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 [2/3/2026 12:10 AM, Madeleine Ngo, 148038K] reports all immigration officers on the ground in Minneapolis will be equipped with body cameras, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said on Monday. Ms. Noem said that the change would be effective immediately and that the program would be expanded nationwide “as funding is available.” “We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country,” she said in a social media post. The announcement came in response to concern and outrage among many Americans, including lawmakers in Congress, over aggressive tactics that federal officers have used to advance President Trump’s immigration crackdown. It follows stumbles in federal officials’ accounts of fatal shootings involving federal agents, which have sometimes conflicted with those of local officials and witness videos. Ms. Noem said the policy change on Monday came after she spoke with Tom Homan, Mr. Trump’s border czar; the Immigration and Customs Enforcement director; and the Customs and Border Protection commissioner. On Monday, Mr. Trump said it “wasn’t my decision” but added that body cameras “generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can’t lie about what’s happening.” Lawmakers from both parties are open to providing additional funds for body cameras. The House last month passed a spending bill that would provide $20 million for purchasing body cameras for federal immigration officers after Democrats pressed for restrictions on ICE. But lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security as Democrats push for a broader overhaul. Politico [2/2/2026 5:21 PM, Eric Bazail-Eimil, 21784K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media Monday that in the name of transparency, her department would “immediately” deploy body cameras to all ICE and Border Patrol officers operating in Minneapolis as part of the administration’s crackdown in the Twin Cities. Noem added that “as funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide. We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country.” A body camera requirement has won bipartisan support on Capitol Hill during the DHS funding fight. Moderate Republicans had come around to the idea that ICE and CBP should require agents to wear body cameras, even as debate continues on other Democratic proposals, including more training and the end of qualified immunity for ICE officers. But the concession underscores the administration’s desire to end the partial government shutdown, which was triggered after Democrats refused to fund DHS and pass other government funding legislation after immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [2/2/2026 5:28 PM, Victoria Albert, 646K]
New York Post [2/2/2026 5:05 PM, Josh Christenson, 40934K]
Bloomberg [2/2/2026 5:55 PM, Pierre Paulden and Skylar Woodhouse, 18082K]
The Hill [2/2/2026 5:15 PM, Max Rego, 18170K]
Reuters [2/2/2026 4:46 PM, Kanishka Singh and Steve Holland, 38315K]
AP [2/2/2026 6:20 PM, Rebecca Santana]
CBS News [2/2/2026 5:34 PM, Joe Walsh, 51110K]
NBC News [2/2/2026 5:17 PM, Phil Helsel and Julia Ainsley, 42967K]
CNN [2/2/2026 5:39 PM, Holmes Lybrand, 19874K]
FOX News [2/2/2026 5:52 PM, Greg Wehner, 37576K]
USA Today [2/2/2026 6:38 PM, Bart Jansen, 70643K]
Telemundo [2/2/2026 4:44 PM, Staff, 2524K]
Univision [2/2/2026 5:09 PM, Staff, 4937K]
Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 5:27 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1147K]
Washington Times [2/2/2026 5:45 PM, Stephen Dinan, 1323K]
Daily Caller [2/2/2026 5:54 PM, Mann Vipas, 803K]
Daily Wire [2/2/2026 12:25 PM, Jennie Taer, 2314K]

AP [2/2/2026 8:16 PM, Staff, 35287K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump says he supports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to issue body-worn cameras to every DHS officer deployed to Minneapolis. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [2/2/2026 6:24 PM, Staff, 18082K] Video: HERE reports Rep. Madeleine Dean (D) PA states it’s "a message too late" when discussing whether or not DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to deploy body cameras to ICE agents in Minneapolis will influence her vote to reopen the government. She also talks about frustrations with the Trump administration, her reaction to Pres. Trump’s rhetoric on Iran, and what proposals she has to reform ICE and DHS. Representative Dean speaks with Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg’s "Balance of Power."

The New York Times [2/2/2026 7:59 PM, Miriam Jordan, 148038K] reports a federal judge late on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending a humanitarian protection for more than 350,000 Haitians, who have been able to live and work in the United States under what is known as Temporary Protected Status, or T.P.S. Judge Ana C. Reyes of the Federal District Court in Washington denied the administration’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of T.P.S., set for Feb. 3. The plaintiffs’ request for the status to remain in place was granted until the case is fully litigated. In a scathing, 83-page ruling, Judge Reyes said that the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, did not have the authority to end the status and that her arguments that maintaining T.P.S. for Haitians was not in the national interest were flawed. Her reasoning, the judge wrote, “focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian T.P.S. holders already live here, and legally so.” That analysis must also include economic considerations, according to the law. But Ms. Noem, Judge Reyes wrote, “ignores altogether the billions Haitian T.P.S. holders contribute to the economy.” The ruling offers a reprieve for Haitians with T.P.S., some of whom have lived in the country for years. But the federal government is almost certain to appeal, leaving the Haitians in limbo for the foreseeable future. Ultimately, their fate could end up decided by the Supreme Court. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said in a statement that the administration would be heading to the high court. “Temporary means temporary,” she said, “and the final word will not be from an activist judge legislating from the bench.” Judge Reyes said the administration was motivated, at least in part, by racial animus against Haiti, which is a majority Black country, and that its termination ran afoul of the law. The Washington Post [2/2/2026 10:00 PM, Salvador Rizzo and Michelle Boorstein, 24826K] reports U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes agreed to extend the authorizations for people from Haiti pending further legal proceedings sought by five TPS holders who filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal court to stop the mass expirations, which the Department of Homeland Security had said in an official notice would take effect Tuesday. In an 83-page opinion, Reyes said the legal challenge was likely to succeed, though she has yet to issue a final ruling. Reyes opened her opinion with a quote from George Washington and went on to rebuke Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem for labeling Haitian migrants as criminals and cited government data contradicting that claim. “Kristi Noem has a First Amendment right to call immigrants killers, leeches, entitlement junkies, and any other inapt name she wants,” Reyes wrote. “Secretary Noem, however, is constrained … to apply faithfully the facts to the law in implementing the TPS program. The record to-date shows she has yet to do that.” Haitian TPS holders were caught off-guard by the move — and relieved by the judge’s decision to block the mass expirations. The DHS notice was published in the federal register two months ago, on Nov. 28. In a statement responding to the ruling, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Reyes was “legislating from the bench,” vowing that the administration would appeal to the Supreme Court if necessary. “Haiti’s TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago,” McLaughlin said. “It was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that’s how previous administrations have used it for decades.” Government attorneys had sought to dismiss the case, arguing in legal filings that federal courts could not review the TPS terminations. Reyes denied that motion Monday. Bloomberg [2/2/2026 9:17 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 50K] reports DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin called Reyes’ decision “lawless activism.” “Supreme Court, here we come,” she said in a statement. Several TPS holders alleged in their lawsuit challenging the Haiti termination that the Trump administration violated the APA and violated statutory requirements for an objective review of conditions in the country. Reyes last month ordered the government to produce documents on the review process behind the Haiti termination after she expressed concerns that its decision was preordained. She found that Noem’s decision was likely arbitrary and capricious because the government’s explanations ran counter to the record, including copious documents describing a “nation deep in crisis.” Reyes also concluded that plaintiffs are likely to prevail with equal protection claims because the record strongly indicated a preordained decision motivated in part by racial animus. A stay is in the public interest, she found, in part because Haitian TPS holders contribute $3.4 billion to the economy annually and fill critical shortages in industries like health care. Letting the termination go forward would also affect homeowners and long-term residents embedded in their communities, Reyes found. And a majority of Haitian TPS holders and their families who rely on employer-sponsored health insurance would lose access, she wrote. Her decision follows a ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that Noem unlawfully terminated TPS for Venezuela and Haiti. That decision didn’t immediately change anything for TPS holders though because of a US Supreme Court order blocking relief issued by a lower court while the litigation continues.

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [2/2/2026 10:07 PM, Alyssa Lukpat, 646K]
New York Post [2/3/2026 12:53 AM, Victor Nava, 40934K] r
Reuters [2/2/2026 7:31 PM, Nate Raymond and Andrew Chung, 38315K]
AP [2/2/2026 11:16 PM, Luis Andres Henao and Hannah Schoenbaum, 28764K] r
CBS News [2/2/2026 9:04 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51110K]
CNN [2/2/2026 11:10 PM, Tami Luhby, 612K]
FOX News [2/2/2026 9:41 PM, Emma Bussey, 37576K]

Reuters [2/2/2026 12:21 PM, Daniel Wiessner, 36480K] reports a federal judge on Monday blocked a renewed attempt by President Donald Trump’s administration to bar members of Congress from making unannounced visits to immigrant detention facilities. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could not revive the policy, which the judge had blocked in December, by claiming it is using a different source of funding to implement it. The ruling came in a lawsuit by 13 Democratic members of Congress. Trump, a Republican, has made a crackdown on legal and illegal immigration a centerpiece of his second term. That has included a mass deportation campaign and the detention of thousands of people awaiting legal proceedings. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a January 8 memo mandated that members of Congress request access to detention centers at least seven days in advance, citing "significant and sometimes violent incidents." Cobb last month had blocked an identical policy adopted in June from being implemented using resources funded by the department’s general annual budget, such as for staff and equipment. She said that under federal law, members of Congress have broad authority to conduct oversight at detention centers. Noem in the memo said the agency would instead use part of the $29 billion earmarked for immigration enforcement efforts in Trump’s 2025 tax cut and spending legislation. Cobb in December said that funding was not subject to the same legal limitations as money that comes from the general budget. But on Monday, the judge said the Trump administration had not shown that the policy could be implemented and enforced using only the earmarked funds. "At least some of these resources that either have been or will be used to promulgate and enforce the notice policy have already been funded and paid for with restricted annual appropriations funds," Cobb wrote.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [2/2/2026 2:16 PM, Zach Montague, 148038K]
The Hill [2/2/2026 2:47 PM, Zach Schonfeld, 18170K]
FOX News [2/2/2026 2:03 PM, Stephen Sorace, 37576K]
Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 3:32 PM, Jack Birle, 1147K]
NewsMax [2/2/2026 11:25 AM, Staff, 3760K]
Blaze [2/2/2026 5:30 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1556K]

FOX News [2/2/2026 9:18 PM, Ashley Oliver, 37576K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has agreed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee next month, marking her second commitment to testify before Congress amid heightened scrutiny of the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation agenda. Noem will sit for a hearing with the House panel on March 4, Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital in a brief interview. Jordan said Noem’s appearance was part of routine oversight of Cabinet members over whom his panel has jurisdiction. He noted that it was unrelated to committee Democrats’ recent demand letter to Jordan that he bring Noem in for questioning about the two high-profile killings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota during immigration operations. Both incidents are under investigation by the FBI, but the Democrats, led by ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., accused Noem of making premature remarks as a "cover-up" for her department’s mistakes. Jordan said one of his focuses during the hearing will be on so-called sanctuary cities and states, which typically have policies in place that limit or block local law enforcement from notifying federal authorities about anyone who has been detained in a local jail who has a questionable immigration status. Jordan said sanctuary jurisdictions raised a "fundamental question.” "You’ve got a guy in your jail who’s done some bad thing — that’s why he’s in your jail. — and, oh, also happens to be here illegally, and you’re not going to work with ICE. … I think the vast majority of the country thinks that’s just stupid," Jordan said. "So I think that’s a point we have to stress.” Noem is also set to appear on March 3 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Both testimonies come as DHS has been caught up in hundreds of court cases challenging arrests and detentions of suspected illegal immigrants. It also comes after Noem initially said both Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two U.S. citizens killed by immigration authorities during chaotic altercations in Minnesota, were "domestic terrorists.” Noem and other Trump administration officials’ jump to make such comments on the killings before the conclusion of an investigation spurred backlash, including from some Republicans. President Donald Trump responded by rearranging immigration operations in Minnesota, pushing out their leader, Greg Bovino, and bringing in border czar Tom Homan. Federal authorities are continuing to investigate whether agents legally used lethal force in the two incidents. Trump recently defended Noem in a Truth Social post, accusing "Radical Left Lunatics" of targeting her "because she is a woman, and has done a really GREAT JOB!".

Bloomberg [2/2/2026 5:28 PM, Erik Larson, 18082K] reports a US judge declined to order the Trump administration to preserve evidence tied to the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, a setback for Minnesota state investigators who were initially blocked from the scene. US District Judge Eric Tostrud on Monday denied the state’s request to extend a temporary order requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to ensure all evidence is protected for a state investigation into the Jan. 24 shooting. The judge said there was no evidence that DHS wouldn’t preserve the evidence under its own procedures absent a court order. The state had argued that a temporary order must remain in place because Noem and other federal officials, who have already declared the shooting was justified, would otherwise continue to allegedly “withhold, destroy, alter, or conceal” evidence. The suit ultimately seeks to force the federal government to grant Minnesota investigators access to all evidence from the incident, which sparked protests across the country. Reuters [2/2/2026 4:27 PM, Staff, 38315K] reports U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud in Saint Paul said the temporary restraining order he issued on January 24 was no longer needed because DHS appeared unlikely to destroy or improperly alter the evidence. Pretti was the second U.S. citizen killed by federal agents during widespread protests in Minneapolis against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement crackdown. The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting that could potentially lead to criminal charges against the officers involved, though there is a high legal bar to bring such a case. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Hennepin County Attorney’s Office filed the lawsuit to obtain access to the shooting evidence after federal law enforcement refused to allow state investigators access to the street where agents killed Pretti. The lawsuit said the investigation of the scene by federal agents was hasty and that public statements by top Trump administration officials showed that DHS decided the day of the shooting that the agents had done nothing wrong. Tostrud said in his order that statements by DHS, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller immediately absolving agents of wrongdoing were "troubling" and reflect "snap judgments informed by speculation and motivated by political partisanship." However, Tostrud said the connection between those statements and actions by federal investigators was "too remote" to justify a continued court order. Tostrud also said the shooting almost certainly triggered a legal duty for federal law enforcement to preserve evidence for a possible excessive force lawsuit brought on Pretti’s behalf, and that destroying evidence in that context would have serious consequences.

Reported similarly:
Politico [2/2/2026 6:31 PM, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, 21784K]

USA Today [2/2/2026 7:55 PM, Michael Loria, 70643K] reports the killing of a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, whose death in Minneapolis has sparked protests nationwide, was ruled a homicide, according to a medical examiner’s report made public Feb. 2. Alex Pretti was fatally shot by Department of Homeland Security agents deployed to Minnesota as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration enforcement in the state. His killing has rocked the country. The White House has moved to recast its approach to fulfilling Trump’s promise of mass deportations; opponents around the country have taken to the streets to say Pretti’s killing shows the president has gone too far. The medical examiner for Hennepin County determined that Pretti’s killing on Jan. 24 was a "homicide" caused by "multiple gunshot wounds." According to the report, Pretti’s fatal wounds occurred after he was "shot by law enforcement officer(s)." Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Jan. 30 that the agency had opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing. A spokesperson for Homeland Security told USA TODAY that the incident is being investigated by the FBI with support from Homeland Security Investigations. Customs and Border Protection is conducting its own investigation. Homeland Security officials have not identified the agents involved in the incident but in a report obtained by USA TODAY the agency said two agents fired guns during the fatal encounter with Pretti. The agents were placed on leave. Investigative news outlet ProPublica identified the pair as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [2/2/2026 3:04 PM, Max Rego, 18170K]

CNN [2/2/2026 2:43 PM, Josh Campbell, 19874K] reports that let’s face it: Under the weight of mounting video evidence and subsequent statements by senior Trump administration officials, the swift narrative painting Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist hellbent on slaughtering federal agents has collapsed. Senior administration officials now appear to be throwing immigration agents in Minneapolis under the proverbial bus as they blame those on the scene for fueling the administration’s initial half-cocked defense of what transpired. The killing of Pretti has also resurrected renewed scrutiny of a Department of Homeland Security PR machine that has swiftly rushed to exonerate the actions of agents in incidents involving use of force, despite questions raised by bystander videos and independent judges. Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis ICU nurse, was shot and killed by federal immigration agents just over one week ago during a tense encounter caught on video. The video shows Pretti sought to shield a woman shoved to the ground by an immigration agent, culminating in his attempt to resist arrest before agents eventually opened fire. The incident occurred 11 days after Pretti was involved in an earlier confrontation with immigration agents and seen on video kicking the tail light of a federal vehicle before being tackled and released by agents. After the January 24 shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem asserted that Pretti, a licensed gun owner, was brandishing a firearm at federal agents, "wishing to inflict harm on these officers."

FOX News [2/2/2026 7:00 AM, Lindsay Kornick, 37576K] reports Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., admitted that trust in the Trump administration has been broken "without question" after its response to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by border patrol agents in Minnesota. Paul told CBS’ "60 Minutes" he was concerned about administration officials such as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino accusing Pretti of committing domestic terrorism or seeking to cause "maximum damage" after video of the shooting circulated online. "It sounds like terrible judgment," Paul remarked on their statements. "I mean, terrible conclusions, incorrect conclusions, stating things that no one else believes. You can lie to your heart’s content if there’s no video. But the video doesn’t support what they’re saying." "You seem to be saying trust is broken," correspondent Scott Pelley said. "Without question," Paul responded.

DailySignal [2/2/2026 12:31 PM, Virginia Allen, 474K] reports that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has responded after a federal judge’s ruling claimed the department is "traumatizing children." Federal Judge Fred Biery for the Western District of Texas, appointed by President Bill Clinton, on Saturday ordered the release of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father from immigration detention. Biery asserted the case of the child and his father "has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children." Reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents taking a 5-year-old into custody in Minneapolis became national news about 10 days ago, when an image of ICE agents with a little boy in a blue hat and a Spiderman backpack went viral. ICE agents sought to arrest the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, when the man fled from agents on foot, "abandoning his child," DHS said in a statement on Jan. 22. ICE agents, according to the agency, stayed with the child, Liam Conejo Ramos, while his father was apprehended. Federal authorities attempted to reunite the boy with his mother, but the mother refused to take custody of her child, even after officers "assured her that they would NOT take her into custody," DHS reports.

Daily Signal [2/2/2026 12:25 PM, Virginia Allen, 549K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has responded after a federal judge’s ruling claimed the department is “traumatizing children.” Federal Judge Fred Biery for the Western District of Texas, appointed by President Bill Clinton, on Saturday ordered the release of a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy and his father from immigration detention. Biery asserted the case of the child and his father “has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, apparently even if it requires traumatizing children.” Reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents taking a 5-year-old into custody in Minneapolis became national news about 10 days ago, when an image of ICE agents with a little boy in a blue hat and a Spiderman backpack went viral. ICE agents sought to arrest the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, when the man fled from agents on foot, “abandoning his child,” DHS said in a statement on Jan. 22. ICE agents, according to the agency, stayed with the child, Liam Conejo Ramos, while his father was apprehended. Federal authorities attempted to reunite the boy with his mother, but the mother refused to take custody of her child, even after officers “assured her that they would NOT take her into custody,” DHS reports. Officers then abided by the father’s wishes for the boy to remain with him in immigration detention custody. The administration says Arias entered the U.S. illegally in December 2024. The lawyer claimed that Arias did not abandon his son, and that the mother would not accept custody of Liam out of fear of being apprehended, Reuters reported. “Let me be clear: These families always get the opportunity to stay together,” Noem said Sunday on Fox News. “This child has been with his father, which was the father’s choice.”

FOX News [2/2/2026 8:01 AM, Taylor Penley Fox, 37576K] reports President Trump has no plans to soften his illegal immigration crackdown, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday, as the administration defends ICE and Border Patrol against escalating political attacks. "President Trump is never going to waver in the commitment that he made to the nearly 80 million Americans who voted for him to deport illegal alien criminals who broke our nation’s laws to get here and then have committed further crimes of violence against American citizens," Leavitt told "Sunday Morning Futures." "That’s why ICE and Border Patrol are true patriots. They need to be respected. The Democrats need to agree to stop demonizing them." Leavitt blasted "egregious" rhetoric comparing federal agents to the Nazi Gestapo, telling Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that such language has prompted an uptick in violence and threats against men and women in uniform. "The Trump administration is always going to be on the side of law and order, and we want to remove these illegal alien rapists, murderers, pedophiles, despicable individuals from our country to protect the homeland, and the president has done a phenomenal job at doing that," she added.

Reuters [2/2/2026 5:07 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports U.S. lawmakers in Congress are nearing a resolution aimed ending a partial government shutdown, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday. Trump told reporters that he had spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and they indicated that "they’re pretty close to a resolution." He said he had also spoken with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer numerous times and did not believe Democrats wanted to see a shutdown. A partial shutdown took effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time (0501 GMT) after Congress failed to approve a deal to keep a wide swath of operations funded, but it is expected to be brief, with lawmakers from both parties working to reach a deal. Johnson said on Sunday he believes he has the Republican votes to end a partial government shutdown within days and that the chamber will debate Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms for two weeks after that.

NewsMax [2/2/2026 10:41 AM, Brian Freeman, 3760K] reports Republicans said they are confident Congress will soon pass government funding, despite intensifying partisan clashes over immigration enforcement and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending. Sen. Roger Marshall told Newsmax on Monday that Democrat resistance risks undermining public safety and national security. The Kansas Republican said on Newsmax’s "Wake Up America" that he has confidence in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s ability to navigate the funding fight and end the partial shutdown, even as negotiations grow increasingly contentious. "I have confidence in Speaker Johnson," Marshall said. "He does have an impossible job." The senator added, "But I think with Speaker Johnson’s leadership, the president is going to have to lean into this, that we’ll keep the government open and do the responsible thing." The funding dispute has increasingly focused on DHS, as Democrats push for changes to immigration enforcement, including restrictions on masked agents and new judicial warrant requirements, while Republicans seek stronger border security measures and passage of legislation such as the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote. Marshall framed the standoff as a defining test between the parties, saying Republicans remain focused on law and order while Democrats risk overplaying their hand. "The Republican Party is the party of law and order," Marshall said. "This is the next chapter of that book.”

FOX News [2/2/2026 1:22 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports that Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., discusses the ongoing government shutdown and the debate over DHS funding on ‘America’s Newsroom.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [2/2/2026 12:22 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 18170K] reports that a partial shutdown affecting much of the federal government began Saturday, but it is unlikely to last long. The shutdown is hitting huge parts of the government, including the Pentagon, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress had already passed six appropriations bills, ensuring several agencies were funded through the end of September. And the rest of the government could reopen soon. The Senate on Friday voted overwhelmingly to reopen shuttered agencies covered by five regular appropriations bills. The Senate package also includes a two-week stopgap measure for the DHS. That deal came about through negotiations between President Trump and Senate leaders, but the package must still be approved by the House. Here’s what to know about the partial shutdown. Funding lapsed for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Hill [2/2/2026 7:37 PM, Al Weaver, 18170K] reports Congress is staring at a steep climb to finalizing a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as progressives and conservatives each try to throw their weight after the shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis. The House aims to send the five-bill minibus and a two-week DHS continuing resolution to President Trump’s desk by Tuesday, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) facing a difficult road to get there. Even so, his lift might be nothing compared with the potential landmines that negotiators will face in trying to pull off a full-year DHS bill. One such landmine: Democrats have called for an end to roving patrols in various cities, with some members likening immigration enforcement’s targeting of people on the basis of their race or ethnicity to Russia under Joseph Stalin. Republicans are saying that is not up for negotiation. Here are four key issues and sticking points to watch for before the extended DHS funding runs out. Atop the Democratic wish list of policy changes for the DHS package is language aimed at tightening the use of warrants for agents engaged in immigration operations. Aside from warrants, the future masking of ICE and border agents is among the most contentious points between lawmakers, as Democrats have made this one of their foremost demands in negotiations. Moving from the items that have little chance of being part of a deal to those that are more likely, at the top of that list is body cameras, as Republicans have indicated that ICE officers and Border Patrol agents should be donning them in the field. Perhaps the biggest headache for negotiators will be the time crunch facing them, as they have just more than a week to strike a deal on the DHS portion, a stretch that lawmakers are arguing isn’t nearly enough time. As the adage has it on Capitol Hill, lawmakers operate on deadlines. This will likely put them up against the Feb. 13 deadline, which could create headaches for leaders if they can thread the needle to get a deal. To move it through both chambers without a time agreement, some believe a deal would be needed by the end of this week — and no one expects an agreement will come about by the time lawmakers head out of town on Thursday.

Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 9:36 PM, Rachel Schilke and Lauren Green, 1147K] reports conservative holdouts are giving up their opposition to reopening the government thanks to an intervention from President Donald Trump, who promised Republicans a path to passing legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The House is set to vote on Tuesday on a procedural, party-line motion to advance a five-bill appropriations package and a 10-day continuing resolution to fund the Department of Homeland Security, among other bills. Conservative rebels initially demanded that the package also include the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. This came after Trump said "NO CHANGES" should be made to the funding deal in order to end the partial shutdown, which began at midnight on Saturday. Lawmakers, like Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), had initially said they were a "hard no" and pledged to "shut down the floor of the House" if the SAVE Act wasn’t included in the funding package. But Luna told reporters Monday evening that she and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) will vote to bring the package to the floor after meeting with Trump at the White House. According to Luna, Trump promised the Senate would use a loophole to jam the SAVE Act through. "As of right now, I feel very comfortable where we’re at," Luna said.

NewsMax [2/2/2026 11:49 AM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K] reports that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., urged congressional Republicans to hold the line when it comes to the budget. She said Monday on Newsmax’s "Wake Up America" that the GOP must stick together to pass a funding package to reopen the government and keep the Department of Homeland Security operating. Malliotakis said President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants Republicans behind the spending bills because it gives negotiators breathing room on a key security issue. "President Trump has been clear that he wants Republicans to vote for this package because it buys them a little more time, two more weeks, to negotiate on the Homeland Security piece," she said. She framed the vote as urgent because an extended lapse would hit frontline operations. "If we don’t fund Homeland Security for the next two weeks, that’s going to affect everything from our TSA agents to our Coast Guard to counterterrorism to cybersecurity," Malliotakis warned. She argued the bills are largely unchanged and passing them should not be a tough issue. "The only change really is that two-week extension for the Homeland Security piece so they can continue the negotiations," she said, adding, "Everything else is the same."

NPR [2/2/2026 6:47 AM, Michel Martin, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports amid the partial government shutdown, we hear from House Minority Whip Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., about funding for the Department of Homeland Security. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/2/2026 1:12 PM, Alex Miller and Elizabeth Elkind, 37576K] reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that if House Republicans try to jam voter ID legislation into the Trump-backed funding deal, it would be dead on arrival in the Senate. House Republicans want to walk away from the current spending fight with a victory of sorts, despite President Donald Trump taking the lead and negotiating a temporary funding truce with Schumer and Senate Democrats. They’re demanding that the five-bill funding package, which stripped out the controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill in favor of a two-week funding extension, also include the House Republicans’ updated Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, dubbed the SAVE America Act. But doing so is a bridge too far for Schumer. The top Senate Democrat argued that the legislation, which has been sitting on the shelf in the House for months, is "reminiscent of Jim Crow-era laws," and would act as a means to suppress voters rather than encourage more secure elections. "I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate," Schumer said in a statement. "It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to. If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan appropriations package it will lead to another prolonged Trump government shutdown," he continued.

NewsMax [2/2/2026 1:15 PM, Mark Swanson, 3760K] reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that a push by Republicans to safeguard federal elections through the SAVE Act would be "dead on arrival" in the Senate. In a statement, Schumer compared Republicans’ renewed rally to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act to the Jim Crow era, drawing criticism from conservatives who say the legislation is aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting. "It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation it is attached to. If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan appropriations package it will lead to another prolonged Trump government shutdown," Schumer said in the statement. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, on Friday introduced legislation that would require voters to show photo identification in federal elections, expanding on earlier efforts to mandate proof of citizenship. Under the proposal, voters would be required to provide in-person proof of citizenship when registering, and states would be directed to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls. The original SAVE Act passed the House in April but was never taken up in the Senate. Now, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, a member of the Republican Study Committee, is leading a renewed House push to force action, urging Senate Rules Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to schedule an immediate markup.

NewsMax [2/2/2026 11:09 PM, Michael Katz, 3760K] reports Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said Monday night that President Donald Trump wants Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE America Act. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has declared the bill dead on arrival, prompting Republicans to weigh an uncommon procedural move to bypass Democrat opposition. "Just left the White House. POTUS wants the SAVE America Act passed! Voter ID is number one," Luna wrote in a post on X. "Today, Schumer said he wants mass amnesty for all illegals and to immediately stop all ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] efforts." Luna said she discussed the bill with senators and the president and that the only viable path forward is through a rarely used Senate maneuver. "After speaking with many senators, as well as directly with POTUS, the pathway forward is through the standing filibuster," she wrote. "This would effectively keep the government open while allowing Republican senators to break through the ‘zombie’ filibuster and put the SAVE America Act up for a vote on the Senate floor," Luna continued. "The standing filibuster is not common parliamentary procedure, but it is one of the only mechanisms available to go around senators who want to block voter ID." In Senate practice, most major legislation can be delayed or blocked unless 60 senators vote to end debate under cloture rules. The term "zombie filibuster" is sometimes used to describe the modern filibuster, in which senators do not need to hold the floor and speak continuously to prevent a vote. Luna directly appealed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. "@LeaderJohnThune we are very pleased that you are discussing the standing filibuster, and we believe you will go down in history if this is pulled off as one of the best leaders the Senate has ever had," she wrote. "Voter ID is a must, and the ball is now in your court."

FOX News [2/2/2026 12:37 PM, Max Bacall, 37576K] reports that Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., acknowledged Sunday that a government shutdown would not stop Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations because the agency is already funded under existing law, as Democrats have refused to vote for a spending package that includes money for ICE. "It’s absolutely true that [a government shutdown] it’s not going to really deprive any kind of funding from DHS or ultimately ICE because they have those effectively unlimited funds through the big, beautiful bill," Fetterman said on "The Sunday Briefing.” Nearly $200 billion in funding has been allocated to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through President Donald Trump’s signature "big, beautiful bill," which will fund ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) for years. "So we’re going to have to figure out a way forward," Fetterman continued, predicting negotiations over ICE reforms between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. "Thankfully, people really got smart and realized, in the Senate, we cannot shut down like our military," said Fetterman. He has been vocally opposed to government shutdowns, especially in the wake of the longest one in U.S. history, which occurred last year. Senate Democrats and the White House last week reached a deal to fund the government, but the House still has to review it on Monday afternoon as the partial government shutdown enters its third day.

Blaze [2/2/2026 1:15 PM, Rebeka Zeljko, 1556K] reports that Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has yet again bucked his party as tensions rise between ICE and Democrat-backed agitators. Democrats facilitated a partial shutdown late last week after stalling a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, citing their disapproval of law enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Notably, the DHS funding bill would primarily fund FEMA and other emergency services, with the majority of ICE’s funding coming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last summer. Despite this, Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have laid out a list of demands they want to see implemented in the DHS funding bill, including a prohibition of face masks on federal agents. Fetterman joined Republicans sounding off on the demands, arguing that their face coverings ensure that unhinged activists can’t doxx agents’ private information with the intention of endangering them or their families. "The agents wearing masks, I think, primarily that’s driven by people who are going to doxx those people," Fetterman said. "That’s a serious concern, too, absolutely. They could target their families, and they are organizing these people to get their names out there.” "Don’t ever, ever doxx people and target their families," Fetterman added.

NewsMax [2/2/2026 11:44 AM, Theodore Bunker, 3760K] reports that Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., a member of the House Ways and Means and Veterans Affairs committees, urged lawmakers on Monday to "keep our government funded." He said that despite deepening disputes over funding the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Congress should avert a partial government shutdown. The House is operating with a narrow Republican majority as lawmakers remain deadlocked over DHS funding after broader government appropriations lapsed, forcing dozens of federal agencies into partial shutdown status and furloughing employees. The Senate was unable to advance a full funding package this week, with disputes over DHS and ICE enforcement policies blocking an agreement. "I absolutely think there’s time to pull back and reassess what has been done in Minnesota, but we need to keep our government funded," Murphy said in an interview on Newsmax’s "National Report" on Monday. He said protests in Minneapolis, following deadly shootings by federal agents, have amplified calls from Democrats for stricter oversight of ICE and other enforcement agencies. Murphy’s comments come as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled confidence that the House could approve most funding bills by Tuesday, even as DHS remains a flashpoint in negotiations. Johnson is planning to push forward with a procedural path that would allow passage with only Republican support. "It’s a protest vote against what the ICE agents are doing now," Murphy said of Democrat opposition to the current funding measure.

Blaze [2/2/2026 12:01 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an "ICE on Notice" executive order on Saturday, threatening to prosecute Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for potential misconduct. Johnson’s executive action directed the Chicago Police Department to "investigate and document alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents and refer evidence of felony violations to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution.” CPD officers are directed to document federal enforcement activities, including by recording body-camera footage and verifying names and badge numbers of federal supervisory officers on the scene. Police are required to submit a complete report detailing any alleged violations. Any documented illegal activities will be shared with the public, according to the city. The mayor claimed that the order created "a framework for public accountability in the event federal agents violate local or state law while operating in Chicago.” Johnson further alleged that the Trump administration’s federal immigration operations have "violated constitutionally protected rights." He also claimed that ICE activities have "destabilized communities" and "provoked life-threatening confrontations.” "Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as ‘absolute immunity’ in America," Johnson stated. "The lawlessness of Trump’s militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents.” In a statement to the Center Square, Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara Jr. called Johnson’s executive order political bluster. "The only good thing in that piece of toilet paper is ‘no CPD member will be required to arrest any federal agents,’" Catanzara said. Catanzara raised concerns that the order requires police to document any allegations of misconduct against a federal agent. "These claims of criminal misconduct by ICE law enforcement are FALSE," Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with WLS-TV. McLaughlin stated that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, "ICE is held to the highest professional standard, and officers regularly receive ongoing training.” "As our brave law enforcement arrests and removes dangerous criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and gang members from our communities, America can be proud of the professionalism our officers bring [to] the job, day in and day out," the statement continued. "Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.” McLaughlin contended that the state’s sanctuary policies had led to the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. She noted that there are over 4,000 immigrants with active detainers currently incarcerated in Illinois jails.

Chicago Tribune [2/2/2026 8:06 PM, Madeline Buckley and Sam Charles, 5209K] reports the Cook County state’s attorney’s office on Monday said “a thorough analysis is being conducted” to assess the legality of a mayoral executive order that directs Chicago police to investigate potential wrongdoing by immigration agents, after the weekend signing was overshadowed by a political brouhaha due to social media pushback from the county’s top prosecutor. For months, advocacy groups have pushed city, county and state officials to investigate and potentially prosecute immigration agents in connection with confrontations with civilians during the Trump administration’s aggressive Operation Midway Blitz this fall. “These rogue federal agents are taking us backward as a city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said Saturday. “The people of Chicago asked me to do more, so I’ve done more.” But the announcement quickly led to a back-and-forth between Johnson and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, who posted on the social media platform X that her office “did not receive the Executive Order until it was released to the public. We do not provide legal approval of any matter until we’ve reviewed it.” In response, Johnson’s office said the mayor’s team received feedback on some of the order’s language from Burke’s policy chief, Yvette Loizon. But Burke’s office fired back again, saying it “never received draft or final language from the Mayor’s office.” Of particular note in the executive order is a passage that says: “CPD supervisors must ensure preservation of evidence relating to the incidents and reports described above and, at the direction of the Mayor’s office, make a referral of felony matters to the Cook County State’s Attorney.”

FOX News [2/2/2026 12:34 PM, Ashley Oliver, 37576K] reports that a federal judge’s unusual order for immigration authorities to release a father and his five-year-old son over the weekend was met with fierce backlash from Republicans after it suggested the Trump administration was cruel and had a "perfidious lust for unbridled power." Judge Fred Biery’s brief order, laced with disapproval, said Adrian Conejo Arias and his five-year-old son Liam were seeking "nothing more than some modicum" of due process. The judge, a Clinton appointee, included a Bible verse about Jesus crying and a viral photo of the small child wearing a backpack. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, responded by adding Biery to his short list of judges he has recently been urging the House to impeach. "This federal judge misspelled ‘impeach me—immediately.’ House GOP, you know what to do," Lee wrote. The Center for Immigration Studies’ law and policy fellow Andrew Arthur said the order was "bizarre." Attorney General Pam Bondi’s former chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, wrote on X: "I honestly thought this was fake." "I really hope this is a joke," Mizelle wrote. "Because if not, this is the biggest validation of our criticism since Day 1 that the liberal judiciary is unhinged." Conservative Fox News political analyst Guy Benson called the order "lawless, overwrought resistance slop," and his remark was shared on social media by DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.

Washington Times [2/2/2026 10:38 PM, Stephen Dinan, 1323K] reports a federal judge delivered a withering rebuke to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday, accusing her of harboring a “hostility to nonwhite immigrants,” and blocking her decision to end a deportation amnesty for hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants. Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee to the federal district court in Washington, said Ms. Noem slandered the Haitians by suggesting they were “killers, leeches and entitlement junkies.” Instead, she pointed to a neuroscientist, a software engineer, a college student and a registered nurse as the people Ms. Noem’s decision affected. Judge Reyes also said it was startling that Ms. Noem would say Haiti is safe enough for its citizens to return to, when the State Department still has it listed as a no-go country for Americans, warning, “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason.” “Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable,” Judge Reyes wrote in a weighty 83-page ruling. “This approach is many things — in the public interest is not one of them,” she added. At issue is what’s known as Temporary Protected Status, a form of deportation amnesty.

Breitbart [2/2/2026 9:26 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports that, on Monday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” House Minority Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) argued that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem should be impeached because “She named Renee Good a domestic terrorist, within hours, without investigation,” and one condition for Democrats on DHS funding is “real, independent investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.” While discussing funding DHS, [relevant remarks begin around 3:50] Clark said requiring judicial warrants would be a bottom line for Democrats, “And removing masks, wearing ID badges, stop storming houses of worship and hospitals and schools. And we want real, independent investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.” After that, the discussion turned to the push to impeach Noem, and Clark said, “The grounds would be that she has allowed a part of DHS to let down the American people, to not focus on their security, but to allow ICE to become a tool of political retribution for this president. She named Renee Good a domestic terrorist, within hours, without investigation, and is still refusing to do an investigation. The list of things that Kristi Noem has done to threaten the security of the American people is lengthy. And we are proceeding. We are going to be the voice of the American people in Congress who are demanding accountability. We are going to build our case. We will continue to hold town halls, investigative hearings. We will be listening and collecting evidence. And, together with the American people, we will hold Kristi Noem and the GOP accountable for the abuses of this lawless administration.”

Breitbart [2/2/2026 1:00 PM, Jeff Poor, 2238K] reports that Monday on CNN’s "The Situation Room," Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) suggested he would support removing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if Trump border czar Tom Homan were to be Noem’s replacement. Kennedy said he was a "big Tom Homan fan," adding that he believed in immigration law enforcement, but said how those laws were enforced mattered. "In your view, Senator, has Secretary Noem sufficiently acknowledged the mistakes she’s made and her people made in Minnesota?" CNN host Wolf Blitzer said. Kennedy replied, "Well, I haven’t heard it. She might have, and I just didn’t hear it. I guess I’d make three points quickly, Wolf. Number one, I’m a big Tom Homan fan. I think he knows what he is doing. I think he exercises providential judgment. I would leave him in charge. Number two, I think most Americans agree with me that illegal immigration is illegal. Our immigration statutes are not some second-tier laws. I support enforcing them. How you enforce them matters. Due process, equal protection, reasonable suspicion, and Terry v. Ohio." He added, "You can legislate stuff, but if you don’t have the leadership to execute it, then it’s of no moment. I think Homan knows how to do that."

CNN [2/2/2026 7:02 PM, Uriel Blanco, Gonzalo Zegarra and Michael Rios, 19874K] reports after a year of insults, threats, tariffs and sanctions, the leaders of the US and Colombia will meet in Washington on Tuesday in an apparent attempt to put their bitter feud behind them. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accepted the invitation from Donald Trump last month following a cordial phone call that dramatically reversed their war of words. The meeting comes at an important moment for Petro. His government intends to prove to Washington that it has an effective grip on drug trafficking following the unprecedented US military operation in neighboring Venezuela that led to the capture of its President Nicolás Maduro, whom the US accused of cartel ties. Petro is also aiming to have US sanctions against him overturned. The US president said Monday that he was looking forward to a "good meeting" with Petro. Petro arrived in Washington on Monday using a special visa. His previous one was revoked in September by the State Department after a speech to a pro-Palestinian crowd in which Petro called on American soldiers to disobey Trump. The US-Colombia relationship is often considered one of the most stable in the Americas, especially in terms of security and defense. But it showed signs of stress as early as January 2025, the month Trump began his second presidential term. As part of his crackdown on illegal immigration, one of Trump’s first moves was to launch a mass deportation campaign, which included the use of military planes to expel immigrants, sometimes with their hands tied. Angered by the way deportees were being returned, Petro blocked two of those flights from landing in his country, saying he would "never allow Colombians to be brought back in handcuffs on flights.” However, Petro backtracked later that day after the Trump administration threatened to impose tariffs and sanctions. Colombia announced that it would accept "all" of Trump’s conditions, including the "unrestricted acceptance of undocumented immigrants" who entered the US. In March 2025, during a meeting in Bogotá, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Petro had referred to members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua as "his friends" and described them as misunderstood people who simply needed "more love and more understanding.”

CBS News [2/2/2026 6:49 PM, Staff, 51110K] Video: HERE reports Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Esteban Moctezuma joined "The Takeout" to respond to comments from Peter Schweizer, author of "The Invisible Coup," about Mexican immigration to the United States.

AP [2/2/2026 10:45 AM, Astrid Suárez and Manuel Rueda, 35287K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to host one of his most vocal regional critics, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, at the White House in a high-stakes meeting analysts suggest could redefine the immediate future of bilateral relations. Petro has called Trump an "accomplice to genocide" in the Gaza Strip, while the U.S. president called him a "drug lord," an exchange of insults that escalated with U.S. sanctions against Petro, threats of reciprocal tariffs, the withdrawal of financial aid to Colombia and even the suggestion of a military attack. Tensions eased in early January when Trump accepted a call from Petro, saying it was a "great honor to speak with the president of Colombia," who called him to "explain the drug situation and other disagreements.” The two leaders are expected to meet Tuesday to address strategies for curbing drug trafficking and boosting bilateral trade, while potentially discussing joint operations against Colombian rebel groups fueled by the cocaine trade. "There’s a lot of space here for mutual cooperation and shared success," said Elizabeth Dickinson, a Colombia expert at the International Crisis Group. Decades of security cooperation once made Colombia the primary U.S. ally in the region, but that relationship has recently faced unprecedented strain. The two countries have opposing views on how to address the problem of illicit drugs. While the U.S. remains anchored in aggressive eradication and supply-side control, Petro advocates for interdiction, demand reduction and providing economic alternatives for small-scale coca farmers. In 2025, the U.S. signaled its dissatisfaction with Petro’s anti-drug policy by adding Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in three decades. Since then, Petro has focused on highlighting the record seizures and claiming that his government has managed to halt the growth of coca leaf crops. However, Colombia’s coca crop has reached historic highs, as the government shifts away from eradication. According to United Nations research, potential cocaine production has surged by at least 65% during the Petro administration, to more than 3,000 tones per year.

FOX News [2/2/2026 8:19 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports Sec. Noem spoke with Fox News Digital about the music awards show, saying celebrities don’t realize the positive impacts operations make in their respective communities. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

DailySignal [2/2/2026 3:01 PM, Virginia Allen, 474K] reports the Department of Homeland Security on Monday shot back at criticism of immigration enforcement from celebrity artists at the 2026 Grammy Awards. "It’s gross Hollywood would choose to demonize our law enforcement as they are putting their lives on the line to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, kidnappers, and robbers from our communities," Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Signal. The 68th annual Grammy Awards ceremony took on a political tone Sunday night as celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kehlani protested Immigration and Customs Enforcement by sporting "ICE Out" pins on the red carpet. Rapper Bad Bunny repeated the sentiment on stage. In response, McLaughlin said, "This type of garbage is contributing to our officers facing a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks, 1,300% increase in assaults against them, and an 8,000% increase in death threats."

FOX News [2/2/2026 6:00 AM, Lindsay Kornick and Nora Moriarty, 37576K] reports celebrities have adopted scathing rhetoric against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and raids over the past few weeks. Since the Golden Globe Awards earlier this month, many actors and performers have used their platforms to criticize the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics. Several actors began wearing "ICE OUT" or "BE GOOD" pins to the awards show and have explicitly called out the agency during the event. "Of course, this is for [Renee Good], who was murdered by an ICE agent, and it’s really sad. I know people are out marching and all today, and we need to speak up," comedian Wanda Sykes told Variety on the red carpet prior to the show. "We need to be out there and shut this rogue government down, because it’s just awful what they’re doing to people." More recently, at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, actress Natalie Portman suggested that ICE was part of the "worst of the worst of humanity" while criticizing the deaths caused by immigration enforcement raids. "What’s going on in our country right now is absolutely horrific with what the federal government, Trump’s government, Kristi Noem, ICE, what they are doing is really the worst of the worst of humanity," Portman said. "Breaking Bad" actor Giancarlo Esposito went even further and called for a "revolution" over ICE in an interview with Variety on Tuesday.

NPR [2/2/2026 4:58 PM, Ximena Bustillo, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports immigration attorneys and advocates see Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case as a symbol of the bigger travails of mass deportation.

NBC News [2/2/2026 5:00 AM, Steve Kopack and Allie Canal, 43603K] reports in the wake of Alex Pretti’s death at the hands of federal officers in Minneapolis, a growing number of corporate leaders, employees and Minnesota-based companies are speaking out. Some are condemning the fatal shooting and President Donald Trump’s broader immigration enforcement in the state. But the response has also exposed a familiar tension in corporate America: Powerful executives and public-facing companies often stay quiet until internal and external pressures converge — and until they believe speaking out together matters more than speaking loudly. “What’s really interesting is that the CEOs do engage when they get to a tipping point, and we’re at one again,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale School of Management professor and author of the book “Trump’s Ten Commandments.” He pointed to moments such as the deadly 2017 white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 as examples of crises that forced high-profile executives to move collectively. “CEOs have to periodically speak out not on every issue but when there are watershed moments where there is a tipping point where the fabric of society is put at risk,” Sonnenfeld said in a phone interview. Following the killing of Pretti in Minnesota, a small number of tech and financial industry leaders moved quickly. Hemant Taneja, CEO of the venture capital giant General Catalyst, appealed to his colleagues “to come together to preserve our democracy,” writing on X that “what we are seeing in Minnesota is a threat to those core tenets and to the promise of America.” Leaders of larger companies have moved more slowly. After weeks of relative silence from major employers in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in early January, more than 60 CEOs of companies based in the state, including Target, UnitedHealth Group, Best Buy and 3M, released a brief joint statement Jan. 25 calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions.” The letter urged “the Governor, the White House, the Vice President and local mayors” to “work together to find real solutions,” although it stopped short of calling for specific actions. Critics argued the letter did not go far enough because it did not mention immigration or directly condemn the shooting of Pretti.

Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 11:13 AM, Claire Carter, 1147K] reports violent crime in Washington, D.C., continued its downward trend early in 2026, according to Metropolitan Police Department crime data, with the city posting one of its lowest homicide counts to start a year in a decade. In January, the nation’s capital recorded only two homicides, one of the lowest monthly totals on record. This continues a multiyear downward trend for the city, which is still recovering from a peak of 274 killings in 2023, which marked the city’s deadliest year in more than two decades. D.C. went more than three weeks without a homicide at the start of 2026. The city previously saw a similar period without a killing following the deployment of the National Guard in late 2025. During the National Guard deployment, D.C. saw a 12-day streak, but the start of 2026 marks the first time in nearly 30 years the city has surpassed 21 days without a killing. The three-week streak ended Jan. 21 after a fatal shooting in Northeast Washington. During the same time period in 2025, there had been nine homicides. Other violent crimes and property crimes also saw a significant drop at the start of 2026, marking an overall 600-point drop in crime in the last year. Assault with a deadly weapon is the only crime on the rise this month. The crime drop has unfolded amid federal intervention at the hands of President Donald Trump.

Breitbart [2/2/2026 2:10 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K] reports that White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt touted the nationwide decline in rents amid President Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration and before the November midterm elections. "Apartment rents just dropped to the lowest level in 4 years," Leavitt posted on her X account. "The national median rent in January was $1,353, a drop of 1.4 percent compared with one year ago," CNBC.com reported January 29. It is reportedly "the lowest January rent since 2022 [and] rents are now 6.2 percent lower than their last peak in the summer of 2022.” The White House released a statement celebrating the drop in rents nationwide and crediting Trump’s "comprehensive approach to housing — increasing supply, reducing bureaucratic barriers, and empowering builders to meet demand" [emphasis original], citing positive reports from multiple states including California, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and Idaho. The decline in rents is a boon for young American citizens because it helps them leave their parents’ houses, socialize with their peers, and save for future house purchases before starting their own families. That is a long-term gain for the GOP which benefits when Americans form their own families. Roughly 50 percent of all renters are under the age of 40.

AP [2/2/2026 11:55 AM, Steve Karnowski, 31753K] reports U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday announced two more arrests following a protest at a Minnesota church against the immigration crackdown, bringing the number of people arrested to nine. The nine were named in a grand jury indictment unsealed Friday. Independent journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were among four people arrested Friday. Three others were arrested earlier in the week, including prominent local activist Nekima Levy Armstrong. A grand jury in Minnesota indicted all nine on federal civil rights charges of conspiracy and interfering with the First Amendment rights of worshippers during the Jan. 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul. A pastor at the church is also a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The protest generated strong objections from the Trump administration. In a social media post Monday, Bondi named the latest two arrestees as Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson. She gave no details of their arrests.

FOX News [2/2/2026 10:28 PM, Nora Moriarty, 37576K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized former CNN anchor Don Lemon on "Hannity" Monday for defending his "illegal" actions at a Minnesota church anti-ICE protest as an "act of journalism.” "So, anyone with a camera then would be allowed, under his [Lemon’s] theory, to come in and attack a church like that and riot a church on a Sunday morning," she said. "You can’t do that in this country. It’s illegal, we’re going to prosecute you, and you will be held accountable. Doesn’t matter if you’re a failed journalist with a camera in your hand. You can’t do it.” Bondi’s remarks followed the arrest of two more individuals in connection with the invasion of a Minnesota church by anti-ICE protesters on Monday. "These people committed a crime under the FACE Act, and they will be held accountable," she explained. "Nine of them have been charged, and you will not do this in our country. We’re coming after you if you do.” On Jan. 18, hundreds of anti-ICE demonstrators disrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minn., protesting a pastor who they accused of assisting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota. Bondi characterized it as an "attack-style" bombardment on a house of worship, detailing how one woman was injured in the incident. "There were children crying, there were parents blocked from getting upstairs to take their children out of Sunday school," she said. "A group of women ran out a side door. Multiple people fell on the ice. One woman severely damaged her arm, had to go to the hospital.” "These parishioners thought they were gonna get shot," Bondi added. The attorney general alleged the incident was led by a "resistance operation," involving Lemon. "They met in a parking lot about two miles away while people were filing into this church service," Bondi told host Sean Hannity. "They were caravanning to this church to perform an attack-style infiltration of a church service on a Sunday morning.” She also accused Lemon of physically blocking a parishioner from exiting the church. According to the indictment, all nine individuals are charged with interfering with others’ freedom to worship under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which protects the right to worship freely at places of worship. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [2/3/2026 3:13 AM, Karina Tsui, Brian Stelter, 612K] reports independent journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon defended his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church, which resulted in his arrest last week, telling Jimmy Kimmel on Monday that as a journalist, he “went there to chronicle and document and record what was happening.” “There is a difference between a protester and a journalist,” Lemon said on Kimmel’s late-night show in his first interview since he was released without bail last Friday. Lemon and another independent journalist, Georgia Fort, were livestreaming as dozens of demonstrators interrupted a service at Cities Church on January 18, leading to tense confrontations. Protesters said one of the pastors is a top ICE official in the Twin Cities. Federal prosecutors lumped the two journalists in with protesters and charged them with conspiring to violate someone’s constitutional rights and violating the FACE Act, which prohibits the use of force or threats to intentionally interfere with someone expressing their First Amendment right to practice religion. Trump administration officials had called for Lemon’s arrest in the days after the protest, prompting him to take precautionary measures and hire an attorney, he said. “The attorney reached out to (prosecutors) and said basically, ‘I understand that you have an interest because your folks have been talking about it. So, if you are serious about this, then let’s do it the right way,” Lemon told Kimmel, describing his willingness to turn himself in. But instead of being able to surrender voluntarily, Lemon said, at least a dozen federal agents were sent to arrest him in the lobby of a Los Angeles hotel, where he was staying while covering the Grammys. Lemon said he was “jostled” near a hotel elevator and placed in handcuffs, adding it took a while for agents to identify themselves and present him with a warrant. “I think my attorney tried to contact them once, maybe twice –– that I could just go in and it would have to be just the folks who were just working there that day. They wouldn’t have to have all these people following me around,” Lemon said. “They want to embarrass you, they want to intimidate you, they want to instill fear,” Lemon told Kimmel. Federal prosecutors have alleged Lemon and Fort participated in a “takeover-style attack” of the church and intimidated congregants. A federal prosecutor in court last week said Lemon told his audience the protest’s purpose was to make the experience traumatic and uncomfortable for the congregants. Lemon was released from custody on Friday after appearing in federal court. Prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond, and argued Lemon needed conditions to ensure he wouldn’t feel emboldened to do something similar while awaiting trial. His defense attorneys agreed he would have no contact with known witnesses, victims or co-defendants, and must get approval for any foreign travel - the judge approved a trip to Europe planned in June. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday in Los Angeles.

New York Times [2/2/2026 9:27 AM, Sonia A. Rao and Steven Moity, 148038K] reports protesters opposed to the federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis have turned their attention to Target stores across the country, putting pressure on the Minnesota-based retail giant to stop cooperating with federal agents. Demonstrations have recently taken place at about two dozen Target stores in Minnesota, with additional protests in other cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia and New York. Pam Costain, 75, who works with the volunteer group Indivisible Twin Cities, organized about 50 people to protest at Target’s flagship store in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday. They sat in the store, singing, chanting, wearing inflatable frog costumes and holding a house-shaped poster that read: “Target Come Home To Your Values.” However, when the group first tried to go into the store, Ms. Costain said, some Minneapolis police officers tried to prevent them from entering. “If ICE can come in, we can come in,” she told them. The group stayed for about an hour and then left. The protests are a direct challenge to the retailer and to Michael Fiddelke, a longtime Target executive who officially stepped into the top job on Sunday. The company had little public response after two of its employees were detained by immigration agents at a store in suburban Minneapolis last month. And executives have carefully avoided criticizing or endorsing either the federal agents or the protesters. Protesters planned to gather in front of Target headquarters in Minneapolis on Monday to demand that the company take a stronger position against the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies that are part of the law enforcement surge in the region. A Target spokesman said the company was aware of the protests and sought to ensure that they remain safe. “We recognize the importance of peaceful protests as a way for individuals to express their views and be heard,” the spokesman, Brian Harper-Tibaldo, said.

Washington Times [2/2/2026 8:11 AM, Cheryl K. Chumley, 1323K] reports a bunch of street thugs and liberal White women and 1960s leftovers looking for a cause, all hanging around Minneapolis and masquerading as First Amendment freedom fighters, have banded together and built up barricades and blockades in the southern side of the city to keep out ICE agents and law enforcement — and they’re even reportedly checking IDs and running license plates. Oh, the irony. Protesters are protesting the very Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents whose primary purpose is to enforce border controls and remove illegal immigrants — by setting up borders to keep out these agents. Borders work after all, it seems. A video posted by Minneapolis Spring shows a community-established blockade and vehicle check, beneath this text: “Community defenders stop an out of state vehicle at the filter blockade, run the plate through a database, and confirm whether the vehicle is affiliated with abductors before letting it through.” Abductors equals ICE.

New York Times [2/2/2026 3:20 PM, Anna Griffin and Aaron West, 148038K] reports the tear-gassing this weekend in Portland, Ore., of a protest billed as “family friendly” has prompted Portland’s mayor and City Council to consider dramatic new steps, including financial penalties, to try to force Immigration and Customs Enforcement out of the city. Several thousand protesters — including children, older residents and pets — had marched on Saturday to the ICE building two miles south of downtown Portland in a daytime demonstration organized by Oregon unions. But when more than a dozen demonstrators at the front of the march crossed a no-trespassing line at the building’s driveway, federal agents fired a barrage of pepper balls and so much tear gas that the police had to briefly close nearby roads engulfed in the plume. The tear gas reached people, including children, in the back of the crowd, and videos by attendees showed several children crying and retching as medics tried to help them. That has pushed Mayor Keith Wilson, elected in 2024 with promises of a less confrontational approach to federal officials, to declare he has had enough. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, defended the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other crowd dispersal weapons.

FOX News [2/2/2026 6:37 PM, Stepheny Price, 37576K] reports a grieving North Carolina mother is lashing out at Hollywood elites and Grammy Award speeches she says ignored crime victims like her family — weeks after her teenage daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend were killed in an alleged DUI crash caused by an illegal immigrant. In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Shannon Swiderski Hamrick, the mother of Skylar Provenza, 19, described waking up overwhelmed by grief just minutes before returning to work. "Today I woke up feeling it. It’s Monday. I’m supposed to go back to work in six minutes," Hamrick said. "I’ve prayed, I’ve cried, I’m angry, I’m sad. It’s not fair." Hamrick said she tried to stay away from the news and the political debate surrounding the case, insisting her daughter’s death was not about politics but about a deadly and preventable decision. "I’ve tried to keep my frustration toward the fact that this was solely due to drinking and driving," she said. "It could have been anyone." But she said watching the Grammy Awards pushed her to break her silence, leaving her overwhelmed as celebrities used their platforms to promote political messages and what she viewed as a culture that excuses reckless behavior. "I watched the Grammys last night — I shouldn’t have," Hamrick said. "Some of my favorite artists used their voices to advocate for something they probably haven’t personally been affected by. Instead, they promoted drinking and pretty much promoted being above the law."

Chicago Tribune [2/2/2026 7:59 PM, Tess Kenny, 5209K] reports hundreds of students across Chicago’s North Side walked out of their classrooms Monday in protest of the Trump administration’s continued mass deportation campaign. The rally came after a string of actions staged across the Chicago area and country last week amid widespread outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Held just after noon, the walkout saw students from Amundsen High School in Lincoln Square, Mather High School in West Ridge, Northside College Prep in North Park and Roosevelt High School in Albany Park turn out to rally in solidarity with Minnesota and stand against the immigration crackdown. "I’ve never felt more proud in my life," said 16-year-old Amari Bell, who helped organize the walkout.

CBS News [2/2/2026 4:57 PM, Dan Raby, 51110K] reports Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says his office is appealing a judge’s ruling that dropped most of the state’s case against dozens of protesters of the Atlanta public safety training facility. In 2023, Carr indicted 61 people in what experts call the largest criminal racketeering case filed against protesters in U.S. history. The group faced allegations that ranged from throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers to providing protesters with food. Each defendant could have faced up to 20 years if convicted. In December, however, Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer ruled that Carr didn’t have the authority to secure the indictment, writing that he needed permission from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Five of those protesters were also indicted on charges of domestic terrorism and first-degree arson related to a night in 2023 when masked activists burned a police car in downtown Atlanta and threw rocks at a skyscraper home to the Atlanta Police Foundation. Farmer said Carr also didn’t have the authority to pursue the arson charge, but that the domestic terrorism charge can likely stand. On Monday, Carr, who is running to succeed Kemp as governor, filed an appeal, arguing that his office had the jurisdiction to file the charges and that Farmer’s order was "simply wrong." The appeal asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to immediately review the case before the state can bring the five remaining defendants to trial.

San Francisco Chronicle [2/2/2026 9:11 PM, Staff, 3833K] reports Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Somali community in San Diego feels “under siege” with the arrival of right-wing provocateurs who, seeking to replicate their fraud allegations that kicked off unrest in Minnesota, have arrived at Somali-run day cares, alarming child care workers. At least three day care centers reported being harassed by people holding cameras in the past few days, according to the United Domestic Workers union, which represents about 5,600 child care providers across San Diego. The visits follow a formula set up by Youtuber Nick Shirley, whose video about Somali-owned day cares in Minnesota went viral after a state investigation there found a billing fraud scheme. Shirley, 23, and his followers, confront day care operators who receive welfare funds and ask them to “prove” they actually have children present. One video captured by an unnamed San Diego day care operator over the weekend shows Shirley asking a woman from the sidewalk where the 14 children enrolled at her at-home day care are. Newsom said he met with Somali community members in San Diego on Monday before holding an unrelated press conference about fentanyl seizures at the U.S.-Mexico border. Newsom said those at the meeting feel like there is no accountability for the vigilante actors who rarely, if ever, identify themselves and confusion among operators about who to trust and what their rights are.

NBC News [2/2/2026 7:28 PM, Julia Ainsley, 42967K] reports months before two fatal shootings in Minneapolis by Border Patrol agents, Gregory Bovino, who until last week was overseeing the agency’s immigration enforcement operations, pushed back against internal efforts to temper his aggressive approach, according to an email that was obtained by NBC News. Bovino wanted to conduct large-scale immigration sweeps during an operation in Chicago in September, but the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, told him the focus was to conduct "targeted operations," arresting only of people known to federal agents ahead of time for their violations of immigration law or other laws, according to the correspondence. "Mr. Lyons seemed intent that CBP conduct targeted operations for at least two weeks before transitioning to full scale immigration enforcement," Bovino wrote in an email to Department of Homeland Security leaders in Washington, referring to Customs and Border Protection, which oversees Border Patrol agents. "I declined his suggestion. We ended the conversation shortly thereafter.” Yet after 10 days of more targeted enforcement in Chicago, DHS leadership gave Bovino permission to use his more aggressive approach, and Border Patrol agents he oversaw began to stop people they believed were in the U.S. illegally, according to a person familiar with the conversation between Bovino and Lyons. "Operation Midway Blitz" grew to include roughly 1,600 arrests. The operation sparked clashes with demonstrators and protests throughout the Chicago area. Immigration officers shot two people. The email in which Bovino complains to DHS leaders underscores tensions within President Donald Trump’s homeland security team as his aides have tried to carry out his mass deportation agenda. Bovino’s aggressive tactics have come under sharp criticism, leading to a lawsuit over immigration arrests in Chicago and his removal last week from his post after two Border Patrol agents under his command fatally shot intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, 37, in Minneapolis. The exchange also aligned Bovino with the top aide to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski. After Minneapolis, Noem and Lewandowski are now taking a back seat to border czar Tom Homan and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott — who have publicly advocated for a targeted approach. "Mr. Lyons said he was in charge, and I corrected him saying I report to Corey Lewandowski," Bovino said in the email. Lewandowski has been an unpaid special government employee since last February.

New York Times [2/2/2026 11:04 AM, Stevan Bunnell, Gus Coldebella, Ivan Fong, Kara Lynum, Jonathan Meyer and John Mitnick, 148038K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly issued a memorandum that authorizes its agents to enter private residences forcibly without a judicial warrant. James Percival, the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, recently defended the department’s policy and wrote that “deep-state actors in the federal government have for decades told ICE officers that they may not enter a fugitive alien’s home even with a final order of removal and administrative warrant.” We disagree. We previously sat in the seat he now occupies, serving in both Republican and Democratic administrations; this is not a partisan issue. We disagree not only with Mr. Percival’s position but also with his characterization of lawyers at the Department of Homeland Security and elsewhere who seek to uphold the rule of law. It is not the so-called deep state that has restrained ICE from entering homes using only administrative warrants. It is the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution — and the lawyers who took an oath to support and defend it. We worked with thousands of homeland security lawyers. They sought to ensure that the department’s actions are lawful and protect the constitutional rights of the people its agents encounter in day-to-day operations. Attempting to tarnish department attorneys as “deep state” operatives for giving legal advice that is faithful to the Constitution is not only offensive but also dangerous. It sends a message: If you give your best professional advice and urge the department to respect the law, you will be attacked for doing your job. The job of the general counsel is not to provide convenient legal cover or constitutional workarounds. It is to provide sound legal analysis and advice, even when that advice may be inconvenient for the administration. Often that involves partnering with internal clients to find lawful ways to carry out department policies. Sometimes, however, that means advising that a policy is unlawful. That is not sabotage; it is upholding the rule of law.

The Hill [2/2/2026 10:30 AM, Svante Myrick, 18170K] reports President Donald Trump’s domestic militia troops are still wearing masks as they terrorize American communities. But the mask is off the Trump regime’s fascist brutality, especially since the execution-style killing of VA nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers and the brazenly dishonest smear campaign waged against the murdered man by top administration officials. Millions of Americans saw the truth virtually in real time thanks to video taken at the scene. Pretti was using his phone to peacefully document federal officials’ actions in Minneapolis. He came to the aid of a woman who had been shoved to the ground. Then he was attacked by multiple masked officers and without justification shot multiple times in the back while he lay on the ground. The regime’s well-practiced propaganda machine swung into action immediately, trying to frame media coverage with outlandish lies. The Department of Homeland Security and its leader Kristi Noem lied that Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” and “violently resisted.” White House deportation czar Stephen Miller called Pretti a “would-be assassin” who “tried to murder law enforcement.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to the Pretti killing by telling ICE officials “we have your back 100 percent” and posting “ICE > MN.” Right-wing pundits parroted the official line, suggesting that Pretti was to blame for his own killing. This has been the administration’s go-to strategy in previous incidents of violence at the hands of federal law enforcement. And the administration’s MAGA lapdogs once again played their part, spreading the lies and smears.

Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 6:00 AM, Peter Laffin, 1147K] reports they were lies. Not honest errors in the fog of war. Not spin. Lies. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lied when she said of the Alex Pretti incident, "This looks like a situation where an individual arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement." Noem also lied by saying that Pretti had been "brandishing" a gun. Scores of video evidence don’t just "contradict" these claims, they expose them as fiction. Pretti was holding a cell phone. He was attempting to help a woman who had been shoved to the pavement. A licensed gun owner, he brought his pistol to the scene, but it remained holstered until a federal agent pulled it from his waistband after he had been tackled. Gregory Bovino, Border Patrol commander at large, repeated Noem’s lie, saying that it looked "like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement." Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, who by all accounts sets the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda and messaging, posted the lie on X that Pretti was a "domestic terrorist" who had "tried to assassinate federal law enforcement," and later that he was a "would-be assassin" who intended a "massacre." Vice President JD Vance reposted both of Miller’s lies. No one has amended their remarks or apologized to Pretti’s family for falsely accusing him of plotting or threatening to execute a "massacre." Neither Miller nor Vance have removed their lies from X. This is an indelible stain on the department’s moral authority to execute its core mandate: removing the dangerous illegal immigrants who actually threaten our communities. Should the larger mission fail, the Pretti lie will be remembered as the pivot point where the administration squandered its mandate and its public trust.

Washington Times [2/2/2026 9:20 AM, Kerry Picket, 1323K] reports defending Education has compiled a list of more than 700 school districts from around the country that have passed resolutions or published guidance or district policies for dealing with federal immigration officials and illegal immigrants. The overwhelming majority of these districts’ policies make the school districts a “sanctuary” or “safe havens.” Including protocols for district personnel encountering Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on campus. “School districts are playing a dicey game when they wade into waters that are beyond their charter, especially with something as complicated as the current immigration situation,” said Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, which advocates for removing political indoctrination from schools. “There have already been cases of bad actors gaining access to schools by using the goodwill and naïveté of school administrators, these policies ensure that more districts put their students and staff at risk by potentially shielding other bad actors from law enforcement.” More than 700 districts are listed from 33 states and the District of Columbia, with the vast majority coming from California and Washington state. Defending Education notes that in Washington, many districts have passed Policy 4300, known as “Limiting Immigration Enforcement in Schools,” to address the issue. Similarly, California’s policy requires school districts to maintain “safe, welcoming environments” regardless of a student’s immigration status. It also requires school staff to deny ICE officials entry to campus without a valid warrant, court order or subpoena and prohibits the sharing of student records.

FOX News [2/2/2026 5:30 PM, Alec Schemmel, 37576K] reports people convicted of murder, "deadly conduct," sexual abuse of minors and the elderly were among the "worst of the worst" criminal illegal aliens nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this weekend all across the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday. "Over the weekend, ICE law enforcement arrested pedophiles, murderers, and drug traffickers from American communities," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "If you come to our country illegally, break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will NEVER return.” Numerous pedophiles were arrested over the weekend, including one man convicted of "continuous sexual abuse" of a child and another convicted of aggravated sexual assault on an elderly/disabled person. Martin Martinez-Gaspar, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted in Los Angeles for the repeated abuse of a child, while Jose Ivan Trevino, also a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of an elderly/disabled person in Hidalgo County, TX. Toua Lo, a criminal illegal alien from Laos, was also arrested this past weekend by ICE. Lo was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Sacramento, California, according to Homeland Security. Meanwhile, Alejandro Saucedo, an illegal immigrant from Mexico residing in Whiteville, North Carolina, was picked up by ICE this weekend after being convicted of indecent liberties with a child. Dario Solis-Salvador, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, was picked up this weekend by ICE as well after being convicted of two counts of child endangerment in Ford County, Kansas. In addition to sex crimes, federal agents picked up illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, fentanyl trafficking, "deadly conduct," and creating "serious bodily injury," according to DHS. "President Trump and Secretary Noem empowered ICE law enforcement to enforce the law and arrest and remove public safety threats from our country," McLughlin continued in the Homeland Security news release about ICE’s weekend round-up of criminal illegal aliens.

AP [2/2/2026 11:58 PM, David A. Lieb, Heather Hollingsworth and Morgan Lee, 35287K] reports that, with tensions high over federal immigration enforcement, some state and local officials are pushing back against attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to house thousands of detained immigrants in their communities in converted warehouses, privately run facilities and county jails. Federal officials have been scouting cities and counties across the U.S. for places to hold immigrants as they roll out a massive $45 billion expansion of detention facilities financed by Trump’s recent tax-cutting law. The fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota have amplified an already intense spotlight on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, increasing scrutiny of its plans for new detention sites. A proposed ICE facility just north of Richmond, Virginia, drew hundreds of people last week to a tense public hearing of the Hanover County Board of Supervisors. “You want what’s happening in Minnesota to go down in our own backyard? Build that detention center here, and that’s exactly what will happen,” resident Kimberly Matthews told county officials. As a prospective ICE detention site became public, elected officials in Kansas City, Missouri, scrambled to pass an ordinance aimed at blocking it. And mayors in Oklahoma City and Salt Lake City — after raising concerns about building permits — announced last week that property owners won’t be selling or leasing their facilities for immigration detention. Meanwhile, legislatures in several Democratic-led states pressed forward with bills aimed at blocking or discouraging ICE facilities. A New Mexico measure targets local government agreements to detain immigrants for ICE. A novel California proposal seeks to nudge companies running ICE facilities out of the state by imposing a 50% tax on their proceeds. More than 70,000 immigrants were being detained by ICE as of late December, up from 40,000 when Trump took office, according to federal data. In a little over a year, the number of detention facilities used by ICE nearly doubled to 212 sites spread across 47 states and territories. Most of that growth came through existing contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service or deals to use empty beds at county jails. Trump’s administration now is taking steps to open more large-scale facilities. In January, ICE paid $102 million for a warehouse in Washington County, Maryland, $84 million for one in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and more than $70 million for one in Surprise, Arizona. It also solicited public comment on a proposed warehouse purchase in a flood plain in Chester, New York. Federal immigration officials have toured large warehouses elsewhere, without releasing many details about the efforts. “They will be very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards,” ICE said in a statement, adding: “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”

CNN [2/2/2026 12:03 PM, Hanna Ziady, 612K] reports Capgemini, a major French consulting and information technology company, said Sunday it will sell a US division that does business with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Like other businesses with links to ICE, Capgemini has come under scrutiny as criticism mounts over the agency’s heavy-handed enforcement tactics. Jim Pattison Developments, a real estate company, and Hootsuite, a social media company, are two Canadian businesses that have faced public pressure for their links to ICE. Anti-ICE marches were held in several major US cities over the weekend in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, which has resulted in the fatal shootings of two US citizens by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Capgemini’s decision follows revelations that the Department of Homeland Security had awarded the US division in question a $4.8 million contract in mid-December to provide ICE with "skip tracing services." Skip tracing is the process of locating people who are difficult to find, using online information and other sources, such as voter registration data. "The nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm," Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat wrote in a LinkedIn post last week. The decision to sell the US division comes after a Paris-based corporate watchdog, Multinationals Observatory, published details of the contract, prompting questions from France’s finance and economy minister Roland Lescure. On Friday, Jim Pattison Developments, which is part of the Jim Pattison Group, said it would no longer proceed with plans to sell a warehouse in Ashland, Virginia, to the US Department of Homeland Security. It provided no further details. The company has not responded to CNN’s request for comment. The industrial facility was to be used to "support ICE operations," according to a letter last month from the Department of Homeland Security to officials in Virginia. Hootsuite has faced demonstrations over the work it does with ICE’s public affairs office. Protestors gathered outside the company’s Vancouver headquarters on Friday, calling on it to stop doing business with ICE.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [2/2/2026 2:33 PM, Eva Dou, 24826K]

(B) CBS 13 News at Noon [2/2/2026 12:04 PM, Staff] reports that tonight, the Portland City Council will be taking up a resolution relating to ICE. The resolution would authorize the mayor to join in on a lawsuit against the federal government over recent immigration enforcement actions. The lawsuit in the resolution is State of Minnesota v. Kristi Noem. That suit is seeking an injunction to stop ICE enforcement in Minnesota. If passed, the mayor could join any similar legal action against immigration enforcement. The council is seeking to pass the bill as an emergency, letting it take effect immediately.

Daily Caller [2/2/2026 5:00 PM, Jason Hopkins, 803K] reports a new memo with the potential to turbocharge immigration arrests across the country is igniting a heated constitutional debate. A whistleblower group in January released an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo authorizing deportation officers to enter the homes of wanted illegal migrants without a judicial warrant, igniting Fourth Amendment concerns from Democrats and legal scholars. However, other legal experts say the administrative warrant that the memo is based off — Form I-205 — authorizes agents to take such action against foreign nationals who’ve already exhausted their due process rights. The DHS Office of General Counsel, the legal arm of the department, determined that agents do not require a judge-approved warrant in order to carry out an in-home arrest of an illegal migrant subject to a final order of removal, according to internal guidance from Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons issued on May 12, 2025. Connecticut Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who obtained a copy of the ICE memo, suggested the policy ran afoul of Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. Blumenthal, who is a ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the Senate, demanded Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testify before Congress over the memo.

New York Times [2/2/2026 10:02 AM, Adam Liptak, 148038K] reports the key to holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents accountable for constitutional violations may lie in a 1987 law review article by a young law professor named Akhil Reed Amar. “I think it was a good idea then,” he said last week, “and it’s only taken more than half a lifetime for people to actually read the thing.” The article has, in truth, been quite influential. It has been cited, for instance, in seven Supreme Court opinions. But it was also 96 pages long and touched on many issues. “I was actually trying to do a bunch of different things — and get tenure,” Professor Amar, now a leading constitutional scholar at Yale Law School, said of the article, “Of Sovereignty and Federalism.” His central point for present purposes was that state legislatures can authorize lawsuits against federal officials for violating the Constitution. If that is right, such state laws would close an odd gap in federal law that — broadly speaking — allows such suits against state and local officials, like police officers, but not against federal ones, like ICE agents.

New York Times [2/2/2026 6:00 AM, Michael Barbaro, Hamed Aleaziz, and Ernesto Londoño, 148038K] reports Tom Homan, President Trump’s border czar, traveled to Minneapolis a few days ago with a message: the faster local officials cooperate with federal immigration agents, the faster those agents will leave. Hamed Aleaziz and Ernesto Londoño, New York Times reporters, explain why that kind of cooperation is so difficult to pull off. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Breitbart [2/2/2026 3:54 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested an illegal alien whose rap sheet includes arrests for rape and strangulation after a Democrat judge in sanctuary New York City set him free on drug charges. On Monday, ICE officials announced the arrest of illegal alien Gerardo Miguel-Mora of Mexico in New York City. Miguel-Mora had most recently been arrested on larceny and criminal possession of stolen property charges. Last week, Judge Sheridan Jack-Browne (D) in Brooklyn allowed Miguel-Mora to be released from jail despite ICE lodging a detainer against him so that he would not be released back into the community. "These are the types of public safety threats New York Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani are releasing from their jails onto the streets to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims," the Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

New York Post [2/2/2026 7:00 PM, David Propper, 40934K] reports a City Council staffer who has been in ICE custody since mid-January was denied bond by an immigration judge Monday after federal lawyers successfully argued he posed a danger to society, according to a report. Data analyst and Venezuelan national Rafael Andres Rubio Bohorquez will remain in a Hudson Valley facility for now after he was detained by federal agents when he showed up to a Jan. 12 court check-in on Long Island. Department of Homeland Security attorneys argued during the hearing that Rubio Bohorquez should stay locked up, citing a 2023 arrest for allegedly punching his roommate’s face and breaking his nose during a fight, The City reported. While the charges against Rubio Bohorquez were later dropped and sealed, a DHS lawyer argued he lied about his criminal history on paperwork seeking asylum and Temporary Protected Status, the outlet reported. A lawyer for the staffer, Roger Asmar, argued Rubio Bohorquez didn’t think he was required to mention the arrest because the charges were erased. Video of the altercation also showed Rubio Bohorquez didn’t sock the roommate, who was also arrested during the scuffle, Asmar claimed, according to The City.

CBS New York [2/2/2026 5:09 PM, Tony Aiello, 51110K] reports a controversial plan to restrict how Rockland County, New York, employees may interact with federal immigration agents is causing a stir in the northern suburbs. The bill surrounding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not yet been written, but battlelines were already being drawn Monday in the Democratic-controlled county legislature. Rockland County Democrats said they’ll use their majority to protect residents from perceived excesses of immigration enforcement, days after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her plan to block state and local police from cooperating with ICE on civil operations. The county lawmakers said they’re crafting a law limiting how sheriff’s deputies and other county workers interact with ICE and other agencies. Legislator Beth Davidson, the bill’s sponsor, said the law would preserve full cooperation for felony crimes and terrorism investigations.

USA Today [2/2/2026 7:38 PM, Jessica Guynn, 70643K] reports in the latest grassroots uprising against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, a consumer boycott is urging consumers to resist top technology companies. Launched by New York University marketing professor Scott Galloway, "Resist and Unsubscribe" calls on consumers to boycott 10 companies − Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook owner Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Netflix, Paramount+, Uber, and X − during February. "The Trump administration doesn’t respond to outrage," Galloway, a frequent critic of Big Tech, said in a video promoting the boycott. "It responds to economic signals." He called on consumers "to carry out an economic strike the tech CEOs can’t ignore" by unsubscribing from services offered by these companies, such as Amazon Prime and YouTube, deleting accounts on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, and not buying Apple products during February.

Telemundo [2/2/2026 10:36 AM, Isabel Peralta-Hilland, 78K] reports an ICE operation, which took place in the middle of a Light Rail station, located between Hoboken and Jersey City Heights, has caused fear and frustration among residents and officials of both cities. Video footage shared from the moment shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arresting several people on Sunday at the Light Rail station located at 9th Street and Jackson Street in Jersey City, right where Hoboken also begins. Several people started recording, including a councilman who asked if they had a search warrant to look for someone, and the officers responded that they didn’t need one and threatened to file charges against him for interfering with the process if he entered the elevator where they were. Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour confirmed that her office received reports about ICE activities in the city and added that she contacted the Hoboken Police Chief and the Director of Public Safety, who told her that they did not participate in the federal immigration operations nor had they been notified in advance. The mayor also indicated that they saw at least 3 cars without license plates taking several people away. For his part, Jersey City Mayor James Solomon said in a statement that more than 40% of Jersey City residents were born in another country, that people should not be targeted for persecution, that its residents have rights, and that the city will defend them. An emergency community meeting was held Sunday night with state and local leaders to seek answers about this operation.

Univision [2/2/2026 3:36 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports Governor Kathy Hochul announced new legislation aimed at limiting cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration agencies, as well as eliminating agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The proposed legislation would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from working alongside federal agents in enforcing civil immigration laws or using state resources to support ICE operations. It would also prevent federal agents from using local detention centers for mass raids, civil immigration arrests, or transfers of people in immigration custody. One of the central aspects of the initiative is the total elimination of 287(g) agreements , mechanisms that allow ICE to delegate immigration functions to local police. In New York, 14 law enforcement agencies across nine counties currently maintain these types of agreements. If the law is passed, all of them would be nullified, aligning the state with seven others that already prohibit them, including California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The governor stated that the proposal responds to an escalation in the aggressive enforcement of federal immigration laws , which, she asserted, has generated fear, weakened community trust, and resulted in serious violations of civil rights, including against U.S. citizens. “Over the past year, federal immigration agents have committed horrific acts of violence under the guise of public safety,” Hochul stated. “New York will not tolerate abuse or the use of our police forces to do ICE’s work.”

Reported similarly:
NPR [2/3/2026 4:47 AM, A Martínez, 34837K]

FOX News [2/2/2026 10:22 AM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports Soros-backed Democratic prosecutor Larry Krasner is facing criticism for his inflammatory remarks against federal immigration enforcement, with a Republican lawmaker urging the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation after Krasner said he would "hunt down" ICE agents. Krasner, the district attorney for Philadelphia, took to the podium at Penn Square last week to denounce ICE agents as "a small bunch of wannabe Nazis," adding, "if we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities.” House Intelligence Committee member Greg Steube, R-Fla., called out Krasner and recommended that Attorney General Pam Bondi take a closer look at his ever-escalating remarks on the issue. Steube cited federal code categorizing threatening a federal officer as a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. "The DOJ should absolutely arrest and convict this guy," he said. Krasner previously said he would seek to arrest and prosecute federal agents who "come to Philly to commit crimes" — in an apparent reference to allegations that law enforcement acted unlawfully when shooting a Minnesota woman who appeared to intentionally hit one of them with her car while disrupting an operation. Krasner also earned a rebuke from his own party, as Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told Fox News that such remarks are "unacceptable… abhorrent and it is wrong; period; hard-stop; end of sentence.” "We have a psychopath with a badge," fellow Pennsylvanian Rep. Dan Meuser, a Dallas Republican, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Meuser condemned Krasner for repeatedly failing to prosecute actual violent criminals, citing a reported prosecution rate of 30% for such crimes. Meuser has been at the forefront of calling out prosecutors for their actions and statements, authoring the Holding Prosecutors Accountable Act, which would make district attorney offices that fail to prosecute at least two-thirds of arrests ineligible for certain Justice Department grants. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin was asked about Steube’s call and said that Krasner’s comments were "vile.” "He is intentionally stoking the flames of hatred and division in this country for political gain. Calling law enforcement Nazis and encouraging violence and doxing of them is absolutely disgusting," she said, citing the 1,300% increase in assaults against ICE. "The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop," McLaughlin said, adding that Krasner should instead be thanking ICE for removing several dangerous illegal immigrants from the Delaware Valley itself.

Breitbart [2/2/2026 10:19 AM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports there are now 650 fewer illegal aliens on the streets of West Virginia after federal officials partnered with state and local law enforcement to arrest them. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Philadelphia operation ran from January 5 until January 19 in Martinsburg, Moorefield, Morgantown, Beckley, Huntington, and Charleston, the agency announced Friday. "Together, federal, state and local law enforcement officials identified and arrested hundreds of illegal aliens who present dangers to national security and risks to public safety, as well as those who entered the United States illegally or have otherwise undermined the integrity of U.S. immigration laws and border control efforts," the announcement read. Among those taken into custody was a convicted child sex abuser and an individual convicted on drug possession charges. "These arrests highlight how 287(g) partnerships serve as a force multiplier for federal resources, enabling local officers — under ICE training and supervision — to identify and help remove individuals who may pose threats to public safety or have violated U.S. immigration laws," the agency said. In August, Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) signed agreements between ICE and his state’s law enforcement agencies to help enforce immigration law. "The Biden administration’s border policies allowed millions of people to unlawfully enter our country as massive amounts of deadly fentanyl flowed across the southern border and into West Virginia. We are proud to partner with ICE to crack down on illegal immigration, deport violent criminals, and safeguard West Virginia," Morrisey stated at the time.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [2/2/2026 10:37 AM, Mark Swanson, 3760K]

Breitbart [2/2/2026 4:18 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody of an illegal alien who originally arrived in the United States through the Diversity Visa Lottery program and is accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in her own bed in Louisville, Kentucky. Mena Mohsen Farez Nmn Awad, an illegal alien from Egypt, was arrested in Louisville and extradited to Nashville, Tennessee, to face charges of child rape that allegedly occurred on New Year’s Eve last year. Awad then fled the scene. Authorities arrested him on January 16 in Louisville. ICE agents have since lodged a detainer against Awad, seeking custody of him so that he is not released back into American communities should he get released from jail. "Horrendous immigration policies allowed this monster into our country and made victims of children and families," the Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "This child rapist was allowed into our country by the Diversity Lottery program," McLaughlin said. "Secretary Noem paused the diversity lottery to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program. ICE lodged an arrest detainer to ensure he is not released onto our streets to victimize more children." Awad first arrived in the United States in 2017 thanks to the federal government’s Diversity Visa Lottery, which randomly rewards visas to about 55,000 foreign nationals each year to diversify the nation’s demographics. Awad’s rap sheet includes arrests for domestic violence, intimidation, possession of a weapon, vehicle theft, and violation of a court order.

Breitbart [2/2/2026 3:12 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2238K] reports the office of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference has released its annual state immigration report revealing that in 2025, illegal migrants committed 2,183 violent offenses, including 41 homicides, 145 sexual offenses, 11 child rapes, and more. The "2025 Immigration Report" released on January 30 is a required (TN Code § 4-1-425 2024) annual report from the state’s district attorneys general conference. The law directs them to "collect and analyze data from law enforcement agencies on the number of persons not lawfully present in the United States charged or convicted of a criminal offense in this state during the previous year." The report found that a total of 21,648 charges were filed against illegal migrants among 11,344 cases between January 1 and December 31 of 2025, averaging nearly 1000 reports per month. However, there are likely even more because one county (Bledsoe) did not submit its data in time for the report to be filed. Migrants representing a total of 119 different countries were cited in the reports where country of origin was obtainable. The categories of crimes revealed a shocking toll suffered by the state’s citizens at the hands of illegal migrants.

FOX News [2/2/2026 9:33 AM, Anders Hagstrom, 37576K] reports police arrested an illegal immigrant in Florida on charges of arson and felony criminal mischief, Florida police announced Sunday. Authorities say Marcelino Gillen-Hernandez attempted to start two fires on a property in Wahneta, Florida. Authorities first received reports from the property’s owner, who said she was able to extinguish the latest blaze with a garden hose after she saw it glowing under a mobile home on the property. She told police that Hernandez admitted to her that he had started both fires, one earlier in January and another this weekend. Hernandez said he had been told to do so by people "at a residence he used to live at," the owner told authorities. Authorities say Hernandez made the same confession when being interviewed by police. After Hernandez was taken into custody, he told deputies that he had also previously broken some windows at the Placita Mexico store in Wahneta, police said. "Hernandez stated that on the first occasion he attempted to break a window using a rock but was unsuccessful. He advised that on a subsequent occasion he returned and successfully broke a door window. On another occasion, he stated he struck a door with a hammer in combination with a rock," police wrote.

Detroit Free Press [2/2/2026 9:09 PM, Nour Rahal and Violet Ikonomova, 4749K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested a Venezuelan man inside an Amazon facility in Hazel Park on Monday, Feb. 2, during a targeted enforcement operation, according to an ICE spokesperson. Edwin Romero Gutierrez was taken into ICE custody. In a statement, ICE said officers attempted to stop his vehicle, but Romero Gutierrez kept driving — allegedly nearly colliding with multiple vehicles. According to ICE, Romero Gutierrez later stopped near a warehouse, exited the vehicle and ran on foot, leaving the car in drive. ICE officers entered the building with permission from security staff and arrested him, the agency said. A Hazel Park dispatcher confirmed the facility was an Amazon warehouse. Hazel Park police confirmed the arrest unfolded as ICE described. ICE said Romero Gutierrez was previously arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in 2023 after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley without authorization. He remains in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings. Amazon did not respond to the Free Press for comment.

Chicago Tribune [2/2/2026 5:52 PM, Alexandra Kukulka, 5209K] reports an Indiana immigration bill allowing local and state police to enforce federal immigration laws and for those officers to cooperate with ICE passed and was amended in the House Judiciary Committee Monday to more closely mirror a bill that didn’t advance in last year’s session. Legislators listened to more than 5 hours of testimony as 62 people testified. The majority of people spoke in opposition to the bill, but one of the 12 people testifying in support of it advocated for a 30-year moratorium on immigration to avoid the “bad” mixing of populations from other countries. Senate Bill 76, authored by State Sen. Liz Brown, states that the enforcement of federal immigration laws may be carried out by federal, state or local law enforcement. Under the bill, the Department of Correction will provide training to all sheriffs-elect on how to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill was amended in the House Judiciary committee on Monday by State Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, to more closely align with the bill he proposed last year known as the FAIRNESS Act: Fostering and Advancing Immigration Reforms Necessary to Ensure Safety and Security.

Chicago Tribune [2/2/2026 8:19 PM, Doug Ross, 5209K] reports that Lali Cuevas, of East Chicago, organized a response team in Lake County after seeing a baker dragged away by immigration authorities last fall. On Sunday, she brought her message to Valparaiso. So many people showed up for the training session at the Valparaiso Public Library that some were turned away. The room was already at capacity at 85 participants. NWI Activists organizer Lisa Nicole said people were messaging her on the way to the training session, saying they wanted to help, too. "We’re a protective presence and a resource network," Cuevas said. "We’re dedicated to protecting and supporting our community." "We’ve been hoping to create a rapid response more local to Valpo," said Leanne Blind, an NWI Activists organizer. "They have a really amazing template and resources." Blind, a meteorologist, got involved in activist protests in response to Trump administration funding cuts for science programs. Since then, "human rights have really become important to me," she said. Retired Valparaiso University law professor Sy Moskowitz sees echoes of what happened to his family during World War II. "Much of my family was killed by the Nazis and fascists in Europe," he said. Now he’s seeing the growth of authoritarianism and fascism in the United States. Cuevas warns people keeping their eyes on Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to be careful, especially after a number of incidents involving ICE agents killing, harming and intimidating observers.

(B) WDRB Mornings at 9 [2/2/2026 9:03 AM, Staff] reports that the five-year-old and his father detained by ICE are back in Minnesota after a judge ordered their release from a family detention center in Texas. Liam Ramos and his father Adrian Ramos were detained nearly two weeks ago. Adrian Ramos entered the country illegally in 2024 but his family’s attorney says he is actively seeking asylum. The pair’s detainment increased nationwide outrage amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the father and son were offered to be released back to Ecuador. Federal officials claim Adrian Ramos left his son in a running car and fled on foot the day they were detained.

AP [2/2/2026 12:54 PM, Mike Catalini, Steve Karnowski, and Sharon Lurye, 16072K] reports that the father of a 5-year-old boy who was detained by immigration officers and held at a federal facility in Texas denied government accounts Monday that he abandoned his son last month while being pursued by authorities. As the pair returned to Minnesota, Adrian Conejo Arias, who is originally from Ecuador, told ABC News that he loves his son, Liam, and would never abandon him, disputing statements from the Department of Homeland Security, which alleged that Arias had left his child in a vehicle. He also said his son got sick while in federal custody but was denied medicine. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Arias fled on foot before he was arrested, "abandoning his child." She said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stayed with the boy. "The facts in this case have NOT changed: The father who was illegally in the country chose to take his child with him to a detention center," she said. McLaughlin did not address Arias’ statement that his son was denied medication while in custody. Arias also said he was arrested unjustly and contended he was in the country legally, with a pending court hearing for asylum. The comments come after a federal judge ordered over the weekend that the pair be freed. They were released Sunday and returned to Minnesota, according to Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [2/2/2026 4:04 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K]

ABC News [2/2/2026 7:48 AM, Staff, 34146K] reports ABC News exclusively joined Adrian Conejo Arias and his 5-year-old son Liam on their journey back home to Minneapolis on Sunday following their release from a Texas detention facility. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/2/2026 11:12 AM, Peter D’Abrosca Fox, 37576K] reports the head of the Minneapolis teachers union said in a recent interview that elected officials are involved in anti-ICE agitation in the city. "The notion that people that are actively engaged in ICE watch, in being vigilant in protecting our neighbors, in Signal chat groups, running plates, in their cars doing patrols — that somehow we’re ashamed of that activity, that somehow you can call our bosses and show our faces and then we would be shunned by our community..." Marcia Howard told Al Jazeera in an interview that aired last week. Howard is the president of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, and perhaps best known for her role in championing the 2020 riots in the city over the death of George Floyd. She was also an English teacher for 25 years, including during the riots. She has been described as a "steward" of George Floyd Square, a memorial area where Floyd was killed. She meets there with local activists every morning. "Our bosses are in the Signal chats with us," she said. "Our elected officials are in the chats with us.” Howard also said that local "nanas," hockey coaches and soccer moms are participating in the pushback against federal immigration enforcement, as ICE and Border Patrol attempt to arrest illegal aliens, many of whom have further criminal histories in the United States. "Everybody that’s anybody is doing the work of protecting our neighbors, because that’s how we show up in Minneapolis and St. Paul," she said.

Los Angeles Times [2/2/2026 6:00 AM, Andrea Castillo, 12718K] reports for weeks, administrators at this charter high school have arrived an hour before class, grabbed neon vests and walkie-talkies, and headed out into the cold to watch for ICE agents and escort students in. Lately, fewer than half of the 800 sudents show up. "Operation Metro Surge," the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to nationwide protests after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens, has had students, parents and teachers on edge regardless of their immigration status. Signs of a fearful new normal are all over the school. Green craft paper covers the bottom of many first-floor windows so outsiders can’t peer in. A notice taped outside one door says unauthorized entry is prohibited: "This includes all federal law enforcement personnel and activities unless authorized by lawful written direction from appropriate school officials or a valid court order." Staff coordinate throughout the day with a neighborhood watch group to determine whether ICE agents are nearby. When they are, classroom doors are locked and hallways emptied until staff announce "all clear." Similar tactics have been utilized by schools in other cities hit by immigration raids across the country. The Los Angeles Unified School District established a donation fund for affected families and created security perimeters around schools last summer. But it appears nowhere have students felt the repercussions of local raids more than in Minneapolis. Many schools have seen attendance plummet by double-digit percentages. At least three other, smaller charter schools in Minneapolis have completely shut down in-person learning. Students returned from winter break on Jan. 6, the same day 2,000 additional immigration agents were dispatched to Minneapolis to carry out what Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons called the agency’s "largest immigration operation ever." The next day, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, said that blaming ICE for low school attendance is "creating a climate of fear and smearing law enforcement." "ICE does not target schools," McLaughlin said. "If a dangerous or violent illegal criminal alien felon were to flee into a school, or a child sex offender is working as an employee, there may be a situation where an arrest is made to protect the safety of the student. But this has not happened.”

NPR [2/2/2026 5:00 AM, Jennifer Ludden, 28764K] reports early one morning three weeks ago, before his kids were up, J.J. says ICE agents started knocking on his family’s front door. His wife grabbed documents to show they and their four children are lawful refugees from Venezuela. "They told me they just needed to verify the fingerprints for our oldest son, but he would not be detained," he said. The family asked to use only their initials for fear of retaliation from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. J.J. and his wife, A., didn’t understand why one child’s fingerprints would need checking, but they opened the door. And then they watched as their 20-year-old son was, in fact, arrested and driven away in a black SUV. "When I saw him being handcuffed, I felt so scared," A. said. "They were treating him like a delinquent. And they had guns with their fingers on the trigger." The Trump administration has repeatedly said its immigration crackdown in Minnesota targets the worst of the worst — "vicious, horrible criminals," as the president put it recently. But more than 100 refugees with no criminal background have been unlawfully arrested, with many flown to a detention center in Texas, according to a class-action lawsuit filed by refugees and advocates for them. It’s part of a push the Department of Homeland Security announced Jan. 9 to reexamine thousands of refugee cases, starting in Minnesota, to investigate for potential fraud. The Department of Homeland Security did not answer NPR’s questions about why people have been sent to Texas, and whether agents have found evidence of wrongdoing. "Minnesota is ground zero for the war on fraud," it said in a statement.

New York Times [2/2/2026 4:24 PM, Pooja Salhotra, 148038K] reports U.S. immigration officials have imposed quarantines and stopped all movement inside a family detention facility in Texas after two measles cases were confirmed among detainees there, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Monday. The Dilley Immigration Processing Center, also called the South Texas Family Residential Center, is about 70 miles south of San Antonio and is currently the main detention center in the country that houses families, including young children. It is not clear whether the measles cases affected children or adults. The two cases were confirmed on Saturday, and health services personnel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately took steps to control the spread of the infection, including by quarantining everyone suspected of making contact with the infected, according to Tricia McLaughlin, a homeland security spokeswoman. Those outbreaks may now be colliding with immigration sweeps that have sent detainees around the country to the huge detention facilities in Texas. Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the department knew of the cases and was assisting ICE by providing measles doses the agency had requested. He said he believed the two cases were no longer infectious. Ms. McLaughlin, the homeland security spokeswoman, said that medical staff members were monitoring the detainees’ condition and that everyone in detention was receiving proper medical care.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [2/2/2026 10:06 AM, Susan Heavey, 38315K]
Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 11:06 AM, Gabrielle M. Etzel, 1147K]

The Hill [2/2/2026 11:22 AM, Max Rego, 18170K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Sunday it has locked down the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas amid a measles outbreak. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, that the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) confirmed Saturday that two detainees at the center had contracted measles. McLaughlin added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Health Service Corps “immediately took steps to quarantine and control further spread and infection, ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining all individuals suspected of making contact with the infected.” “Medical staff is continuing to monitor the detainees’ conditions and will take appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection,” she said. “All detainees are being provided with proper medical care.” Last week, DSHS warned Texas residents of three confirmed measles cases in non-Texas residents who spent time in Reeves and Ward counties. The department said that exposure could have occurred from Jan. 13-18 in multiple locations, including Ward Memorial Hospital and a Walmart in Pecos, Texas. It is unclear whether the West Texas outbreak is related to the two cases in the immigration facility.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [2/2/2026 2:12 PM, Randy Clark, 2238K]

Telemundo [2/2/2026 2:56 PM, Staff, 2524K] reports Lee C. Rogers, chief podiatrist at UT Health hospital in San Antonio, warned in a letter to Texas health officials on Sunday that the measles outbreak at the Dilley migrant family detention center represents a public health emergency that could quickly overwhelm local resources if action is not taken swiftly. In his letter, he emphasized that detention facilities are characterized by confined spaces, shared air, and continuous contact networks, so "it is medically reasonable to presume widespread exposure within housing units and among staff and contractors." The outbreaks at immigration facilities in Texas add to a nationwide surge in measles, with 588 confirmed cases in the United States as of Thursday, according to CDC data. On Saturday, Los Angeles County health officials announced the discovery of the second measles case in the region since the beginning of the year.

CBS News [2/2/2026 11:27 PM, Erin Jones, 51110K] reports that, after rumors started swirling that a massive building off I-45 near I-20 could become an immigration detention center, Hutchins resident Paul James started digging and documenting what he found on social media. "Finding out who is the realty company that’s involved, who is the owner of the current property, and whether or not there is such a thing going on," he said. Monday night, he brought his concerns to the City Council meeting, where Mayor Mario Vasquez addressed residents directly. "I know we’re all here and you have a lot of questions," he said. Vasquez said the city has not been contacted by the federal government. There have been no applications, building permits, or certificates of occupancy filed. "So in other words, we haven’t had no communication with nobody," he said. Last week, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CBS News Texas that while the agency is actively working to expand detention space nationwide, there are no new detention centers to announce at this time. During the meeting, Vasquez directed everyone’s attention to a new billboard campaign: "A city on the rise.” "We’re building a community here, and this doesn’t match what we’re trying to do here, so if you think that anybody up here is on board with it, you’re in the wrong building," he said. Several residents told him that’s exactly what they wanted to hear. "It’s crazy what’s going on in this world," one resident said. "I got four kids, I don’t want my kids having to go to school and deal with this in our city.” The mayor said that when the city does receive new information, the citizens will be the first to know. He also suggested hosting a town hall to provide updates and reminded residents that the city council will meet with the city attorney on Wednesday to further discuss the building. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

US News & World Report [2/2/2026 10:30 AM, Staff, 16072K] reports that Arizona health officials are responding after a person held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the state tested positive for measles. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said "the Arizona Public Health Department confirmed an active measles infection of a Mexican national detainee housed at the Florence Detention Center," a DHS spokesperson said in an email. "ICE Health Services Corp immediately took steps to quarantine and control further spread and infection, ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining all individuals suspected of making contact with the infected," the email said. Since that initial case, two more measles cases have been confirmed in Pinal County. "At this time, Pinal County Public Health Services District has confirmed three measles cases in the county," spokesperson Jassmin Castro said. "PCPHSD continues to follow standard public health protocols for confirmed measles cases, in coordination with state public health partners. At this time, the overall risk to the general community remains low." The detention center is run by CoreCivic, a private company that provides medical care to people in ICE custody. Company spokesperson Brian Todd said the facility offers daily access to medical and mental health services, along with 24/7 emergency care.

CBS Colorado [2/2/2026 6:55 PM, Austen Erblat, 51110K] reports a federal judge in Washington, D.C., issued an order on Monday blocking a Department of Homeland Security policy requiring lawmakers to give the agency a week’s notice of planned visits to immigration detention facilities. The order supported over a dozen members of Congress — including two from Colorado — in their lawsuit over congressional access and oversight of those facilities. The lawsuit alleged the Trump administration had blocked attempts by lawmakers to enter Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers and sought to delay visits and inspections of the facilities. The lawsuit focused, in part, on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE policy regarding visitation notice by members of Congress seeking to visit these facilities. On Monday, Jia Cobb, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia, reaffirmed her December 2025 ruling, saying the DHS policy requiring seven days’ notice before entering facilities effectively denied the Congress members access to the facilities, causing the members "irreparable harm.” "The Court previously found that the policy imposes irreparable harm upon the Plaintiffs in denying them the ability to carry out timely oversight of covered facilities," she wrote in her Feb. 2 order. "If anything, the strength of that finding has become greater over the intervening weeks, given that ICE’s enforcement and detention practices have become the focus of intense national and congressional interest. And as before, the public interest and the balance of equitable considerations weigh strongly in favor of granting Plaintiffs the limited preliminary relief of a temporary restraining order.” In January, DHS quietly issued a new internal memorandum reinstating a notice requirement under a different funding authority. That change came to light only after several lawmakers — including Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — were turned away from a detention center in Minnesota despite presenting a valid court order allowing access. "The Court concludes that Plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits," Cobb wrote, adding that the lawmakers would suffer "irreparable harm" if they continued to be blocked from timely oversight visits. Democratic Reps. Jason Crow and Joe Neguse — whose districts include Aurora and Boulder, respectively — joined 11 other members of Congress in suing DHS, ICE, and their respective directors, Todd Lyons and Kristi Noem. "The Court’s decision today to grant a temporary restraining order against ICE’s unlawful effort to obstruct congressional oversight is a victory for the American people. We will keep fighting to ensure the rule of law prevails," Neguse said in a statement on Monday.

FOX News [2/2/2026 7:40 AM, Ashley Carnahan, 37576K] Video: HERE reports hundreds of protesters opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) marched through downtown Portland on Sunday, temporarily shutting down roads as they walked from City Hall to a detention facility in the South Waterfront. Video from Fox 12 Oregon captured demonstrators carrying signs urging ICE to leave the city and calling for accountability in the January deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both of whom were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. The local station reported that Portland Contra Las Deportaciones, an immigrant rights organization, held a rally at City Hall in the afternoon before marching to the ICE facility. "People are outraged, and I think people are seeing that, you know, our leaders have routes that they could be taking," said Cami Saunders of Portland Contra las Deportaciones. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek criticized federal immigration enforcement actions in the state, saying ICE has "no place in Oregon." According to the City of Portland government website, the ICE facility includes a processing center where federal officers detain and interview individuals to determine their legal status, as well as offices where immigrants meet with ICE officials as part of the citizenship process. The facility is guarded by officers from the Federal Protective Service, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, rather than Portland Police, though local officers may patrol surrounding streets for public safety. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Axios [2/2/2026 3:45 PM, Kale Williams, 17364K] reports a federal judge heard arguments Monday in a lawsuit seeking to block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from using tear gas on protesters near an ICE facility in South Portland. The hearing followed a weekend in which federal agents used chemical munitions on large crowds — including children — raising constitutional questions about how federal officers police protests. A group of protesters and journalists, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued last month alleging the feds’ use of tear gas, flash-bang grenades and pepper spray on people who posed no threat to ICE agents was a violation of their First Amendment rights, per the Oregonian. Judge Michael Simon on Friday urged the two sides to come to an agreement on temporary restrictions for ICE agents, but they were unable to do so. Thousands gathered for a labor union-led rally in South Portland on Saturday and marched in front of the ICE building. Federal officers unleashed clouds of tear gas after a small group of demonstrators blocked the building’s driveway. A smaller group of protesters gathered near the facility on Sunday and were again met with tear gas — the scent of which was noticeable as far away as the Ross Island Bridge, per OPB. The prolific use of tear gas was met with widespread condemnation by city leaders, with Mayor Keith Wilson calling on ICE agents to resign and City Councilor Sameer Kanal saying he was working on a citywide ban on the use of tear gas. Lawyers for the government argued that the agents’ use of force falls within the department’s guidelines and said any ruling from the judge could only be narrowly applied to the people who brought the lawsuit and could not be a wider ban on the use of chemical munitions. Simon gave both sides until the end of the day Monday to submit any additional arguments and said he would issue a ruling Tuesday.

Washington Post [2/2/2026 6:00 AM, Daniel Wu and Praveena Somasundaram, 24826K] reports Diane Moreno was walking home in late January when she said she was struck five times by rubber bullets fired by federal agents, leaving welts and bruises across her body. It was still daylight when she alleges she was caught in the crossfire as the agents tried to disperse a protest at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility across the street from her Portland, Oregon, apartment. It has become a months-long problem for her and other tenants at Gray’s Landing, an affordable housing complex that sits about 100 feet from an ICE field office, residents said Friday in court declarations to bolster a lawsuit filed by the apartment’s managers against the Department of Homeland Security. The ICE office in Portland’s South Waterfront neighborhood has become a focal point for protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, with the latest demonstrations sparked by outrage over the killings in Minneapolis of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Others in Gray’s Landing have slept wearing gas masks or in their bathtubs to escape tear gas that wafts into their homes, they alleged in court declarations. Janice Lineberger, whose balcony faces the ICE facility, said she struggles to breathe in her living room and that her voice is now gravelly, “as if I was a chain smoker.” In a statement Sunday, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed the disruptions on “rioters” who have set off fireworks, thrown objects and ignored federal agents’ commands. “The fact that this particular location is experiencing this behavior more frequently than most others, is not remotely ICE’s fault,” McLaughlin said. “That lies squarely with the rioters and with the state and local authorities who fail to maintain law and order on their streets.” The property management company that runs Gray’s Landing and a group of residents initially filed the lawsuit in December. Their complaint alleges that the federal agents’ conduct has been excessive. The Justice Department has previously said protests outside the Portland ICE facility amounted to a “dangerous risk of rebellion” as it argued for Trump to deploy the National Guard to Oregon.

Washington Post [2/2/2026 6:21 PM, Mark Maske, 24826K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no planned immigration operations at Sunday’s Super Bowl LX, according to a document from the game’s host committee to local officials. The Bay Area’s host committee informed elected officials in San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Jose of the development in a memo following calls Friday with members of the NFL security and events teams and federal and local law enforcement officials. The host committee wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The Washington Post: “Public safety is our top priority for Super Bowl LX. We have been in daily contact with the NFL, which has confirmed the following with the Department of Homeland Security: There are no planned ICE immigration enforcement operations associated with SBLX.” The committee wrote that in “coordination with NFL security and local law enforcement, DHS will have federal agents at the Super Bowl to keep fans safe.” It added that the “federal security presence at SBLX is consistent with past Super Bowls and comparable to how DHS protects other major sporting events like the Olympics and World Cup.” The Department of Homeland Security did not specify its plans. “DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup. Our mission remains unchanged,” assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel. Super Bowl security will entail a whole of government response conducted in-line with the U.S. Constitution. Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear.”

CBS Los Angeles [2/2/2026 4:24 PM, Austin Turner, 51110K] reports leadership at a Methodist church in Los Angeles is accusing federal immigration enforcement agents of arresting a man during a food ministry event in its parking lot last Thursday. During a news conference on Monday, church officials at the North Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission in the San Fernando Valley accused agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement of entering the event while heavily armed and arresting a church member. Pastor Ervin Aguilon claims the arrest occurred in the presence of children and many other churchgoers as they fed the community during the food ministry. He identified the arrested man as "beloved" community member Carlos Chavez. The food ministry was forced to end early after the two agents arrived to apprehend Chavez, Aguilon said. Event attendees sheltered in place for four hours after the agents arrived. Cellphone footage provided by the North Hills United Methodist Church showed armed agents who appeared to be performing an immigration enforcement operation chasing and eventually apprehending Chavez in the parking lot. In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Chavez was an unauthorized immigrant who was previously removed from the U.S. in 2016, and "U.S. Border Patrol did NOT target United Methodist Church or its parking lot in North Hills, California."

CBS News [2/3/2026 12:44 AM, Lesley Marin, Matthew Rodriguez, 51110K] reports Fullerton Police Department Chief Jon Radus denied claims that his officers helped federal agents during a recent immigration operation in the city. "Since that time, a significant amount of information and misinformation has circulated on social media and through local media outlets," Radus said in a video posted to social media. "I want to take a few minutes to share some facts and address some of the rumors and misunderstandings surrounding this incident." The "targeted enforcement operation" happened on Jan. 22 when immigration agents chased a man through the southern part of the city in the 1500 block of Highland Avenue, according to Radus. At around 6:40 a.m., the Fullerton Police Department received a 911 call from a woman who said a man ran through the Highland Pinetree Apartment complex following what she believed was a police pursuit. "The suspect just jumped the fence and is just hiding in our complex, and he has a gun," the woman said in the 911 call. Radus said his department sent officers once it determined that no local agencies were involved in a pursuit that ended in the area. When they arrived, they encountered the federal agents, but did not help in the search for the suspect. They did, however, set up a perimeter around the complex while the agents searched for the suspect, according to Radus. "At that point, this was no longer an immigration enforcement matter," Radus said. "A report of an armed individual running through an apartment complex is a public safety issue." In body camera footage released by Fullerton PD, an officer tells federal agents that: "We’re happy to help you in terms of this scene here. Obviously, now it concerns us, because we got a guy running around with a gun." Elijah Manassero, who runs a social media page called Fullerton Transparency, said the chief’s comments don’t clear up his main concern. "The police should be the ones who should be looking for someone with a gun, and ICE needs to back off," Manassero said. "Because this is our community and these cops are from Fullerton and they are accountable to us and ICE is not." Fullerton PD is not the first Southern California police department to be accused of helping federal immigration agents. On Jan. 22, an angry crowd shouted at Bell city leaders and the police chief after people accused officers of helping federal agents. Four days later, the Alhambra City Council was criticized after officers pulled a woman over after she was following federal agents around. Radus reiterated that Fullerton police adhere to state law and do not help with immigration enforcement. "I can assure you, the men and women of the Fullerton Police Department are doing everything they can to balance and maintain the trust of our community while fulfilling our responsibility to keep everyone safe," Radus said. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to CBS LA for comment. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [2/2/2026 9:12 PM, Bianca Heyward, 40934K] reports that, second time, not so lucky. A wild video has emerged of masked federal immigration agents chase down a congregant during a Los Angeles church’s charity food drive – ten years after he was first deported. Churchgoers claimed the agents descended on the parking lot of the North Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission on Thursday, looking to cuff taco vendor Carlos Chavez-Guzman. Video of the chaotic arrest shows Chavez-Guzman, who is wearing an apron, try to bolt from agents in the parking lot while a child was screaming "run, run" in support of his escape bid. "He’s a good guy, why are you doing this?" one angry onlooker yells at the agents in the video. The church claimed they were "ambushed" during the operation. "Upon entry they ran through our parking lot all while our food ministry was taking place," the church said in a statement. "Our food ministry is an expression of God’s love for the hungry and as a result of ICE’s senseless actions, we were forced to stop the food ministry.” But Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Chavez-Guzman was in the US illegally, and had been previously deported from the country in 2016. "Chavez-Guzman chose to run from law enforcement, a federal crime, leading them on a foot chase before his arrest," McLaughlin told CBS News. "This operation also resulted in the arrest of two other individuals from Mexico who have violated the immigration laws of our country.” Other congregants sought shelter inside the church, according to the pastor. "I feel that my sacred right to worship my Lord, Jesus Christ, and serve him were violated," Pastor Ervin Adin Aguilon said at a Monday news conference. "It breaks my heart…this is my place to worship my Lord, and I am devastated.” Chavez-Guzman’s wife, Maribel Gonzalez Gatica, said he has since been deported to Mexico. The couple has four children together, his wife said in a GoFundMe plea. The DHS did not respond to The Post’s request for comment. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [2/2/2026 11:14 AM, Randy Clark, 2238K] reports a convicted sex offender from Alaska is accused of paying human smugglers $5,000 to obtain a Honduran mother and her young daughter, intending to claim the child as an unaccompanied minor sponsor after she crossed the Rio Grande into Texas, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas. According to the criminal complaint based on an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a registered sex offender from Alaska is alleged to have paid human smugglers $5,000 to deliver a Honduran mother and her daughter to him. According to HSI, the suspect planned to sponsor the child after she successfully crossed the Rio Grande into Texas as an unaccompanied minor. Prosecutors identified the sex offender as 43-year-old Douglas Price of Chugiak, Alaska. The investigation began on January 16, after the Honduran girl crossed the Rio Grande near Hidalgo, Texas. HSI special agents interviewed the child who crossed the border alone in hopes of securing release into the United States while she was being detained at an immigration detention facility in McAllen. According to the criminal complaint, the girl told investigators that her mother knew Price and planned to meet him in Alaska. The girl alleged Price planned to sponsor her release from custody by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). ORR is responsible for the processing and temporary detention of unaccompanied illegal alien children and investigating and approving or disapproving sponsors who agree to assume custody of the minor aliens as they await removal proceedings. According to the complaint, investigators learned Price was a convicted sex offender from Alaska and, through a review of phone records, had allegedly paid human smugglers at least $5,000 for the delivery of the young girl and her mother to him. HSI agents were able to interview the child’s mother, who told authorities she had known Price for approximately four years after meeting him while the pair worked in the home remodeling business and became friends, the criminal complaint revealed. The child’s mother told HSI agents she had also been Price’s housekeeper and had babysat his children.

Washington Examiner [2/2/2026 3:26 PM, David Zimmermann, 1147K] reports three U.S. ice sports teams renamed their hospitality hub at the Winter Olympics from the “Ice House” to the “Winter House” due to growing pushback over Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s presence at the international sports event in Milan, Italy. U.S. figure skating, hockey, and speedskating announced the name change in a joint statement published by USA Today on Sunday. “Our hospitality concept was designed to be a private space free of distractions where athletes, their families, and friends can come together to celebrate the unique experience of the Winter Games,” the three teams said. “This name captures that vision and connects to the season and the event.” On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Milan to protest ICE. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said ICE officers are “not welcome” in his city. Other Italian leaders have publicly opposed the U.S. deployment, while an official in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government suggested that people are overreacting. “It’s not like the SS are coming,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. ICE is sending Homeland Security Investigations personnel to provide additional security at this year’s Winter Olympics without conducting any immigration enforcement operations. “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said last week. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations. All security operations remain under Italian authority.” The increased security is designed to protect Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other members of the U.S. presidential delegation attending the Feb. 6 opening ceremony.

OutKick [2/2/2026 12:13 PM, Joe Kinsey] reports the wokes are already putting their stamp on the 2026 Winter Olympics. Someone within the U.S. Olympic operation decided to change the name of the hospitality tent that will be used in Milan, Italy, by the U.S. Figure Skating team, the hockey teams and U.S. Speedskating. What was the hospitality tent’s original name? The Ice House. The new name: Winter House. Why change the name? According to OutKick Woke All-Star Challenge legend Christine Brennan at USA Today, someone up the chain at the U.S. Olympic command center decided to change the name due to possible ICE protests. Guys, I’m not making any of this up. Brennan put this into a report that is live on USA Today. Governing boards for the U.S. teams even issued a joint statement…stating…without stating it, the boards are afraid the woke maniacs are going to protest the "Ice House" where people go to drink liquor and talk sports.

Reuters [2/2/2026 1:08 PM, Jan Wolfe, 16072K] reports that a group of civil rights organizations on Monday sued the State Department over its recent pause on the processing of immigrant visas for citizens from 75 countries, arguing the policy "eviscerate[d] decades of settled immigration law." The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan asked a judge to issue a court order blocking the policy, which took ⁠effect on January 21. The complaint asserted that the State Department’s policy is "based on an unsupported and demonstrably false claim that nationals of the covered countries migrate to the United States to improperly rely on cash welfare and are likely to become ‘public charges.’" The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit was brought by the National Immigration Law Center ⁠and other groups on behalf of a wide range of plaintiffs, including U.S. citizens who say they have been separated from family members because of the policy. Another plaintiff is an endocrinologist from Colombia who was approved for an employment-based visa but cannot receive it because Colombia is one of the countries subject to the policy. The pause has impacted applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, Balkan countries such as Bosnia and Albania, South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, and those from many nations in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [2/2/2026 4:48 PM, Jonah E. Bromwich, 148038K]
NPR [2/2/2026 4:07 PM, Vanessa Romo, 28764K]
NewsMax [2/2/2026 12:59 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K]
FOX News [2/2/2026 4:36 PM, Emma Bussey, 37576K]

Bloomberg Law News [2/2/2026 3:10 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 50K] reports a Baltimore federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to impose new fees on immigrants claiming asylum in the US. Inconsistencies between Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice policies that led to a pause on the fees last year no longer exist, District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher found in an opinion Monday. A $100 fee for each asylum claim and another $100 charge for each year a claim is pending were part of a GOP tax and spending bill passed last year. The charges were part of a slate of new costs for immigrants enacted through the law, which steered tens of billions to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

CBS News [2/2/2026 6:17 PM, Brian Unger, 51110K] reports the Trump administration plans to end Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for many Haitian immigrants on Tuesday. The program allows foreign nationals to stay in the United States lawfully — working and avoiding deportation — while their home country is facing armed conflict, disasters, or extraordinary conditions. The decision could have a profound impact on the nearly 400,000 Haitians in the United States. Georgia’s Haitian population ranks fifth in the country. With approximately 15,000 Haitians working in Atlanta, many of them in healthcare with Temporary Protected Status, the mood, according to immigration attorney Wide Thomas, is "fear." According to Thomas, with conditions deteriorating in Haiti, what Haitians might face if deported could be "traumatic." Here in the U.S., some 100,000 Haitian immigrants work in the healthcare sector as home healthcare nurses, certified nursing assistants in hospitals, and in elder care in nursing homes. The impact of mass deportations could be dire. Whether by an injunction or deportation, any ruling from the district court is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where justices will likely consider conditions on the Caribbean island.

New York Times [2/2/2026 2:54 PM, Miriam Jordan, Kevin Williams and Maddie McGarvey148038K] reports they showed up by the hundreds on Monday at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio, a show of solidarity with thousands of local Haitians who have been facing the threat of deportation. Before the 9 a.m. service had begun, at least a thousand people had packed the church, more than double what organizers expected and so many that the fire department made some people leave. The gathering, on a frigid Monday morning, was a sign of anxiety coursing through this pocket of central Ohio, where many Haitians have settled in recent years and where community leaders have expressed fear that Springfield could be the next target of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Many Haitians who arrived in Ohio in recent years have Temporary Protected Status, a designation that shields them from deportation and that the Trump administration has sought to terminate for Haitians. The morning church service came as a federal judge was preparing to issue her decision on whether T.P.S. can be terminated for Haitians as the Department of Homeland Security had ordered. Late Monday, the judge, Ana C. Reyes of the U.S. District Court in Washington, ruled that the homeland security secretary had not followed the law in the agency’s effort to terminate T.P.S. for the roughly 350,000 Haitians covered by the protection and that it would remain in place while a lawsuit challenging the agency’s decision was litigated. If T.P.S. had been terminated, many of the 350,000 people from the troubled Caribbean nation would have become immediately deportable. But the ruling does not end the uncertainty around their legal status. The Trump administration is likely to appeal, and the case could end up in the Supreme Court.

Houston Chronicle [2/2/2026 12:02 PM, Jarrod Wardwell, 2493K] reports the federal agents who shot at Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was killed protesting immigration enforcement in Minneapolis last month, are both from South Texas, according to a report ProPublica published Sunday. ProPublica identified the shooters as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35 — each assigned to the immigration enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis that started in December. Pretti was the second citizen federal agents shot and killed in less than a month in Minneapolis following the death of Renee Good, whom an officer shot as she began to drive away in a vehicle on Jan. 7. ProPublica’s report cites government records naming Ochoa and Gutierrez, but it does not specify the source of the documents. When asked for the identities of the agents who shot Pretti, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to provide them to the Chronicle and issued a statement from an unnamed spokesperson that said the agency would "never confirm or deny attempts to dox our law enforcement officers." Doxxing is maliciously publishing private information, according to DHS. Government agencies typically release the names of law enforcement officers involved in shootings as part of their standard protocol, and both Democratic and Republican politicians have called for the release of the agents’ identities. "Thanks to the malicious rhetoric of sanctuary politicians, they are under constant threat from violent agitators," the statement reads, referring to federal agents. "They are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them. Publicizing their identities puts their lives and the lives of their families at serious risk."

USA Today [2/2/2026 7:25 PM, Lauren Villagran and Omar Ornelas, 70643K] reports a string of orange buoys is growing in the Rio Grande, as the Trump administration builds a "river wall" to stop what is now a trickle of illegal migration. Unlawful border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have plunged over the past year, as the Trump administration ramped up deportations, deployed troops and military tanks to the borderline, and prohibited migrants from seeking asylum at the border. Construction of 500 miles of buoy barrier began in January and is part of Homeland Security’s U.S. Coast Guard-led "Operation River Wall" to combat drug and human smuggling, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a Jan. 7 news conference. From a stretch of tree-lined riverbank in Matamoros, Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, the traffic-barrel-orange barrier rests like a necklace on the wide neck of the Rio Grande. It appears to mimic Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial installation of a similar floating system upriver. The installation comes as migrant apprehensions in Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector have fallen dramatically, plunging during the last year of the Biden administration, then dropping off further after President Donald Trump took office in January 2025. Border Patrol reported 1,371 migrant encounters in the sector in December 2025, the latest month for which data is available, compared with more than 10,000 encounters in December 2024 and nearly 30,000 in December 2023. DHS awarded the $96.2 million contract to install 17 miles of buoy barrier in the Rio Grande Valley Sector to Montgomery, Alabama-based BCCG Joint Venture. It was one of 10 contracts awarded last year for 230 miles of "smart wall" technology at the southern border that includes steel fencing, lights, cameras, advanced detection systems, and waterborne barriers.

FOX News [2/2/2026 8:34 AM, Adam Sabes, 37576K] reports the man suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants who was shot on Tuesday by federal agents is a repeat offender once convicted of a similar crime, records show. Officials said the individual, identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, was recognized by law enforcement as being possibly related to a possible human trafficking incident around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday near the town of Arivaca, Arizona, which is just miles from the southern border with Mexico. Officials said everyone in the vehicle fled on foot. Schlegel previously was convicted in a $40,000 human smuggling operation. A few hours later, Border Patrol agents spotted the vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop, but Schlegel fled on foot. During the foot chase, Schlegel allegedly shot at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter and individual agents. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital that agents returned fire, striking Schlegel. He was taken to a hospital where he’s expected to recover after undergoing surgery, an official said. Schlegel will likely face federal charges of assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to authorities.

Univision [2/2/2026 6:36 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports before the country’s powerful raids and operations in the country, the immigration agency tested its tactics right in the heart of California: in Kern County. On the morning of January 7, 2025, voiced from the presence of Border Patrol agents in Bakersfield and other parts of Kern County. That day dozens of arrests were recorded at gas stations, highways and shopping malls in the agricultural region of California. “At the time, I was there when the Border Patrol stopped a person, because I took out my phone and started recording. I didn’t run. It did make me a little scared, logical, but all I did was record,” Lázaro Ramírez told N+ Univision 21. Since then, everything changed in the region, and the operation not only lasted a day, there were three, and it was called “Return to Sender”. Agricultural and construction workers were the hardest hit. In addition to mothers and fathers who were separated from their children and families after being arrested, while on their way to work. Even U.S. citizens, who were detained and violated by immigration agents. The operation was fleeting and days later the Border Patrol and the leader of the El Centro Sector, Gregory Bovino, called it successful.

FOX News [2/2/2026 9:22 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News Digital "under Biden… it was politically driven who [FEMA] would respond to." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Federal News Network [2/2/2026 11:33 AM, Michele Sandiford, 1297K] reports a bill in the House to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency now has more than 50 co-sponsors. The Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act has 35 Republicans and 21 Democrats signed onto the bill. The legislation has been steadily gaining co-sponsors as uncertainty swirls around the future of FEMA under the Trump administration. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bill last year. It would shift FEMA out from under the Department of Homeland Security and make major reforms to how the agency manages disaster assistance projects.

NewsNation [2/2/2026 1:47 OM, Anna Kutz, 4464K] reports that at least 60 people have died in Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi, with deaths also reported in several other states, after two weeks of severe cold and winter storm conditions, according to local officials and media reports. Governor Andy Beshear announced a 16th death in Kentucky Monday morning, NewsNation affiiliate WDKY reported. In Tennessee, at least 23 weather-related fatalities have been reported across 11 counties as a result of ongoing severe weather, NewsNation local affiliate WREG reported. A large swath of the state remained under a Cold Weather Advisory Monday. Mississippi is reporting 21 deaths from the storms and cold. Thousands in Tennessee are still without power, with East Nashville resident Rose Savage telling NewsNation local affiliate WKRN she and her roommates were trapped after live power lines fell onto their vehicle. Some of the deaths that have been reported have been people found in freezing homes. Other southeastern states are also feeling the effects of the extended weather conditions. Florida residents awoke to freezing temperatures on Monday, some of the coldest the state has seen in decades, while some cities in North Carolina saw more than a foot of snow as a bomb cyclone brought blizzard-like conditions to the region. Below-normal temperatures are expected to linger through the rest of the week, according to forecasts.

FOX News [2/2/2026 9:43 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin details the federal government’s plan to bypass local permitting hurdles for Los Angeles wildfire victims and discusses the vulnerabilities being exposed in the national power grid due to extreme winter weather. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

SFGate [2/2/2026 4:31 PM, Julie Taylor, 10094K] reports Maui residents still rebuilding after the deadly 2023 wildfires received some welcome news from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a one-year extension of its temporary housing assistance for survivors, which was set to end Feb. 28. The FEMA housing assistance is now extended through February 2027. At the request of the State of Hawaii, FEMA and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem authorized this extension under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The catastrophic wildfires killed 102 people, destroyed 2,200 structures, and displaced more than 12,000 residents-89% of whom were renters at the time of the fires-in August 2023. AccuWeather estimated the total damage and economic loss from the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires at $13 billion to $16 billion. FEMA reports that Maui is experiencing ongoing, severe housing shortages in the aftermath of the fires, driven by extended rebuilding timelines and a lack of affordable rental options. As a result, many displaced residents remain unable to obtain permanent housing without continued FEMA temporary housing assistance. Even though a $4 billion settlement was reached in August 2024 to resolve all Maui wildfire tort claims, payments have not been issued yet.

Washington Times [2/2/2026 1:02 PM, Tom Howell Jr, 1323K] reports that the Secret Service said Monday it launched a multi-city campaign to remove illegal “skimming” devices used to steal credit and debit card information during legitimate transactions at gas stations and shops. Agents and law enforcement partners blanketed Cleveland, Cincinnati, Seattle and Denver in late January to warn hundreds of businesses about skimmers and remove dozens of the illegal devices from stores. Officials said criminals are increasingly installing the skimmers on ATMs, gas pumps and merchant point-of-sale terminals. In particular, crooks are targeting Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards used by persons on food stamps and other government-benefit programs. “The U.S. Secret Service, and our law enforcement and interagency partners, will not stand by idly while fraudsters prey on vulnerable communities using illegal card skimmers to commit EBT fraud,” U.S. Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said. “By educating businesses, identifying skimming devices, and removing them before valuable data falls into the hands of criminals, we deny their ability to steal benefits from those that need it most.” Inspectors looked at thousands of payment devices at hundreds of locations in the four cities. They removed six illegal skimming devices in Cleveland, 14 in Seattle and 19 in Denver, though found none during Cincinnati inspections.

AP [2/2/2026 8:13 PM, Michael Casey, Patrick Whittle, and Leah Willingham, 35287K] reports that the seven victims of a marine disaster that devastated a storied Massachusetts fishing town included a fifth-generation fisherman, a young federal fisheries observer and a father-and-son crew duo. All died when their fishing boat, the Lily Jean, sank in waters off America’s oldest seaport. The sinking underscored the risks long inherent in Gloucester’s fishing industry, which spans more than 400 years and was famously chronicled in “The Perfect Storm.” The names of the crew will be added to a city memorial honoring thousands of fishermen lost at sea over generations. The 72-foot (22-meter) vessel was returning to port early Friday to repair fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters. The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that it was launching a formal investigation into the sinking after suspending a search for survivors Saturday. It has not said what might have caused the sinking, though it said ice buildup from freezing ocean spray can cause a boat to capsize. “You fish in federal waters, you fish in a Gloucester boat, and you lose your life, you’re forever a Gloucester fisherman,” Gloucester fisherman Al Cottone said. Coast Guard officials identified the victims Monday as captain Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo and crewmembers Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short and Sean Therrien. Also aboard was Jada Samitt, a fisheries observer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Los Angeles Times [2/2/2026 7:08 PM, Sara Cardine, 12718K] reports four individuals were rescued from a sinking sailboat on Sunday, a few hundred yards offshore from Laguna Beach’s Heisler Park area, after the vessel struck a submerged rock structure, officials said. Laguna Beach Marine Safety Capt. Dane Doran said the collision took place shortly before 4 p.m., disabling the boat and briefly stranding its four occupants. The name of the craft — "Esprit de l’Eau" — was visible to those who watched the incident from nearby Monument Point. Fortunately, a department rescue boat was patrolling the shoreline and was able to immediately respond to the scene, according to Doran. "Our lifeguard rescue vessel, Wave Watch, rescued all four people on the boat," the watch commander told the Daily Pilot Monday. "The [sailboat] sustained enough damage that it submerged overnight. It’s since been recovered by a tow service out of Newport Beach and is being towed back to Newport Harbor.” Because the boat could not be immediately retrieved, the Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response deployed a boom overnight to contain any potential leakage from the sunken craft, Doran said. The occupants of the boat were taken ashore with no injuries reported, according to Doran. As of Monday afternoon, no reports of any spill or debris had been reported in the area. It is unknown if the vessel belonged to the people who were using it or whether it had been chartered. A boat by the same name, connected to the Balboa Yacht Club, may have participated in the 2025 Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race, according to a social media posting for the event. Doran noted that the weather and ocean conditions were relatively calm at the time the wreck occurred. Members of the sheriff department’s Harbor Patrol also responded to the incident.

FOX News [2/2/2026 2:03 PM, Paul Tilsley, 37576K] reports that the U.S. is mounting an increasing blitz of air attacks and military missions against Islamist terrorists in Somalia to reduce the threat of jihadi attacks on the U.S. homeland. The terrorists are said to be mainly affiliated with Islamic State (ISIS) or al Qaeda. This is according to U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, the second highest-ranking officer at U.S. Africa Command, who talked exclusively last week to Fox News Digital. Brennan, a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, confirmed, "There’s ISIS-inspired threats. They plot against the United States homeland as well as Europe. So that’s kind of the nexus of the threat." "So think," Brennan said, "American citizens on social media get recruited to do bad things inside America. And then there’s ISIS lead and ISIS resource cells that are capable of larger-scale attacks. We’ve stopped, over the history since 9/11, a lot of those from happening, because of what we do overseas, so we’re playing the away game.” He continued, "When you give a terrorist organization that has resourcing like ISIS time and space to plot and plan, those ISIS and terrorist-led attacks can happen. If they’re on the run, and they’re constantly worried about surviving, they can’t be as effective at planning and plotting."

NewsMax [2/2/2026 12:16 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that the Trump administration plans to "unleash" pioneers in private industry as the U.S. seeks "to dominate the space domain," War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. Speaking at Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket factory in Merritt Island, Florida, just south of the Kennedy Space Center, Hegseth praised American aerospace workers and outlined an aggressive vision for U.S. space and national security policy under President Donald Trump. The administration has pushed to accelerate military readiness, rebuild the defense industrial base, and counter growing threats from China, Iran, and other adversaries. Hegseth told employees that the Department of War is partnering with "the greatest companies in America" to ensure the U.S. maintains superiority in what he called "the ultimate high ground." "What you’re building here is a core function of the arsenal of freedom," Hegseth said, pointing to Blue Origin’s New Shepard launch vehicle and the Blue Moon lunar lander. He said private industry innovation is essential to equipping warfighters "at the tip of the spear" with cutting-edge capabilities. Hegseth contrasted the Trump administration’s approach with what he described as failures of the previous administration, accusing it of outsourcing critical capabilities, tolerating bloated defense contracts, and allowing adversaries to challenge American strength.

Telemundo [2/2/2026 6:33 PM, Yuniesky Ramirez, 162K] reports Diplomatic tension between the United States and Cuba remains between conflicting accounts of formal talks between the two governments. While President Donald Trump talks about contacts with “the highest levels” of the Cuban regime, the island’s Foreign Ministry categorically denies it and rejects that there is a negotiation underway. The scenario comes days after President Donald Trump declared Cuba a factor that undermines U.S. national security, a move that led to the imposition of tariffs by the White House on nations exporting fuel to the island. On Monday, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cosío offered statements to the international press in which he acknowledged the existence of exchanges of messages with Washington, but ruled out that there is a formal dialogue table. “We have been exchanging messages for some time and it is logical because we maintain a diplomatic relationship and there are issues to discuss, but if you ask me if we have a dialogue table, we do not have it,” said Fernández de Cosío. “We’re not talking specifically about a negotiation yet. That’s another matter.” The statements also come just hours after the Cuban Foreign Ministry denied, through an official statement, that Havana support or finance terrorist organizations.

FOX News [2/2/2026 10:42 AM, Morgan Phillip, 37576K] reports a Russian cargo plane typically used to transfer military equipment landed at a military airfield in Havana Sunday night, echoing flight patterns seen ahead of the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. The U.S.-sanctioned Ilyushin Il-76, operated by Russian state-linked airline Aviacon Zitotrans, was tracked landing at San Antonio de los Baños Airfield, a Cuban military installation roughly 30 miles south of Havana, according to public flight data. Flight-tracking records show the aircraft stopped in St. Petersburg and Sochi in Russia; Mauritania, Africa; and the Dominican Republic. Each landing would have required approval from host governments, offering a window into which countries are continuing to permit Russian military-linked aviation activity despite Western sanctions. The same aircraft conducted flights to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba in late October 2025, as tensions between Washington and Caracas escalated. That movement preceded U.S. military action in Venezuela that ultimately ended Maduro’s rule — a sequence U.S. officials and analysts have since pointed to as a warning indicator when evaluating similar Russian aviation activity in the region. Now, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel finds himself under mounting pressure from President Donald Trump, who has sharply intensified U.S. policy toward Havana in recent weeks. On Thursday, Trump declared a national emergency related to Cuba, asserting that the Cuban government poses an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The administration also said it would impose penalties on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba without U.S. authorization. Trump confirmed Sunday that the U.S. is engaged in direct talks with Cuban officials. "Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time, but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to prop it up," Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. "So we’re talking to the people from Cuba, the highest people in Cuba, to see what happens. I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba.”

NewsMax [2/2/2026 10:50 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports the United States is welcoming a landmark ruling by Panama’s Supreme Court that voided long-standing port contracts tied to a China-linked company operating at the Panama Canal, calling the decision an affirmation of the rule of law and national sovereignty. Kevin Cabrera, U.S. ambassador to Panama, praised the ruling in a statement Friday, saying it confirms that Panama’s independent judiciary "enforces legal compliance, transparency, and public-interest obligations – holding all private operators accountable." "This ruling strengthens Panama’s national security and investment climate by boosting predictability, fairness, and legal confidence," Cabrera said. "Investors gain assurance that valid contracts are protected and improper ones corrected, making Panama more attractive for quality, long-term investment." Cabrera added that the decision opens the door for reforms to port governance and competitive bidding. "The decision enables a review of port governance and transparent, competitive processes to attract world-class investors that bring innovation, efficiency, quality jobs, and reinforce Panama’s role as a leading logistics hub," he said. "We respect Panama’s right to regulate and protect its critical infrastructure under its laws." On Thursday, Panama’s Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional two contracts signed in 1997 between the Panamanian government and Panama Ports Co. (PPC), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings. The contracts granted PPC a 25-year lease to operate ports at Balboa and Cristobal, at opposite ends of the Panama Canal, and were automatically renewed for another 25 years in 2021. PPC’s control of the ports — which reportedly handle nearly 40% of container traffic through the canal — has long been cited as evidence of China’s expanding influence over the critical global trade route. The issue drew renewed attention after President Donald Trump raised concerns about Beijing’s role in the canal ahead of his second term. The ruling followed a yearlong legal review launched in February 2025, when Panama’s attorney general cited serious irregularities in the contracts that gave PPC "disproportionate rights." Panama’s comptroller later accused the company of causing roughly $1.2 billion in damage. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is "encouraged" by the ruling. Chinese officials criticized the decision. PPC said the ruling "lacks legal basis," while a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman warned that China "will take all measures necessary to firmly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies."

CNN [2/3/2026 2:28 AM, Jessie Yeung, Todd Symons, 612K] reports Iran has tentatively agreed to resume nuclear talks with the US as it tries to avert the threat of further military strikes, in what would be the first such negotiations since the Trump administration bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites last summer. Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Istanbul on Friday, three sources told CNN Monday. Iran’s president later confirmed it was pursing negotiations –– though with conditions. "I have instructed my Minister of Foreign Affairs, provided that a suitable environment exists — one free from threats and unreasonable expectations — to pursue fair and equitable negotiations, guided by the principles of dignity, prudence, and expediency," wrote Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on X on Tuesday. Pezeshkian said he had given the go-ahead for the negotiations following "requests from friendly governments in the region.” "These negotiations shall be conducted within the framework of our national interests," said Pezeshkian. While Pezeshkian is president, ultimate power in Iran rests with the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He struck a defiant tone in Tehran on Sunday, warning that any US strike on Iran would result in a regional war. Tensions have soared in the last few weeks, with US President Donald Trump sending a US "armada" to the region and renewing threats to strike Iran again if it does not agree to negotiate a new nuclear deal. Earlier in January, Trump had also warned of possible military action in response to nationwide protests in Iran, which had triggered deadly crackdowns by security forces. People familiar with the matter told CNN last week that Trump was considering options including airstrikes targeting Iran’s leaders, nuclear sites, and government institutions. A US carrier strike group is now in the region, where it could support any potential operations against the country. Iran is believed to have thousands of missiles and drones within range of US troops based in a number of countries in the Middle East, and has threatened to strike them, as well as Israel.

CNN [2/2/2026 7:03 PM, Simone McCarthy, 612K] reports as US President Donald Trump takes a sledgehammer to longstanding alliances with a volatile foreign policy that’s included threats to take control of Greenland and a spiraling feud with Canada, he’s also creating a significant opening for China. Look no further than the revolving door of Western leaders hosted by Xi Jinping in recent weeks aiming to reset relations or deepen cooperation with the world’s second-largest economy. That procession includes the leaders of some of the US’ closest traditional allies: Britain’s Keir Starmer and Canada’s Mark Carney last month, as well as NATO ally Finland’s Petteri Orpo. French President Emmanuel Macron made a visit in December, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected soon. Viewed from Beijing, that list is a powerful sign that an era of talking about economic separation from China is waning, and Western leaders are finally seeing China as a reliable partner – in contrast to the US under President Donald Trump. Visiting leaders have praised relations with China as key to international stability or their own national security – a far cry from the recently prevailing orthodoxy among G7 leaders that China was a challenge to the rules-based international order. And in broader conversations taking place across gatherings like the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Western leaders are openly acknowledging that the US-backed post-1945 order is being eclipsed – a view not completely out of step with China’s. The European Union "has really been bullied by the US and it’s only human nature to seek outside support when you’re being pushed around. That’s why Europe is actually open to the idea of strengthening ties with China," Jin Canrong, an international relations expert at Renmin University in Beijing, said in a recent analysis. Chinese foreign policy thinkers are under few illusions that American allies are about to wipe clean a list of ongoing concerns about China – from trade to human rights to security – or mount a sweeping shift to Beijing at the expense of ties with Washington. But as leader Xi Jinping continues to push to forge a more China-friendly world, Beijing seems well aware of the major potential benefits from the seismic shift underway.

New York Post [2/2/2026 11:21 AM, Taylor Herzlich, 40934K] reports President Trump is poised to launch a $12 billion stockpile of critical minerals — an attempt to reduce US reliance on China’s supply and stabilize prices for American manufacturers, The Post has learned. The president’s Project Vault will be backed by $1.67 billion in private capital and a $10 billion loan from the US Export-Import Bank, a White House official confirmed to The Post. “For years, American businesses have risked running out of critical minerals during market disruptions,” the president said Monday at the Oval Office. “Today, we’re launching what will be known as Project Vault to ensure that American businesses and workers are never harmed by any shortage.” Project Vault is Trump’s latest attempt to grapple with China’s dominance over rare earths, which are key to automotive, aerospace, and energy industries, Bloomberg earlier reported. Shares in American rare earth miners NioCorp Developments, United States Antimony Corp, USA Rare Earth, and Critical Metals Corp soared 9.3%, 4.8%, 5.9% and 3.3%, respectively, following news of the project. The first-of-its-kind minerals stockpile will act similarly to the nation’s emergency oil stockpile as the Trump administration aims to stabilize prices and minimize supply shocks. Firms that pledge to buy materials at a specific inventory price down the line will pay up-front fees and give Project Vault a list of their preferred materials. A key facet of the deal is that manufacturers who sign on to buy a specified amount of materials will also agree to repurchase the same amount at the same price in the future.

Reported similarly:
Daily Caller [2/2/2026 10:12 AM, Audrey Streb, 803K]

Daily Caller [2/2/2026 10:12 AM, Audrey Streb, 803K] reports the Trump administration is planning to create a critical mineral stockpile with $12 billion in startup capital, Bloomberg News reported Monday. The plan — called Private Vault — aims to insulate American manufacturers from a Chinese monopoly on rare earths, according to Bloomberg News, and will launch with over $1 billion in private funding and a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank. While the U.S. set up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when the Middle East dominated the oil sector in the 1970’s, Project Vault would constitute a first-of-its-kind initiative for the private market as China controls the global critical mineral supply chain, Bloomberg News reported. Senior administration officials, who asked to remain anonymous, told Bloomberg News about the plan details. A White House official confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that Bloomberg’s report is accurate. More than a dozen companies are set to participate in the initiative, including major tech and auto companies, according to Bloomberg News. Rare earths are a collection of 17 metallic elements considered vital to U.S. national security. Critical minerals and rare earths are used in data centers, electric vehicles, smart phones and more. Though the National Defense Stockpile already stores minerals for military purposes, Private Vault would be the first geared toward civilian needs.

Wall Street Journal [2/3/2026 3:48 AM, Joyu Wang, 646K] reports any of America’s longtime trade and security partners, contending with a new era of uncertain U.S. relations, have looked to hedge their reliance on Washington, in some cases warming up to Beijing. For Taiwan, as with other U.S. security partners in Asia, giving up on America isn’t an option. Taiwan’s president pledged Tuesday to double down on trade and security ties in an upbeat speech that clearly staked out what it means to count on the U.S. and be wary of China. Taiwan is committed to deepening its economic and strategic ties to Washington, with a focus on artificial intelligence, drones, critical minerals and supply chains that exclude China, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said. Lai’s comments followed economic discussions in Washington last week that he described as “of great significance to Taiwan-U.S. relations,” a partnership that could be one of “mutually beneficial prosperity.” While President Trump’s tariffs have tested Taiwan, as they have with other trading partners, tensions eased last month with an agreement to lower tariffs in exchange for investment to boost American production of semiconductors. The pledge of allegiance from Taipei on Tuesday contrasted with shifting winds in the West, where U.S. tariffs and other threats have nudged partners to seek alternatives. Many U.S. trade partners are considering deeper trade ties with Beijing—though even North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries that pushed back against Trump’s bid to control Greenland still count on the U.S. for security, exports and technology. In Asia, U.S. partners are carving their own paths when possible. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made reducing reliance on China for essential parts and raw materials a cornerstone of her economic policy—while preparing investments to cement Japanese strengths in industries such as semiconductor technology, an effort aimed in part at ensuring Japan is economically indispensable to the U.S. Tokyo is also hedging its economic bets by building alliances with the European Union, Australia and others, remaining committed to multilateralism and free trade, which the U.S. under Trump now rejects.

{End of Report} RETURN TO TOP