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

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

The New York Times [2/24/2026 6:36 PM, Catie Edmondson, 148038K] reports Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a spending bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, insisting that any such measure must include new curbs on immigration enforcement that Republicans have so far rejected. The 50-to-45 vote all but ensured that federal funding for the department would remain halted for a second week as the stalemate between Democrats and Republicans over new restrictions on immigration agents stretches on. The legislation, which would fund the agency through September, contained modest guardrails that fell well short of Democrats’ demands. It stalled anew after failing to draw the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster, with nearly all Democrats opposed, just hours before President Trump was set to address Congress. Bipartisan negotiations over new guardrails on Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown have faltered since funding lapsed for the department two weekends ago, and lawmakers appeared to be far from any breakthrough. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said that no progress had been made in negotiations, and that the White House had not been receptive to Democrats’ demands to unmask federal immigration agents, require them to obtain judicial warrants before searching homes, and make them subject to more oversight from state officials. “We’ve heard crickets from them — nothing,” Mr. Schumer told reporters on Tuesday. “They’re not negotiating. They’re just trying to pass paper back and forth with no real changes.” Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, countered, saying that “Republicans want to get to an agreement on homeland security funding.” Democrats have said that they will not allow even a temporary funding measure to proceed without measures to curtail the tactics of immigration enforcement agents. Their opening list of demands included requiring those officers to show visible identification, blocking them from wearing masks, and adopting stricter use-of-force policies. “Border Czar Tom Homan said, ‘If you want certain laws reformed, take it up with Congress,’” Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, said. “He’s right. Congress ought to take this up on the agenda quickly.” Politico [2/24/2026 6:19 PM, Jordain Carney, 21784K] reports that there’s currently no meeting scheduled between congressional leaders and Trump to talk about the funding fight, which disproportionately impacts nonimmigration agencies such as TSA and the Coast Guard. With talks going slowly, there’s no expectation that a deal to end the partial shutdown is reached this week, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the private negotiations. The Hill [2/24/2026 3:49 PM, Mike Lillis, 18170K] reports House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is digging in against funding for the Homeland Security Department (DHS), saying Democrats will continue to oppose any more money for the agency without strong reforms governing the conduct of federal immigration officers. Jeffries, in amplifying those demands on Tuesday, suggested Democrats are ready to endure a lengthy partial shutdown to win concessions from Republicans. FOX News [2/24/2026 6:12 PM, Alex Miller, 37576K] reports that for now, there’s no clear sign that a compromise deal can be reached. The White House and Senate Democrats have sent counteroffer after counteroffer, but neither side has agreed to the other’s pitch. And talks between both parties appeared to have petered out during the break. A source familiar with negotiations told Fox News Digital that negotiations had largely stalled and are expected to resume next week. Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced several emergency measures over the weekend as the agency meanders through its second week of lapsed funding.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg Government [2/24/2026 6:18 PM, Lillianna Byington, 111K]
The Hill [2/24/2026 6:16 PM, Al Weaver, 18170K]

New York Post [2/24/2026 11:55 AM, Victor Nava, 40934K] reports Republican lawmakers are accusing their Democratic counterparts of "undermining" national security and emergency preparedness amid the partial government shutdown that has left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unfunded for more than a week. The lapse in federal funding – the third in the last three months – is affecting the Secret Service, Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and several other DHS components while at the same time preparations are underway for President Trump’s State of the Union address and the northeast reels from a blizzard that dropped more than two-and-a-half feet of snow. "As another bout of extreme winter weather hits the Northeast, FEMA and TSA personnel are once again facing uncertain pay due to a Democrat shutdown," read a post from the GOP-controlled House Homeland Security Committee on Monday. "Frontline DHS personnel deserve the stability of a full-year funding bill," the post continued. "Instead, Democrats are undermining our nation’s transportation security and emergency preparedness for the second time in six months.” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) argued that Democrats’ decision to put "670K federal workers on furlough right now" as they fight with Republicans over Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) policies will backfire on the party. "TSA, CISA, Coast Guard, FEMA & Secret Service employees are working without pay," Bacon recently wrote on X. "Schumer & Jeffries demanded this to target ICE, which is already funded. "Holding innocent folks hostage is bad policy & bad politics." Similarly, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that "shutdowns have real world consequences," in a statement on Sunday, "not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.”

Politico [2/24/2026 3:29 PM, Eric Bazail-Eimil, 21784K] reports local officials told the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday that the ongoing partial government shutdown may make it significantly harder to coordinate security for the World Cup. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday halted the dispersal of non-emergency federal grants managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the name of prioritizing disaster response during the shutdown. That move affects the counterterrorism and security grants that FEMA distributes. Mike Sena, the president of the National Fusion Center Association, which represents the state-based centers which link local law enforcement with federal intelligence agencies, said the pause in FEMA money has not yet affected actual operations, but that it could do so soon. “We don’t know if and when we will get funding to continue operations. So the longer they are not around and not at their desk and working one of these problems, the longer we don’t know what is going to happen with the money we need to execute for these World Cup games,” Sena said. Witnesses also said that FEMA delays in dispersing money predate the shutdown. Ray Martinez, the chief operating officer for the Miami Host Committee, told the committee that even before the shutdown, Miami had not received any of the funds it was allocated under the One Big Beautiful Bill. “We are 107 days out from the tournament. ... Within the next 30 days is the drop-dead date,” Martinez said. “Without receiving this money, it could be catastrophic for our planning and coordination.” Noem’s approach to FEMA grants — where she has to personally approve every contract over $100,000 — had already created delays in getting local authorities federal funds. The counterterrorism grants, needed as well for the America 250 celebrations this year and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, are distributed through FEMA because most Department of Homeland Security grants are allocated to partners via the agency’s funding system. FIFA World Cup organizers are especially nervous, given the dwindling time left before the tournament. The officials warned that municipalities will not be able foot hefty security costs bills on their own for the side events around the tournament and may have to cancel events around the tournament if funding does not materialize soon.

Reported similarly:
FedScoop [2/24/2026 5:18 PM, Lindsey Wilkinson, 65K]

Breitbart [2/24/2026 12:00 PM, Sean Moran, 2238K] reports swing state voters are less likely to vote for a Senate Democrat that moved to shut down the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Plymouth Union Public Research conducted a survey of swing state voters across four key swing states for the 2026 midterm elections: George, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. Plymouth found that, although the current environment favors Democrats, the Democrat shutdown of DHS could "backfire significantly and lead to an erosion of their support." "After being informed that the Democrats voted against a plan that would have funded the Department of Homeland Security, voter approval of the shutdown was no higher than 35 percent in every state we tested. Moreover, we saw significant concern from voters for the ramifications of this shutdown, including defunding the Coast Guard and federal law enforcement," the Plymouth polling memo stated. The survey noted that roughly three quarters of swing state voters remain concerned that nearly half of the nation’s federal law enforcement officers have been defunded as a result of the Democrat shutdown of DHS funding. Plymouth said that the shutdown of DHS funding would likely act as an "albatross" for Senate Democrat candidates, including Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who voted for the shutdown and now have to defend the largely unpopular move.

AP [2/24/2026 3:19 PM, Rebecca Boone, 35287K] reports a Boise, Idaho woman has been charged with malicious destruction of federal property by fire after prosecutors said she stole an ambulance, drove it into a building that houses U.S. Department of Homeland Security offices and then poured accelerant inside the property. Sarah Elizabeth George, 43, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Boise. In court documents, FBI special agent Daniel Ramirez said a suspect believed to be George stole a Canyon County Paramedics ambulance from St. Luke’s Hospital Emergency Center in the Boise bedroom community of Meridian late on Feb. 18. Ramirez said the suspect then drove the ambulance to a nearby parking lot, loaded at least two gas jugs and a plastic bag into the vehicle and then drove the ambulance through the front doors of a nearby office building before getting out and pouring the contents of the jugs on the lobby floor. The building is owned by St. Luke’s Health System and the hospital has faced criticism for leasing space in the building to the Department of Homeland Security while President Donald Trump’s administration carries out his immigration enforcement crackdown. George is also charged with malicious destruction of property used or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, according to court documents. She has not yet had the opportunity to enter a plea. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [2/24/2026 8:48 AM, Michael Dorgan, 37576K]

NewsMax [2/24/2026 11:58 AM, Jim Mishler, 3760K] reports President Donald Trump’s newly appointed chief immigration judge said that as many as 25 million to 30 million people are in the United States illegally, far exceeding official estimates. He said that’s important as the administration accelerates efforts to reduce a 3.6 million-case backlog in immigration courts. "The reality is, we will never have enough judges to handle currently 3.6-plus million cases, and I believe 25 to 30 million people ... are here in the United States illegally," Executive Office for Immigration Review Director Daren Margolin told Axios. Margolin, a retired Marine Corps colonel, officially took leadership of the organization, the Justice Department office that oversees the immigration court system, in October. He told Axios he retired as an immigration judge in early 2024 because of his opposition to the Biden administration’s handling of the surge at the southern border. "Personally, I felt like a co-conspirator in treason," Margolin said. The next phase of the administration’s mass deportation effort is expected to focus on immigration courts, where an estimated 3.6 million cases remain pending. Speeding court rulings could allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out more deportations, since most cases end in final removal orders. According to data shared with Axios, the backlog declined by 341,006 cases between Trump’s inauguration last year and Jan. 30.

New York Post [2/24/2026 4:06 PM, Ben Chapman, 40934K] reports Los Angeles Police Department officials on Tuesday approved a $9.8 million federal grant to protect the city from potential drone attacks. The city’s so-called Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems grant will fund a slew of efforts to combat illegal drones that "pose a threat to the safety and security of the American people," according to police documents. The five-member LAPD Police Commission on Tuesday gave LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell’s anti-drone plan a green light. The city’s civilian Police Commission last week approved a $2.1 million expansion of the LAPD’s fleet of aerial drones. The $9.8 million reimbursement-only grant for McDonnell’s new anti-drone plan comes from the federal Department of Homeland Security, as part of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

NewsMax [2/25/2026 2:35 AM, Michael Katz, 3760K] reports President Donald Trump used his first State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night to tout his administration’s accomplishments in immigration enforcement and border security. Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform. "After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders totally unfettered and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far," Trump said, referring to the Biden administration. "In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. But we will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country." Since returning to office, Trump has prioritized border security measures and interior enforcement, arguing they are necessary to uphold federal law and protect national security. Trump also called on Congress to pass legislation barring states from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Last year, several high-profile fatal accidents allegedly involved illegal aliens who held commercial driver’s licenses. Trump urged passage of the "Dalilah Law," which would prevent states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. He said the measure was named after Delilah Coleman, a first grader who was severely injured in a car accident allegedly caused by an illegal alien driving a semitruck with a commercial driver’s license. "Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 mph or more," Trump said. "The driver was an illegal alien let in by [former President] Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open-border politicians in California. "Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life. She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. "But against all odds, she is now in the first grade, learning to walk. And she’s here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man." Marcus Coleman stood holding his daughter as applause filled the House chamber. "Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location," Trump said. "That’s why tonight, I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the ‘Dalilah Law,’ barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/25/2026 2:42 AM, Michael Sinkewicz Fox, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday touted "historic progress" under President Donald Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem, highlighting nearly 3 million illegal immigrants who have left the United States and what officials call "the most secure border in American history.” The statement, released as Trump delivered his first State of the Union address since returning to office, credited the administration’s policies with producing record-low border crossings, expanded immigration enforcement and billions in taxpayer savings, while criticizing congressional Democrats for shutting down DHS funding. "Over the last 13 months, nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump Administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 713,000 deportations," Noem said in a statement. Noem added that total border apprehensions under the Trump administration "were lower than a single month" under the Biden administration, and DHS has saved taxpayers more than $13.2 billion. "Countless lives have been saved, communities have been strengthened, and the American people have been put first again," Noem stated. DHS said Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and removed more than 1,500 known or suspected terrorists over the past year. Nationwide immigration operations also led to nearly 8,000 gang-related arrests, including members associated with Tren de Aragua and MS-13, the department said. DHS added that it launched a new web page, "Worst of the Worst," tracking criminal illegal immigrants arrested during federal enforcement operations under the administration. The department also reported an increase in drug seizures by Customs and Border Protection compared to the prior 12-month period, including 617,648 pounds of illicit drugs nationwide over the past year — an 8% increase over the previous year. The Coast Guard separately seized roughly 550,000 pounds of illegal narcotics worth more than $3.9 billion through counter-drug operations and prevented more than 206 million lethal doses from reaching U.S. communities, DHS said. DHS said it and the Department of Health and Human Services have located 145,000 unaccompanied children lost under the Biden administration. "Too many of these children were exploited and abused before, during, and after being trafficked over our borders," DHS said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Blaze [2/24/2026 10:55 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports that, during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, he highlighted his administration’s successful immigration enforcement efforts as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown entered its 11th day. Trump called the past year "a turnaround for the ages" in the United States after the prior administration allowed "11,888 murderers" to enter the U.S. ‘You should be ashamed of yourself.’. "After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across our borders, totally unvetted and unchecked," Trump stated, "we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history by far. In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States. But we will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country.” ICE has hired 12,000 additional officers and agents. During Trump’s first year back in office, his administration has removed an estimated 3 million illegal aliens, including 2.2 million self-deportations and 675,000 deportations. Trump was joined at the SOTU address by the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old National Guard soldier who was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., allegedly by an Afghan man allowed into the country during former President Joe Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Dalilah Coleman, a child who was left with critical and life-altering injuries at 5 years old as a result of a multi-car wreck caused by an illegal alien truck driver, also attended the event. Trump called on Congress to pass Dalilah’s Law, which would bar any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. Trump slammed Democrats for the ongoing DHS shutdown, which prompted the agency to implement emergency measures to conserve resources, including halting all Federal Emergency Management Agency non-disaster-related response efforts, Global Entry, and airport police escorts for members of Congress. "As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. ... Now they have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers. Tonight, I am demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, Homeland Security of the United States," Trump said. "This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated Sunday. "Shutdowns have real-world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security.” Negotiations to end the shutdown appear to be stalled, with Democrats demanding ICE reforms. "It is our view that immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stated last week. "That’s not what’s happening now in the United States of America, and that’s why ICE needs to be reformed in a dramatic, bold, meaningful, and transformational manner," Jeffries continued. "And if that doesn’t happen, the DHS funding bill will not move forward.”

NPR [2/25/2026 4:40 AM, A Martínez and Jasmine Garsd, 34837K] reports immigration was a key topic in President Trump’s State of the Union address, but he avoided discussing his more aggressive and controversial efforts, including the recent ICE campaign in Minneapolis. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Daily Wire [2/24/2026 8:13 AM, Cameron Arcand, 2314K] reports that the State of the Union on Tuesday night unfolds against the backdrop of a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security over federal immigration enforcement tactics–and some Democrats are skipping out on President Donald Trump’s address, while others are bringing guests tied to the immigration issue. One example includes Rep. Seth Moulton’s (D-MA) guest, Marcelo Gomes da Silva. Moulton’s office said in a press release that Gomes da Silva was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for having an expired student visa he did not know about. Moulton said that "his story captures what’s broken in our immigration system right now," whereas DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has said, "Marcelo Gomes da Silva is still an illegal alien and subject to removal proceedings." Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) invited Caroline Dias Gonçalves as a guest, saying she was briefly arrested by ICE last year, even though she’s considered part of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). However, DHS stated that Gonçalves’ "visa expired over a decade ago. President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S."

Washington Post [2/25/2026 5:01 AM, Karen Tumulty, 24826K] reports President Donald Trump on Tuesday night delivered what was effectively not one, but two State of the Union addresses. In one, he tried to paint a new reality for the majority of Americans who, according to polls, say they are dissatisfied with what he has done in the first year of his second presidency. Trump’s disapproval rating stood at 60 percent in a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, the highest it has been since shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters. Because midterm elections are almost always a referendum on a president’s performance, that number is daunting for the Republicans who hold control of both houses of Congress — the House by a razor-thin margin. “Our nation is back — bigger, better, richer, and stronger than ever before,” Trump said at the outset of a speech that stretched past one hour and 45 minutes, breaking the record for the longest presidential address to a joint session of Congress that Trump himself set last year. He hailed the first year of his second presidency as “the golden age of America” and “a turnaround for the ages.” With his showman’s theatricality, Trump then orchestrated a parade of heroes. The gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team streamed into the gallery. He awarded Coast Guard rescue officer Scott Ruskan with the military’s prestigious Legion of Merit for having brought 165 people to safety during last year’s floods in Central Texas. He cited the World War II heroism of 99-year-old George “Buddy” Taggart, who beamed from the gallery. Andrew Wolfe, one of two National Guard members shot in downtown D.C. shortly before Thanksgiving, received a Purple Heart, and first lady Melania Trump put a Medal of Honor around the neck of Royce Williams, a retired Navy captain, for his actions during a 1952 Korean War mission in which he downed four Soviet MiG-15 jets. But as Trump pivoted to issues such as immigration, gender and election security, he made hairpin rhetorical turns from gilding his own achievements to vilifying the Democratic side of the House Chamber, where many seats were empty. “You should be ashamed of yourself,” he chastised, when the opposition party sat silently as he called for them to stand up if they believe the government’s first duty is to “protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

FOX News [2/24/2026 8:43 PM, Charles Creitz, Bill Melugin, 37576K] reports several Democratic lawmakers are hosting State of the Union guests who have come under scrutiny from the Department of Homeland Security, including suspected illegal immigrants, Dreamers and citizens arrested for allegedly obstructing federal immigration enforcement. A Fox News correspondent received the list when inquiring with the agency about a tweet released earlier Tuesday that said some Democrats are "planning to bring illegal aliens as guests to the State of the Union.” "Once again, they are putting illegal aliens above the safety of American citizens. Yesterday alone our officers arrested pedophiles, rapists, and violent criminals from our communities. "President Trump and Secretary Noem have made it abundantly clear: if you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will never return," the agency said in its tweet. A Fox News Digital review of the list found guests with varied backgrounds and circumstances. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is reportedly hosting Aliya Rahman, who was detained during an operation targeting Ecuadorian national Jonathan Chachipanta-Pualacin Jan. 13. "ICE executed an arrest warrant to arrest an illegal alien with a final order of removal in the Park Avenue area of Minneapolis. ICE officers apprehended four illegal aliens," a DHS spokesperson said. "As officers carried out their law enforcement duties, a significant crowd surrounded them and began impeding law enforcement operations — a federal crime. One agitator ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene. She was arrested for obstruction," the spokesperson added. DHS further disputed claims from outlets such as the CBC that reported Rahman was denied medical care after being pulled from her vehicle and detained. Another Omar guest, Mary Granlund, is a local school board chairwoman who has taken action since the detention of a 5-year-old at Columbia Heights School, according to a statement from Omar’s office. Granlund works with a group of faculty members who are "conducting daily patrols, working to connect detained children and families with legal assistance and coordinating food deliveries for families too scared to leave their homes," Omar’s office said. A DHS spokesperson said ICE does not go into schools and instead targets child predators to protect those same children. Rep. Jesus Garcia’s guest is Marimar Martinez, who DHS alleged was part of an "ambush" of federal officers in October and whom the agency labeled a "domestic terrorist.” Martinez, who was reportedly armed and "has a history of doxxing federal agents," "took defensive fire" from CBP and was later taken into FBI custody after a hospital stay. When asked about the criticism, Garcia told Fox News Digital, "I invited Marimar Martinez to be my guest to the State of the Union because her own government almost murdered her and is now covering it up by smearing her and failing to hold Charles Exum and other agents accountable. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [2/24/2026 10:38 AM, Jennifer Jacobs, 51110K] reports the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, the 20-year-old National Guard member who was killed in an ambush-style attack while patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., a day before Thanksgiving, will be among the special guests at President Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday. Another guest for the speech at the U.S. Capitol will be 7-year-old Dalilah Coleman, who was critically injured in a six-car pileup in California allegedly caused by a truck driver who was in the country illegally, White House officials told CBS News. Mr. Trump intends to acknowledge these guests during the part of his speech on the southern border and homeland security. When Coleman was 5 years old, a commercial tractor-trailer crashed into the car she was riding in, fracturing her skull, breaking her femur and causing a traumatic brain injury, according to her father, Marcus Coleman, who is also a truck driver, and her mother, Ileana Krause. A man from India, Partap Singh, was undocumented but was driving with a valid driver’s license issued in California when, according to the Department of Homeland Security, he failed to stop for traffic and a construction zone. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials took Singh into custody in August 2025. Since emerging from a coma after the crash, Dalilah Coleman has been recovering but is nonverbal and has diplegic cerebral palsy, her family has said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [2/25/2026 1:08 AM, Jasmyn Jordan, 2238K] reports that, as President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday, a separate event featured activist Robby Roadsteamer, who told attendees he had recently been detained multiple times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and performed harmonica on stage dressed as a giraffe while criticizing federal immigration enforcement and President Trump. The program, titled State of the Swamp: A Night of Defiance, was promoted by organizers as "the live rebuttal to Trump’s State of the Union, bringing together voices who refuse to stay silent. Broadcast live from the National Press Club, this night delivers speeches, panels, and real-time reaction built around one message: stand up and defy." The event was held at the National Press Club and streamed online during Trump’s address. Roadsteamer, wearing a giraffe costume and a fanny pack, spoke to the audience and at one point played the harmonica, saying: "I’m fresh out of an ICE prison in Minneapolis. I’ve been arrested three times by ICE over absurdity — over us being ourselves, over me singing songs like, ‘Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man, get rid of brown people for me. I’m merry and white. There ain’t no place I’m going to.’ And then, all of a sudden, he’s not ready for prime-time player ICE agents with two weeks of training. Come after me! I got arrested in Portland. I got arrested in Minneapolis in the last three weeks — twice. But they can’t erase a movement, all right? What I went through is one one-thousandth of what a lot of marginalized people have to go through in those ICE detention centers. And I want to tell you something right now: there’s an announcement — Pumpkin Spice Satan is making his way to the State of the Union. So you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to rev up the show right now. We’re giving out prizes. We’re going to have bingo. We’re going to storm the White House with love and compassion.” Other featured speakers at the event included actor Robert De Niro, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, former CNN host Don Lemon, actor Mark Ruffalo, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), antisemitic commentator Mehdi Hasan, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and former Democrat presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. Trump, during his State of the Union Address, asked lawmakers to stand in support of prioritizing American citizens over illegal aliens. Republican lawmakers stood, while Democrat members present did not. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) shouted at the president.

Univision [2/24/2026 5:09 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia invited Tuesday’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., to Marimar Martinez, a resident of his district who survived a shooting by a Border Patrol agent. Martinez, a teacher assistant at a Montessori school and a U.S. citizen, was shot five times Oct. 4 by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent while on his way to donate clothes to his church, according to the lawmaker’s statement. After the shooting, the federal government filed charges against her and criminally prosecuted her, calling her a “domestic terrorist.” Authorities subsequently dropped the charges. However, according to Garcia, federal officials continue to defame her. “After a Border Patrol agent brutally shot Marimar and boasted about it, the Trump administration mistakenly called her a ‘domestic terrorist.’ Even after all charges were dropped, they continue to stain his name. This is unacceptable,” the congressman said in a statement. Martinez said he hopes his presence at the event will help demand accountability. “I hope that the country can look at what happened to me and other victims of DHS’ illegal behavior as a basis for calling its elected representatives and demanding accountability.” The case occurred during the so-called Operation Midway Blitz, a multi-month operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that, according to the statement, impacted immigrant communities in Illinois, particularly in the district represented by Garcia.

FOX News [2/24/2026 1:25 PM, Madison Colombo, 37576K] reports that the Trump administration issued a fiery warning to Mexican drug cartels on Tuesday as hundreds of Americans remain stranded in Mexico following an explosion in violence across the country. Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes was killed Sunday during a Mexican military operation aided by U.S. intelligence. The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) had seized power following the fall of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Tourists have been ordered to shelter in place inside resorts as cartel members erect road blockades and set vehicles on fire in retaliation for the operation, officials said. The U.S. State Department has established 24-hour emergency lines to assist U.S. citizens in affected regions. "The Mexican drug cartels know not to lay a finger on a single American, or they will pay severe consequences under this president," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends." Leavitt confirmed that Sunday’s operation was made possible in part by U.S. intervention, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to force Mexico to dismantle drug trafficking networks. "[The president] has made it a day one priority to target and go after these vicious drug cartels that have shipped deadly poison to our country for far too long," Leavitt said.

FOX News [2/24/2026 2:14 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports that Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt reports on Mexico’s president claiming cartel violence is easing, while U.S. officials and security experts, including former FBI Special Agent Dan Brunner, advise against travel to Mexico. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/24/2026 6:25 PM, Michael Dorgan Fox, 37576K] reports the Mexican government said the security situation in the western state of Jalisco has "stabilized" after an explosion of cartel-linked violence following the death of kingpin Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho.” The Embassy of Mexico in the United States said federal and state authorities were working to normalize conditions after the unrest, reopening transit corridors and restoring public services following targeted operations. The update comes as the State Department’s travel advisory for Mexico remains in effect at a heightened level of caution, while flight cancellations and transportation disruptions stranded some travelers in popular destinations such as Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Hundreds of Americans remain stranded in Mexico following the violence. "The security situation has now stabilized following targeted operations in Jalisco," the embassy said in a post on X. "Federal and state authorities are proceeding to reopen transit corridors and restore public services smoothly.” The embassy said airline operations were returning to normal and that international carriers were resuming flights. Puerto Vallarta International Airport has reopened to domestic traffic, according to the statement. "If traveling through Jalisco, some local security measures remain in place, while authorities are restoring airport operations to full capacity," the embassy added.

CBS Colorado [2/24/2026 12:56 PM, Gabriela Vidal, 51110K] reports that for Colorado tourists in Mexico, their trips paradise quickly turned into chaos after a weekend of violent retaliation from cartel members following the death of a prominent cartel leader. The notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as "El Mencho," was captured and killed Sunday, Mexican authorities said Monday. "It’s been scary. It’s been a lot of fluidity, [and] unknowns going on," said Marisa Saturni-Johnson. Marisa and her husband Matt shared videos and photos from their Airbnb in downtown Puerto Vallarta, as cartel members set cars on fire and blocked traffic into the city. "Had a great time at that Airbnb for about a week, and then, what was it, Sunday morning," said Marisa. "We woke up, I looked out the window, and I said, ‘Oh my god, Matt, I think this bus is on fire.’" From the roof of their building, they could see other fires being set all over the city. Bass tells CBS Colorado the violent retaliations in cities across the country were targeting military forces in response to the Mexican government’s coordinated plan to take kingpin cartel leader El Mencho into custody. The leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generation cartel group died in an exchange of gunfire as military forces attempted to capture him. "Those criminals who belong to this group executed some actions to try to stop the actions of Mexican law enforcement, and as a result, they stalled vehicles, set them on fire on the main roads, and attacked other law enforcement officers from the national guard," said Bass.

FOX News [2/25/2026 2:03 AM, Landon Mion, 37576K] reports Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Tuesday urged spring breakers with plans to visit Mexico to cancel their trips due to violent clashes in the country triggered by the Mexican army’s killing of cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," earlier this week. Mullin made the comments during an appearance on CNBC’s "Squawk Box," in which he said his chiropractor was still planning to visit a popular tourist destination in Mexico. "Anybody that’s planning on going to Mexico for spring break … I mean, my chiropractor called me yesterday and said he’s still planning on going to Cancún, I said, ‘Are you crazy?’" Mullin said. "No one should be going down there right now, it is very volatile and the United States is laser-focused on watching what’s taking place," he continued. The senator’s comments come after Mexican troops conducted operations on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, targeting El Mencho, a former police officer who became the leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, which U.S. authorities have identified as a major supplier of fentanyl to the United States. El Mencho carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over roughly the past 15 years, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación has expanded from a regional criminal group into a global trafficking organization operating from its stronghold in Jalisco. The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the U.S., and that U.S. authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to El Mencho’s killing. After El Mencho’s death, cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in several Mexican states. Violent clashes were also reported in parts of western Mexico. Mexican authorities later said that the security situation had been "stabilized.” "The security situation has now stabilized following targeted operations in Jalisco," the Mexican Embassy in the U.S. said on Tuesday. "Federal and State authorities are proceeding to reopen transit corridors and restore public services smoothly," the embassy continued. "Airline operations are normal, and international carriers are resuming flights today. Puerto Vallarta International Airport has reopened to domestic traffic.” The embassy added: "If traveling through Jalisco, some local security measures remain in place, while authorities are restoring airport operations to full capacity. We are working with international partners to ensure safety and stability at all transit hubs and tourist destinations.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 9:13 PM, Molly Parks, 1147K] reports the U.S. Embassy in Mexico has lifted many of its restrictions related to the violent backlash to the killing of drug cartel leader "El Mencho" as flights resume to the airports in the region. "Flight schedules have returned to normal in Guadalajara and many airlines have extra flights planned for today, February 24, in Puerto Vallarta. Both airports are secure and amenities are available," the embassy said in a statement. After the Mexican army executed a military operation killing El Mencho, whose real name was Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, with the support of U.S. intelligence, members of his Jalisco New Generation Cartel launched a series of violent attacks across the region, killing 25 Mexican National Guard members in the process. In response to the cartel’s violent backlash, state officials closed several schools, rideshare services were canceled, and airlines canceled flights to the region’s airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. The coastal beach town of Puerto Vallarta is a popular American tourist destination. The return of flights on Tuesday followed Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s prediction that flights to the region would resume by the end of Tuesday, after saying her country was "at peace" on Monday. The U.S. Embassy also announced Tuesday evening that all restrictions for government staff in Tijuana and Monterrey have been lifted, but that staff in the Jalisco cities of Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Ciudad Guzman are still subject to nighttime curfews and travel restrictions.

FOX News [2/24/2026 1:50 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 37576K] reports that Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," was arrested and deported from the U.S. multiple times decades before he became Mexico’s most-wanted drug cartel leader. Cervantes’ criminal activity dates back to when he was just 19 years old on the streets of San Francisco, according to a 2019 report by The Courier Journal that cited court records and interviews with both U.S. and Mexican officials. The San Francisco Police Department arrested Cervantes in 1986 for trying to sell crystal meth. That’s when he was deported the first time. Three years later, Cervantes was back in the U.S. and arrested again, leading to a second deportation. In 1992, Cervantes and his brother were arrested for selling heroin to undercover officers and landed in federal prison. After a few years, he was out and deported once again, the Courier Journal reported. Mencho then worked his way up in the Milenio cartel after a brief stint working for the Mexican State Police, according to a Rolling Stone profile. He split from the cartel in 2009 and started his own group, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). Mencho ran that organization until his killing at the hands of Mexican police this weekend. He had a $15 million bounty on his head at the time of his death, according to the State Department.

Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 11:05 AM, Claire Carter, 1147K] reports a manhunt is underway in western Mexico after at least 23 inmates escaped during a riot at a prison in Puerto Vallarta following the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed "El Mencho," the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The jailbreak unfolded early Sunday at the Centro Integral de Justicia Regional when a group of armed men rammed a vehicle through the prison gate and opened fire. The attack sparked tumult inside the facility and allowed inmates to flee as prison personnel were addressing the armed men. Response from reinforcements was delayed due to road conditions outside the prison. A prison guard was killed during the assault, and reinforced security has since restored order to the facility as law enforcement tracks the fugitives.

FOX News [2/24/2026 1:22 PM, Max Bacall, 37576K] reports that Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed by an illegal immigrant, said the media’s focus on President Donald Trump’s deportation push overlooks families like hers because highlighting victims would beg accountability. "If you recognize the victims, then you have to say, ‘Someone has to be accountable.’ And nobody wants to take accountability for this scourge that’s come across our land and murdered our children, our mothers, our fathers," she said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends." Morin attended the White House’s National Angel Family Day ceremony, where Trump honored families who have lost loved ones in crimes committed by people in the U.S. illegally. Morin’s daughter, Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was killed by an illegal immigrant in 2023. She said Trump’s recognition of the "true victims of illegal immigration" was "very, very moving." "It was probably one of the saddest things, next to the death of my daughter, that I’ve had to experience — just to see a small piece of the tragedy of all the Americans that have been killed over these last few years." During the East Room ceremony, Trump honored families who have lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants. The ceremony also sparked criticism online. CNN was called out by the White House on Monday for failing to provide live coverage of the event.

Los Angeles Times [2/24/2026 6:00 AM, Brittny Mejia, 12718K] reports Guillermo Zambrano faced at least 10 years in federal prison if convicted of working with Sinaloa cartel associates — but then ICE sought to deport him last June. Now he faces none. Zambrano, a Venezuelan citizen in the midst of political asylum proceedings in the U.S., pleaded not guilty to charges of helping conceal drug trafficking proceeds. For 17 months, he remained free on a $60,000 bond with an ankle monitor while awaiting trial in the Central District of California. But amid President Trump’s immigration crackdown last summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers came to Zambrano’s home, removed his ankle monitor and took him into custody. The move surprised everyone, including prosecutors. If convicted, Zambrano would have faced deportation after serving a prison sentence. When ICE didn’t release Zambrano from custody this month, U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee dismissed the criminal indictment with prejudice, barring the government from refiling the same charges. Gee cited "an ongoing violation of Zambrano’s right to pretrial release." The dismissal underscores how the administration’s aggressive deportation push has begun to collide with federal prosecutions and exposes a clash of priorities between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. In recent months, immigration authorities have taken undocumented defendants into custody, and in at least one case deported the accused, while criminal proceedings were underway.

Reuters [2/24/2026 2:32 PM, Nate Raymond, 38315K] reports that the U.S. federal judiciary on Tuesday asked Congress to give it the power to manage its own courthouses and shift authority away from the executive branch, saying decades of inadequate oversight exacerbated by recent actions by President Donald Trump’s administration had left them in "crisis." The U.S. Judicial Conference, the judiciary’s policymaking body, submitted the proposal to top lawmakers citing a growing backlog of $8.3 billion of repairs needed for courthouses currently managed by the court system’s landlord, the General Services Administration. "Federal courthouses are in crisis," Judge Robert Conrad, the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, said in a statement. "Without immediate action, the problems will continue to worsen." The judiciary submitted a draft bill called the Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act of 2026, which calls for a gradual shift of authority over court properties from the GSA to the judiciary, starting with buildings in no more than 10 districts. Conrad, in letters to the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, said the proposal was consistent with positions the Judicial Conference has taken since 1989, saying there has been "decades of inadequate management and oversight." He said Congress needed to act now in order to "reverse a downward spiral of critical-system failures, long-term underfunding of repairs, security risks, and climbing costs." "The recent unilateral actions and reorganization of GSA have only exacerbated these conditions," Conrad wrote. The GSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Hill [2/24/2026 8:40 PM, Sarah Davis, 18170K] reports a federal judge appointed by President Trump held the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in civil contempt for violating the court’s order when they transported a detainee to a Texas facility in January. In a Monday ruling, Minnesota District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud required the federal government to compensate the detainee, identified only as “Fernando T.,” for his return flight to Minnesota. Tostrud noted that Fernando, a Mexican citizen, was released from the Texas detainment facility in late January without his belongings and said federal officials “have not explained why they withheld Fernando’s belongings when they released him.” The detainee filed a habeas corpus petition on Jan. 19, seeking a release from custody or a bond hearing, Monday’s order said. Fernando then filed for a temporary restraining order the next day to prevent his transfer while his petition was being heard, which Tostrud responded to in an order forbidding the federal government from moving the detainee. The federal government said they had transferred Fernando to the facility in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 22. According to the Monday ruling, Tostrud proceeded to order DHS to ensure Fernando’s return to Minnesota by Jan. 24, but the federal government said the earliest they could return him to Minnesota was Jan. 27, citing potential travel delays caused by a major winter storm. In a letter to the court that was included in the Monday ruling, the federal government acknowledged that Fernando’s “release in Texas was not in compliance” with Tostrud’s order. DHS’s lawyer expressed that he was “deeply remorseful” about the situation and apologized for the violation.

Breitbart [2/24/2026 8:56 PM, Alana Mastrangelo, 2238K] reports California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced his state is reportedly allocating $35 million in taxpayer dollars to support illegal immigrants during President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Newsom’s office announced in a Friday press release that funds in California’s budget set aside by the state legislature to help philanthropic partners will go toward a new philanthropic collaboration to support "families under federal assault" by "mass detention and deportation efforts.” The initiative, which seeks to "expand legal assistance," involves California "leveraging up to $35 million in existing humanitarian funding" that will "allow nonprofits to provide in-kind support for basic needs.” "People are afraid to leave their homes, children are left without their parents, and families unable to afford groceries. Families are even foregoing critical medical care," the press release fearmongered. The announcement, which continuously refers to illegal immigrants as simply "immigrants," goes on to note that "California is home to many immigrant families," before claiming that "Supporting them in this moment strengthens neighborhoods and local economies.” "While the federal government targets hardworking families, California stands with them — uniting partners and funding local communities to help support their neighbors," Newsom said. By subscribing, you agree to our terms of use & privacy policy. You will receive email marketing messages from Breitbart News Network to the email you provide. You may unsubscribe at any time. "The urgent need grows as the Trump Administration accelerates mass detention, tramples due process, and funds authoritarian enforcement with over $170 billion. As the Trump Administration chooses cruelty and chaos, California chooses community," the governor added. The money comes in addition to funds the state has set aside to provide legal resources to illegal immigrants facing deportation, according to a report by CalMatters. California allocated money for the support, "despite serious budget constraints," with Newsom’s office anticipating a $2.9 billion deficit in the coming budget year — after already limiting health care for illegal immigrants to help make up for a larger deficit in 2025, the outlet noted. "This investment strengthens local partners who are helping people access legal services and meet basic needs during an incredibly difficult moment," Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said in the press release, claiming "federal actions" are creating "fear and instability.” Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio slammed the funding as "absurd.” "If you were audited by the IRS and found to owe money and back taxes, as a citizen, you couldn’t say, ‘Well, I want a free lawyer to fight the federal government,’" DeMaio told CalMatters.

New York Times [2/24/2026 2:06 PM, Elizabeth Dias, 148038K] reports that Hours before President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, which is expected to include comments on immigration enforcement, 18 Roman Catholic bishops and archbishops from U.S. border regions issued a strongly worded statement urging Congress and the administration to make specific policy changes on the federal treatment of migrants. Their list of demands includes honoring migrants’ right to apply for asylum at the border, protecting their access to sensitive locations like schools and houses of worship, keeping mixed-status families together, halting intimidating enforcement tactics like roving patrols and federal agents’ use of masks, and funding reintegration programs in deportees’ home countries. “While we acknowledge the right and duty of a sovereign nation to enforce its laws, we also believe that those laws should be upheld in a manner that protects the God-given human dignity and rights of the human person,” the bishops wrote. The signers included bishops from states that border Mexico and Canada — Texas, New Mexico, Washington, Michigan, California, and New York — as well as Rhode Island and Kentucky. Their statement expressed particular concern over the apparent lack of due process afforded by the government to immigrants, including large numbers of worshipers in their own pews.

Daily Caller [2/24/2026 1:19 PM, Jason Hopkins, 803K] reports the Trump administration has declared its Minnesota immigration enforcement surge a "huge victory" for public safety, but that win wasn’t achieved without a cost. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with other federal immigration agents, have begun scaling back their presence in Minneapolis, drawing to a close what became an incredibly controversial operation following the deaths of two American anti-ICE agitators. While the surge busted scores of violent criminals, it also became a vehicle for Democrats to hold national security funding hostage and added another wrinkle to the wider morale crisis hitting immigration enforcement agents. "The morale is decreasing [among immigration agents] because you’re placing them in situations where they’re being targeted through every facet of society," Ammon Blair, who spent a decade as a Border Patrol agent, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. "I just got a text last week asking me, ‘Hey, Blair, how are you liking the outside of Border Patrol? I think I’m leaving,’ and this guy loves border security." Blair’s comments closely mirror what other immigration agents have reportedly said about declining morale. Border czar Tom Homan announced earlier in February that ICE and Border Patrol agents would begin withdrawing from the Minneapolis region, with roughly 1,000 agents already returning to their home stations or relocating to other areas of the country. Just a few agents are expected to remain, marking an end to what has been dubbed Operation Metro Surge. "What we’ve signaled to everyone else around the entire country — because they’re not just in Minneapolis — we’ve signaled that that is a battle won, and now they know the exact playbook to enact in every single blue state and blue region," said Blair, who now serves as a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) touted Operation Metro Surge, which began in late December, as a major success that netted the arrest of more than 4,000 illegal migrants. Homan has also touted the "unprecedented collaboration" from state and local officials, a major win in a state known for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration agents. "We have arrested over 11,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minnesota because sanctuary politicians refused to protect their own people and instead protect criminals," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF. "Since Operation Metro Surge began, our brave DHS law enforcement have arrested over 4,000 criminal illegal aliens including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles and incredibly dangerous individuals. A HUGE victory for public safety.”

Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 5:00 AM, Staff, 1147K] reports the Mexican Army has killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a powerful thug named "El Mencho." The cartel responded with wanton violence that brought the country to a standstill. Both Mexico and the United States deserve credit for fighting the war on drugs as if it were an actual war. And now it’s up to both to stay the course. On Feb. 22, the Mexican military carried out a raid in the state of Jalisco. Aided by U.S. intelligence and reportedly trained by U.S. special forces, Mexican commandos killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed "El Mencho," the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The retaliation that followed was massive. CJNG murdered more than two dozen Mexican soldiers and set up an estimated 250 roadblocks across multiple states. Cartel henchmen set fire to pharmacies and convenience stores, leading to "shelter in place" orders from U.S. and Mexican governments. More than two hundred flights were canceled, and dozens of schools were closed. By day’s end, no fewer than 60 people were reported dead. The footage of burned-out buildings, mangled bodies, and broken roads received international attention. This, no doubt, was CJNG’s intention. The cartel hopes to showcase both its displeasure and its power. Yet the mass violence in Mexico testifies to something else: The clear and present danger that cartels present to the U.S.

The AP [2/24/2026 6:02 PM, Fatima Hussein, 35287K] reports a Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday rejected a request from an immigrant rights group to temporarily block the IRS from sharing certain taxpayer data that could make it easier to identify and deport people who are in the U.S. illegally. A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction for the immigrants’ rights group, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, and other nonprofits that are suing the federal government over the data-sharing agreement signed last April by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The agreement allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. In declining the preliminary injunction request, Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that the nonprofit groups "are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim," since the information the agencies are sharing isn’t covered by the IRS privacy statute. The Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 5:13 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1147K] reports that at issue is an April memorandum of understanding between the IRS and DHS under which Immigration and Customs Enforcement has sought address information tied to roughly 1.28 million taxpayers as part of criminal investigations related to immigration enforcement. The case has tested the limits of Internal Revenue Code Section 6103, a statute that tightly restricts disclosure of taxpayer information but allows certain exceptions for law enforcement. Writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, Senior Judge Harry T. Edwards, an appointee of former President Jimmy Carter, said the challengers’ interpretation of the law was unsupported by the statute’s text. The Federalist [2/24/2026 12:39 PM, Shawn Fleetwood, 540K] reports that the panel was comprised of Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan and Judge Patricia Millett, both Obama appointees, and Senior Judge Harry Edwards, a Carter appointee. As described by Edwards in his majority opinion, plaintiffs filed their lawsuit in the D.C. federal court system challenging the administration’s policy last February "shortly after news reporting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (‘ICE’) was seeking address information from IRS to aid in locating" illegal aliens in the United States. The challengers’ request that the D.C. district court issue a temporary restraining order against the policy was rejected the following month. This prompted plaintiffs to subsequently file a motion for the court to issue a preliminary injunction halting the policy’s enforcement. According to Edwards, they argued that the IRS’s policy "is contrary to law because 26 U.S.C. § 6103(i)(2) prohibits disclosure of addresses alone" and that the agency "had acted arbitrarily and capriciously by changing its interpretation of § 6103(i)(2) without adequate explanation or consideration of reliance interests." While the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction was being considered, the IRS and DHS executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in early April 2025 "outlining procedures that will govern requests under [federal law] for ‘addresses of persons subject to criminal investigation.’" As summarized by Edwards, "Both IRS and DHS acknowledged that, if ICE’s requests were invalid or unsatisfactory in some way, IRS would not disclose the information sought.”

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg Industry Group Bloomberg Tax [2/24/2026 11:03 AM, James Matheson and Tristan Navera, 50K]

NPR [2/25/2026 3:00 AM, Wailin Wong, Darian Woods, Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, Alex Goldmark, Luis Gallo, Kate Concannon, and Julia Ritchey, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports ICE is scaling up, with rapid new hiring. So we ask, has training new officers changed? At what cost? Also, the Trump administration has plans to pour billions of dollars into warehouses for mass immigrant detention centers, which can totally change the economy of some areas. We hear from a rural town in Georgia that wants an ICE facility in its own backyard. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

New York Times [2/25/2026 3:23 AM, Madeleine Ngo, Hamed Aleaziz and Allison McCann, 330K] reports Stacy Bradley voted for President Trump because of his border policies, and she likes that he has restored “law and order.” But she is unsettled by one aspect of his immigration agenda. Last month, the federal government bought a warehouse next to her cheerleading gym in Surprise, Ariz., which the administration plans to convert into a detention center for up to 1,500 immigrants. Ms. Bradley, the co-owner of Woodlands Elite Cheer, said she worried that a detainee could escape, or that protests could break out. The children who train at her gym are as young as 3 and could see “people in shackles” next door, she said. “That’s a scary thing for a little kid to process,” Ms. Bradley said. Across the country, the Department of Homeland Security’s plans to buy industrial warehouses and turn them into detention centers for immigrants are running into local resistance, including in communities like Surprise that voted for Mr. Trump in the last presidential election. The pushback is complicating efforts to expand detention capacity to accommodate the tens of thousands of additional immigrants the administration expects to confine, to deliver on its mass deportation drive. Local officials and residents in at least a dozen areas have voiced opposition to the facilities, packing town hall meetings and expressing fears that the protests that recently shook Minneapolis could be unleashed in their backyards. Those who object to the facilities say that the sites would diminish property tax revenue, harm local businesses and strain water and sewer infrastructure. They have also expressed humanitarian concerns over converting industrial warehouses into detention centers that could hold people for an average of 60 days. Nevertheless, the Trump administration is pressing forward in pursuit of its goal to expand its detention footprint to at least 100,000 beds, which will help it arrest, detain and deport more people. A D.H.S. official with knowledge of the plans, speaking anonymously to share internal information, said the expansion would allow the agency to avoid overcrowding. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already faced complaints of crowded and unsafe conditions at many current facilities, including in hold rooms and processing centers that were not intended for long-term detention. Of the roughly 20 warehouses being eyed for purchase, at least eight have already been bought in states including Maryland, Georgia, Texas and Pennsylvania, according to internal Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by New York Times. Some purchases collapsed in recent weeks in other areas as potential sellers faced mounting public backlash and canceled sales. The warehouses will be renovated to meet detention standards and provide food, medical and laundry services, according to ICE. “I can understand local concerns,” said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, an acting deputy homeland security secretary during the first Trump administration. “However, ICE is long overdue for setting up processing facilities all over the country.”

New York Times [2/24/2026 6:15 AM, Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Ian Stewart, and Adam Satariano, 148038K] reports [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [2/24/2026 10:54 AM, Staff, 34146K] reports Rep. Lamonica McIver, D-NJ, says the federal agency under President Donald Trump is "totally out of control." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Politico [2/24/2026 12:00 PM, Hannah Psalma Ramirez, 21784K] reports school leaders used to dealing with shrinking budgets, staff shortages, chronic absenteeism and lackluster test scores are getting consumed by a Donald Trump-driven challenge: ICE raids that are driving students out of the classroom. And it goes well beyond Minneapolis. Schools across the country are dealing with the impacts of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations such as students being detained on the way to and from school or getting caught in the crossfire of tear gas clouds and families going into hiding. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have stopped short of entering school grounds to conduct enforcement activities. But the Trump administration last year reversed a long-standing policy that protected “sensitive spaces” like schools from immigration enforcement actions. Teachers unions are fighting to reinstate the previous policy, filing an emergency motion last week, while a coalition of Minnesota districts filed its own suit. In the absence of legal protections, district officials overseeing schools in areas of high immigration enforcement say they have created their own policies and procedures for how to manage interactions with ICE officers while continuing to educate their students. Educators fear these immigration raids will have long-term consequences similar to the Covid-19 pandemic like increased student absences and anxiety and declining academic performance. They have already seen signs of this, with early data showing steep attendance drops despite their best efforts to keep students in their brick-and-mortar classrooms. “I think in public education, every leader is dealing with this, and every single leader is having difficulty,” said Misty Her, superintendent for Fresno Unified School District.

The Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 2:35 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K] reports that Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration has abandoned plans to build a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire, roughly 50 miles from Boston. Ayotte said the Department of Homeland Security informed her that it will not move forward with the proposed facility after she raised concerns with Secretary Kristi Noem last week. Ayotte explained that local objectives and broader questions about community impact played a role in the decision. "During my trip to Washington last week, I had productive discussions with Secretary Kristi Noem," Ayotte said in a news release. "I thank her for hearing the concerns of the Town of Merrimack and for the continued cooperation between DHS and New Hampshire law enforcement to secure our northern border, keep dangerous criminals off our streets, and ensure our communities are safe." In the same press release, Noem also looked positively on the conversation. "I appreciated my discussions with Governor Ayotte last week," she said. "From banning sanctuary cities to strengthening law enforcement cooperation, New Hampshire has been a strong partner in securing our country, and we look forward to continuing our work together." Reuters [2/24/2026 11:36 AM, Susan Heavey, 38315K] reports "The Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack," the New England state’s governor, Kelly Ayotte, wrote on X following a meeting with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in Washington last week. Ayotte said she expressed the concerns of the town roughly 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) northeast of Boston, and that New Hampshire law enforcement would continue to cooperate with DHS to secure the state’s northern border with Canada. Noem, in a statement from DHS, confirmed the meeting and said it would continue to work with New Hampshire, calling it "a strong partner." The withdrawal comes as Republican President Donald Trump enacts his sweeping immigration campaign pledges. The deportation drive’s aggressive tactics have been met with growing U.S. voter disapproval ahead of the November midterm election that will decide control of Congress.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [2/24/2026 1:18 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K]
(B) 7 News at Noon [2/24/2026 12:40 PM, Staff]

CBS Boston [2/24/2026 1:28 PM, Neal Riley, 51110K] reports that when President Trump delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol tonight, one of the guests in attendance will be a Massachusetts teenager who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year. Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton is bringing 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva of Milford as his guest. Gomes da Silva was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice last May and held at an ICE facility in Burlington. ICE said after the incident that Gomes da Silva’s father was their intended target, but they arrested the teenager because his student visa expired and he was in the country illegally. A judge ordered Gomes da Silva released from ICE custody on $2,000 bond after nearly a week in detention. His lawyer, Robin Nice, said Gomes Da Silva’s case is currently pending and will likely stay that way "for at least another two years." "I invited Marcelo to join me at the State of the Union because his story captures what’s broken in our immigration system right now," Moulton said in a statement. "He is exactly the kind of young person America should be investing in, not locking up." Gomes da Silva said in a statement that "as an immigrant, being invited to the State of the Union is deeply meaningful." "I’m proud to represent the strength, faith, and hard work of my community," he said.

New York Post [2/24/2026 6:02 PM, Brandon Cruz and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, 40934K] reports federal immigration officials said a combative illegal immigrant whose head slammed into a brick wall during a caught-on-video scuffle "fell" as he tried to fight off agents — after Long Island Democrats accused ICE of roughing him up. At issue is the Jan. 5 arrest of 35-year-old Isai Santos Caceres in Hempstead, with dramatic video showing the handcuffed man’s head slamming into a brick wall — which critics blamed on the agents. "During the encounter, Caceres tried to evade arrest and fled on foot," a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement to The Post. "As officers caught up with him, he became physically combative, refused lawful commands, and assaulted law enforcement. Even after officers placed him in restraints, Caceres continued to resist and tried to kick officers in the legs," the statement said. "During the struggle, the illegal alien fell into the side of the building. Once Caceres was fully secured, law enforcement offered to call an ambulance and provide medical attention, but he refused medical care.” The agency has not said why Caceres was arrested nor provided details of his case. But the disturbing footage prompted a backlash from activists and Democrats on the island.

The New York Times [2/24/2026 9:20 AM, Tracey Tully and Luis Ferré-Sadurní, 148038K] reports the Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it had sued New Jersey and its Democratic governor, Mikie Sherrill, challenging an executive order she issued that limits where federal immigration agents can conduct enforcement actions in the state. The executive order, signed on Feb. 11, bars federal immigration officers from conducting civil immigration arrests in areas of state-owned property that are not open to the public unless the officers have a judicial warrant. It also prohibits federal officers from using state property as a staging area for immigration raids. The lawsuit argued that the executive order was unconstitutional, obstructed the federal government’s ability to enforce the immigration laws of the United States and discriminated against immigration officers. Most notably, the lawsuit said that the executive order restricted the ability of immigration officers to detain people who are considered dangerous in courthouses and in prisons operated or leased by the state. The executive order does not block immigration officers from entering courthouse hallways or other spaces that are open to the public. But it does restrict their access to nonpublic rooms and exits typically used by court security staff; the lawsuit suggests that these areas were being used by immigration officers in New Jersey. The executive order would also appear to bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from conducting operations in or near MetLife Stadium, where FIFA World Cup soccer games are slated to take place this summer. The stadium is on land leased by the state’s Sports and Exposition Authority. The suit was the latest filed by the Trump administration against Democrat-led states with laws and policies it argues are hindering its mass deportation campaign. “Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey’s leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement on Tuesday. Politico [2/24/2026 10:41 PM, Matt Friedman, 21784K] reports Sherrill, a Democrat who won the November election in a landslide, issued Executive Order 12 this month, which bars immigration authorities from non-public parts of state-owned property unless they have a judicial warrant. It also prohibits them from using state property as a “staging area, processing location, or operations base.” Sherrill, who took office last month, has also encouraged residents to monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity — something noted in the Department of Justice’s lawsuit — and set up a portal to upload videos of interactions with the agents. “Today, we are making clear that the Trump administration’s lawless actions will not go unchecked in New Jersey,” Sherrill said in a Feb. 11 press release announcing the executive order and portal. “Given ICE’s willingness to flout the Constitution and violently endanger communities — detaining children, arresting citizens, and even killing several innocent civilians — I will stand up for New Jerseyans right to be safe.”

Reported similarly:
New York Post [2/24/2026 11:16 AM, Ryan King, 40934K]
The Hill [2/24/2026 5:31 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K]
AP [2/24/2026 12:28 PM, Staff, 42967K]
Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 1:16 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K]
Telemundo [2/24/2026 2:05 PM, Staff, 2524K]
Univision [2/24/2026 3:25 PM, Staff, 4937K]

Univision [2/24/2026 3:14 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports from 2020 to February 2025, some 23 North Carolina sheriff’s offices collaborated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They do this within the 287(g) program, which allows state and local agents to assume specific immigration functions, under the training and supervision of ICE. In the past year, more sheriffs and local police in the United States have joined the 287(g) program, after President Trump issued the executive order Protecting the American People from Invasion, which requires ICE to delegate its functions to state and local agents.

FOX News [2/24/2026 1:43 PM, Alexandra Koch, 37576K] reports that a federal judge in Minnesota ruled on Monday to hold government officials in civil contempt for violating a judicial order that prohibited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from transferring detainee Fernando Gutierrez Torres, a Mexican national. U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2018, found that despite an earlier order prohibiting Torres’ transfer out of Minnesota, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) moved him to Texas without notifying his attorney. A judge granted Torres’ habeas petition and ordered ICE to release him from custody "as soon as practicable, but not later than 48 hours" after the order was entered, according to court documents. Filings state a major winter storm in Texas led to a state of emergency declaration, and Torres’ ICE-scheduled flight was canceled. The agency realized the earliest they could reschedule his return to Minnesota was Jan. 27, which would be past the 48-hour release deadline mandated by the court. In a rush to comply with that 48-hour deadline, the agency decided to release him immediately in El Paso, Texas, rather than waiting to fly him back to Minnesota. His belongings were allegedly withheld when he was freed, according to court documents. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

CBS News [2/24/2026 6:26 PM, Kelsy Mittauer, Andrea Lucia, Steven Rosenbaum, 51110K] reports federal prosecutors accuse the group of being an "antifa cell" that went to the Prairieland Detention Center in Johnson County last July with plans for a violent attack on ICE officers. An Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck and injured, authorities said. Alvarado police Lt. Thomas Gross, shot last year after responding to the immigration detention center, took the stand in federal court Tuesday afternoon. The government spent 30 minutes laying out its case against Benjamin Song, who is accused of shooting the police officer, and the other eight defendants. The nine defendants face a range of federal charges, including attempted murder of a federal officer, while five others have already pleaded guilty. The defendants and their supporters have said the incident was not a terrorist attack but began as a "noise demonstration in solidarity with detainees." They have also claimed prosecutors have not provided any hospital records to confirm the extent of the officer’s injuries. While all the defendants are on trial together, the jury must decide each defendant’s guilt or innocence on each charge individually.

Blaze [2/24/2026 4:15 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports the Department of Homeland Security dispelled false claims from the legacy media about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Frio County, Texas. An NBC News report on Feb. 13 described the Dilley center as a "remote, prison-like facility" with "inhumane conditions," according to human rights advocates. The article claimed that the center has unsanitary conditions and lengthy wait times for medical care. A recent ProPublica article and another from the New York Times echoed similar allegations. The agency stated that the center has a full medical staff, including physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, psychologists, pharmacy staff, and medical support personnel. The facility reportedly provides detainees a thorough medical screening within 12 hours of arrival. Children undergo pediatric assessments that include evaluations of growth, development, behavior, and nutrition. Additionally, specialized off-site services such as hospitalization, specialty consultations, and lab testing are available. Families are provided with life-sustaining medication immediately, the DHS stated.

CBS News [2/24/2026 3:51 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51110K] reports the close friend of a 23-year-old American citizen and Texas resident who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last year disputed officials’ account of the fatal shooting in a declaration he dictated to the slain man’s lawyers. Ruben Ray Martinez died in March 2025 after being shot in South Padre Island, Texas. While the fatal shooting was reported at the time by local news outlets, the fact that an ICE agent was the one who shot and killed Martinez was not revealed until last week, roughly 11 months later. In an official statement and internal report, Department of Homeland Security officials said an ICE agent fired "defensive shots" into Martinez’s vehicle after Martinez "failed to follow instructions" and struck another agent with his vehicle. Officials said Martinez was pronounced dead at a local hospital. But a draft declaration that lawyers said was dictated by Joshua Orta, Martinez’s friend and passenger, contradicts the version of events offered by federal officials. Representatives for Martinez’s family said Orta was planning to sign the declaration in person this week but that he died in a separate car accident on Saturday. The declaration, which does not contain Orta’s signature, appears to indicate Martinez’s family is considering filing a wrongful death claim. The Texas Department of Public Safety, the law enforcement agency leading the investigation into Martinez’s death, has said its probe into the fatal shooting remains ongoing. An internal ICE report released by the nonprofit American Oversight appears to correspond with the March 15 fatal shooting of Martinez. The report, which redacted Martinez’s name, said the incident involved agents from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations branch who were helping South Padre Island police officers control traffic in the late night hours following a car accident.

Axios [2/24/2026 7:19 AM, Shafaq Patel and Nicole Cobler, 17364K] reports Austin-area children detained with their parents at a South Texas immigration facility describe missing basic comforts and feeling trapped, per letters published this month by ProPublica. The letters give a window into life inside the immigration detention center in Dilley — and how some of the hundreds of children there are faring. Mia Valentina Paz Faria, a 7-year-old Venezuelan child who was living in Austin before being detained for 70 days, wrote: "I don’t want to be in this place." "I want to go to my school, I miss my grandparents, I miss my friends, I don’t like the food here, I miss my school, I don’t like being here, I am bored here, I don’t feel so good in this place, I already want to leave this place, I miss my uncles, I hope to leave here soon." A 12-year-old Venezuelan child, who signed their name as Ender, wrote that they’ve been in the center for two months. Ender was living in Austin before they were detained. "I arrived here for an immigration appointment and I don’t think they should grab immigrants who are innocent, like instead of grabbing criminals ..." Ender wrote. "They told me I could only be here 21 days, but I have already spent more than 60 days waking up eating the same repetitive meals ... seeing people cry every day for the same reasons, trying to sleep in that horrible uncomfortable bed." CoreCivic, the private company that runs the detention center, tells ProPublica the center is "subject to multiple layers of oversight to ensure full compliance with policies and procedures, including any applicable detention standards."

Axios [2/24/2026 8:27 AM, Esteban L. Hernandez, 17364K] reports Colorado Democrats are urging the Department of Homeland Security to scrap plans for a new ICE detention facility in rural Weld County. The move is intended to pressure the Trump administration to rein in its aggressive expansion of immigration detention as public confidence in ICE sours. : A letter sent Tuesday, co-signed by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE director Todd Lyons outlined demands. Democrats say they are "deeply concerned" that the Colorado expansion will mean less oversight and accountability due to its remote location — far less accessible than the existing Aurora site, which faces its own oversight challenges. Lawmakers want DHS to provide details on why it chose the site and its plans to ensure access for attorneys representing inmates. Plans for a new facility roughly 30 miles northeast of Denver in Hudson call for taking over a dormant prison called the Big Horn Correctional Facility, per records obtained by the ACLU Colorado. The federal government hasn’t shared many public details about the project. Between the lines: The GEO Group — which operates Colorado’s sole ICE facility — had a $39 million contract for six months of service starting in April 2025, though the facility remained empty, per Newsline. ICE arrests in Denver are up 211% since Trump’s second term started last January, per an analysis from University of Colorado Boulder researchers released last week. Meanwhile, in-custody deaths at ICE facilities reached a two-decade high last year. The increased enforcement has prompted some Denver-area community leaders to call for abolishing ICE.

Los Angeles Times [2/24/2026 4:44 PM, Cierra Morgan, 12718K] reports a third-party employee at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood has been shown the door after a video went viral of her threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a group of Latino concertgoers. The video of the dispute, taken by a bystander, shows a disagreement between the concertgoers and a female employee after a Los Bukis concert. The start of the dispute was unknown, but the video shows it escalated quickly when a male employee jumped in to help mediate the dispute and the female worker pulled out her cellphone and started recording the concertgoers.

New York Post [2/24/2026 6:09 PM, Ben Chapman, 40934K] reports the high school students suspected of injuring two federal officers during anti-ICE riots on Feb. 13 used frozen water bottles as projectiles, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell said Tuesday. McDonnell said unidentified suspects threw frozen water bottles at two Federal Protection Service Officers charged with protecting the Federal Building downtown during the wild anti-ICE melee, "resulting in one officer sustaining a head injury and one officer sustaining a laceration above the right eye." In a separate incident at the same protest, one ICE agent was struck in the head with a rock resulting in an injury, Department of Homeland Security officials said. No arrests have been made in either incident. Reports were filed for assault with a deadly weapon in both incidents, McDonnell said. McDonnell said about 200 students participated in the school walkout and anti-ICE demonstration that turned violent on Feb. 13.

Univision [2/24/2026 3:32 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports the ruling by the 11th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, based in Atlanta, consists of 6 pages and, although it does not yet resolve the problem of Cubans with I-220A visas, it is not seen as a legal defeat. The court overturned the previous decisions of the appeals board known as BIA in the cases of two Cuban women with Form I-220A and returned the files for a new administrative decision. It is actively estimated that there are more than 250,000 Cubans in a migratory limbo; lawyers seek to prove that they were wrongly prosecuted and that they obtain their residency through the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Wall Street Journal [2/24/2026 6:00 PM, Dylan Tokar and Natalie Andrews, 646K] reports the Trump administration is weighing a possible executive order or other action that would require banks to collect citizenship information from customers, a new front in the administration’s crackdown on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, according to people familiar with the matter. The action, which is primarily under review by the Treasury Department, could ultimately task banks with asking for an unprecedented new category of documents, such as a passports, from both new and existing customers who want to maintain a bank account in the U.S., the people said. Discussions about the potential executive order have alarmed banks, which have lobbied Treasury and questioned the legal basis for the proposal, some of the people said. The administration was still reviewing its options, including the potential for an executive order or Treasury action, the people said. Banks in the U.S. are required to collect certain information under “know your customers” rules to guard against money laundering and crime. That often includes collecting passports and Social Security numbers. But those rules don’t include gathering citizenship status specifically, and banks don’t routinely share that information with the government. There is no prohibition on banks opening accounts for noncitizens in the U.S. The Trump administration has pushed to reduce the number of immigrants in the country illegally and has increased enforcement. One administration official said no order has been approved. The administration generally maintains that no ideas are settled until announced by President Trump. “Any reporting about potential policymaking that has not been officially announced by the White House is baseless speculation,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai. After The Wall Street Journal reported on the discussions, Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said on social media that he has plans to introduce legislation seeking to block banks from allowing immigrants in the country illegally to get bank accounts. He posted a letter he had sent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last year saying that the “American banking system is a privilege that should be reserved for those who respect our laws and sovereignty.” “I strongly support President Trump taking action to prevent illegal migrants from accessing our banking system,” Cotton wrote in a post on X.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [2/24/2026 4:24 PM, Andrew Ackerman and Marianne LeVine, 24826K]
Bloomberg [2/24/2026 2:34 PM, Catherine Lucey and Katanga Johnson, 18082K]
Breitbart [2/24/2026 6:00 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K]
CNN [2/24/2026 4:08 PM, Matt Egan, Priscilla Alvarez, 19874K]
NewsMax [2/24/2026 1:42 PM, Staff, 3760K]

Breitbart [2/24/2026 12:16 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2238K] reports Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine defended his support for the importation of cheap labor on Sunday and criticized President Trump for ending protected status for Haitians. The GOP Gov. appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday to insist that it is "wrong" to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians because businesses in Ohio have imported tens of thousands of Haitian workers for the state’s manufacturing jobs, particularly in the central Ohio town of Springfield. "Springfield is an industrial city, manufacturing city that was down," DeWine said as he sat on the panel. "It has been coming back. And frankly, one of the reasons it’s coming back is because of the Haitians who are working there." "These are people who, if you talk to the employers, they were filling jobs that were not being able to be filled in any other way," DeWine exclaimed. "So, it’s been a big boost to the economy." "So, if one day that TPS is taken away, no employer can hire them anymore, and you’ll have all these people who are unemployed," he added. "So, I think the policy there is wrong. If I could just say this, I think that this is a real opportunity for the president in regard to immigration, probably after the election — because nothing’s going to get done before — I think the president has a chance to do something no president has done for four decades if he would take that opportunity, and I think after the elections he’ll have a chance." Despite what the governor said on TV, Springfield does not seem to be doing as well as it should. Trump DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin notes that Temporary Protected Status is supposed to be just that, temporary. "Haiti’s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago, it was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades," McLaughlin wrote on X. "Temporary means temporary and the final word will not be from an activist judge legislating from the bench."

AP [2/24/2026 10:07 PM, Valerie Gonzalez, 34146K] reports legal advocates filed a motion Tuesday seeking to stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from urging immigrant children entering the country without their parents to voluntarily deport themselves under a federal policy introduced last year. Border agents who arrest unaccompanied immigrant children who enter the country illegally are required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to send them to a federal shelter under a different agency, the Office of Refugee Resettlement. At the shelters, children have access to attorneys and an immigration judge, and they can talk to their parents over the phone before they agree to self-deport or seek other options. The new policy introduces the self-deportation option before children enter the shelter, a practice that started in September 2025, according to testimony from CBP officials filed in the lawsuit. If children decline to voluntarily return, the policy threatens to detain them for long periods of time, arrest and prosecute their adult sponsors living in the U.S., and bar them from applying for a visa in the future, legal advocates said in Tuesday’s motion. The attorneys, representing Guatemalan children following the government’s unsuccessful attempt to deport dozens of them in a haphazard overnight flight in August, say the policy violates a current injunction in place. The injunction prohibits the government from deporting any Guatemalan unaccompanied minors unless they have gone through some immigration court proceeding. The attorneys are also asking the judge to expand the injunction to cover children from other countries, excluding Mexico and Canada. CBP did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Some children told attorneys that agents threatened, yelled and coerced them into signing documents they did not fully understand, sometimes due to language barriers. One girl said an agent forcefully convinced her to sign the papers after she had hurt her leg in a car crash and denied medical treatment. “I thought I had to sign, but I didn’t know why or what for,” she said in a written declaration filed with the court. Mishan Wroe, an attorney with the National Center for Youth law, said these minors are not afforded the opportunities granted to them under federal law. “It’s plainly coercive to threaten children with prolonged detention while they are scared and not given the opportunity to speak to counsel or their family before they make a decision that has grave implications for their future,” Wroe said Tuesday. Michael Julien, a CBP official, wrote in his declaration filed with the court Tuesday that agents only present the self-deport option to some unaccompanied children crossing illegally, and that it is an option presented orally, not in writing. Attorneys found 13 cases in South Texas where children were subjected to the new policy, but they believe there are more. “We believe that this is happening to many, many more children and that the 13 that are mentioned in our motion are just those that kind of slipped through the cracks,” Kate Talmor, senior counsel at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.

Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 11:56 AM, Emily Hallas, 1147K] reports a 10% global tariff issued by the United States took effect on Tuesday, despite the Trump administration previously promising to enact a 15% rate. A White House official told the Washington Examiner that the Trump administration is working on increasing the rate to 15%, as President Donald Trump outlined Saturday, but said there is "no timeline for that yet." Customs and Border Protection published a notice Monday evening alerting that the 10% rate would take effect Tuesday. The development came after Trump signed an executive order imposing that rate on Friday. Hours later, Trump announced plans to hike the tariff to 15%. However, he has not yet signed an official directive to increase the rate. A White House spokesperson told Reuters that the president has had "no change of heart" on his desire for a 15% tariff rate.

Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 5:51 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1147K] reports a New Hampshire man has been charged in federal court for the assault and attempted murder of a Border Patrol agent stationed at the state’s border with Canada, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by the Washington Examiner. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire charged Blu Zeke Daly, also known as Cullan Zeke Daly, after he opened fire on a federal law enforcement agent at a remotely located border crossing in Pittsburg, NH. Given the Border Patrol’s use of force, the FBI is handling the investigation into the shooting, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case. Daly has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of attempted murder of a federal officer and one count of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. He faces up to 40 years in prison and $500,000 in fines if convicted of the combined charges.

FOX News [2/24/2026 10:51 AM, Max Bacall, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Detroit Police Sgt. Denise Wallet, who was suspended for 30 days without pay for allegedly contacting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during a routine traffic stop, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Detroit, arguing her suspension violated her due process rights. Wallet said she contacted CBP because her lieutenant ordered her to do so and that it was simply to identify a driver, not to enforce immigration law. Her attorney, Solomon Radner, told Fox News that while department policy explicitly states personnel are not allowed to cooperate with immigration enforcement or to treat people differently based on a wide range of factors, including immigration status, none of that is at issue. "That’s not even alleged to have happened in this case. All they really say is that she contacted [CBP] and therefore was somehow guilty of differential treatment of people," Radner said Tuesday on "Fox & Friends First." The lawsuit comes after Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison initially planned to fire two officers, including Wallet, over two separate incidents involving contact with federal immigration enforcement during traffic stops, before deciding to suspend them instead. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [2/24/2026 4:22 PM, Nichola Groom, 38315K] reports solar panels make up the vast majority of the value of shipments stopped at the U.S. border under a 2021 law banning goods made with Chinese forced labor, according to new data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The data provide the first detailed breakdown of the types of products stopped by CBP since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) was signed into law by former President Joe Biden, confirming that the solar industry is the most affected sector. In recent years companies have furloughed workers and projects have been delayed due to stalled shipments of solar panels at a time when federal data shows the sector has become the top new U.S. electricity source. Previous data released by CBP had included solar equipment in the broad category of electronics, making it impossible to determine how much had been blocked. Solar panels and cells are now listed in a much smaller category of semiconductor devices, and CBP, in its guide to the data, references solar goods interchangeably with the identifying code in question. Shipments carrying the code for semiconductor devices account for $3.26 billion in stopped shipments, or 82% of the value of the $3.94 billion in shipments blocked since the law was implemented in 2022, according to data reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.

Reuters [2/24/2026 9:12 AM, David Shepardson, 38315K] reports a group representing the U.S. travel industry and lawmakers on Tuesday called on Donald Trump’s administration to immediately reinstate Global Entry, a program that expedites U.S. customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers entering the United States. The Department of Homeland Security on Sunday suspended the program but reversed course on its initial plan to also suspend the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program. "Suspending this critical security program does the opposite of what the Department of Homeland Security intends, adding volume to standard lines, stretching the very personnel the department is trying to protect and increasing security risks," the U.S. Travel Association said. "The program is primarily funded by the $120 fee that members pay. There is no fiscal—or logical—rationale for this decision." A social media post showed long lines on Monday to enter the United States at Washington Dulles, the major international airport near Washington in suburban Virginia. The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Hill [2/24/2026 12:02 PM, Ryan Mancini, 18170K] reports the U.S. Travel Association on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to restore the Global Entry program after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suspended it following a federal funding lapse. The travel group said on the social platform X that suspending Global Entry as lawmakers fight over DHS funding “does the opposite of what” the department intends by increasing security risks, swelling line sizes and stretching personnel thin. Global Entry allows pre-screened travelers arriving in the U.S. to pass through customs more quickly. “Global Entry is far more than a convenience; it is on the front line of national security,” the association said in a separate post. “Its more than 13 million members undergo rigorous background checks, interviews and vetting.” “Suspending it doesn’t just slow lines,” the post continues. “It increases costs and strips away a layer of security infrastructure that took years to build. The program is primarily funded by the $120 fee that members pay. There is no fiscal — or logical — rationale for this decision.” DHS said it paused Global Entry as a means to “preserve limited funds and personnel.” On Sunday, the department reversed course on its suspension of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) PreCheck program following concern from the traveling public and airline industry groups.

Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 7:00 AM, Samantha-Jo Roth, 1147K] reports heavy snow, grounded flights, and school closures across the Northeast are adding urgency to Washington’s fight over Homeland Security funding, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency facing new operational strain as a partial shutdown drags on. The latest winter storm has dumped more than 30 inches of snow in some areas, with at least five states reporting totals of more than 2 feet. Providence, Rhode Island, is experiencing its largest snowstorm on record, while New York City and Philadelphia are seeing their heaviest snowfall in years. As the partial DHS shutdown stretches on amid a funding standoff in Congress, internal agency directives have paused disaster-response travel nationwide, according to agency communications and people familiar with the decision, leaving hundreds of FEMA personnel awaiting deployment even as severe weather unfolds. The stop-travel order took effect Feb. 18 and applies to DHS-funded travel for the duration of the funding lapse, according to internal messages. The decision came as roughly 300 FEMA personnel were preparing for deployment before being told to stand down, according to reports. The travel restrictions stem from broader DHS efforts to conserve resources during the funding lapse. In a Feb. 22 statement, the agency said it would take steps to manage operations ahead of a potential shutdown.

Politico [2/24/2026 5:28 PM, Josh Gerstein, 21784K] reports the infrastructure of the nation’s federal courthouses is crumbling, plagued by collapsing ceilings, malfunctioning elevators and contaminated water supplies, a top representative for the federal judiciary declared in an unusual plea to Congress on Tuesday. “Federal courthouses are in crisis. Without immediate action, the problems will continue to worsen,” Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr., director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, said in a letter to lawmakers. “Action is needed now to reverse a downward spiral of critical-system failures, long-term underfunding of repairs, security risks, and climbing costs.” Conrad urged lawmakers to address the problem by giving the courts the power to build and operate their courthouses — tasks now handled by the General Services Administration. While judges have groused for decades about neglect by their government landlord, complaints about GSA reached a fever pitch last year after haphazard moves by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative radically downsized the agency and targeted some courthouses for sale without any input from the judges who work there. The urgent missive the judiciary sent to Congress on Tuesday doesn’t make direct mention of DOGE, but it notes that GSA eliminated almost half its staff in recent months, creating security and safety risks by leaving no one on site at many courthouses to address hazards and urgent repairs. Legislation the judges are backing would gradually transition existing courthouses from GSA to a new Judiciary Buildings Service.

Federal News Network [2/24/2026 4:43 PM, Terry Gerton, 1297K] Video: HERE reports card skimming is no longer a local nuisance; it’s become a coordinated, multi‑state fraud pipeline built on speed, technology and volume. The Secret Service is tracing how these crews operate, and partnerships with banks and local police are helping shut them down.

FOX News [2/24/2026 5:00 AM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports the U.S. Secret Service-involved shooting of a man with a shotgun inside the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago over the weekend brought the Department of Homeland Security’s partial shutdown into new focus. Two USSS agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy confronted and later shot and killed Austin Martin, 21, who authorities said slipped through a vehicular exit gate that had opened for a car before brandishing his weapon. "They confronted a white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him – at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position… the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat," according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Those agents are among the many working their dangerous jobs without pay due to the ongoing partial shutdown of DHS, which Republicans say was brought on by Democrats’ demands that ICE, which remains funded through other means, be reformed.

FOX News [2/24/2026 3:56 PM, Alexandra Koch, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday that 56 U.S. Coast Guard members forced out over a Biden-era COVID-19 vaccine mandate will be reinstated with back pay, marking what DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called a major victory for "religious, personal and medical freedom." Former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, under former President Joe Biden, issued a mandate Aug. 21, 2021, requiring all service members to get a COVID-19 vaccine. It was rescinded nearly two years later on Jan. 10, 2023. The Coast Guard implemented a similar mandate, which was rescinded Jan. 11, 2023. President Donald Trump issued executive order 14184 on Jan. 27, 2025, allowing reinstatement of all service members who were discharged for refusing the vaccine. Following the order, a three-member panel of the Board for Correction of Military Records of the Coast Guard voted to reinstate 56 members of the Coast Guard. "Fifty-six members of the United States Coast Guard who were kicked out of the service over the COVID-19 vaccine have finally been reinstated with back pay — this is a victory for religious, personal and medical freedom for all Americans — both in and out of uniform," Noem, who made the recommendation to the board, wrote in a statement. DHS said the reinstatements will ensure the service records of each member reflect a period of unbroken and continuous active service between the date of their vaccine-related discharge and their reinstatement to Coast Guard duty. In accordance with Trump’s executive order, the members may be entitled to back pay and allowances, bonus payments, rank and seniority in grade, as determined by the Coast Guard. The Hill [2/24/2026 3:10 PM, Sarah Davis, 18170K] reports that “the last administration’s vaccine mandates were unconstitutional, un-American, and a gross violation of personal freedom,” Noem said in a press release. “It was no way to treat the men and women who put everything on the line to keep our country safe. President Trump is righting these wrongs and returning those unjustly removed members to service,” she continued. “This decision to reinstate these members of the Coast Guard is a major step in the right direction.” A panel from the Coast Guard’s Board for Correction of Military Records moved several weeks ago to retroactively readmit these discharged individuals for the date of their discharge following a recommendation from Noem, according to the DHS press release. This decision means that these servicemembers’ military record will no longer display a break in service and they will be entitled to benefits, including back pay and allowances, bonus payments, rank and seniority, according to the Tuesday news release.

Reported similarly:
NewsNation [2/24/2026 4:03 PM, Zach Kaplan, 4464K]
Washington Examiner [2/24/2026 12:21 PM, Mike Brest, 1147K]

CBS News [2/24/2026 10:33 AM, Alexandra Simon, 51110K] reports the Coast Guard is investigating after a swastika was found drawn on a bathroom wall at the Coast Guard’s training center in Cape May, New Jersey. A spokesperson said Tuesday that the "hate symbol was immediately removed" and the Coast Guard Investigative Service was notified. "The Coast Guard has always unequivocally condemned and punished the display of hate symbols or imagery associated with intimidation, hatred, or oppression," the Coast Guard said. "Such conduct is incompatible with our core values and has absolutely no place within our Service. We are committed to maintaining a workplace that is safe, professional and respectful for every member of our workforce. Any behavior that undermines these standards will be addressed swiftly and seriously." Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, traveled to the Training Center Cape May after the symbol was discovered and held a mandatory meeting with nearly 900 recruits and staff members to address the incident. "Anyone who adheres to or advances hate or extremist ideology – get out. Leave. You don’t belong in the United States Coast Guard and we reject you," Admiral Lunday said. "We will not allow anyone to put a stain of hate on our United States Coast Guard. We will not be defined by the cowardly acts, but instead be defined by our unwavering response and our resolve to defeat them." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/25/2026 12:47 AM, Emma Colton, Greg Wehner, 37576K] Video: HERE reports President Donald Trump recounted the heroic rescue of an 11-year-old girl, Milly Cate McClymond, from the vicious floodwaters that tore through Texas in July 2025, reuniting the young girl with the Coast Guard hero who saved her during his primetime address to the nation. "You all remember that one as the waters threatened to sweep her away … 11-year-old Milly Cate McClymond closed her eyes and prayed to God – she thought she was going to die," Trump said Tuesday during his State of the Union address. "Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan descended from a helicopter above. Nobody knew where he came from.” Deadly flooding tore through Texas’ Hill Country over the Fourth of July in 2025, killing 135 people, including 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic for Girls in Hunt, Texas. United States Coast Guard rescue swimmer from New Jersey, Scott Ruskan, was lauded as a hero for saving 165 people as the only triage coordinator at the scene of the floods. Trump reunited the young girl and Ruskan during the State of the Union. "It was Scott’s first ever rescue mission," the president said, describing him as young, but very brave. "He lifted not just Milly Cate, but 164 others to safety. People watched Scott from a distance and they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.” "The winds were blowing, the rain was pouring, everything was going. And that rapid water, nobody’s ever seen anything like it," Trump continued. "Tonight, Scott and Milly Cate are here together, reunited for the very first time.” Trump continued that he was awarding Ruskan the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism in the rescue effort. The award is a military decoration for outstanding services and achievements. Ruskan, who was 26 years old at the time of the rescue operation, repeatedly has been praised for his heroism, including Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem calling him an "American hero.” "United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin (Ruskan), directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas," Noem’s posted to her social on X in July 2025. "This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin (Ruskan) is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG.”

Reported similarly:
NBC News [2/24/2026 9:52 PM, Staff, 42967K]

San Diego Union Tribune [2/24/2026 8:04 PM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1257K] reports six vessels suspected of maritime smuggling and transporting a total of 82 migrants were intercepted in separate incidents over the weekend, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Tuesday. Five vessels were intercepted within a 90-minute span south of San Clemente Island on Saturday, officials said. A sixth vessel was interdicted near Sunset Cliffs the next day. The Coast Guard, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Navy, coordinated the operations at sea and in the air. The first reports were received around 12:30 p.m. Saturday regarding three suspected smuggling boats that were traveling north from Mexican waters. The vessels were described as “20-to-25-foot cuddy cabin-style boats carrying fishing gear and fuel barrels onboard,” according to a news release. A Coast Guard crew found the first vessel about 26 miles south of San Clemente Island. Officials reported that there were 10 individuals, all of whom claimed to be Mexican nationals, inside.

CyberScoop [2/24/2026 4:20 AM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports cyberattacks reached victims faster and came from a wider range of threat groups than ever last year, CrowdStrike said in its annual global threat report released Tuesday, adding that cybercriminals and nation-states increasingly relied on predictable tactics to evade detection by exploiting trusted systems. The average breakout time — how long it took financially-motivated attackers to move from initial intrusion to other network systems — dropped to 29 minutes in 2025, a 65% increase in speed from the year prior. “The fastest breakout time a year ago was 51 seconds. This year it’s 27 seconds,” Adam Meyers, head of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike, told CyberScoop. Defenders are falling behind because attackers are refining their techniques, using social engineering to access high-privilege systems faster and move through victims’ cloud infrastructure undetected. “Threat actors are exploiting those cross-domain gaps to gain access to environments, so they’re wriggling in between the seams in cloud, identity, enterprise and unmanaged network devices,” Meyers said. Starting from an already disadvantaged position — made worse by faster attacks and living-off-the-land techniques — defenders face burnout, stress and other factors that can lead to mistakes, he added. The myriad sources of these problems are spreading, too.

New York Times [2/24/2026 12:02 PM, Shaila Dewan and Alan Feuer, 148038K] reports opening arguments were set to begin on Tuesday in a trial that will test the Trump administration’s vow to prosecute antifa, a radical left-wing movement, as an organized, violent terrorist group. Nine defendants have pleaded not guilty to membership in what prosecutors described as a heavily armed antifa “cell” that they say shot and wounded a police officer during an attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado, Texas, last summer. Lawyers and family members of many of the accused say they were merely staging a demonstration and were not expecting violence. Critics have pointed to the case as an example of the administration’s attempts to silence and punish dissent. Weeks before the charges were filed, President Trump signed an executive order instructing federal law enforcement to undertake “investigatory and prosecutorial action” against those who financially support antifa and declaring it a domestic terrorist organization. That designation does not exist under U.S. law, which allows for the executive branch to label groups a “foreign terrorist organization” but does not include a domestic equivalent. Still, the charges do not require any proof that the defendants were members of a designated terrorist organization. They include providing material support to terrorists and attempted murder of two corrections officers who were outside the facility along with the police officer who was shot. Several defendants have pleaded guilty, and as many as four are expected to testify for the prosecution.

ABC News [2/24/2026 7:47 PM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE reports the vehicle stopped after slamming against a tree.

Washington Post [2/25/2026 3:24 AM, Adam Taylor, 24826K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts early Wednesday for what is intended to be a showcase of the Trump administration’s focus on the Western Hemisphere after the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last month. Rubio’s brief visit to St. Kitts, where he will attend a meeting of the leaders of the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM, comes as the administration’s focus on this region is being tested by the large buildup of U.S. military assets in the Middle East and the looming threat of significant strikes against Iran if talks this week in Geneva over Tehran’s nuclear program fail to make progress. The U.S. delegation touched down here bleary-eyed after a late departure following President Donald Trump’s lengthy State of the Union address Tuesday evening, in which he awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor to a pilot injured in the Maduro raid but also devoted a chunk of his 1-hour, 48-minute speech to the Middle East, promising not to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. Rubio is scheduled to return to Washington on Wednesday evening. The State Department declined to say why Rubio will not stay longer at the summit, which continues until Friday. The United States is not a member or official observer of CARICOM, which has 15 full members, mostly former British colonies. Experts said that during his visit to the Caribbean, Rubio will encounter deep uncertainty about the Trump administration’s intentions in the region. “Trump’s second term has offered more questions than answers for Caribbean leaders,” said Jenna Ben-Yehuda, a former State Department official who served in numerous policy and intelligence roles in the Western Hemisphere. Caribbean countries have been split over the U.S. military’s deadly campaign against alleged drug smugglers. Last year, amid escalating strikes on boats, CARICOM issued a statement calling the region a “zone of peace” that should be free from military intervention. Trinidad and Tobago, which has offered practical and rhetorical support to the administration’s moves, declined to sign the agreement. Since then, the operation to arrest Maduro, as well as U.S. warnings and an oil embargo aimed at the government in Cuba, have added to a sense of regional instability. There is a “strategic anxiety right now within Caribbean states about what’s going to happen in the next few months, maybe the next couple of years” in the region, said W. Andy Knight, an expert on Caribbean politics at the University of Alberta. Most Caribbean nations want more U.S. engagement but they are “yet to see how the promise of increased attention will translate into policy action that directly benefits them,” said Ben-Yehuda, executive vice president of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. Previewing the trip earlier this week, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio would engage with Caribbean leaders on shared priorities, including “strengthening regional security, deepening cooperation to combat illegal immigration and illicit trafficking, and promoting economic growth, health, and energy security across the Caribbean.”

Reported similarly:
AP [2/25/2026 12:11 AM, Matthew Lee and Dánica Coto, 35287K]

NewsMax [2/24/2026 5:28 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, has made cracking down on Chinese ownership of American farmland a cornerstone of his political message. Federal campaign records, however, show that his campaign accepted tens of thousands of dollars from political action committees tied to Chinese-owned agribusiness giants, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday. Feenstra, now a leading candidate for Iowa governor, has repeatedly warned that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland — particularly by companies linked to China — poses serious economic and national security risks. He has specifically raised concerns about land purchases near U.S. military installations and has called for tougher federal oversight of foreign acquisitions. But Federal Election Commission filings show that between 2020 and 2024, Feenstra’s campaign accepted more than $20,000 from PACs affiliated with Syngenta and Smithfield Foods, the Examiner reported. Syngenta is owned by Chinese state-controlled Sinochem and operates seed and agricultural research businesses in the United States. Smithfield Foods has been owned since 2013 by Hong Kong-based WH Group, which has extensive ties to mainland China and controls significant U.S. agricultural assets, including farmland. Chinese ownership of farmland in the U.S. has drawn increasing scrutiny from lawmakers at both the federal and state levels amid concerns about food security, supply chains, and proximity to sensitive military sites. Feenstra, who represents a heavily agricultural district in northwest Iowa, has sponsored legislation including the bipartisan FARMLAND Act, which would increase federal review of large foreign land purchases and strengthen protections against acquisitions by what he has called "foreign adversaries.”

FOX News [2/24/2026 2:38 PM, Morgan Phillips, 37576K] reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will brief top congressional leaders on rising tensions in Iran on Tuesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s annual State of the Union address. Ratcliffe and Rubio, who also serves as Trump’s national security advisor, will brief the so-called Gang of Eight congressional leadership as well as top lawmakers on the Intelligence committees from the White House Tuesday at 3 p.m. The closed-door session comes as the administration weighs next steps in the escalating standoff with the Islamic Republic. Talks with Iran, where the U.S. is pushing for full denuclearization and a limit on its ballistic missile program, are scheduled to resume on Thursday. White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led talks last week with Iran that did not result in a tangible deal. The White House has made clear that diplomacy is Trump’s first priority, but the Middle East has seen the largest U.S. military buildup in decades. One carrier strike group under the USS Abraham Lincoln is already in the region and another with the USS Gerald R. Ford is heading that way. Meanwhile, Iran is digging in. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X Tuesday, "Our fundamental convictions are crystal clear: Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon; neither will we Iranians ever forgo our right to harness the dividends of peaceful nuclear technology for our people." In a message directed at the American side, he added, "A deal is within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority."

Bloomberg [2/24/2026 10:11 AM, Selcan Hacaoglu and Firat Kozok, 18082K] reports that the focus of NATO’s air surveillance in Turkey has shifted from Russia to Iran as the risk of a US-led military campaign against Tehran mounts, people familiar with the matter said. The alliance has frequently used its advanced AWACS radar planes based in Turkey to keep tabs on both countries. However, the frequency of flights from the central Anatolian city of Konya to watch Iran has increased, said the people, requesting anonymity to speak on a sensitive issue. They said Turkey is making preparations for a possible US-led strike against Iran, a move they said could force Tehran to make concessions on a number of issues including curtailing its nuclear program, followed by a wider attack if Iran refuses to do so. Turkey has urged both sides not to fuel tensions, they said. Turkey’s defense ministry declined to comment. NATO did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The US military has assembled a vast array of forces in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers and fighter jets as US President Donald Trump said he’s “considering” limited strikes on Iran. US and Iranian diplomats have been attempting to negotiate a new nuclear deal in recent weeks after Trump pressured Tehran into participating with threats of military action. Trump has said he wants to strike a deal by early March.

Reuters [2/24/2026 2:24 PM, Staff, 38315K] reports that the United States on Tuesday issued Russia and cyber-related sanctions against four people and three entities, including some based in Russia and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Treasury Department website. The entities and people were targeted "for their acquisition and distribution of cyber tools harmful to U.S. national security," the Treasury Department said in a statement. In a corresponding move, the U.S. Department of State said one of the individuals and the two of the entities hit with sanctions were also designated under the "Protecting American Intellectual Property Act (PAIPA) in connection with theft of trade secrets from U.S. persons." The sanctions are related to a U.S. investigation into a former executive of a government contractor for selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia - one of the entities hit with sanctions -for $1.3 million.

Breitbart [2/24/2026 1:59 PM, John Hayward, 2238K] reports that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Christopher Yeaw told the U.N.-backed Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday that China is racing to expand its nuclear arsenal and has conducted secret low-yield nuclear bomb tests to improve its weapons. "Despite its claims to the contrary, China has deliberately and without constraint, massively expanded its nuclear arsenal without transparency or any indication of China’s intent or end point," Yeaw told the conference. Yeaw produced additional declassified data to support the U.S. contention that China conducted a secret low-yield nuclear weapons test at its Lop Nur facility near Kazakhstan on June 22, 2020. China ostensibly declared a moratorium on nuclear testing in 1996, but U.S. intelligence believes Beijing has violated that self-imposed restriction on multiple occasions. The June 2020 test became headline news when sources inside the U.S. intelligence community leaked data on the covert Chinese bomb test to the media, along with an assessment that the Lop Nur detonation – relatively small by modern nuclear warhead standards, but powerful enough to cause seismic tremors in Kazakhstan – was part of China’s effort to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Yeaw on Monday revealed that "the estimated yield of the event was a 10-tonne nuclear explosion, or five tonnes conventional equivalent, which assumes the explosion was fully coupled in hard rock below the water table."

{End of Report} RETURN TO TOP