separate regional security source told Reuters that their intelligence also indicated intense Russian satellite activity in the region and said that imagery had been shared with Iran. Nine surveys covered parts of Saudi Arabia, including five over the ⁠King Khalid Military City near Hafar Al-Batin, in what appeared to be an effort to locate elements of the U.S.-made THAAD air defence system, the Ukrainian assessment said. Areas of Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also came under satellite surveillance twice, while places in Israel, Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia did once, it said. In an emerging trend, the assessment added, Russian satellites were actively surveying the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for a fifth of global oil and LNG flows where Iran has imposed a de facto blockade to all but "non-hostile vessels".Reuters was not able to independently confirm the content of the Ukrainian assessment. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said that no external support for Iran from any country was affecting the operational success of the United States. The Iranian foreign ministry had no immediate comment. The defence ministry in Russia, which invaded Ukraine four years ago, did not respond to a request for comment. European leaders pressed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the issue at a G7 meeting last month. Two diplomats said Rubio had not responded to the accusations, although he has publicly dismissed Russian aid to Iran as insignificant. The Ukrainian assessment said that the exchange of satellite imagery was being organised through ‌a permanent communications ⁠channel used by Russia and Iran and could also be facilitated by Russian military spies stationed in Tehran. The regional security source confirmed a specific incident detailed in the Ukrainian assessment that was disclosed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week. In that incident, a Russian satellite took imagery of Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia days before Iran struck the facility on March 27, hitting a sophisticated U.S. E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, the assessment said.

FOX News [4/6/2026 11:18 AM, Taylor Penley, 7946K] reports that unidentified, sophisticated drones flying over a handful of U.S. military bases could be a warning sign from China, Gordon Chang warned Monday, suggesting Beijing could target the American homeland if the U.S. becomes more involved in its conflict with Iran. "The important point here is that we have had, last month, over four of our important military bases, foreign drones. These drones were large, they were un-hackable, they obviously were not recreational, so some foreign power — probably China, maybe Russia — was operating drones over our critical air force bases," Chang said on "Mornings with Maria." "Really, right now, the United States needs to be able to defend its bases in the homeland because those drone flights were a warning to the United States of some sort," he continued. Chang suggested the drone activity could be an attempt to send President Donald Trump the message that, if U.S. forces escalate in the region, China could respond by potentially targeting bases on American soil. That warning, coupled with a recent suspicious device left near MacDill Air Force Base in Florida — which Chang suggested may have been linked to China — highlights a growing threat, he warned. "We’ve really got to be concerned," he said, later adding, "These are warnings that China intends to move on the U.S. in the American homeland." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/6/2026 8:20 AM, Alex Nitzberg, 37576K[ reports South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) thinks that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter has been lined up to be her father’s eventual successor, lawmakers noted on Monday, according to Reuters. The NIS indicated to lawmakers that its analysis stems from what it characterized as "credible intelligence" that it had gathered, Reuters reported, citing briefings by ruling and opposition party members following a closed-door parliamentary meeting. Video footage posted last month showed Kim and his daughter on a tank. The South Korean agency indicated that the scene of the girl driving a tank was meant to emphasize her supposed military aptitude and counter doubts concerning a female successor, lawmakers noted, according to the outlet. North Korean state-run media KCNA published photos of the North Korean leader and his daughter with a tank last month, following prior images of the girl utilizing firearms, Reuters reported. The daughter is thought to be about 13 years old and named Ju Ae.

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