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 AP [2/4/2026 4:58 PM, Steve Karnowski, 35287K] Video: HERE reports the Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continue its enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. About 700 federal officers — roughly a quarter of the total deployed to Minnesota — will be withdrawn immediately after state and local officials agreed over the past week to cooperate by turning over arrested immigrants, Homan said. But he did not provide a timeline for when the administration might end the operation that has become a flashpoint in the debate over President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts since the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. About 2,000 officers will remain in the state after this week’s drawdown, Homan said. That’s roughly the same number sent to Minnesota in early January when the surge ramped up, kicking off what the Department of Homeland Security called its “largest immigration enforcement operation ever.” Since then, masked, heavily armed officers have been met by resistance from residents who are upset with their aggressive tactics. A widespread pullout, Homan said, will occur only after there’s more cooperation and protesters stop interfering with federal agents carrying out arrests. Trump told NBC News that he ordered the reduction and added that one lesson coming out of the turmoil in Minnesota is “maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough.” Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats who have heavily criticized the surge, said pulling back 700 officers was a good first step but that the entire operation should end quickly. “We need a faster and larger drawdown of forces, state-led investigations into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and an end to this campaign of retribution,” Walz posted on social media. Vice President JD Vance said the officers being sent home were mainly in Minneapolis to protect those carrying out arrests. “We’re not drawing down the immigration enforcement,” Vance said in an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show.” Bloomberg [2/4/2026 3:41 PM, Myles Miller, 18082K] reports “This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement,” Homan said. “It’s safer for the community, safer for the officers and safer for the alien.” The New York Post [2/4/2026 2:56 PM, Ryan King, 40934K] reports that ultimately, the goal is to have a “complete drawdown” and “get back to the original footprint” of about 150 feds on the ground, the border czar said, before warning that the outcome was contingent on local cooperation. “My goal was, with the support of President Trump, to achieve a complete drawdown. End the surge as soon as we can,” Homan said. “But that is largely contingent upon the end of the illegal and threatening activities against ICE.” NewsMax [2/4/2026 11:03 AM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 3760K] reports that while the government is drawing down 700 federal immigration agents in the community following cooperation from local law enforcement, it will not reduce personnel assigned to officer safety while what [Homan] called "the lawlessness" continues. “We will not draw down on personnel providing security for our officers," Homan said. "I will not let our officers be put at risk." He described a range of conduct that he said is illegal and unacceptable. "It is against the law to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, and interfere with federal law enforcement, including ICE officers and Border Patrol agents," Homan said. He added, "Doxing law enforcement to threaten them and their families because they’re executing their sworn duties to enforce immigration law that Congress passed is unacceptable." Homan said he supports peaceful protest but drew a line at what he called harassment or assault. NewsMax [2/4/2026 10:31 AM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 3760K] reports "We have also fully integrated CBP personnel into the ICE team structure under one unified chain of command, not two chains of command. There’ll be one chain of command here." Homan said the staffing reduction is possible because of what he described as unprecedented cooperation from local and county jails in Minnesota, which are increasingly notifying ICE before inmates are released. That coordination allows federal agents to take custody inside secure facilities rather than making arrests in the community. "That requires one or two officers instead of eight or 10 going into neighborhoods," Homan said. He described the approach as more efficient and safer for the public, law enforcement officers, and detainees. Reuters [2/4/2026 9:18 AM, Maria Tsvetkova and Jonathan Allen, 38315K] reports Homan said the deportation campaign was in the interest of public safety. He was partially reducing the deployment because he was seeing "unprecedented" cooperation from Minnesota’s elected sheriffs who run county jails, although he did not give more details. "Let me be clear, President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country," Homan said at a press conference. "President Trump made a promise. And we have not directed otherwise." Homan also said there had been "a gap" in giving agents body-worn cameras, which he was hoping to fix with Congress. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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Daily Caller [2/4/2026 10:43 AM, Harold Hutchison, 803K] reports Border czar Tom Homan told reporters that over 150 people had been arrested for trying to thwart United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers during a Wednesday press conference. The deployment of hundreds of law enforcement personnel to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) drew national attention after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in January. Homan told reporters that ICE had arrested over 250 criminals, including 14 convicted of homicide before discussing how many people had been charged under 18 USC 111. "At the same time, professional law enforcement officers should and need to be able to perform their sworn duties without being harassed, impeded, or assaulted," Homan said. "I want everyone, anyone to report instances of alleged misconduct or wrongdoing. There’s a way to report that.” "The Trump administration has taken violations of 18 USC 111, which is assaulting, impeding, interfering, we’re taking that seriously," Homan continued. "If you violate the law, you will be federally prosecuted. In the past month, 158 people have been arrested for violation of [18 USC] 111, 85 cases have been already accepted for prosecutions. The rest remain pending.” According to Fox News Digital, a so-called "rapid response network" in Minnesota tracked ICE vehicles, shared their locations and requested backup to engage with agents, which occasionally led to physical confrontations. Both Good and Pretti were reportedly involved with such a network. Homan also said that ICE had taken over 250 criminals into custody during its operations. "As part of the surge operation here, numerous criminal aliens have already been arrested," Homan said. "We’ve arrested 14 people who’ve had homicide convictions, 139 people with sex-related offenses. 28 gang members, correct me, 139 assault convictions, 87 sex offenses, 28 gang members have been arrested, just to name a few.”

FOX News [2/4/2026 4:00 PM, Emma Colton, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials have arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants in Minnesota since launching Operation Metro Surge in late 2025. Operation Metro Surge is an ongoing immigration crackdown operation that focused on the Twin Cities, as well as Minnesota at large, as part of the administration’s ongoing mission to deport illegal immigrants, most notably violent offenders. "Despite coordinated attacks of violence against our law enforcement, our officers have made more than 4,000 arrests of illegal aliens including murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. "We need sanctuary politicians to cooperate with us by notifying us before releasing public safety threats back onto the streets to commit more crimes and create more victims. We will not back down from our mission to remove criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods."

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NBC News [2/4/2026 2:00 PM, Henry J. Gomez, 42967K] reports that President Donald Trump told NBC News on Wednesday that he believes his administration could use "a softer touch" in its immigration enforcement operations after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens last month in Minneapolis. "I learned that maybe we could use a little bit of a softer touch. But you still have to be tough," Trump said in an Oval Office interview with "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Llamas. "We’re dealing with really hard criminals. But look, I’ve called the people. I’ve called the governor. I’ve called the mayor. Spoke to ‘em. Had great conversations with them. And then I see them ranting and raving out there. Literally as though a call wasn’t made." Trump has been engaged in a weekslong feud with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, two Democrats who have been highly critical of his immigration crackdown in the city and condemned the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, in separate incidents in January. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other high-ranking administration officials had been quick to blame the fatal shootings on Good and Pretti, at several points characterizing them without evidence as domestic terrorists. Video footage of the incidents also contradicted some initial claims that administration officials made to suggest the shootings were justified. The Daily Wire [2/4/2026 6:36 PM, Jennie Taer, 2314K] reports Trump sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis last week to replace then-Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who was known for his aggressive and showy approach to immigration raids. Bovino has since returned to his role as the Border Patrol chief of the El Centro sector in California. Homan took over the operation after the fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents of anti-ICE activists Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Homan has implemented a more targeted approach to enforcement by prioritizing the arrests of the worst criminals. While that’s the new focus in Minneapolis, the former ICE chief said during a press conference Wednesday that it doesn’t mean anyone whose sole crime is being in the country illegally is off the table. Homan also announced a "draw down" of 700 federal immigration authorities from the Twin Cities following the brokering of a deal between an "unprecedented" number of local jurisdictions to allow ICE into jails. "We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets, unprecedented cooperation. And I’ll say it again, this is efficient, it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target rather than eight or ten officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat," Homan said.

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Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 4:15 PM, Naomi Lim, 1147K] re

FOX News [2/4/2026 2:07 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 37576K] reports that White House border czar Tom Homan mocked anti-ICE agitators who have set up roadblocks and checkpoints in Minneapolis as a "joke" on Wednesday, saying they are only harming their own communities. Homan made the statement during a press conference in Minnesota on Wednesday, telling reporters that local police were dismantling the checkpoints. "When I was made aware that the roadblocks exist, I called the chief of police, and he went and disbanded them after I got off the phone with him. He has promised to take enforcement action," Homan said after being asked about the issue. "This is illegal. You can’t do that," he continued. "My message to those folks is, what are you doing? You really think you’re stopping ICE and CBP from doing their job? It’s a joke. The only people you’re hurting is your own community who wants to go and get groceries and pick up their dry cleaning or go to work, whatever. You’re just hindering them. Stop. Stop." Homan made the statement minutes after announcing a drawdown of federal presence in the Twin Cities, saying 700 federal agents would be withdrawing from the area. Homan highlighted meetings he had with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, urging them all to allow local jails to communicate with federal law enforcement about when they planned to release illegal immigrants being detained there. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [2/4/2026 3:18 PM, Alexandra Koch, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Democrats’ border policies during a visit Wednesday to Nogales, Arizona, accusing the left of redefining "compassion" while leaving American communities to deal with crime, chaos and lawlessness. Standing in front of the southern border wall, Noem discussed Biden-era immigration policies and their impact on the country’s overall safety and security. "The Democrats on the left say that compassion was that invasion, was that humanitarian crisis," Noem said. "But President [Donald] Trump says that compassion is taking care of people. Was it compassionate to make Americans share their communities with criminals? Was it compassionate to encourage men and women and children to break the law and to put their lives at risk, knowing that they could be victimized along the way?" Noem’s remarks come weeks after anti-immigration enforcement riots broke out following the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Noem also addressed recent violence against federal immigration enforcement agents, questioning Democrats’ interpretation of compassion. Noem added that Americans elected Trump for a second term to restore law and order.

FOX News [2/4/2026 5:39 PM, Louis Casiano, 37576K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday said another "prolific leaker" who disclosed information that put federal law enforcement officers at risk has been caught. Noem announced the revelation in a post on X. "I plan to refer this individual to @TheJusticeDept for criminal prosecution," Noem wrote. "We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant—we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law." Noem has made the prosecutions of leakers within her agency a top priority as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on illegal immigration. Noem has said the leaks endanger DHS law enforcement officers, who face an 8,000% increase in death threats against them.

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NewsMax [2/4/2026 10:08 AM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 3760K] reports an order requiring all federal law enforcement personnel in Minnesota’s Twin Cities region to wear body cameras comes as agents have "nothing to hide" during the surge operation there, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. The issue, Homan explained during a press conference, was raised by Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, who said that "some officers and agents had them, some didn’t. "That inconsistency was unacceptable," he added. Homan said he discussed the issue with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who approved the decision. "We have nothing to hide," Homan said, adding that the American people "seek and deserve professional and trustworthy law enforcement.” Homan said $20 million included in a recent spending bill will help fund the body camera expansion and stressed that misconduct will not be tolerated. "Any misconduct will not be tolerated and will be swiftly addressed," he said.

Daily Signal [2/4/2026 6:15 PM, Virginia Allen, 474K] reports increased "communication" between federal, state, and county law enforcement is the biggest change border czar Tom Homan has effectively created in Minnesota, according to the head of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association. "Mr. Homan made, I think, a significant step in good faith showing that, based on the sheriffs’ commitment for improved communication, they’re going to begin the drawdown," James Stuart, executive director and CEO of the association, told The Daily Signal of the federal immigration enforcement presence in the state. Homan announced Wednesday that 700 federal immigration agents will be leaving Minnesota immediately due to "unprecedented cooperation" between federal, state, and local law enforcement. While there has been "nothing signed saying this is what’s going to be happening" between federal immigration agents and county sheriffs, there is "an agreement that we are trying to improve communication," Stuart said. "Cooperation is a tricky word, but the first step is communication, and we have a really strong commitment from sheriffs across the state for that," Stuart added. Minnesota law allows local law enforcement to notify ICE prior to an individual’s scheduled release, but it prohibits jails or prisons in the state from holding an illegal alien past their release date for apprehension by federal agents. The agency is not asking state and local authorities to hold criminal illegal aliens "past their normal release time for immigration purposes," Homan said during a press conference Wednesday. Changes to Minnesota’s laws pertaining to ICE detailers are "a discussion point," Stuart said, adding it is something that "ought to be considered.” "Minnesota law enforcement has been caught wedged in the middle of so many of these political battles over the years, when, in fact, law enforcement should never be political, and it should always just be about public safety," the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association CEO said.

Politico [2/4/2026 6:17 PM, Myah Ward, 21784K] reports border czar Tom Homan’s draw down of 700 federal agents in Minneapolis marks his latest effort to deescalate tensions after two American citizens were killed by federal agents last month. Minnesota Democrats insist it isn’t enough. They say federal immigration agents are still deployed across the city, with U.S. citizens continuing to have aggressive run-ins with them. Community members remain on edge, avoiding work and keeping children home from school. Both Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday called for a faster and larger drawdown of federal agents, a plea echoed by state, local and federal officials. “Now we only have 2,300 aggressive, brutal, cosplaying soldiers bursting into people’s homes, brutalizing people on the streets, killing citizens, creating mayhem and chaos,” said state Sen. Scott Dibble, a member of the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party. “Words mean nothing. We have the evidence. We have the videos. We have the photographs, we have the documentation of what exactly they’re doing,” he continued. Amid plummeting poll numbers and widespread bipartisan backlash, the Trump administration is attempting to reframe its aggressive deportation campaign, claiming to prioritize public safety threats and focus on targeted enforcement operations. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are demanding wholesale changes to how ICE operates before they will vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But early reactions from Democrats underscore just how challenging any reset in Minneapolis — a city that has found itself at the center of President Donald Trump’s federal crackdown — will be for Homan and the White House. And it foreshadows the major obstacles the administration could face as it continues its mass deportation campaign in blue cities across the country, where Democratic officials say community trust has been crippled after Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, were fatally shot by federal agents last month. “You tell us at some point there will only be 2,300, 3.5 times as many police as we have in our city, is that supposed to reassure us?” said Minnesota state Rep. Aisha Gomez, a DFL member who represents parts of South Minneapolis. “They’re in Minneapolis now, but they can be coming for your city next.” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), in an interview, said the reduction in agents is “good news,” but that she has heard “nothing has really substantially changed” on the ground as more than 2,000 agents remain.

FOX News [2/4/2026 4:25 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports Noem told Fox News Digital that K-9 teams and Customs and Border Patrol are partnered with agencies involved in the investigation to find Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [2/4/2026 9:43 PM, Elvia Limon, 18170K] reports President Trump on Wednesday said he is directing federal agents to assist in the search for “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie. “I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY. We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family. GOD BLESS AND PROTECT NANCY!” Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing over the weekend after she didn’t show up to church Sunday morning near her home outside of Tucson, Ariz. She was last seen Saturday night at roughly 9:30 p.m. MST, when her family dropped her off after dinner. The next morning, when the 84-year-old did not show up at Sunday service, a church member alerted her family, who called police after searching the home. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, whose team is leading the investigation alongside the FBI, said officials believe Guthrie was taken from her home against her will in a “possible kidnapping or abduction.” Nancy Guthrie does not have dementia and has full cognitive function, the sheriff has said, though she has physical limitations and cannot walk more than 50 yards on her own. The TV anchor’s mother also takes daily medication that could be life-threatening to skip. A source familiar with the conversation told The Hill the president called Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday and voiced his support for her family. Trump on Tuesday called the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie a “very unusual situation,” adding he planned to call Savannah Guthrie “later on.” “I think it’s a terrible thing. I always got along very good with Savannah. Very unusual situation but we’re going to find out,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after signing legislation to end a partial government shutdown. When asked on Tuesday whether he would commit to sending more federal agents to assist in the search for Nancy Guthrie, Trump said, “Sure.” The longtime NBC anchor wrote on Instagram Monday, “We believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness. we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him. “Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.” NBC Sports also said Tuesday that Savannah Guthrie will not be part of its coverage of the Winter Olympics in Italy. Guthrie was scheduled to co-host the opening ceremony on Friday alongside NBC Sports commentator Terry Gannon.

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NewsNation [2/4/2026 12:53 PM, Jeff Arnold and Ali Bradley, 4464K] reports that a specialized unit within the U.S. Border Patrol was assisting in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie, NewsNation sources confirmed, but those agents are no longer assigned to the search, a spokesperson for the unit said Wednesday. The Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue unit is considered an elite unit within the Border Patrol that is tasked with conducting tactical medical and search and rescue operations. The unit was established in 1998 and is headquartered in El Paso, Texas. A spokesperson with the Border Patrol Special Operations group told NewsNation on Wednesday that agents who were sent to Arizona to assist in the search of the area for Guthrie. Unclear of the immediacy of the need for their services, BORSTAR agents were still in place until Monday, but were then called off. Originally formed to respond to the growing number of injuries to Border Patrol agents and to the deaths of migrants attempting to enter the United States illegally, the specialized unit provides a higher level of search and rescue and differs from other conventional Border Patrol operations. According to the Border Patrol, BORSTAR is the only federal law enforcement search and rescue unit that can conduct tactical medical training to federal, state, local and international government agencies.

Politico [2/4/2026 8:00 AM, Calen Razor, 21784K] reports Congress just launched itself onto a nine-day runway to overcome deep partisan divides over the fate of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda — and conditions are trending toward another lengthy shutdown for the Department of Homeland Security. According to several senators, DHS funding talks were largely on hold while lawmakers waited for the House to clear the Senate-passed, five-bill spending package Tuesday and end the brief partial government shutdown. Now lawmakers have little time left before the Feb. 13 deadline to reach a bipartisan agreement on major changes to DHS policies and avoid a funding lapse that will also affect TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA and other agencies — and Democrats are threatening to block any extension of the two-week stopgap measure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that Democrats plan to formally present Republicans a proposal soon for placing more guardrails around ICE and Customs and Border Protection. The wishlist could include tighter rules on the use of warrants, a ban on masks and mandates for body cameras and IDs on federal agents. There’s broad GOP opposition to many of these ideas. Speaker Mike Johnson argued Tuesday that unmasking would be especially dangerous for the agents. “I can tell you that we are never going to go along with adding an entirely new layer of judicial warrants,” Johnson added. “It is unimplementable.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune believes negotiations will need to be primarily between Democrats and the White House, though Republicans will play a part. He said Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, the top Republican on the Senate Homeland funding panel, will take the lead for the GOP. Republicans want to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities,” localities that don’t comply with federal immigration laws. Some are also mulling whether to try and attach bigger immigration provisions onto the DHS stopgap bill, like increasing penalties for immigrants who cross the border illegally. But trying to crack down on “sanctuary cities” has long been a non-starter for Democrats. “We’re not going to make people unsafe, this is about making people safe,” said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, her chamber’s top Democratic appropriator. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Tuesday that “an additional [continuing resolution], from our standpoint, is off the table” despite warnings from Thune and other Republicans that another short-term punt may be necessary to buy more time for talks. Some lawmakers are increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for reaching any DHS deal given Congress’ perennial struggle to agree on immigration policy. “I’m a little skeptical of the entire project here of trying to lard up an appropriations bill that funds critical agencies with a whole bunch of statutory restrictions,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said.

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FOX News [2/4/2026 10:30 AM, Alex Miller, 37576K] reports as the House crushed Republican resistance to a Trump-backed funding package to end the latest partial government shutdown, lawmakers in the upper chamber weren’t confident that Congress could avoid being in the same position in the coming weeks. President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., brokered the deal to end the shutdown last week. That funding truce included a move to sideline the controversial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill in favor of a short-term extension to keep the agency open. The House’s passage of the package, which funds 11 out of 12 government agencies under Congress’ purview, sets the stage for tense negotiations between the White House and Senate Democrats over reforms to DHS. But several Senate Republicans are questioning whether two weeks, which had shrunk to just nine days as of Wednesday, would be enough time to avert another partial shutdown — this time only for DHS. "I think it’s gonna be very difficult to get the funding bill done for DHS in two weeks," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. Scott was one of a handful of Republicans in the upper chamber that rejected the compromise plan and the underlying original package because of bloated spending on earmarks and concerns that Senate Democrats would effectively try to kneecap Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across the country. Some Senate Democrats did not want to weigh in on a hypothetical scenario just days away, but Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., contended that because of the events in Minnesota, "there should be some motivation across the aisle to do something on, you know, all these issues." "I mean, I think [DHS Secretary] Kristi Noem should be fired, leadership needs to be changed at ICE, their budget needs to be the right size," Kelly said. "We got to get them looking like normal police officers.”

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New York Times [2/4/2026 4:06 PM, Carl Hulse and Michael Gold, 148038K] reports that Senate Democrats said on Wednesday that they would put forth legislation by Thursday to codify their conditions for continuing to fund the Department of Homeland Security, moving quickly to lay out their demands for new restrictions on federal agents carrying out President Trump’s immigration crackdown. But as the bipartisan talks get underway before a Feb. 13 deadline, Republicans are already balking at many of Democrats’ proposals. Those include unmasking agents, requiring that they wear visible identification and mandating judicial warrants. The clash reflects a fundamental divide between the two parties over whether Mr. Trump’s deportation drive should be carried out according to standard norms of policing in America, as Democrats are demanding, or if it must be given a special status of secrecy, speed and bare-knuckled tactics, as many Republicans have insisted. The dispute helps explain why reaching any deal to continue funding for the Department of Homeland Security and enact new limits on immigration enforcement is a steep uphill battle. “All we’re asking is that this federal law enforcement agency operate like every other law enforcement agency operates in the country, that they hold themselves to the same standard that your local police is held to,” said Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, a member of the Democratic leadership. “You would not tolerate it if a cop, fully masked without identification, snatched someone off the street in broad daylight without a warrant or due process.”

Roll Call [2/4/2026 4:39 PM, Valerie Yurk, 673K] reports just a day after Congress cleared a Homeland Security Department funding extension, lawmakers are facing a political and procedural reality: Nine days aren’t enough to strike and pass a bipartisan deal on federal immigration enforcement policy. While the White House and Republicans await a policy proposal promised by tomorrow morning from House and Senate Democratic leadership, GOP senators said they’re already eyeing another extension for DHS funding beyond the current Feb. 13 deadline. Since the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by a federal immigration agent during a crackdown in Minneapolis, Democratic lawmakers have advocated for a variety of policies they want to attach to the DHS funding bill to rein in what they say are the department’s abuses. Democrats are warning that another extension would prolong talks that could be wrapped up before the deadline if enough pressure is applied. Republican and Democratic leaders remain far apart on hard-line demands. Tensions between the parties are already high — and negotiations haven’t even begun.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 1:15 AM, Staff, 2416K] reports Democrats have presented their Republican colleagues with reforms for immigration enforcement as lawmakers face a looming deadline to pass a Department of Homeland Security funding package. Lawmakers have until Feb. 13 to pass legislation to fund DHS for fiscal year 2026 or risk a shutdown of the department. While negotiations are ongoing, Democrats and Republicans appear leagues apart. On Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Democratic leaders presented a list of 10 reform demands for immigration enforcement in response to aggressive tactics used by agents that resulted in the deaths of U.S. protesters in Minneapolis last month. To reporters, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Senate and House Democrats were “united” in their aim to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement “and a Trump administration that is actually unleashing state-sponsored violence on the American people and on law-abiding immigrant families.” “That’s completely and totally unacceptable, it’s unconscionable and it’s un-American,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said during the press conference. The letter they sent to Republican leaders lists reforms for immigration policy, including prohibitions on DHS officers entering private property without a judicial warrant, indiscriminate arrests, agents wearing masks, racial profiling and funds for enforcement near medical facilities, schools, child care centers, churches, polling stations and courts. CBS News [2/4/2026 12:27 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports Democratic leaders on Wednesday outlined their demands for funding the Department of Homeland Security beyond next week, reiterating several policy proposals to rein in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices — some of which Republicans have already rejected. "Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not to brutalize or kill them," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference at the Capitol. "ICE is completely and totally out of control, immigration enforcement should be just, it should be fair, and it should be humane. That is not what is taking place right now.” Jeffries, who spoke alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders, said "dramatic changes" are necessary at DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. The House approved a funding package Tuesday that funded the bulk of the government through September and extended funding for DHS through Feb. 13. Democrats and Republicans are now up against the clock to reach an agreement on long-term funding or pass another short-term extension. Jeffries said there are "several demands that we will articulate on behalf of the American people," which include the use of mandatory body cameras and requirements for judicial warrants for arrests in homes and cars. He also said federal agents should not wear masks in an "arbitrary and capricious fashion" and that Congress should prevent the detention and deportation of American citizens. "These are just some of the common-sense proposals that the American people clearly would like to see in terms of the dramatic changes that are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before there’s a full-year appropriations bill," Jeffries said.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [2/4/2026 1:44 PM, Sarah Davis, 18170K]

Wall Street Journal [2/5/2026 12:11 AM, Lindsay Wise, Siobhan Hughes and Michelle Hackman, 646K] Democrats’ drive to reach a deal to put new restrictions on immigration-enforcement agents is running into a Republican brick wall, with lawmakers in both parties saying an agreement looks increasingly unlikely by a Feb. 13 deadline. Congress has just over a week to reach a deal or funding will lapse for the Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement but also the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Among Democrats’ demands are an end to roving street patrols by federal immigration agents, tighter rules governing warrants and use of force, independent investigations for officer misconduct and a prohibition on agents wearing masks. They also want to require agents to use body cameras and carry identification. Republicans are open to some of the ideas but have rejected others—while also introducing their own demands, such as an end to so-called sanctuary cities. “The bottom line is we’re ready to sit down and negotiate, but it’s got to be strong, it’s got to be tough. It’s got to rein in ICE in very serious ways and end the violence. And we hope our Republican colleagues will meet us on that,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Wednesday. “And if they’re not serious and they don’t put in real reform, they shouldn’t expect our votes. Plain and simple.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) said Wednesday that he was already thinking about proposing another stopgap funding bill for DHS—possibly for the rest of this fiscal year—assuming talks fail. But Democrats said they were unlikely to provide the votes for any extension unless negotiations have made real progress, and Thune said their rhetoric suggested they weren’t serious about reaching a deal. “Hopefully cooler heads will prevail,” he said. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but any deal would need 60 votes under chamber rules.

FOX News [2/4/2026 12:39 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 37576K] reports House conservatives are quietly grumbling about the deal President Donald Trump entered into with Senate Democrats to keep the government open and running — particularly regarding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some Republican lawmakers are concerned that the plan will leave them forced to swallow concessions on immigration enforcement policies that they would not normally entertain while the GOP holds all the levers of power in Washington, albeit with slim majorities. "I don’t think we have any more leverage," one House Republican granted anonymity to speak candidly told Fox News Digital. "We just shot ourselves in the foot, and nine days later we’ll do it again." The compromise between Democrats and the White House funds 97% of the federal government through Sept. 30, but only keeps DHS running until Feb. 13. That’s because House and Senate Democrats walked away from an initial compromise that would similarly fund DHS through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2026, in exchange for added guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) like a new body-worn camera mandate and required training on de-escalation and public engagement. The earlier plan passed the House, mostly with only GOP support, but was rejected by Senate Democrats in the wake of unrest in Minneapolis over Trump’s immigration crackdown. Federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens there during anti-ICE demonstrations, with tensions escalating thanks to those fatal encounters and angry rhetoric by progressive local officials. Trump’s new deal for DHS with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is aimed at giving time for more bipartisan negotiations on a longer-term funding plan.

Roll Call [2/4/2026 4:20 PM, Chris Johnson, 673K] reports as lawmakers look for a way forward on a Homeland Security spending measure, the emphasis has initially focused on how President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies have impacted communities hundreds of miles from where two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration officers. Minneapolis, where Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot by federal immigration officers last month, has effectively served as the epicenter of criticism of Trump’s aggressive enforcement policies, but in congressional roundtables and correspondence, lawmakers have made it clear that the impact of that policy has had wide-ranging consequences. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a Republican who is retiring at the end of his term this year, said Tuesday he sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security seeking answers on enforcement operations in Operation Charlotte’s Web in his state. Meanwhile, four Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee — Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania and Lucy McBath of Georgia — wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday asking her to rescind a memo allowing immigration agents to enter homes without a judicial warrant. The letter cites incidents of immigration officers entering homes, including that of U.S. citizen ChongLy "Scott" Thao in St. Paul, a Hmong immigrant who was subjected to masked immigration agents forcing open his door and entering his home. Congressional Democrats led by Rep. Robert Garcia of California, top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, held a bicameral forum on Tuesday to highlight stories demonstrating the negative impact of aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. Congress has until Feb. 13 to find a deal for a spending bill with $64.4 billion in discretionary funding for DHS along with other key public safety agencies, as well as $26.4 billion for disaster relief.

Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 1:57 PM, David Sivak, 1147K] reports that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) will not support any funding for the Department of Homeland Security without a deal on the conduct of federal officials, a new line in the sand for congressional Democrats that increases the likelihood of a partial government shutdown later this month. Jeffries told the Washington Examiner he is a "hard no" on a full-year bill that keeps DHS funding flat, viewed by Republicans as a "fallback" in the event negotiations over immigration enforcement fall through. Jeffries previously told reporters that he would also oppose a shorter-term patch, known as a continuing resolution, after DHS funding expires at the end of next week. "I’m a hard no on a yearlong CR," Jeffries said on Wednesday, demanding that Republicans agree to "bold, meaningful, and transformative" reforms to Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement after immigration officials killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month. "We need to resolve this issue by Feb. 13," Jeffries added. His comments come as he and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have attempted to project unity as they negotiate a deal on immigration enforcement with the White House.

NewsMax [2/4/2026 11:34 AM, Theodore Bunker, 3760K] reports Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Newsmax on Wednesday that the House vote to end a partial federal government shutdown has only set the stage for another looming confrontation, with funding for the Department of Homeland Security scheduled to expire ahead of Valentine’s Day. The short-term deal signed by President Donald Trump reopened several federal agencies but only funds DHS through Feb. 13, setting up another high-stakes deadline as immigration enforcement remains a central point of contention between Republicans and Democrats. The House vote reflected a narrow and unusual coalition, with 21 Democrats voting in favor of the measure and 21 Republicans opposing it. Meuser said on "Wake Up America" that the outcome highlighted what he described as Democratic Party obstruction tied to opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "This time, we had 193 that voted to basically shut down the government is what occurred," said Meuser. "It’s five appropriations bills. Of course, they’re holding up DHS.” Meuser accused Democrats of targeting ICE funding while also affecting other security agencies.

Bloomberg Law [2/4/2026 12:22 PM, Staff, 763K] reports the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t resolved three municipalities’ reimbursement requests related to migrant support funds, they said in court Wednesday, despite an injunction barring the Trump administration from withholding those funds. Chicago, Denver, and Pima County, Ariz., sued in May, saying the Department of Homeland Security couldn’t simply freeze funds that Congress explicitly authorized to support migrant services. Chicago and Denver in recent years saw huge influxes of migrants bused in from the Southern border, and Pima County is on the border and noted its significant assistance with new arrivals released by DHS.

Bloomberg Law [2/4/2026 10:14 AM, Mary Anne Pazanowski, 763K] reports religious groups of various denominations can move forward with their challenge to a Department of Homeland Security policy that leaves immigration enforcement actions around places of worship up to the discretion of individual officers, a federal judge said. The 2025 DHS policy that rescinded a 2021 directive protecting houses of worship and other areas from such actions constituted a final agency action reviewable by a court, Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the US District Court for the District of Maryland said Tuesday. Chuang denied DHS’ motion to dismiss Administrative Procedure Act claims on grounds that they weren’t reviewable.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 6:00 AM, Sean Moran, 2238K] reports Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would set a 25-year moratorium on immigration from Somalia, citing a failure to assimilate in the United States as well as the rampant abuse of federal benefits programs and fraud. "Mass Somali immigration makes the United States weaker, poorer and erodes social trust," Gill said in a written statement to Breitbart News about his legislation, the Somalia Immigration Moratorium Act. "The sole aim of our immigration system is to benefit American citizens, not facilitate mass migration from corrupt, failed societies. The recent fraud scandal in Minnesota highlights the acute dangers of unchecked immigration. A Somalia immigration moratorium puts the American people first, restores our national sovereignty, protects taxpayers and supports public safety." Gill introduced his legislation to amend section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to bar immigration relief for certain citizens of Somalia for 25 years, while preserving existing lawful status and American treaty obligations. The legislation would be consistent with President Donald Trump’s Proclamation 10998, Proclamation 10949, and Executive Order 13769. The legislation would codify Trump’s Proclamation 10998. The moratorium would not apply to those in the country before the enactment of the legislation, lawful permanent residents, and diplomatic or international organization visas. In mid-January, the Trump administration moved to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Somalis living in the country. "Temporary means temporary. Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. "Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first," she added.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [2/4/2026 6:42 PM, Michael Katz, 3760K]

New York Post [2/4/2026 8:14 AM, Victor Nava, 40934K] reports Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) demanded oversight records Tuesday from Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS) and Gov. Tim Walz to get a better understanding of how social services scammers may have stolen some $9 billion from taxpayers. "Given the pervasiveness of fraud in your state, it is past time for Minnesota to answer for its apparent failure to safeguard taxpayer dollars," Johnson wrote in a letter to Walz and DHS Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi, obtained by The Post. Johnson, the chairman of the Senate’s powerful Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, argued that "a clear accounting of how Minnesota’s program-integrity controls failed is required" in light of the series of high-profile fraud scandals that plagued the North Star State. Records related to "actual or suspected" fraud or abuse involving childcare assistance programs and Medicaid services administered by DHS and a complete list of entities that received funds from the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program, the Housing Stabilization Services program, or the Federal Child Nutrition Program, are among the information demanded by the senator. Johnson also asked for records related to Walz’s October 2025 decision to pause 14 Medicaid service categories identified as high-risk for fraud, including "all communications between DHS and the Governor’s office.”

NewsMax [2/4/2026 10:54 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports Vice President JD Vance is standing firm behind the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, rejecting demands for apologies or a policy retreat as Democrats and the media intensify their attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Vance made clear the White House is not backing down after the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse and anti-ICE activist Alex Pretti during an ICE-related operation — an incident that has become a rallying point for opponents of deportation enforcement. Vance drew criticism after he reposted claims from White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller suggesting Pretti intended to kill federal agents. When asked whether he would apologize to Pretti’s family, Vance flatly refused. "For what?" the vice president responded, stressing that ongoing investigations should determine whether officers acted lawfully. "I don’t think it’s smart to prejudge the investigation," he said, emphasizing that law enforcement officers, like any Americans, are entitled to a presumption of innocence. Pretti, who had a concealed-carry permit, was shot by two federal officers assigned to Minneapolis as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration operation. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation, and Miller later acknowledged his comments were made before all facts were known.

Blaze [2/4/2026 9:22 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1556K] reports Democrats have worked overtime to demonize and delegitimize the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — those whom Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz branded as "Trump’s modern-day Gestapo," Sen. Tina Smith (Minn.) called a "clear and present threat," Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) dubbed "terrorizing bandits," and Democrat anchor-baby Rep. Delia Ramirez (Ill.) called a "terror force.” In addition to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and other Democrats threatening lawfare against ICE officers, some radical officials have turned up the heat by suggesting that it may be reasonable to shoot masked federal immigration agents. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) claimed this week that it would be "justified" to shoot those he characterized as "masked hoodlums.” "What is really the major problem in this country today is the fascism in our streets, the attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums," said Nadler, going off-topic during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. "If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped. You’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself.” "We see people being shot, for what? For driving a car?" he added, possibly referring to Renee Good, an anti-ICE radical who was fatally shot while driving her SUV into an ICE agent. "We see the ICE goons break into people’s homes without a warrant.” Vice President JD Vance was among the many critics who blasted Nadler over his incendiary remarks, noting, "Jerry Nadler is one of the highest ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives and he is openly calling for people to shoot federal law enforcement.” According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents faced 68 vehicular attacks, representing a 3,300% increase in such attacks against ICE law enforcement. During the same stretch, Customs and Border Patrol officers faced 114 vehicular attacks. "Sanctuary politicians with their rhetoric comparing ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, slave patrols, and the secret police and encouraging illegal aliens to evade arrest have incited violence against law enforcement," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have seen more than 180 vehicle attacks against law enforcement since President Trump took office," continued McLaughlin. "In addition to these vehicle attacks, our officers are also facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats as they risk their lives to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists.”

New York Post [2/4/2026 6:57 AM, Chris Bradford, 40934K] reports Vice President JD Vance has refused to apologize to the family of late anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti after endorsing an initial claim by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller that the ICU nurse was an "assassin.” "For what?" Vance retorted when asked by The Daily Mail Tuesday whether he would take the description back. "If something is determined, that the guy who shot Alex Pretti did something bad, then a lot of consequences are going to flow from that," he added. "We’ll let that happen. I don’t think it’s smart to prejudge the investigation." Hours after Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection agent during a struggle in Minneapolis Jan. 24, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) posted on X that "ICE must leave Minneapolis" and "Congress should not fund this version of ICE.” "An assassin tried to murder federal agents," Miller fired back at Murphy, "and this is your response." Vance reposted Miller’s attack from his personal account, where it remains online despite video showing that Pretti was disarmed before he was shot.

Reported similarly:
Univision [2/4/2026 6:53 PM, Staff, 4937K]

Daily Signal [2/4/2026 4:40 PM, Virginia Grace McKinnon, 549K] reports Democrats in Congress and George Floyd’s lawyer are calling for a change to federal law. They wish to amend the Civil Rights Act to allow citizens to more easily sue federal immigration officers. Since the Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests in Minneapolis and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Democrats have called for ICE to be fully defunded. The agency under the Department of Homeland Security is funded through Feb. 13 and has funding for deportation operations through 2028. However, at an unofficial, bicameral, partisan hearing on Tuesday, Antonio Romanucci, George Floyd’s former attorney now representing Good, called for ICE to be stripped of its qualified immunity, leaving agents vulnerable to frivolous civil lawsuits and possibly preventing them from conducting their deportation assignments. Immigration officers are federal agents and are granted federal immunity to conduct their operations. “Anybody who lays a hand on our officers or tries to obstruct or harm them is committing a felony and a federal crime,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Signal. The hearing was led by the ranking member of the permanent subcommittee on investigations, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. During the hearing Democrat members of Congress echoed these calls to amend the Civil Rights Act and for the entire DHS to “completely overhaul, rebuild from the bottom up and house clean from the top down,” said Blumenthal.

FOX News [2/4/2026 11:18 AM, Greg Norman-Diamond, 37576K] reports photos have emerged showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents drawing their weapons at agitators in Minneapolis who allegedly were trying to obstruct their operations. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement that ICE officers were in Minneapolis on Tuesday "conducting a targeted enforcement operation to arrest an Ecuadorian criminal illegal alien previously charged with assault.” "Two agitator vehicles began stalking our officers and attempted to obstruct ICE operations — a felony and a federal crime — by blocking one of the ICE vehicles by closing a gate. Officers reopened the gate and exited the area while agitators attempted to close the gate in an effort to obstruct their operations," she continued. "The agitators then followed the officers as they departed and made hand motions suggestive of possessing a firearm.” "Obstructing federal law enforcement is not only dangerous but also a crime and a felony," McLaughlin also said. "Because of this obstruction, this criminal illegal alien is at large.” Several cars had followed officers through south Minneapolis after there were reports of them knocking at homes, according to The Associated Press.

USA Today [2/4/2026 1:47 PM, Brie Anna J. Frank, 70643K] reports at least three rights protected under the First Amendment clashed in recent days as protesters and journalists, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, were arrested in connection with a Minnesota church protest. Lemon was one of several journalists at the Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church in St. Paul. Demonstrators entered the church during a service, believing that one of the church’s pastors, David Easterwood, worked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Videos of the protest showed demonstrators chanting "ICE out " and lead pastor Jonathan Parnell shouting: "Shame on you. This is the house of God and we are worshipping." In a nearly seven-hour livestream on his YouTube channel, Lemon spoke with congregation members, protesters and one of the church’s pastors. Demonstrators have a right to assemble and exercise free speech. Journalists are allowed to cover newsworthy events. But churchgoers are also guaranteed the right to practice their religion. The Trump administration has maintained that its actions in the state do not threaten First Amendment rights. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to USA TODAY on Feb. 3 that the U.S. Constitution “protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting.” “DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters,” McLaughlin said. “We remind the public that rioting is dangerous – obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony.” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post on Jan. 8 that peaceful protest is a “sacred American right protected by the First Amendment” but that it is a federal crime to impede or attack federal law enforcement or damage federal property.

Politico [2/4/2026 5:00 AM, Ankush Khardori, 21784K] reports the Trump administration and the Republican Party are currently scrambling to deal with the fallout after the unjustifiable killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino have been sidelined after spending the weekend lying about Pretti and blaming him for his own death. The border czar Tom Homan, who was under investigation for public corruption before returning to office, will now oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota. Republicans in Congress are fretting about the public backlash. Whether there will be any actual policy changes remains to be seen, and certainly no one is holding their breath for an apology — to Pretti’s family, to Renee Good’s family or to anyone else. But even if Trump were to pull ICE entirely out of Minneapolis tomorrow, long-lasting damage has been done, particularly to the U.S. criminal justice system. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota appears to be deteriorating, and more resignations from career prosecutors may be on the horizon. Justice Department and FBI leaders in Washington have undermined their public credibility yet again in defense of the White House’s political priorities. Meanwhile, the federal deployment of ICE agents has created a major rupture between state and federal law enforcement officials in Minnesota, who once prided themselves on their cooperative working relationship with one another. The whole episode risks further destabilizing federal-state law enforcement relations throughout the country, ultimately making Americans everywhere less safe. Already, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota has been seriously hobbled, but the full extent of the problems have only been partially visible to the public. The office is supposed to have 50 criminal prosecutors on staff, but at the moment, there are only “about 17 prosecutors” left, according to David Lillehaug, who served as the U.S. Attorney in Minnesota during the Clinton administration and remains familiar with dynamics inside the office he once led. (A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment on personnel.) Lillehaug, who later served as a judge on the Minnesota Supreme Court, was recently enlisted by the state’s bar association to brief roughly 150 lawyers on the legal response to the federal deployment and to moderate a brainstorming session on potential legal claims or defenses against the federal government’s overreach. “Basically, what has been happening in slow motion with the Justice Department over a year” — an unprecedented number of resignations and firings — “hit the U.S. Attorney’s Office within a matter of days,” Lillehaug told me. At least nine prosecutors have recently left the office, including “some of the crown jewels of the force,” he said. Some of the line prosecutors still there are now thinking about leaving in the wake of Pretti’s killing, but they are worried about things getting even worse in their absence. (A DOJ spokesperson again declined to comment on personnel.) The Justice Department has quietly tried to paper over these problems. Lillehaug told me that senior officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Michigan have been brought in to effectively run the Minnesota office and that JAG lawyers who typically work in the military have been added to fill the gap, but this is not a long-term solution. A DOJ official said that the attorneys from the Eastern District of Michigan are assisting the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota and argued that this was a common occurrence when an office has an influx of cases or when specialized experience is needed. A person familiar with the situation added that JAGs are coming in to assist with charges against people assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.

AP [2/4/2026 10:24 PM, Claire Rush, 2238K] reports U.S. immigration agents in Oregon must stop arresting people without warrants unless there’s a likelihood of escape, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai issued a preliminary injunction in a proposed class-action lawsuit targeting the Department of Homeland Security’s practice of arresting immigrants they happen to come across while conducting ramped-up enforcement operations — which critics have described as “arrest first, justify later.” The department, which is named as a defendant in the suit, did not immediately comment in response to a request from The Associated Press. Similar actions, including immigration agents entering private property without a warrant issued by a court, have drawn concern from civil rights groups across the country amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Courts in Colorado and Washington, D.C., have issued rulings like Kasubhai’s, and the government has appealed them. In a memo last week, Todd Lyons, the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, emphasized that agents should not make an arrest without an administrative arrest warrant issued by a supervisor unless they develop probable cause to believe that the person is in the U.S. illegally and likely to escape from the scene before a warrant can be obtained. But the judge heard evidence that agents in Oregon have arrested people in immigration sweeps without such warrants or determining escape was likely. The daylong hearing included testimony from one plaintiff, Victor Cruz Gamez, a 56-year-old grandfather who has been in the U.S. since 1999. He told the court he was arrested and held in an immigration detention facility for three weeks even though he has a valid work permit and a pending visa application. Cruz Gamez testified that he was driving home from work in October when he was pulled over by immigration agents. Despite showing his driver’s license and work permit, he was detained and taken to the ICE building in Portland before being sent to an immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington. After three weeks there, he was set to be deported until a lawyer secured his release, he said. He teared up as he recounted how the arrest impacted his family, especially his wife. Once he was home they did not open the door for three weeks out of fear and one of his grandchildren did not want to go to school, he said through a Spanish interpreter. Afterward a lawyer for the federal government told Cruz Gamez he was sorry about what he went through and the effect it had on them. Kasubhai said the actions of agents in Oregon — including drawing guns on people while detaining them for civil immigration violations — have been “violent and brutal,” and he was concerned about the administration denying due process to those swept up in immigration raids. “Due process calls for those who have great power to exercise great restraint,” he said. “That is the bedrock of a democratic republic founded on this great constitution. I think we’re losing that.”

Reported similarly:
CBS News [2/4/2026 10:38 PM, Amanda Arden, 51110K]
Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 10:48 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K]

Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 9:29 AM, David Zimmermann, 1147K] reports an Oregon judge temporarily barred federal officers from firing "chemical or projectile munitions" at anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters in Portland on Tuesday. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Michael Simon, applies to tear gas, pepper spray, less-lethal shotguns, rubber ball grenades, and various other weapons. Officers have often used such munitions to maintain crowd control in Portland and elsewhere. The weapons can be used if the "specific target of such a weapon or device poses an imminent threat of physical harm to a law enforcement officer or other person," Simon wrote in the opinion. The temporary restraining order against federal personnel will remain in effect for 14 days unless extended. The federal judge said officers are also prohibited from firing munitions "at the head, neck, or torso of any person, unless the officer is legally justified in using deadly force against that person." The ruling marks a win for protesters and journalists represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. The defendants argued that their First Amendment rights were being violated while protesting or covering demonstrations outside the ICE office in Portland. Their lawsuit was filed against the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and President Donald Trump. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin disputed the court’s conclusion, saying it "is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters." She noted that rioting is not protected under the First Amendment.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg Law [2/4/2026 10:23 AM, Mallory Culhane, 763K]
(B) Oregon News Now Midday [2/4/2026 2:33 PM, Staff]

Houston Chronicle [2/4/2026 7:00 AM, Lisa Falkenberg, 2493K] reports we can’t see the faces of the masked agents in the videos as they pepper spray Alex Pretti’s face, beat his head in with a metal canister and fire at least 10 shots into his body in a Minneapolis street. We probably still wouldn’t know the names of the two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who killed Pretti – or the fact that they’re from South Texas – if ProPublica hadn’t dredged up the information in federal court papers over the weekend. Often, the federal agents we’ve seen in videos shoving protesters, stalking courthouses and schools, and administering banned chokeholds on people they’re trying to arrest have no faces, no names, no visible badge numbers, no marked cars, no starched uniforms with their names embroidered over the breast pocket, perhaps not even a body cam to record the encounter. Often, the only identifier we have for the plain-clothes agents meting out jackbooted justice – or injustice – in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in cities across America is “POLICE” emblazoned across their chests or vests. Sometimes, it’s both “POLICE” and “ICE.” It’s a problem when federal agents identify themselves using a term most people associate with local peace officers – a problem that police chiefs and criminal justice advocates have long warned about.

Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 4:18 PM, Mia Cathell, 1147K] reports as a physical obstruction, operatives part of a local coalition called "ICE Watch" had positioned in the middle of the street stolen traffic cones, barrels, and barricade beams spray-painted with "ICE Out" branding. The fort-like structure was reinforced with wood scaffolding, old furniture, and storage pallets propped up against the perimeter. Ventura reported that an anti-ICE patrol was demanding to see identification during the shakedown process, logging the license plates of cars believed to be government property into a database, and cross-referencing the tracking system to vet vehicles suspected of belonging to or being rented by ICE. Those orchestrating the occupation along Cedar Avenue are now mobilizing to replicate this operation all over Minneapolis, raising questions about the legality of resistance-run blockades, how government officials will respond to a hostile takeover of the city’s streets, and whether the blockades are the beginning of a larger movement reminiscent of the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots. Minnesota ICE Watch, Defend the 612, and Minneapolis Spring are the main architects of the anti-ICE blockades.

New York Times [2/5/2026 5:04 AM, Alan Feuer, Mattathias Schwartz, and Zach Montague, 148038K] reports when it all became too much — the crippling case load, the lack of training and, most of all, the immigrants themselves who had been languishing in jail — Julie T. Le let loose in front of the judge. Ms. Le, a prosecutor for the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota, knew that he was angry. She understood that she and her colleagues had violated his orders to release people illegally detained in the state last month. But she had already tried to quit her job, and no one would replace her, so what else could she do? “The system sucks. This job sucks,” Ms. Le exclaimed. While she wanted to improve things, she was just one person, she explained, working around the clock to grapple with the onslaught of cases stemming from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. “Fixing a system, a broken system, I don’t have a magic button to do it,” she said. “I don’t have the power or the voice to do it. I only can do it within the ability and the capacity that I have.” Ms. Le’s outburst on Tuesday at a hearing in Federal District Court in St. Paul was an extraordinary expression of personal frustration from a lawyer on the front lines of the White House’s aggressive immigration sweeps. The remarks cost her her job at the Justice Department, where she had been working on a temporary basis to help handle habeas corpus petitions, or court filings that compel the government to justify holding someone in custody. But they also opened a window onto a broader problem: how the courts in Minnesota are buckling beneath the weight of a deluge of cases arising from the statewide campaign that the administration has called Operation Metro Surge.

Politico [2/4/2026 3:16 PM, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, 21784K] reports the Trump administration’s massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota has exposed a severe rift between the Justice Department and ICE, detonated the already crumbling trust between the administration and the courts and led to the dozens of detentions the courts have said are illegal. A dramatic breakdown by a Justice Department attorney in a Minneapolis courtroom Tuesday laid bare the crisis roiling the Trump administration as it continues to mass arrest immigrants without the corresponding resources to detain them humanely, process their legal cases and comply with federal court orders. “The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need,” prosecutor Julie Le told a judge as he demanded to know why his orders were being defied. “Sometime I wish you would just hold me in contempt, your honor, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep,” she added, according to a transcript obtained by POLITICO. Part of the problem, Le said, is that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials simply don’t respond when she or other Justice Department lawyers try to get them to obey the courts. “Fixing a system, a broken system, I don’t have a magic button to do it. I don’t have the power or the voice to do it,” she added. Shortly after the candid courtroom exchange on Tuesday, Le was removed from her temporary post and returned to the Department of Homeland Security, where she works on immigration cases within the executive branch, said a Justice Department official who was granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters. But it’s clear that the cases Le handled are not outliers. Court records and transcripts reveal widespread miscommunication, bungling of court filings and suddenly rampant violations of judges’ orders. The administration’s handling of its immigration operation provoked a five-alarm emergency among federal judges in the state, who have grown increasingly frustrated at what they see as overt defiance — caused not by the local prosecutors in Minnesota but by DOJ and DHS leadership in Washington. Contempt threats are now almost routine. Several top lawyers from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota resigned amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation push, dubbed Operation Metro Surge, leading to a shortage of personnel to handle an unprecedented number of emergency cases. Other attorneys have threatened to resign in recent days. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin rejected the notion that the administration was unprepared for the deluge of immigration cases now flooding the courts. And she blamed judges for stoking the increase. “The Trump administration is more than prepared to handle the legal caseload necessary to deliver President Trump’s deportation agenda for the American people,” McLaughlin said. “It should come as no surprise that more habeas petitions are being filed by illegal aliens — especially after many activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people’s mandate for mass deportations.”

Reported similarly:
ABC News [2/4/2026 4:36 PM, Jack Date, Luke Barr, Matt Rivers, and Laura Romero, 34146K]

CNN [2/4/2026 4:25 PM, Devan Cole, Tierney Sneed and Hannah Rabinowitz, 19874K] reports an Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorney detailed to Minnesota to help handle the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities has been removed from her post after telling a judge that the job “sucks” because of the crushing workload and the government’s apparent inability to comply with court orders. The attorney, Julie Le, was sent back to her job at ICE, according to a source familiar with the matter. In an extraordinarily candid exchange with a federal judge on Tuesday, Le, who had been asked to explain why the administration was not promptly complying with a slew of court orders stemming from immigration cases she’s handling, admitted that the government did not have enough lawyers on the ground to adequately keep up with Operation Metro Surge and that trying to get errors fixed is like “pulling teeth.” “They are overwhelmed and they need help, so I, I have to say, stupidly (volunteered),” she told US District Judge Jerry Blackwell, according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by CNN. Blackwell is threatening to hold her and another lawyer in contempt for repeated violations of orders he’s issued in immigration cases. “Sometime I wish you would just hold me in contempt, your honor, so that I can have a full 24 hours of sleep. I work days and night just because people (are) still in there,” Le said. “And, yes, procedure in place right now sucks. I’m trying to fix it,” she continued. “I am here with you, your honor. What do you want me to do? The system sucks. This job sucks. And I am trying every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need.” Her comments in court offer a rare look under the hood of Operation Metro Surge, which officials announced Wednesday would be partially scaled back. Le and the other administration lawyers working on immigration cases in Minnesota since the crackdown began have been facing intense scrutiny from the judges there over a slew of missteps in the cases. Last week, the chief judge of the state’s federal trial-level court said ICE “has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence” and specifically called out nearly 100 court orders he said had been violated in recent weeks. Among those orders are ones requiring the government to immediately release immigrant detainees whom judges determined were being held unlawfully in Minnesota or Texas, where many of them were flown after being arrested in the Twin Cities. Judges, including Blackwell, were also frustrated by release conditions ICE had imposed on some immigrants since the court had not specifically allowed the agency to fashion such conditions. “It takes 10 e-mails to get a release condition to be corrected,” Le told Judge Blackwell on Tuesday. “It take(s) two escalation(s) and a threat that I will walk out for that to be corrected.” Though Blackwell said he thought Le and Justice Department attorney Ana Voss, who is also facing a contempt threat, were “working in good faith and under difficult circumstances,” he warned them that “a court order is not advisory and it is not conditional.” Though Blackwell said he thought Le and Justice Department attorney Ana Voss, who is also facing a contempt threat, were “working in good faith and under difficult circumstances,” he warned them that “a court order is not advisory and it is not conditional.”

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [2/4/2026 6:00 PM, Mariah Timms and Lydia Wheeler, 646K]
Bloomberg Law [2/4/2026 12:00 PM, Celine Castronuovo, 763K]
Reuters [2/4/2026 1:34 PM, Nate Raymond and Andrew Goudsward, 38315K]
Daily Caller [2/4/2026 4:07 PM, Christine Sellers, 803K]
San Diego Union Tribune [2/4/2026 3:42 PM, Michael Kunzelman and Alanna Durkin Richer, 1257K]

FOX News [2/4/2026 12:37 PM, Ashley Carnahan Fox, 37576K] Video: HERE reports the Minneapolis City Council on Tuesday signaled support for a resolution that would direct additional funding toward immigrant legal services, as city leaders weigh how to respond to ongoing federal immigration enforcement activity. The resolution would increase the budget for the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs by $500,000 on a one-time basis. Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis City Council member representing Ward 9, said the move would bring the city’s total investment in immigrant legal services to $1 million this year, following an earlier allocation approved in December. "This action unanimously passed at the Committee of the Whole meeting and will now have a final vote at full council. We are hearing from providers that we desperately need to expand services, capacity, and support," Chavez wrote on Facebook. "We also know that habeas corpus and the legal system are one of the ways we have successfully reunited families," he added. "While this was one action today, I believe we must do more.” The Minneapolis City Council is scheduled to vote on Chavez’s resolution on Thursday. Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said at a press conference Wednesday morning that the administration would draw down 700 federal law enforcement personnel from Minnesota, citing "unprecedented collaboration" with local officials. Homan said federal agents have arrested people with serious criminal histories, including those convicted of homicide, sex-related offenses and gang activity. "We’re taking a lot of bad people off the street," he told reporters. "Everybody should be grateful for that. Who in their right mind would want these dangerous criminals walking around communities?" [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [2/4/2026 9:58 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told Newsmax on Wednesday that Americans largely agree with President Donald Trump on securing the border, but warned the administration risks losing public support over its immigration enforcement tactics and rhetoric. On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Smith addressed recent immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis, where border czar Tom Homan has overseen stepped-up cooperation between federal authorities and state and local officials. Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Trump has public backing on the core goals of immigration enforcement. "There’s two things that the American people strongly agree with Donald Trump on when it comes to immigration," Smith said. "Number one, they want a secure border. "And they don’t think, and rightly so, that the border was secure under Joe Biden. It wasn’t.” Smith added that late changes by the Biden administration were "too little, too late," allowing Trump to move quickly upon taking office. "The second thing they agree is that criminals, dangerous criminals in particular, should be the target of immigration enforcement and they should be deported," he said, adding that "not enough states and local jurisdictions cooperate with federal law enforcement on that.” But Smith criticized how enforcement has been carried out, saying aggressive tactics by the federal government have undermined public support. "The big problem with what President Trump has done that has made it unpopular is, number one, the rules of engagement. ICE and these other agencies have come in, no due process, no probable cause, kicking in doors, bashing out windows, dragging people out," he said, referencing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also objected to enforcement actions beyond criminal targets. "These aren’t just targeting dangerous criminals," Smith said. "They’re going in and pulling 4-year-olds out of preschool, and I don’t think the people support that.” Smith further accused administration officials of misrepresenting enforcement incidents, pointing to public statements after two fatal shootings by federal law enforcement of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. "Lastly, there’s the dishonesty, particularly from [Homeland Security Secretary] Kristi Noem when on ... the two shootings describing circumstances that weren’t happening, saying that Pretti was brandishing a firearm and was hell-bent on killing a whole ... the facts weren’t there.”

NewsMax [2/4/2026 10:08 AM, Terence P. Jeffrey, 3760K] reports twenty years ago, former President George W. Bush was serving his second term in office when Mario Ramiro Aragon, a Guatemalan national, was first removed from the United States. "On or about August 10, 2006, United States Border Patrol (‘USBP’) encountered ARAGON, using the name Jose Juana-Zapata, in Sasabe, Arizona," said an affidavit filed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer this January in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut. "On or about August 12, 2006, USBP issued him a Notice and Order of Expedited Removal. "... On August 19, 2006, ICE executed the expedited removal and removed him from the United States to Guatemala on an ICE operated flight from Phoenix, Arizona." ICE took his fingerprints and "advised him ... that he could not return to the United States for a period of five (5) years as a consequence of having been found inadmissible." Aragon did not heed this advice. Less than a year later, he was arrested in the United States again --- on a more serious charge. In 2013, Aragon was removed from the United States again, according to the ICE officer’s affidavit. This time ICE flew him from New Orleans to Guatemala. But he did not stay there. "On or about July 21, 2019, USBP in Sasabe, Arizona encountered ARAGON after he illegally re-entered the United States," said the affidavit. In July 2020, ICE once again put him on a plane — this time in El Paso, Texas -- and flew him back to Guatemala. Then last month, Aragon was arrested by the Waterbury Police Department in Waterbury, Connecticut. "WPD arrested ARAGON for breach of peace in the second degree and criminal trespass in the first degree," said the ICE affidavit. It also stated that "the WPD listed him as being homeless upon his arrest." This case is one example of why President Donald Trump is doing the right thing in securing this nation’s borders and enforcing our immigration laws within the country. On Jan. 20, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem put out a statement summarizing her department’s accomplishments during the first year of Trump’s second term: "In President Trump’s first year back in office," said Noem, "nearly 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 675,000 deportations." By enforcing the immigration laws against those who are violating them in this country, the Trump administration has deterred illegal border crossings.

New York Post [2/4/2026 6:54 PM, Julian Epstein, 40934K] reports as part of negotiations to end this week’s partial government shutdown, Democrats in Congress are pushing for legislation they say is needed to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But some of their proposals seem part of a larger plan to shut down ICE itself — to "Defund ICE," in effect — and impose a permanent version of the open-border policy American voters rejected in the last presidential election. This seems to be the new playbook of the progressive socialist left. Allow millions of mostly economic migrants into the United States during a Democratic administration, then defy democracy by violently fighting the feds in the streets — creating enough political pressure to shut down, via legislation, the meaningful immigration enforcement that voters demanded. The Democrats’ plan includes requiring judicial warrants to arrest and detain illegal immigrants, a "no-mask" rule for ICE agents despite escalating vigilante violence targeting them, and supervisory authority over ICE for local politicians and officials. All three could help keep mass amnesty in place — a central goal of the open-borders ideologues. Consider the demand for judicial warrants. In 2025, ICE arrested and deported approximately 600,000 illegal immigrants — most of whom, as former Department of Justice official and scholar John Lott has pointed out, were detained with administrative warrants issued by immigration judges under DOJ or the Department of Homeland Security. Immigration judges aren’t federal judges governed by Article III of the Constitution; they work in a separate, parallel system. The nation’s 94 federal district courts and approximately 677 federal judgeships (41 of which stand vacant) are already overwhelmed with cases. The Democrats’ legislation would saddle each federal district court with an average of 6,000 or more warrant applications a year, if ICE kept up its 2025 pace — an impossible load for an already overburdened system. Some former DHS officials have argued that Article III Court judicial warrants are required under the Constitution, at least for in-home arrests — but this is hardly clear.

Houston Chronicle [2/4/2026 7:00 AM, John T. James, 2493K] reports regarding “Will citizens in Houston be next? ICE is out of control. | Editorial,” (Jan. 26): I’d like to provide more background than your fine summary offered. In February 2024, there was a bipartisan bill in Congress to compassionately deal with undocumented immigrants. Among other provisions, it sought to “hire more Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, asylum officers and immigration judges to reduce the years-long backlog in cases to determine asylum eligibility.” The bill was torpedoed by President Donald Trump, who stated, “Only a fool, or a Radical Left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous Border Bill, which only gives Shutdown Authority after 5,000 Encounters a day.” He was mistaken about the shutdown authority. In any case, it was acknowledged that Republicans in both the Senate and House yielded to objections from their all-but-certain presidential nominee, Trump. At least a major part of the cause for the current ruthless ICE pursuit of undocumented immigrants lies at the feet of our current president and those legislators who caved in to his wishes in 2024. Imagine how things would be different if we had had enough judges to clear the lengthy backlog of asylum seekers? Further fault extends even to those who voted for him for president in the same year. Apparently, they did not get how Trump was going to approach the undocumented migrant problem, and how his overwrought approach would become lethal harm to protesting citizens.

USA Today [2/5/2026 4:03 AM, Dace Potas, 67103K] reports soon after President Donald Trump’s slate of Cabinet nominations was confirmed with ease early in his second term, I wrote about how disappointing it was that the Senate had given up on its job of vetting the nominees. We’re now fresh into the second year of Trump’s term, and his Cabinet selections have been nothing short of disastrous, both for America and for his own political capital. Scandal after scandal has eroded the public trust in this administration. Trump’s decision to prioritize loyalty over merit has resulted in poor officers eroding public trust in his executive branch. Republicans in the Senate could have bailed him out, but they chose not to. Now, Congress as an institution, the Trump administration and Republicans themselves are all suffering the consequences of that decision. The checks built into the structure of Congress, namely the Senate, are not just designed to restrict presidential power, they also serve to protect the president from his own indulgences. The Senate’s “advice and consent” power to confirm presidential appointments serves as a check against the president just filling his Cabinet with cronies who will do whatever he says. The Senate has historically erred on the side of deference to presidential nominations, but Trump’s nominations were especially unqualified from the outset. Anti-vaccination hack Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was given wide authority over our health guidelines as Health and Human Services secretary, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth was put in charge of the Department of Defense. These two selections, at the very least, should have been rejected. For an administration that was rightly concerned about the extent to which diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives undermined meritocracy, to then immediately hire a Cabinet based on traits other than merit is incredibly frustrating. As a result, Trump has faced scandal after scandal, in part, because the Senate failed him. From Hegseth’s leaks of military operations to the press, RFK Jr.’s disastrous vaccine overhauls to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s botched handling of the two fatal Minneapolis shootings, Trump has suffered plenty of political consequences due to his poor Cabinet choices.

AP [2/4/2026 3:38 PM, Mary Clare Jalonick and Joey Cappelletti, 35287K] reports Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department when it expires in two weeks unless there are “dramatic changes” and “real accountability” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies who are carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign of federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota and across the country. Congress is discussing potential new rules for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection after officers shot and killed two Minneapolis protesters in January. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterated their party’s demands on Wednesday, with Schumer telling reporters that Congress must “rein in ICE in very serious ways, and end the violence.” Democrats are “drawing a line in the sand” as Republicans need their votes to continue the funding, Jeffries said. The negotiations come amid some bipartisan sentiment that Congress should step in to de-escalate tensions over the enforcement operations that have rocked Minnesota and other states. But finding real agreement in such a short time will be difficult, if not “an impossibility,” as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday.

CBS Colorado [2/4/2026 5:22 PM, Christa Swanson, 51110K] reports some Democratic Colorado lawmakers are demanding answers after reports that "death cards" were left in the vehicles of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and over claims that immigration agents used fake traffic stops to detain them. In January, ace of spades cards, or "death cards," were left in the vehicles of some people detained in Eagle County. The cards feature an ace of spades with "ICE Denver Field Office" and the address and phone number of the ICE detention facility in Aurora. The cards were later found by family members of those detained. ICE released a statement saying in part "ICE is investigating this situation, but unequivocally condemns this type of action and/or officer conduct. Once notified, ICE supervisors acted swiftly to address the issue." On Monday, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Michael Bennet, and Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen submitted a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem calling for answers. The letter requests that Noem respond by Feb. 13.

Bloomberg [2/4/2026 1:38 PM, Patrick Howell O’Neill, 18082K] reports a private prison operator that’s profited by detaining immigrants in the US is rapidly shifting to offer surveillance tools, capitalizing on the government’s deportation push by selling human-tracking services. Geo Group Inc. has evolved into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s largest contractor, winning more than $800 million in business in 2025 alone, according to procurement records reviewed by Bloomberg News. Much of that pays for Geo Group’s prisons and detention centers being put to use for ICE. In December, Geo Group secured a two-year $121 million contract to surveil and locate suspected undocumented immigrants and report them to ICE’s enforcement and removal arm for arrest. Under the deal, the company will mine data from commercial databases, physically observe people and use other techniques to find suspected undocumented immigrants, Geo Group said in a statement. The agreement marks a new line of business for Geo Group and ranks among the largest awards under an ICE immigrant-tracking initiative that offers more than $1 billion in contracts for a service known as “skip tracing.” That refers to the process of locating a person who’s intentionally eluding authorities, and is typically used in the context of finding someone who has missed loan repayments. ICE said it will provide contractors with names and other personal data for about 50,000 people targeted for deportation, according to a document that ICE shared with the companies. In return, ICE said it expects to receive photos of homes and workplaces in order to aid its removal efforts, according to the document. When asked for comment, Geo Group referred questions to ICE. Spokespeople for the agency didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 6:03 AM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports on Tuesday’s "CNN News Central," gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) stated that Democrats shouldn’t accept any changes to sanctuary cities as part of negotiations on DHS funding, and a sanctuary city means we don’t deport people "for helping to make our communities safer" by reporting crimes. Co-host Boris Sanchez asked, "Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-SD) says that Republicans are going to try to add a measure targeting sanctuary cities to the package. Is that something Democrats should negotiate on? What are you willing to concede for the changes that you want to see?". Swalwell responded, "What I’m willing to concede is we should have a secure border, an asylum process that is swift and adjudicates the thousands of cases out there, and that we should remove the most violent people in our community." He added that "no small reform, like having a body camera, is going to be enough for the terror that they’ve imposed on our communities." Sanchez then asked, "So, what I’m hearing is that changes to sanctuary city policies at the federal level, to you, is a non-starter?" Swalwell responded, "Right. And I just want people to understand what a sanctuary city means. It means that when an undocumented person is a victim of a crime, they are allowed to call the police and say they’re a victim of spousal abuse or they’ve been robbed or a friend has been murdered, and they saw that and they want to help solve the crime and we don’t deport them for helping to make our communities safer. That’s what a sanctuary city means. It doesn’t mean the police don’t go looking for bad guys. The police will look for bad guys regardless of your immigration status. We want them to do that. And so, I’m not allowing the debate to target the most vulnerable in our communities and keep them further in the shadows when we want them to be protected, more protected than what we’re seeing right now.”

Breitbart [2/4/2026 6:03 AM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports on Tuesday’s “CNN This Morning,” Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) said that he agrees that the issue with abolish ICE as a phrase is that it puts all the attention on ICE, but “we’ve got to start somewhere, and starting with ICE would be the right thing to do.” Thanedar said, “I brought a bill in Congress to abolish ICE. So, ICE, as it stands, cannot continue. We’ve got to reform this.” Host Audie Cornish then said, “I want to play for you something that I heard from Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA), I asked him about these calls to abolish ICE. Here’s what he said:” She then played video of Walkinshaw saying, “I think the problem with that phrase is, it puts all of the focus on ICE. And we know, now, and we talk about Alex Pretti, it wasn’t an ICE officer, it was CBP. We’ve got thousands of CBP officers who have committed some of the most egregious abuses. So, I think all of it, the entire mass deportation, mass destruction apparatus the Trump administration has put together, has to be rebuilt from the ground up.” Thanedar responded, “Well, I agree with the Congressman. But we’ve got to start somewhere, and starting with ICE would be the right thing to do. What is happening — people have seen these video cameras, people have seen these videos, and Trump and Noem can’t just tell us that’s not the case.”

Daily Caller [2/4/2026 12:27 PM, Ireland Owens, 803K] reports nost Americans’ opinions about deportations have changed little since November 2025, before the recent wave of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests swept the nation, according to a poll released Wednesday. The newly released Marquette Law School survey shows that 56% of respondents favored deporting "immigrants who are living in the United States illegally," with 44% opposed. By comparison, 58% backed such deportations in November and 42% were opposed, according to Marquette Law School. The poll was conducted weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Jan. 7. Most of the survey’s interviews had concluded before the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti by border patrol agents on Jan. 24. Among those who said they approve of deportations, 35% said they disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration, compared to 65% who approve of ICE’s conduct, the poll shows. Those who oppose deportations are almost unanimously opposed to ICE, with 96% disapproving and 4% approving, according to the survey. Additionally, 37% percent of respondents said the shooting of Good was justified, while 62% say it was not justified, according to the poll. "President [Donald] Trump and [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] Secretary [Kristi] Noem are delivering on the American people’s mandate to deport illegal aliens, and the latest polls show that support for the America First agenda has not wavered–including a New York Times poll and a Harvard Caps Harris poll 8 in 10 Americans support deporting illegal aliens with criminal records," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Caller News Foundation in statement Wednesday. "[Seventy percent] of illegal aliens arrested by ICE have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the U.S. The American people, the law, and common sense are on our side, and we will not stop until law and order is restored after [former President Joe] Biden’s open border chaos flooded our country with the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens," McLaughlin added in her statement.

NewsMax [2/4/2026 12:56 PM, Jim Mishler, 3760K] reports that Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer of New York claims immigration enforcement in the U.S. "is reminiscent of a dictatorship." Schumer was joined on Wednesday by House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York at a media briefing where they criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions nationwide. During the briefing, Schumer said Americans have seen, "pictures of these goons beating people, pushing people, and even shooting and killing people." Jeffries described Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies as dangerous. "ICE is completely and totally out of control. Immigration enforcement should be just, it should be fair, and it should be humane. That is not what is taking place right now.” The Democrat leaders outlined several policies they demanded be implemented to address what Jeffries described as absolute requirements for Democrats. "Dramatic changes are necessary at the Department of Homeland Security," said Jeffries, "with respect to its enforcement activities, so that ICE and other agencies are conducting themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country, not in so many instances in a rogue or lawless manner." Their demands include requiring enforcement agents to wear body cameras, mandating judicial warrants for arrests, and prohibiting agents from wearing masks. Jeffries said enforcement agents wearing masks has been "horrifying the American people."

Breitbart [2/4/2026 1:06 PM, Pam Key, 2238K] reports that Wednesday on CNN’s "New Central," Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be abolished. McIver said, "I think Secretary Kristi Noem must go and we should definitely abolish ICE. We are far beyond the measures of reforming, you know, they’ve had billions of dollars in budget just acting reckless and, you know, inserting cruelty onto Americans and literally, we just don’t need that. We’re better off without them.” She continued, "You know, many people do not know ICE is still relatively a new agency, you know, post 9/11. They haven’t been around for decades after decades, you know, in government. And so I think there are other ways to look at, you know, how do we handle immigration? We need to look at, you know, reforming immigration altogether and ICE is a part of that." McIver added, "It is Trump’s chaos that he is literally implementing on American streets, on American cities, and it’s not making us safer. You know, he is going through this whole thing, him and his administration, about how this crackdown on immigration is making us safe and you know, it’s making us better. It has done neither. It has not made us safe. It has not made us better. It has made people scared to death. People are frightened. They are very upset and depressed of what they see playing out in broad daylight for all of us to see in our streets across this country. And it’s horrible. And this is not how we should be operating. I’ll keep saying that that’s why Kristi Noem needs to go. Sending Tom Homan in is not a fix, but we also need to abolish ICE. It’s just creating chaos."

NPR [2/4/2026 5:51 PM, Eleanor Beardsley, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports a young French tennis coach who once lived the American dream describes being detained, shackled and expelled under the Trump administration’s tightened border rules.

Daily Wire [2/4/2026 11:26 AM, Cameron Arcand, 2314K] reports the Department of Homeland Security says New York Times denied a request to buy a full-page ad highlighting notable ICE arrests in Minnesota — and that no specific reason for the rejection was provided. The ad would have included 30 mugshots of individuals arrested in Operation Metro Surge, specifically those with additional criminal convictions ranging from domestic violence to rape and homicide. "These are some of the 10,000 criminals ICE law enforcement has risked their lives to arrest in Minnesota," the proposed advertisement stated in all capital letters. "Sanctuary cities like Minneapolis protect criminals instead of handing them over," it continued, with a tagline that read, "ICE saves innocent lives.” The Daily Wire reviewed January 26 emails between Homeland Security and a media placement service the department works with regarding the ad buy request, in which the agency wrote that the NYT said that they were "not able to accept the ad in its current form." When the agency requested a letter on official letterhead explaining the reason the ad was not acceptable, that request was also denied and the agency was instead informed that feedback was usually provided through email. The Times noted that it gets a high number of ads submitted daily, and each usually takes the paper "one or two business days to fully review." As of this publication, Homeland Security has yet to receive a justification for the rejection. The Daily Wire also reached out to New York Times for comment. "The media’s blackout is undeniable: they refuse to report on the vital work ICE is doing to remove dangerous public safety threats—murderers, rapists, gang members, and child predators—from Minneapolis streets and communities nationwide," Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. "New York Times won’t even run a straightforward ad showing the violent criminals that our brave law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to deport. New York Times deliberate suppression of public safety information should outrage every American," McLaughlin added. "When the press shields heinous offenders while ignoring or downplaying the officers protecting us, it betrays the public trust and endangers lives.”

Politico [2/4/2026 4:03 PM, Jacob Wendler, 21784K] reports MAGA commentator Steve Bannon voiced support for Donald Trump’s push to nationalize elections, calling on the president to deploy ICE officials and military troops to polling sites. Trump said in a Monday podcast interview that “the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” despite the fact that the Constitution grants states explicit jurisdiction over election administration. His call sparked outrage from Democrats and largely fell on deaf ears in the GOP — but Bannon, a conservative firebrand who has been a prominent voice in election conspiracy theories, was forceful in his support for the idea. The former White House strategist called for the Trump administration to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to polling sites to prevent noncitizens from voting, citing a debunked conspiracy theory about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. “We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again,” Bannon said Tuesday on his podcast. “And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.” The conservative influencer reiterated his response a day later, calling for Trump to go even further and send U.S. Army troops to voting locations. Federal law prohibits the president from deploying military troops “at any place where a general or special election is held,” and it is a crime in several states to carry a firearm at or near a polling place. “President Trump has to nationalize the election. You’ve got to put — not just, I think, ICE — you’ve got to call up the 82nd and 101st Airborne [Divisions] on the Insurrection Act,” Bannon said Wednesday. “You’ve got to get around every poll and make sure only people with IDs, people … actually registered to vote and people that are United States citizens vote in this election.” Democrats have raised alarm in recent months that Trump could send troops to polling sites, expressing concern over the possibility of voter intimidation. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles dismissed the idea in an interview with Vanity Fair last year, calling it “categorically false.”

Daily Caller [2/4/2026 4:27 PM, Jason Hopkins, 803K] reports taxpayer-funded lawyers and a panel of Biden-appointed judges helped a migrant repeatedly arrested for publicly exposing his genitals avoid deportation. Lucio Tomar — a Cape Verdean national who has been arrested at least 19 times on open and gross lewdness and indecent exposure charges since 2006 — is no longer being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody following a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The exhibitionist was ordered removed by an immigration judge in July 2024, but the appeals court effectively halted his deportation in January, finding that his conduct wasn’t necessarily sexually motivated. "These convictions nullified his green card," McLaughlin continued. "He was arrested by ICE in 2024, but due to activist judges, this criminal alien’s legal status has been restored, and he is now allowed to roam free and terrorize more innocent Americans." Since legally entering the U.S. in 2003, Tomar has been arrested at least 17 times in Massachusetts for "open and gross lewdness," three times specifically for "indecent exposure" and another two times for "lewd wanton lascivious conduct," according to information the DCNF obtained from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He was also arrested twice for failing to register as a sex offender. Considering these two convictions under the umbrella of CIMT, federal immigration authorities revoked Tomar’s lawful permanent status and ICE agents arrested him in a Boston neighborhood on April 24, 2024. In a ruling handed down in January, a three-judge panel ultimately sided with Tomar, concluding that Massachusetts courts have convicted individuals for open and gross lewdness absent of sexual motivations, meaning Tomar’s crimes were not necessarily CIMT and thus not deportable offenses. Tomar was released from ICE custody on Jan. 26 and is no longer undergoing deportation proceedings, an ICE source confirmed to the DCNF. Federal immigration authorities confirmed that he is once again considered a lawful permanent resident. ICE kept Tomar detained at the Caroline Detention Facility in eastern Virginia for nearly two years while he worked to erase his deportation order, detainee records showed.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 6:03 AM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports during an interview aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) responded to criticisms from the Trump administration that banning police cooperation with ICE will require more ICE agents by stating that “They surround people’s vehicles, wearing masks, bearing guns. Like, we don’t know if these are, like, people involved in gang warfare or not.” Co-host A Martínez asked, [relevant exchange begins around 2:40] “Now, the Trump administration does not like this bill. A spokesman for Homeland Security told The New York Times that your legislation would require federal agents to have an even more visible presence on the street. How do you respond to that assertion?” Hochul responded, “Well, why don’t they take off their masks, and we’ll really know who they are? They surround people’s vehicles, wearing masks, bearing guns. Like, we don’t know if these are, like, people involved in gang warfare or not. They need to be under control, and that’s what I’m calling for as well.” Martínez followed up, “But doesn’t it stand to reason, though, that if ICE isn’t getting cooperation with local police, that they will have to send more ICE agents to try and pick up the slack?” Hochul answered, “I’m not buying that argument. No, they don’t. Why don’t they focus on what they promised during the election? Remember the phrase, we’re going after the baddest of the bad, the worst of the worst, the murderers, the drug traffickers, the human traffickers. I’ve not seen that when I’m talking to a sixth-grader whose dad was walking down the street in front of a Home Depot, taking his kid out after school. So, they’re not telling the truth. They have deviated from their original mission that I think was part of the election.”

New York Post [2/4/2026 6:20 PM, Brandon Cruz, 40934K] reports Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman fired at state and local Democrats over Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to blow up the county’s cooperation deal with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That legislation, unveiled by Hochul Friday and praised by her fellow local Dems, would essentially shred Nassau’s current partnership with ICE — something Republican Blakeman warned could backfire. "Hochul’s attempt to end that cooperation won’t make ICE disappear — it will put more federal agents on our streets, operating without local partnership or oversight, all while setting dangerous criminals free," he told The Post. "Cooperation with ICE has allowed Nassau County to target and remove violent offenders through coordinated, accountable law enforcement," added Blakeman, who is running to unseat Hochul in this year’s gubernatorial election. Blakeman was one of New York’s first local leaders to sign what is often touted as the most comprehensive and controversial "287(g) agreement" with ICE last year. Hochul, under the proposed Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, effectively wants to bar and eliminate all such agreements throughout the state, by blocking local police departments from helping the feds with civil immigration arrests and prohibiting ICE from using county detention facilities. The governor’s office shot back Wednesday that Blakeman’s claims were unfounded and accused the Long Island leader of fearmongering. "There is no evidence to support the claim that ending 287(g) agreements would trigger an increase in ICE activity," Hochul spokesman Gordon Tepper told The Post.

Bloomberg [2/4/2026 5:46 PM, Beth Wang, 763K] reports former Paul Weiss pro bono chief Steve Banks, tapped to head New York City’s legal office, told the City Council Wednesday he would defend sanctuary city laws, fight the federal government’s immigration enforcement actions, and bolster the city’s law department if chosen to lead the agency. "The city needs strong, creative, effective law department now more than ever," Banks said during his confirmation hearing for corporation counsel leading the New York City Law Department. While Banks declined to provide details about how he would fight back against the federal government, he emphasized he’ll be a "vigorous advocate" for the city’s decades-old sanctuary city laws that limit local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Trump administration sued the city in July saying its policies are unconstitutional and make it harder for federal immigration officers to do their jobs. The Adams administration moved to dismiss the suit late last year. "As the chief legal officer in the city, if I’m confirmed, that it’s my obligation to defend that law that was duly enacted, and which I think was enacted for the right reasons," Banks said. Banks, who Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) nominated in December, would be the first public service lawyer to serve in the role that oversees more than 850 attorneys for the city. He was formerly CEO of the Legal Aid Society and commissioner of the city Department of Social Services under former Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). Banks left Paul Weiss in April, weeks after it struck an agreement with President Donald Trump to dedicate $40 million in pro bono legal services to support the administration’s goals. That agreement got Paul Weiss out of an executive order against the firm. His commitment to the rules of professional conduct is "one of the reasons why I left Paul Weiss," he said at least twice during the hearing. "I thought the president’s executive order would have prevented me from adhering to the rules of professional conduct as I saw them," Banks said.

CBS New York [2/4/2026 6:00 PM, Christine Sloan, 51110K] reports the mayor of Jersey City speaking out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in his city. Mayor James Solomon told CBS News New York he’s not cooperating unless the feds have a warrant. In a press release Wednesday, DHS said when it comes to entering homes to arrest people with a final order of removal, "The Constitution and federal law are on our side." According to a federal statute, immigration officers have broad powers to arrest people suspected of immigration violations. Solomon says every employee, including police, will be re-trained on Jersey City’s sanctuary city status.

FOX News [2/4/2026 6:50 PM, Greg Wehner, 37576K] reports a Nicaraguan man living illegally in Pittsburgh faces up to 20 years in prison after allegedly launching a violent attack on federal agents — ramming a law enforcement vehicle, trying to grab an officer’s gun and biting an agent — after a failed attempt to buy a gun. A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted 33-year-old Darwin Alexander g on Wednesday on a charge of assaulting a federal officer. The investigation began when the Department of Homeland Security learned that Davila-Perez had tried to buy a gun from a local dealer. During that transaction, he allegedly claimed to be a U.S. citizen. The sale was blocked after the dealer discovered he was a Nicaraguan national with no legal status in the U.S. Federal law prohibits those in the country illegally from possessing or purchasing guns. On Dec. 17, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to pull Davila-Perez over to take him into custody for immigration violations. When agents activated their emergency lights, Davila-Perez didn’t pull over and fought back, according to authorities. According to the indictment, Davila-Perez slammed his car into reverse, hitting an occupied law enforcement vehicle before jumping out to run. During the ensuing struggle, he allegedly elbowed one officer in the face, tried to pull an agent’s service weapon from its holster, bit an officer’s arm and struck an agent in the forehead with a pair of handcuffs.

Axios [2/4/2026 6:22 AM, Ryan Deto and Chrissy Suttles, 17364K] reports U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Aspinwall) is pressing ICE for answers after federal agents detained an Oakmont immigrant whose family and local leaders say had legal U.S. status. The case of Jose Flores, a Nicaraguan immigrant who was taken from Oakmont last week by federal agents, has rattled the community — and now has the attention of a member of Congress. Flores and his wife, Hariett, arrived in the U.S. from Nicaragua in 2022 and are legally permitted to work in the U.S. as they await pending asylum cases, Hariett told TribLive last week. Flores was arrested near his home in front of his 8-year-old daughter, his wife said. Oakmont Borough Council on Tuesday night proposed a resolution to formally bar local police from enforcing noncriminal federal immigration laws or entering into 287(g) agreements as a result of Flores’ arrest. Council plans to vote on the resolution at its regular meeting on Feb. 17. It will also send a statement to ICE demanding justification for Flores’ arrest. Axios obtained a letter Deluzio sent to ICE acting director Todd Lyons on Tuesday, demanding answers to a series of questions surrounding Flores’ detention. Those questions included on what basis Flores was detained, whether a warrant was issued, and whether Flores’ detention was part of a targeted action. Deluzio, who represents Oakmont and the surrounding suburbs, also wants ICE to tell him how many people were detained in the borough in January and their status, if there are reasons immigrants are targeted there, and if any removal proceedings have started. ICE did not respond to Axios’ request for comment on Tuesday.

Bloomberg [2/4/2026 1:51 PM, Sophie Alexander and Natalie Wong, 18082K] reports that a fund managed by Blue Owl Capital Inc. sold a warehouse in Pennsylvania to the Department of Homeland Security for nearly $120 million. DHS has been purchasing warehouses across the country to turn into immigration jails as the Trump administration’s deportation dragnet creates a need for more detention space. The federal agency’s facilities-management division bought Blue Owl’s 1.3 million-square-foot (120,774-square-meter) warehouse in Tremont, Pennsylvania, last month, according to a county deed. DHS has also purchased warehouses in Maryland, Texas and Arizona. Deeds for four of the sales show the agency has spent at least $379 million so far on the facilities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said the properties being earmarked for conversion “will not be warehouses — they will be very-well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.” Blue Owl and DHS didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Protests across the country against ICE and its warehouse conversion plans have prompted some owners to declare they won’t sell their properties to the federal government. On Friday, Canadian billionaire Jimmy Pattison’s development company said it wouldn’t move forward with the sale of a Virginia facility.

Axios [2/4/2026 12:13 PM, Joe Guillen, 17364K] reports that a 500-bed ICE detention facility has been proposed for Romulus — but local officials say they don’t yet know where, or if, it will be built. Why it matters: The reported Romulus proposal comes as ICE moves to rapidly expand detention capacity nationwide. A facility in Metro Detroit would bring the expansion closer to residential communities and DTW, raising concerns about local oversight, safety and infrastructure strain. Catch up quick: Romulus was among 23 locations nationwide identified in a recent Bloomberg report detailing the Trump administration’s plan to buy warehouses and convert them into ICE detention centers. The plan could supply the administration with 76,500 more beds. Although Romulus was listed among the 23 sites, Bloomberg noted that some cities are approximate locations based on the nearest municipality. State of play: Local elected officials say they’re still trying to gather information about a possible ICE detention center in Romulus, a suburb west of Detroit with about 25,000 residents. State Rep. Dylan Wegela, a democratic socialist of Garden City who represents part of Romulus, told Axios the proposed site may not be in Romulus at all, but in a neighboring community. State Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) said in a statement that "there is no concrete evidence at this time of any facility in Romulus being used or developed into a detention center." Neither Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight nor Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office responded to Axios’ requests for comment.

Washington Post [2/4/2026 5:00 AM, Katie Mettler, Katie Shepherd, and Emmanuel Martinez, 24826K] reports Maryland is poised to bar local law enforcement agencies from formally facilitating federal immigration arrests, joining several other states who have sought to use their local authority to curtail the Trump administration’s ramped-up enforcement effort. At least eight other states have already either prohibited or set restrictions against local police and sheriff’s offices entering into what are known as 287(g) partnerships, which enable those agencies to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement take into custody people they say are in the country illegally. New Mexico, New York, Hawaii and Virginia are considering similar bans during their 2026 state legislative sessions. In Maryland, the proposed ban that this week passed both chambers of the Democratic-led General Assembly, would force nine sheriff’s offices to immediately sever their ICE agreements — including in Frederick County, where the sheriff’s department joined the 287(g) program in 2008, making it one of the nation’s longest active participants. Gov. Wes Moore (D) has not said whether he would sign the legislation. But leaders in both the House of Delegates and the state Senate, plus immigrant advocates, say they have no reason to believe the governor will not join them in making a stand against the Trump administration with this and other immigration-related bills. “Maryland taking action right now is very powerful. It’s going to set the tone for other states to fight this,” said Cathryn Jackson, public policy director at immigrant advocacy organization We Are CASA. “We’ve been ready to do this work for the last decade. We’re glad the legislature has finally caught up.”

FOX News [2/4/2026 2:41 PM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports DHS threw cold water on a snowy video of Total Wine billionaire David Trone — who is seeking to recapture his Maryland congressional district from fellow Democrat Rep. April McClain-Delaney — standing outside a warehouse in Washington County while ridiculing ICE’s operations. The former Democratic congressman, who gave up the seat last term to mount an ultimately unsuccessful bid against now-Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., for that open Senate seat, stood outside a Hagerstown-area warehouse and lambasted ICE’s immigration enforcement operations. "Today we’re just outside the city limit of Hagerstown, stopping by what’s going be a future ICE facility. We know one thing, we don’t need another ICE prison here or anywhere else in America," Trone said, standing beside the snowy site in Williamsport. Trone said that "since day one," ICE has been taking prisoners, "literally executing people on the streets" in "not just Minneapolis… all over the United States." "ICE has to go and we sure don’t want them in Washington County.”

Axios [2/4/2026 6:18 AM, Brittany Gibson and Anna Spiegel, 17364K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is emerging as a major buyer in the commercial warehouse market, snapping up large properties that advocates say are being primed for ICE detention — and triggering protests across the D.C. region. ICE’s detention population has soared under Trump, but lack of capacity has been a bottleneck on mass deportations. Now that DHS has $45 billion to spend from the "Big Beautiful Bill," it’s moving quickly. Some of the sites the agency is scouting are warehouses previously designed for e-commerce retailers, Bloomberg reported. In Hagerstown, Maryland, hundreds of protesters gathered last week outside a nearly 826,000-square-foot warehouse the federal government recently bought for $102 million, per Bloomberg. They were joined by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who has been a vocal voice against ICE’s expansions. On Monday, officials in Howard County revoked building permits for a privately run detention facility in Elkridge that county officials said was intended for ICE use, according to the Baltimore Banner. County lawmakers are set to vote this week on emergency legislation to block the project. Protests are also spreading in Virginia, from the Richmond area — where DHS signaled it wanted to buy a $50 million warehouse — to Stafford County, 40 miles south of D.C.

Daily Caller [2/4/2026 3:13 PM, Jason Hopkins, 803K] reports Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger doubled down on her anti-immigration enforcement agenda with a new order Wednesday that scrapped cooperation agreements between state officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Spanberger, who officially entered office in January, issued a directive on Wednesday that compelled the Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Corrections and other state agencies to end all 287(g) agreements with ICE. The order came down just days after Spanberger immediately rescinded an executive order by her GOP predecessor that mandated more cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Spanberger, on the other hand, stated in Wednesday’s directive that a review of previous 287(g) agreements determined they "improperly cede accountability and discretion" of the state’s law enforcement to the federal government by requiring them to work under the supervision of ICE officials. The Democrat’s order demanded relevant state agencies submit lists of all 287(g) agreements and similar cooperation activities in existence within five days, including the date in which the state agencies ended their agreements.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [2/4/2026 3:13 PM, Louis Casiano, 37576K]
Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 5:04 PM, Brady Knox, 1147K]

FOX News [2/4/2026 3:13 PM, Louis Casiano, 37576K] reports Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Wednesday officially ended cooperation between a slate of state agencies and federal immigration authorities. In an executive directive, Spanberger, who ran as a moderate, ended 287(g) agreements between the Virginia State Police, the state Department of Corrections, Department of Wildlife, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Axios [2/4/2026 6:05 AM, Kristal Dixon, 17364K] reports Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city will do what it can to inform residents and business owners who are bracing for when, or if, ICE agents will be in town for the FIFA World Cup. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the eight games Atlanta will host, but fears are mounting that the presence of ICE agents could deter fans and visitors from venturing into Downtown — and hamper what boosters hope will be an economic win for the city. Dickens said the uncertainty over the federal government’s actions on immigration enforcement are "unsettling for citizens and small businesses and even us as government officials." "I can’t predict what a federal government will attempt to do at 11 sites of World Cup matches across the United States," Dickens said. "We hope that their presence will be small, unnoticeable, negligible, invisible and maybe nonexistent.’ Dickens added that if ICE agents are in Atlanta during the games, the city will work to get as much information as possible from the federal government in advance so it can inform businesses and citizens of what they can expect and "how to maintain your own dignity and rights." Dickens made his comments Tuesday during a news conference in which the city highlighted grants, loans and programs available to help small businesses and young entrepreneurs prepare for the World Cup.

The Hill [2/4/2026 2:24 PM, Alexander Bolton, 18170K] reports that Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) is balking at a plan by the Trump administration to establish a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in his home state, warning that it will hurt the local economy. Wicker says he supports the enforcement of immigration law but that he does not support the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to convert a warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, into a detention center. “The site is currently positioned for economic development purposes. It represents an opportunity for job creation, private investment, and long-term growth in Marshall County,” Wicker wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He warned that “converting this industrial asset into an ICE detention center forecloses economic growth opportunities and replaces them with a use that does not generate comparable economic returns or community benefits.” The Mississippi Republican also warned about what he called “serious feasibility concerns.” “Detention facilities impose substantial and specialized infrastructure demands — including transportation access, water, sewer and energy costs, staffing, medical care and emergency services,” he wrote, noting that the proposed facility would include more than 8,500 beds. He said the existing medical and human services infrastructure in Byhalia would have difficulty supporting such a large expansion of the population.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [2/4/2026 3:15 PM, Jasper Ward, 38315K]

NewsMax [2/4/2026 1:17 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced arrests of 152 criminal illegal aliens during a three-day enforcement operation in Florida conducted with state, local, and federal partners. Florida is led by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is a supporter of President Donald Trump’s criminal illegal immigration deportation efforts in the name of public safety. "We deported 23 on day two alone, working with our 287(g) partners like Florida Highway Patrol and state and local law enforcement, as well as Border Patrol, and other federal enforcement partners to get criminals like these out of neighborhoods," ICE announced Wednesday on X. The X thread highlighted some of the worst offenders arrested during the operation. Aggravated assault with a weapon: "Henry Geovany Zamora, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, served eight years in prison, has a 1999 final removal order and was previously removed from the U.S. twice." DUI, cruelty toward a child (pending charge), resisting an officer (pending charge): "Sebastian Ortiz Jimenez, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, has a 2021 final removal order and was previously deported." Domestic violence (pending): "Denis Alecsis Garcia Nunes, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was charged with two counts of domestic violence. He has a 2024 final order of removal." Felony fraud, felony illegal entry: "Miguel Franscisco-Austria, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was previously deported in 2008 and 2010."

Reported similarly:
Univision [2/4/2026 4:04 PM, Staff, 4937K]

New York Post [2/4/2026 7:46 AM, Emily Crane, 40934K] reports an illegal immigrant with an active deportation order was hired to be a New Orleans cop — and even given a gun, according to the feds. Larry Temah, a 46-year-old illegal migrant from Cameroon, was nabbed by ICE at his home on Jan. 26 — just one week before he was set to graduate from the police academy. "This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him in a firearm — what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges?" Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. "It’s a felony for illegal aliens to even possess a firearm." Temah entered the US legally on a visitor visa in 2015 before being granted conditional residency the following year when he married an American citizen, according to ICE. His green card application ended up being rejected in 2022 after the feds flagged concerns that the marriage was fraudulent, ICE added. He was subsequently ordered to appear in immigration court but failed to show up three times, the feds said. An immigration judge then slapped him with the deportation order. The Trump administration has since accused the New Orleans Police Department of recruiting Temah and issuing him a firearm — despite him being an illegal migrant with an active deportation order to his name.

AP [2/4/2026 1:08 PM, Jack Brook, 2493K] reports that the New Orleans Police Department is denying wrongdoing after one of its recruits was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which accused the city of violating federal immigration laws. Federal agents last month arrested New Orleans police recruit Larry Temah, a 46-year-old Cameroonian national who had received a final order of removal signed by an immigration judge in December, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Temah remains in custody and awaits deportation. Temah was in the department’s police academy when he was detained and was several months away from graduation. He had entered the U.S. in 2015 on a valid visitor visa and received conditional residency in 2016 after marrying a U.S. citizen. In 2022, his application for permanent residency was “denied due to fraud,” according to DHS. “Criminal illegal aliens have no place in our communities — especially on our police forces,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated Tuesday. But New Orleans Police Department spokesperson Reese Harper said Tuesday that DHS had made “misleading” statements about Temah’s case. The department had confirmed Temah’s employment eligibility through a DHS verification system and was never notified that ICE was seeking to detain Temah until the day of his arrest, he said. “New Orleans is not a sanctuary city,” Harper said. “Any claim that NOPD knowingly violated the law is false.”

Axios [2/4/2026 6:17 AM, Joe Guillen, 17364K] reports ICE officers arrested a Venezuelan man on Monday at an Amazon facility in Hazel Park. The arrest was another recent example of federal immigration enforcement in the area. ICE arrested multiple people last week in Ypsilanti. ICE officers arrested Edwin Romero Gutierrez on Monday after he fled on foot during an attempted vehicle stop, an ICE spokesperson tells Axios. Gutierrez got out of his vehicle as he approached the warehouse and fled. Amazon’s security checkpoint was breached during the incident, company spokesperson Richard Rocha tells Axios.

State of play: Amazon typically requires law enforcement to present a valid warrant to enter its facilities. Officers were allowed to enter the Hazel Park facility after they explained to site leaders that "they were attempting to make a targeted arrest when the individual ran from them and breached our turnstiles," Rocha says. No other arrests were made at the warehouse.

Chicago Tribune [2/4/2026 11:59 AM, Jason Meisner, 5209K] reports a federal judge in Indiana has temporarily barred federal officials from deporting a Chicago man acquitted last month of charges he offered money for the killing of Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon issued the order as part of Juan Espinoza Martinez’s habeas corpus petition seeking a bond hearing pending immigration proceedings. Espinoza Martinez, who has lived in Chicago for decades but is not a U.S. citizen, was taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred to a jail in Clay County, Indiana, on Jan. 23, a day after a federal jury found him not guilty of murder-for-hire. In his order dated Tuesday, Hanlon, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2018, said “the weight” of court precedent favors Espinoza Martinez’s position, “that ICE’s authority to detain a noncitizen discovered within the country derives” from a statute that says petitioners are afforded a bond hearing and “not subject to mandatory detention.” “The respondents shall not transfer (Espinoza Martinez) outside the jurisdiction of the United States or transfer him to any federal judicial district other than those in the States of Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin during the pendency of this habeas petition,” Hanlon wrote. The judge gave the government until Friday to file a response. Espinoza Martinez, 37, was charged in October with offering money in texts messages to a government informant for the kidnapping and killing of Bovino, the controversial public face of Operation Midway Blitz and other aggressive immigration-enforcement operations by the Trump administration in cities around the country. When Espinoza Martínez was first arrested, he was labeled by the Department of Homeland Security as a high-ranking member of the Latin Kings street gang, someone who had the power to pay other gang members to commit murder of a top government official. But those claims, repeated incessantly by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other top Trump administration officials, dissolved in court, where no evidence was ever brought forth that he was in a gang, let alone a ranking member.

Reported similarly:
CBS Chicago [2/4/2026 5:53 PM, Todd Feurer, 51110K]

Chicago Tribune [2/4/2026 7:06 PM, Mike Danahey, 5209K]
A large number Elgin High School students staged a lunchtime walkout march Wednesday to protest the deaths of two people in Minneapolis and other actions at the hands of federal immigration agents. “It’s sad to know that they’ve been pulling people off the street based on the color of their skin and without due process. It’s racist,” senior Mohammed Gambari, 17, said. “And of the people they’ve detained and deported, around 80% have no criminal record.” Gambari walked with fellow seniors Kamron Adams, 17, and Esmerelda Alfaro, 18, at the end of a long line of student protesters who left the 1200 Maroon Drive school campus to walk along busy East Chicago Street before returning to campus. The three estimated at least 80% of the 2,300 students enrolled at the school took part in march, which covered several miles. In a prepared statement, School District U-46 administration said the walkout was initiated by students who wanted to express their views about an issue that is important to them. They were asked to abide by the district’s policy regarding student demonstrations and parents were notified and encouraged to have “family conversations about respectful expression, civic engagement and making responsible choices while at school,” the statement said.

FOX News [2/4/2026 8:40 AM, Michael Dorgan, 37576K] reports two Venezuelan nationals accused of assaulting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during a chaotic Minneapolis arrest last month were ordered released by a federal judge this week, only for ICE to re-arrest them, according to court records cited by The Minnesota Star Tribune. Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna, 26, and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, 24, were released under court-ordered conditions Tuesday after a judge found they did not pose a heightened flight risk, the outlet reported. The men were re-detained by ICE almost immediately after the hearing and never left the courthouse before agents took them back into custody. The Tribune reported that attorneys for the men said ICE detained them "without explanation" shortly after the judge’s release order, prompting a habeas corpus petition filed late Tuesday. The court then barred ICE from removing the men from Minnesota and gave the federal government until Friday to explain its actions. "This re-detention is unconstitutional, and they should be immediately released," attorney Brian Clark wrote in the emergency habeas petition, per the outlet.

Washington Post [2/4/2026 2:40 PM, Lauren Lumpkin, 24826K] reports a group of Minnesota school districts and educators has asked a judge to order federal officers to stay away from schools, alleging that the nation’s largest immigration operation has spilled onto campuses, affecting attendance statewide, according to a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday morning. The lawsuit rebukes the agency’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul — its largest operation so far in a campaign to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. The public school districts in Fridley and Duluth, representing almost 12,000 children, along with Education Minnesota, an 89,000-member teachers union, accuse federal officers of breaking a promise to stay away from schools. While DHS claimed in September it was not raiding or targeting schools, officers have “conducted a slew of enforcement operations at or near schools and school bus stops,” according to the lawsuit. The actions follow the reversal of more than a decade of policy that instructed immigration and border agents to avoid “sensitive locations,” including schools, hospitals and churches. The Minnesota union and school districts named in the lawsuit “just want to restore the rule that has worked,” said June Hoidal, an attorney for the plaintiffs with Zimmerman Reed. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the administration trusts law enforcement to use common sense. “ICE is not going to schools to arrest children — we are protecting children. Criminals are no longer be able to hide in America’s schools to avoid arrest,” she said. “If a dangerous illegal 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 public safety. But this has not happened.”

Reported similarly:
New York Times [2/4/2026 2:38 PM, Sarah Mervosh, 148038K]
The Hill [2/4/2026 10:18 AM, Zach Schonfeld, 18170K]
Bloomberg Law [2/4/2026 12:05 PM, Mallory Culhane, 763K]
Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 5:41 PM, Jack Birle, 1147K]

Free Beacon [2/4/2026 5:00 AM, Jessica Costescu, 317K] reports a University of Minnesota student group has emerged as a leader behind illegal—and sometimes violent—anti-ICE agitation gripping Minneapolis. It’s a significant shift for the school’s Students for a Democratic Society chapter, which roughly one year ago stormed a campus building in an anti-Israel raid, trapping employees inside and causing tens of thousands of dollars in property damage. The group, known as UMN SDS, organized a Jan. 28 protest outside a hotel located on campus that was allegedly housing ICE agents. Dozens of agitators swarmed the Graduate by Hilton and rocked police barricades, pounded on drums and pans, set off noisemakers, and shouted "Fuck ICE" at local and state law enforcement. University police eventually declared it an unlawful assembly and arrested 67 protesters, including Jack Louis Nimz—a public school teacher, the president of SDS’s national arm, and one of the radicals arrested for storming the campus building in October 2024. It was the third time in as many weeks that UMN SDS rallied more than 100 radicals outside the hotel, encouraging supporters to confront the "homicidal kidnappers" it claimed were residing there. At a Jan. 13 protest it organized, three agitators were arrested after the crowd damaged property and created "hazardous conditions for the public and law enforcement," according to the University of Minnesota. The next week, while promoting a Jan. 21 protest on Instagram, the group wrote, "We’re not done just because Minneapolis pigs tried to scare us away.”

Blaze [2/4/2026 10:10 AM, Landon Pfile, 1556K] reports a confrontation at a Minneapolis gas station involving a U.S. Border Patrol commander has reignited debate over whether private businesses should deny service to federal law enforcement officers based on opposition to immigration enforcement. Video circulated online by FreedomNTV shows Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino being followed out of a Speedway convenience store by a man believed to be a store employee or manager. In the footage, the man tells Bovino, "We do not support ICE. Get off our property.” Bovino does not respond in the video and exits the store without engaging. The incident, which occurred in late January, is the latest in a series of encounters in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Department of Homeland Security officials have been turned away from private businesses, particularly in Minnesota, amid heightened anti-ICE activism. Similar refusals have been reported at hotels and retail locations, including a Hampton Inn-branded property in Lakeville, Minnesota, where ICE agents were denied accommodations and had reservations canceled. That episode drew national attention after Hilton removed the hotel from its brand. The General Services Administration likewise removed it from its federal lodging programs. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was also denied entry to a building in a Chicago suburb earlier this year while attempting to use a restroom, according to DHS officials. The Speedway video has fueled renewed scrutiny over the line between private business discretion and refusals of service aimed at federal agents performing official duties.

Blaze.com [2/4/2026 2:05 PM, Cortney Weil, 1556K] reports that the Minneapolis City Council has voted to delay renewing the liquor licenses of two area hotels believed to have housed federal immigration agents. On Tuesday, a committee comprising all council members voted 8-5 to delay a decision about renewing the licenses until the February 17 meeting. The committee also voted to schedule a public hearing. The two hotels affected by the vote are the Canopy by Hilton in the Mill District and the Depot Renaissance Hotel. Some at the meeting expressed misgivings about recent actions by ICE and other immigration agents in the Minneapolis area for Operation Metro Surge, but the five who voted against the delay worry that the city has no grounds to hold up the license renewals. LaTrisha Vetaw claimed that the liquor licenses have nothing to do with a hotel’s guests and that basing decisions on hotel guests could be a form of discrimination, the Star Tribune reported. "Why are we setting ourselves up for another legal settlement?" Vetaw said, according to the Tribune. Pearll Warren, who also voted against the delay, likewise claimed the decision "smells real discriminatory." Michael Rainville, another "no" vote, noted that the hotels in question have already incurred damage from anti-ICE demonstrations and are now losing "a lot of money." Elizabeth Shaffer and Linea Palmisano also voted against delaying the renewals. Jason Chavez, Aurin Chowdhury, Aisha Chughtai, Jamal Osman, Elliott Payne, Soren Stevenson, Jamison Whiting, and Robin Wonsley voted for the delay.

Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 12:54 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1147K] reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on Tuesday that a former Des Moines, Iowa, school superintendent, who is originally from Guyana, pleaded guilty to federal charges after falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on employment paperwork while working for one of the state’s largest public school districts. ICE said Ian Andre Roberts pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 following Homeland Security Investigations’ findings that he falsely certified he was a U.S. citizen when he was hired by Des Moines Public Schools in June 2023. ICE said Roberts has never been a U.S. citizen. Under the plea agreement filed in federal court, Roberts pleaded guilty to two counts, including making a false statement for employment by falsely attesting to U.S. citizenship on a federal I-9 form and being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors agreed not to bring additional federal charges in the Southern District of Iowa related to the same conduct, but no charges were dismissed as part of the deal. According to the agency, Roberts was arrested on Sept. 26 after an investigation determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States. ICE said Roberts was carrying a loaded handgun in his vehicle at the time of his arrest and had three additional firearms at his home, including a loaded rifle, a loaded pistol, and a shotgun. Federal law prohibits illegal immigrants from possessing firearms. ICE said Roberts knowingly possessed the weapons despite his immigration status. The charges carry significant potential penalties. The false-statement count is punishable by up to five years in prison, while the firearm offense carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

US News & World Report [2/4/2026 10:50 AM, Staff, 16072K] reports two people held at a large immigrant family detention center in Dilley, Texas, have tested positive for measles, officials said. The South Texas Family Residential Center, located about 70 miles south of San Antonio, houses roughly 1,100 adults and children. After the cases were confirmed Jan. 31, federal officials said they isolated anyone who may have been exposed and limited movement inside the building. "Medical staff is continuing to monitor the detainees’ conditions and will take appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She added that "all detainees are being provided with proper medical care.” Officials did not say how the two people became infected, how many detainees are vaccinated or whether more cases are being investigated. Advocates say they are worried the virus could spread quickly inside the crowded facility. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, said he is seeking answers after visiting the center and learning about the measles cases.

CBS News [2/4/2026 6:14 PM, Doug Myers, 51110K] reports a coalition of state lawmakers and local officials gathered Wednesday to denounce reported federal plans to convert a massive Hutchins warehouse into a 1‑million‑square‑foot ICE detention center capable of holding nearly 10,000 people – a population larger than the city of 6,000. The press event, held on the grass in front of City Hall, took place one hour before a closed‑door Hutchins City Council meeting that will accept no public testimony. According to a news release, federal reports show ICE has purchased the PointSouth Logistics & Commerce Centre’s Building 1 for use as a detention facility. The release notes that DHS has said it has "no new detention center to announce" and situates the proposal amid broader concerns about ICE operations in Texas, citing a measles outbreak at the Dilley detention center, the prolonged detention of Leqaa Kordia despite court orders, and a recent letter from 46 Texas House members reporting deaths in ICE custody at a 20‑year high. In recent days, Hutchins residents have raised alarms about the warehouse after rumors spread online, prompting Mayor Mario Vasquez to reassure the community at Monday’s council meeting that the city has received no permits, paperwork, or contact from the federal government about a detention center. He said city leaders oppose the idea, pledged that residents will be the first to know if anything changes, and suggested holding a town hall. The council is scheduled to meet with the city attorney on Wednesday to discuss the building further.

CBS News [2/4/2026 6:16 AM AM, Brian Dakss, 51110K] reports federal authorities are releasing fourth-grader Elizabeth Zuna, the first of several students detained by immigration officers in the Minneapolis suburb of Columbia Heights, the school district’s superintendent said late Tuesday. Elizabeth and her mother were "picked up by ICE on their way to school" on Jan. 6 and were being held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, Zena Stenvik said in a statement. The ICE facility, which houses parents and children taken into federal custody over alleged violations of immigration law, is located in south Texas. It wasn’t clear when they would return to Minnesota due in part to a measles outbreak at the detention facility that "may require a quarantine period," Stenvik said, adding that "we do not know the status of Elizabeth’s health at this time." But, she went on to say, "We are filled with joy at the anticipation of the family when Elizabeth’s father can once again be reunited with his daughter and wife.”

Houston Chronicle [2/4/2026 5:30 PM, John Wayne Ferguson, 2493K] reports a former high-ranking employee at a Conroe facility used to house ICE detainees on Wednesday was sentenced to one year of probation by a federal judge, months after he agreed to plead guilty to using unreasonable force against a handcuffed detainee. Charles Siringi, 66, was charged in May with a felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law resulting in bodily injury. Before his arrest in May, Siringi was a major and chief investigator at the Montgomery Processing Center, a private Conroe facility operated by the GEO Group that holds hundreds of migrants while they await court hearings or deportation. In March, Siringi walked into a room while another GEO employee was talking with a handcuffed male detainee. Siringi told the other employee to “get him” and immediately pushed the man into a wall, according to charging documents. Siringi then dragged the man across a room, choked him to the point where he was gasping for air and slammed his head into a window. The man suffered scratches on the back of his neck, according to charging documents. Siringi was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, and other employees told investigators that they believed his use of force was unnecessary. In November, federal prosecutors agreed to reduce the charges against Siringi from a felony to a misdemeanor in exchange for his plea. The change greatly reduced his potential penalty. Under the felony charge, he faced up to 10 years in prison. Under the misdemeanor, the possible prison time was only one year. Even then, Justice Department lawyers agreed to recommend only probation for Siringi. In court Wednesday, a prosecutor asked for him to be placed under two years of supervision. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal opted for a one-year probation order. Charging documents do not indicate any contact between Siringi and the victim before the attack. The victim did not appear at the sentencing hearing. Prosecutors did not know where the victim was or what had happened to him since Siringi injured him.

CBS News [2/4/2026 10:33 PM, Marissa Armas, 51110K] reports students across North Texas continue to participate in anti‑ICE protests and walkouts, raising questions about free speech, school discipline and now potential consequences from the state. Wednesday brought another round of demonstrations, with dozens of students from Haltom High School in Birdville ISD protesting ICE. "We’re speaking for the people who cannot speak for themselves; they are in fear of getting deported, so we are speaking out for them," said a student from Haltom High. Wednesday afternoon, at least 70 students walked out of Hurst Junior High. An HEB ISD spokesperson said students who participated will receive an unexcused absence, adding that disruptions to the instructional environment may result in disciplinary action. The district said it will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis. "Yes, you do have a First Amendment right to free speech, but that right does not extend to the point where your behavior constitutes a disruption to the learning environment," said Julie Leahy, with the Texas Classroom Teachers Association. In response to the protests, the Texas Education Agency is now warning school districts they could face investigations and even a potential loss of funding over student walkouts. The guidance comes after Gov. Greg Abbott also threatened to strip funding from schools involved, saying "disruptive walkouts" should not be immune from criminal behavior. TEA’s guidance on student walkouts includes: students who walk out must be marked absent, districts could lose state attendance funding, educators who facilitate walkouts face investigation and possible loss of licensure, school districts could face state intervention, including a monitor or board of managers. Leahy said these situations are fraught with peril. "We’ve never seen a situation where the governor has threatened to do something like this, and so we are, we’re not certain what that would actually look like in the event that the governor was to do that. So, we’re obviously concerned about that," she said.

Axios [2/4/2026 8:20 AM, Jessica Boehm, 17364K] reports the Department of Homeland Security purchased a Surprise warehouse in late January to convert into an immigration processing center, furthering speculation that the federal government plans to ramp up enforcement in the Valley. Phoenix has braced for an escalation in federal immigration activity since an early January story in the Bulwark reported that DHS planned to focus on the city. DHS purchased the 418,000-square-foot warehouse near Sweetwater Avenue and Dysart Road for just over $70 million cash on Jan. 23, according to Maricopa County property records. ICE has since confirmed to multiple media outlets that it plans to open a 1,500-bed detention facility in the warehouse, which is the size of seven football fields.

The agency did not respond to Axios’ request for additional information. DHS on Jan. 30 confirmed on X that it was buying large buildings across the country to convert into "structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards." "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," the post continued, noting that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included funding for new facilities. Protesters packed into Surprise City Hall Tuesday night to discuss the warehouse purchase. The vast majority spoke in opposition. Northwest Valley Indivisible co-chair Brent Peak told councilmembers that allowing the ICE facility to move forward "risks introducing chaos and cruelty into a community that has worked hard to maintain peace and safety for its residents." He said his organization is "firmly committed to peaceful, nonviolent, weapons-free protest," and that he doesn’t trust ICE to "respond to peaceful protests like ours."

NewsMax [2/4/2026 11:01 AM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K] reports that the head of the union representing Seattle police officers is pushing back against a directive from Democrat Mayor Katie Wilson ordering local officers to monitor and build cases around federal immigration enforcement. Wilson ordered Seattle police to "investigate, verify, and document" activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for possible prosecution — a step Fox 13 Seattle reported mirrors directives pushed by Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson. Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan responded to Wilson on Friday in a post on X, saying he won’t allow officers to be drawn into a political fight with federal law enforcement. "Toothless virtue signaling rhetoric like this has already cost two people their lives," Solan wrote, pointing to the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area during immigration enforcement operations. "The concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous, and will not happen," he said. "I will not allow SPOG members to be used as political pawns." The dispute comes as allegations of welfare fraud tied to Somali-run day care centers have gained national attention.

FOX News [2/4/2026 6:32 PM, Louis Casiano and Bill Melugin, 37576K] reports an illegal immigrant from Colombia killed a motorist in Southern California last month during a police chase, authorities said. Darwin Felipe Bahamon Martinez, 21, was caught entering the United States near San Diego in 2023 and released by the Biden administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said. "Bahamon Martinez illegally entered the U.S. near Chula Vista, California, in August 2023," a statement from ICE Los Angeles field office leadership said. "He was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s so-called ‘catch-and-release’ policies, but if that hadn’t happened, the innocent 59-year-old driver he allegedly killed may still be alive today.” Martinez was driving a Jeep Gladiator in Anaheim Jan. 21 when police officers initiated a traffic stop for reckless driving. When the officers approached the Jeep on foot, Martinez sped away, authorities said. A brief chase ensued before the Jeep collided with a Honda driven by a 59-year-old man in the neighboring city of Placentia. The driver was pronounced dead at the crash site. Another driver, an 83-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries. Bahamon Martinez is being held in the Orange County Jail while awaiting criminal proceedings on his homicide charge. ICE lodged an immigration detainer against him Jan. 22. However, because of California’s sanctuary state laws, local authorities are not compelled to cooperate with ICE to transfer illegal immigrants charged or convicted of crimes into federal custody. "If local officials in Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary California choose to release Bahamon Martinez into the community, they will put ALL Californians at risk," ICE said in a news release. "California must honor our immigration detainer. Otherwise, ICE will be forced to re-arrest this criminal illegal alien at-large.”

New York Post [2/4/2026 7:11 PM, Zain Khan, 40934K] reports the Trump administration put California on notice Wednesday — warning them to stop "sanctuary" policies allowing criminal illegal immigrants to walk out of jails and back onto the streets. A letter from ICE to the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta asked if the Golden State would be complying with immigration detainers — requests to local law enforcement to hold an illegal immigrant if they are about to be released from custody after an arrest or upon completion of a sentence. "Please confirm whether the State of California plans to honor detainers on these aliens or whether each of these barbarians will someday walk the streets of California again," the letter, obtained by The Post, said. California is a sanctuary state, meaning state and local agencies — including police, the DMV, and public schools — are generally prohibited from asking about a person’s immigration status or sharing that information with federal immigration authorities, including ICE, in most circumstances. "Governor Newsom and his fellow California sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers from their jails back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk," Todd Lyons, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told The Post. The agency said the sanctuary policies are forcing federal agents to "go out into the community to make the arrest" because they don’t tell the Trump administration that they are setting loose the illegal immigrants, a DHS spokesperson said. "All we ask for in a detainer is that, when the criminal finishes his sentence, the states and locals hand him over to us for deportation," the spokesperson said.

San Diego Union Tribune [2/4/2026 6:45 PM, Phil Diehl, 1257K] reports the increasing presence of federal immigration officers in Carlsbad prompted a crowd of concerned citizens to express their fears and frustrations at Tuesday’s Carlsbad City Council meeting. More than 30 people spoke during an update from local officials on federal activities in the city. Councilmember Teresa Acosta requested the review in December, and the council approved it unanimously. In the most recent incident, federal agents stopped a vehicle, smashed a window, pulled out a man and arrested him Tuesday during morning rush-hour traffic on Faraday Avenue, according to police and a bystander. State law prohibits local law enforcement officers from participating in U.S. Department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activities, police Chief Christie Calderwood told the City Council. If local officers attempt to intervene they could be arrested, she said.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 4:16 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 2238K] reports authorities in Los Angeles announced Tuesday the results of a statewide crackdown on human trafficking that resulted in the arrests of more than 600 suspects and the rescue of 170 victims, predominantly in the sex trade. The weeklong "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild" campaign was part of a yearly effort by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force and 80 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. A total of 611 criminal arrests were made and 156 adults rescued as part of the operations, Luna told reporters. In addition, 14 children were rescued from sex trafficking. Officials said 71 suspected traffickers were arrested, and an additional 328 sex buyers were arrested. This year’s operation was conducted the last week of January, but law enforcement officials stressed enforcement was ongoing. The latest numbers were higher than in previous operations. A similar campaign last year yielded 547 arrests and the year before that 539 were arrested. According to Luna, the increase in arrests over last year is due to the fact that the task force gets "better" and "more knowledgeable" in mining accumulated arrest materials every year. In Los Angeles County, the operation resulted in 192 arrests, including multiple arrests along Figueroa Street, a known corridor for prostitution and trafficking, LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said.

New York Times [2/4/2026 4:36 PM, Soumya Karlamangla, 148038K] reports that in the San Francisco Bay Area, Super Bowl week is drawing thousands of football fans, international attention for the halftime performer Bad Bunny — and fears of an immigration crackdown. City councils across the Bay Area, which is heavily Democratic, have passed a flurry of ordinances in recent weeks declaring their jurisdictions “ICE-free zones” in an attempt to block federal agents from using local resources. Immigrant rights groups have trained hundreds of volunteers to report and legally observe federal activity, and plan to dispatch them to monitor Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, as well as heavily immigrant neighborhoods. While government officials and the National Football League said on Tuesday that they were not expecting an immigration enforcement raid this week in the Bay Area, local residents remained skeptical after the killings of two people by federal agents and other turmoil in Minneapolis over the past month. “It feels like a present danger,” said Jaasiel Torres, 18, who attended a demonstration in San Jose on Monday aimed at deterring federal agents from raiding the region. Many immigrant rights groups began ramping up their preparations in September, when the N.F.L. announced that Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper who has criticized President Trump, would be the halftime performer. At the time, Corey Lewandowski, a top Department of Homeland Security adviser, said that Mr. Trump had directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be at the game and that the Super Bowl would not become a haven for illegal immigrants.

CBS Los Angeles [2/5/2026 1:43 AM, Gio Insignares, 51110K] reports dramatic video shows the moment that a woman was thrown to the ground when federal agents clashed with an immigrants’ rights group in Ventura County on Monday afternoon. "I was just in shock," said Tomas Rebecchi, who witnessed the incident as part of a crowd of citizens who had gathered to peacefully observe and document U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were working outside of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Footage shows the agent tossing the woman to the ground shortly before using pepper spray on the crowd of observers who had gathered outside the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. "I was just making sure she was okay, and next emotion that kicked in was anger," Rebecchi said. "For someone to throw a woman that hard to the ground and act tough, until other men started walking up to him." He said that at no point did he or any of the other demonstrators pose a physical threat to officers. "It was really crazy, excessive use of force, and there was no need for what they did and the way they reacted tous," Rebecchi said. The video also shows agents detaining one person during the incident, walking them to a van as the altercation ensued. The agent is seen raising the pepper spray can, pointing it towards the crowd in what looked to be an attempt to keep them at a distance. "That’s why we have to be there to observe like this. They’ll twist the story, they’ll change it, and that’s why we need to be there recording, observing and pushing back when they’re using force against innocent people," Rebecchi said. As a father of two, he says that he’s not typically someone looking to put himself in a dangerous situation, but after witnessing what he did on Monday, he says that his family’s own immigration history makes it more personal. He says that he won’t be discouraged from taking action again. "This community, these are the times that come together," Rebecchi said. "That was got my family through it, and that’s what’s going to get us through this time." CBS LA reached out to the volunteer group in an attempt to speak with the woman who was thrown to the ground, but she declined to speak about the incident. Ventura County Sheriff’s officials said that they are aware of the incident but directed further questions to ICE. CBS LA has reached out to both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, but has not yet heard back. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [2/4/2026 5:15 AM, Crispian Balmer, 38315K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel deployed for the Milano Cortina Olympics will not conduct any policing on Italian streets, Italy’s interior minister said on Tuesday, dismissing political outrage over their presence as baseless. ICE and Border Patrol agents have come under heavy criticism in the United States over their enforcement of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, and recent news that ICE would be operating at the February 6-22 Games caused anger in Italy. Addressing those concerns, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told parliament that only operatives from ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations division would be in Milan. "We will not see anything on national territory that resembles what has been seen in the media in the United States," Piantedosi said, confirming previous statements that the HSI investigators would only work out of U.S. diplomatic missions. "The concern that inspired the controversy of recent days is therefore completely unfounded," the minister said. Italian politicians, particularly from centre-left opposition parties, had fiercely criticised the presence of ICE agents at the Games following the shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis who were observing or protesting ICE actions. Piantedosi said the presence of HSI investigators stemmed from a bilateral accord ratified by Italy in 2014 when the centre-left was in power.

Bloomberg [2/4/2026 12:44 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 50K] reports that the Small Business Administration will remove green card holders’ eligibility to participate in government loan programs beginning March 1. The agency will require that 100% of small business loan applicants be owned by US citizens or US nationals whose principal residence is in the US. A policy notice released Feb. 2 rescinds an exception allowing foreign nationals or US citizens living primarily outside the US to own up to a 5% stake in a business seeking an SBA loan. The eligibility change is meant to comply with a January 2025 White House executive order on "Protecting the American People Against Invasion." It’s part of a broader series of moves by the Trump administration to restrict non-citizens’ access to benefits, including public housing and in-state tuition for public universities. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced last year that the agency would add citizenship verification requirements to loan applications and would relocate regional offices from so-called "sanctuary cities" that the Trump administration says don’t comply with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens – which is why, effective March 1, the agency will no longer guarantee loans for small businesses owned by foreign nationals," Maggie Clemmons, a spokesperson for the agency, said. "Across every program, the SBA is ensuring that every taxpayer dollar entrusted to this agency goes to support U.S. job creators and innovators.”

NPR [2/4/2026 5:14 PM, Jeffrey Pierre, Scott Detrow, Jeanette Woods, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to revoke Temporary Protected Status for some 330,000 Haitian immigrants in the U.S., for now.

USA Today [2/4/2026 9:51 AM, Danae King and Dan Horn, 70643K] reports celebration of a federal court decision to maintain temporary legal status for Haitian immigrants was short-lived here, while the fear is enduring. The Temporary Protected Status designation – which was set to end on Feb. 3 – protects more than 350,000 Haitians living in the United States from deportation and allows them to legally work. About 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield. U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes for the District of Columbia issued the ruling on Feb. 2, postponing the Trump administration’s cancellation of TPS for Haitians. But Haitians still fear ICE knocking at their doors, being separated from loved ones and being sent back to a nation the State Department has declared unsafe for Americans. Although Haiti remains extremely dangerous and community leaders in Springfield and elsewhere have called for the Haitians to be allowed to stay, the Trump administration wants them out as part of its mass deportation effort. Before the judge allowed Haitians to stay, at least temporarily, local advocates had advised those living under TPS to stay inside their homes. Community advocates and faith leaders had prepared churches as places to host those fearing arrest, detention and deportation, provided instant meals to those hiding in darkened homes and helped 250 get passports for their U.S.-born children. The pause offers momentary relief, but Haitians should continue preparing for all scenarios, said Viles Dorsainvil, executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield. "We cannot give ourselves the luxury of living as if everything is normal," Dorsainvil said.

Reuters [2/4/2026 5:05 AM, Joshua Lim, 38315K] reports U.S. citizen Bryanna Galache and her Venezuelan husband, Wilson Dackson La Riva Castillo, are among the many families affected by the Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans in 2025. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

DailySignal [2/4/2026 2:39 PM, Fred Lucas, 474K] reports that University professors are suing the Trump administration over a "Gold Card" visa program that expedites alien entry for those who can pay $1 million. The American Association of University Professors filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the program violates the Immigration and Nationality Act by prioritizing applicants’ wealth over merit. The lawsuit calls for the court to declare the Gold Card program unlawful and to halt its enforcement. The complaint says the program effectively sells U.S. residency to the wealthy, even though federal law calls for prioritizing scientists, researchers, engineers, and other professionals based on merit. "The Gold Card, which privileges wealthy immigrants over others, is part of a larger attack on immigrants, research, and higher education," said AAUP President Todd Wolfson said in a statement. "This unlawful program directly harms our members and the public. We stand firmly against it." President Donald Trump signed an executive order last September to make individuals eligible for EB-1 and EB-2 employment-based visas based solely on payments of at least $1 million by individuals or $2 million by corporations. The visas are slated for high-skill applicants such as researchers and those with advanced degrees. The Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, and State administer the program, which focuses on individuals or businesses that can provide a "substantial benefit to the United States" to expedite the process. When contacted by The Daily Signal, the Department of Homeland Security referred to the Commerce Department, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry for this story.

CBS Miami [2/4/2026 6:13 PM, Chelsea Jones, 51110K] reports thousands of Haitian immigrants across South Florida are facing new challenges as their Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, remains in legal limbo. Many are unable to renew expired driver’s licenses. Community members say the issue is affecting their ability to work, care for their families, and move around safely, even after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS protections for Haitians earlier this week. CBS News Miami spent the day seeking answers from state officials about what Haitians with TPS need to do to maintain valid driver’s licenses. The response: Florida is waiting on guidance from the federal government.

NewsMax [2/4/2026 1:01 PM, Brian Freeman, 3760K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday touted federal statistics that show migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico have fallen to their lowest level in more than 50 years. "Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the southern border is more secure than ever," a DHS statement reads on X. "This historically low migrant encounter rate reflects the tireless work of the brave men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection." The statement continued that "those who would illegally immigrate to the United States know that the Biden open border era is over. The natural generosity of Americans can no longer be taken advantage of." The Border Patrol recorded 237,538 encounters with migrants at the border with Mexico in the 2025 fiscal year, which began in October 2024 and ended in September 2025. That was down from more than 1.5 million encounters in fiscal 2024, more than 2 million in fiscal 2023 and a record of more than 2.2 million in fiscal 2022. The 2025 total was the lowest in any fiscal year since 1970, according to data covering the past half century from the Border Patrol. Since February 2025, the first full month of Trump’s current term, the Border Patrol has recorded fewer than 10,000 encounters a month at the southwestern border, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 4:12 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports President Donald Trump has overseen the lowest level of illegal immigration at the United States-Mexico border in more than 50 years, the Pew Research Center reveals. In Fiscal Year 2025, which includes almost four months of the end of the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) apprehended fewer than 238,000 illegal aliens at the southern border. Compare those apprehensions to Fiscal Year 2024, President Joe Biden’s last full fiscal year in office, when more than 1.5 million illegal aliens were apprehended at the border, as well as Fiscal Year 2023 with more than two million apprehended and Fiscal Year 2022 reaching over 2.2 million. When Pew researchers reviewed only months where Trump served as president in Fiscal Year 2025, they found that fewer than 10,000 illegal aliens had been apprehended each month — the lowest level of monthly illegal immigration in over 25 years. In addition, on Wednesday, the Trump administration announced the ninth consecutive month in which there were no illegal aliens released into the U.S. interior.

FOX News [2/4/2026 11:19 AM, Lindsay Kornick Fox, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused KTLA, a Los Angeles-based news station, of "dishonest reporting" after the station initially appeared to omit the department’s statement on a recent immigration-related arrest. KTLA reported Monday that local residents were "outraged and devastated" by what the station described as an "immigration raid on L.A. church grounds" at the North Hills United Methodist Church, where "a beloved community member" was arrested Thursday. The DHS’ official X account responded Tuesday, saying that U.S. Border Patrol did not target the church referenced in the story and criticized KTLA’s characterization of the incident. "This is dishonest reporting by @KTLA. KTLA omitted our official statement, sent to them yesterday, which clearly states that U.S. Border Patrol did NOT target the United Methodist Church or its parking lot in North Hills, California. We look forward to them updating their story, but screenshots are forever," DHS wrote in a post on X. DHS said that the suspect in the arrest, Carlos Chavez-Guzman, was an illegal alien from Mexico who was previously removed from the United States in 2016 and fled from law enforcement at the time of his arrest, leading agents to the church. The updated story included the full DHS statement, which encouraged participation in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App for voluntary self-deportation. "We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return," the statement read.

Univision [2/4/2026 6:15 PM, Staff, 4937K]
Marimar Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, told Congress Tuesday about what happened Oct. 4, 2025, when he was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood. His testimony came amid intense budget debate and under heavy social pressure to demand greater transparency and reforms in the policies of using force from federal agencies. Martinez described herself as a first-generation Mexican-American woman, born and raised in Chicago, with no criminal record. He explained that that morning he was preparing to donate clothes to his local church when he noticed the presence of federal agents in his neighborhood, which raised concerns due to recent operations. “As a 30-year-old citizen and without a criminal record, I believed I had nothing to worry about, but I was concerned about my friends and neighbors because of widespread incidents involving Border Patrol agents in our community during the previous weeks, arresting any brown-skinned person without legitimate law enforcement reasons.” Martinez said he decided to alert the community to the presence of the agents. “For the next 15 to 20 minutes, I followed these Border Patrol agents through my neighborhood, honking and shouting ‘the migra’ to warn my neighbors about the presence of these agents, who had been terrorizing our community in recent weeks.” Martinez said that while she was being treated at Mount Sinai Hospital, she heard officers rush medical staff. In less than three hours she was released and taken into FBI custody. At the time, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said officers had been rammed by at least ten vehicles and Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic weapon, which would have caused them to open fire.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 9:32 AM, Bob Price, 2238K] reports a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper arrested a Nicaraguan illegal alien for allegedly smuggling a carload of men as they headed to San Antonio. One of the passengers in the smuggling car was a Chinese illegal alien who apparently snuck across the border while wearing camouflage. DPS spokesman, Lt. Chris Olivarez, posted a video showing a trooper conducting a traffic stop on a gray Toyota Camry on U.S. Highway 277 in Maverick County, Texas, on January 30. The trooper identified the driver as Juan Alfonso Merlo Ibarra, a 34-year-old illegal alien from Nicaragua. The trooper arrested Melo for four counts of smuggling of persons, a state-level felony. The trooper transported the Nicaraguan illegal alien to the Maverick County jail to await trial. The four occupants of the vehicle were identified as illegal aliens. All were wearing camouflage, the video shows. One of the four illegal aliens was identified as BeiBei Liu, a 34-year-old Special Interest Alien (SIA) from China. It appears he and the others successfully sneaked across the border in camouflage before being picked up by the human smuggler for transport into the U.S. interior. The other three illegal aliens were identified as Mexican. They, and the Chinese SIA were turned over to Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents for processing and removal proceedings. The following day, a trooper arrested a convicted sex offender after a traffic stop in Maverick County revealed he was allegedly smuggling three illegal aliens. The trooper identified the driver as Kris Romar Hall. 71, a registered sex offender from Killeen, Texas. The trooper placed Hall under arrest for three counts of smuggling of persons and transported him to the Maverick County jail.

NewsMax [2/4/2026 12:34 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday praised law enforcement officials for their work under President Donald Trump "to make sure that we have freedom and liberty for our children and our grandchildren for years to come." Speaking at a news conference in Nogales, Arizona, broadcast live on Newsmax, Noem credited Trump’s border policies with delivering what she called the most secure border in American history, following what she described as a "humanitarian crisis" created by the Biden administration’s open-border approach. "What we had going on here under the Biden administration was the greatest humanitarian crisis we had ever seen," Noem said. "And the way you fix it is simple: you enforce the law, and you apply it equally to every single person." Noem thanked border czar Tom Homan, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Guard, local sheriffs, and other federal and state partners for what she described as a dramatic turnaround along the southern border. She also praised Trump for keeping his campaign promises, including building the border wall and restoring law and order.

NBC 12 Phoenix [2/4/2026 4:37 AM, Staff, 43603K] reports U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a "major border wall" update in Nogales, Arizona, on Wednesday morning, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The update was made at 10 a.m. alongside immigration officials. Noem was in Phoenix on Tuesday ahead of the border event. 12News Journalist Joe Dana is at the border for the press conference. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [2/4/2026 1:53 PM, Steph Whiteside, 4464K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gave a news conference in Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border wall Wednesday morning, where she praised border agents. Noem praised President Donald Trump for his policies and thanked Border Patrol and ICE for making America safer. She described the border as chaotic under President Joe Biden and called the situation a “humanitarian crisis.” After Noem’s remarks, awards were presented to immigration agents. Noem then attacked those on the left who have protested actions taken by ICE and spoke on crime committed by immigrants. The event comes in the wake of reporting from Axios that multiple segments of the wall are being held up because Noem has not signed off on them.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [2/4/2026 11:53 AM, Emily Hallas, 1147K]

Univision [2/4/2026 1:20 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports that During a press conference held in Nogales, Arizona, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem addressed issues related to the border wall between the United States and Mexico. At the meeting, she discussed the functions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Security strategy at the border is being reinforced with technology. Accompanied by Michael Banks, Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), and other federal officials, Kristi Noem indicated that the Border Security Plan remains in effect. Banks stated that they will continue with the construction of the wall along the entire border, which will include the necessary technology and patrols to reinforce security, and added that the previous night they spent several hours listening to agents to take their perspectives into account. "We are going to continue to build this wall and build it all along the border, and it will come with all the necessary technology and patrols. Last night we spent several hours listening to the agents," Banks said. The official also thanked border czar Tom Homan for his support in following up on the requests made by President Donald Trump regarding immigration and security. Noem praised Trump for what she described as his determination and commitment to border security. She attributed to him the decisive impetus to continue with the construction of the border wall between the United States and Mexico, as part of the strategy to strengthen immigration control.

FOX News [2/4/2026 1:59 PM, Julia Bonavita, 37576K] reports that nine people are facing federal charges after allegedly orchestrating an elaborate multi-state scheme to fraudulently purchase firearms and smuggle the weapons into Mexico. Seven people from Arizona, a Montana man and a California man allegedly worked as straw purchasers to buy guns for other people between March 2020 and January 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. "This case exposes a scheme to lie, buy and funnel dangerous firearms into the hands of nefarious actors, including trafficking firearms across our southern border," U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in a press release. "It is particularly alarming when these weapons are intended for use by criminal organizations. This office will continue working in tandem with our law enforcement partners to block the flow of illegal firearms to those who would use them to harm others." Federal prosecutors allege the defendants intentionally fabricated documents while purchasing firearms to appear as though they were the actual buyer, with the intention of handing over the weapons to another individual. The nine individuals allegedly conspired to purchase more than 15 firearms, including 10 belt-fed semiautomatic weapons and at least three Barrett .50-caliber rifles, and planned to send the weapons across the border to Mexico. Law enforcement officials seized six of the firearms on July 26, 2023, with the Government of Mexico seizing another weapon identified as being obtained through the alleged conspiracy on March 24, 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FOX 12 Portland [2/4/2026 10:23 PM, Ward Jolles, 40621K] reports new video obtained by FOX 12 reveals how a passenger carrying a meat cleaver made it through security screening at Portland International Airport last fall and boarded a commercial flight — a serious security breach that reignited questions about how effective TSA screening really is. The incident happened just before 8 p.m. on the night of Nov. 13, 2025, as Delta Flight 3233 prepared to depart from Portland to Salt Lake City. Video from inside the terminal shows that passengers boarded as usual and took their seats. Then they waited. And waited. “We sat on the plane for a long amount of time at the gate,” said Jacob Hafen, one of the passengers onboard. “Everybody was getting a little agitated and fidgety, and finally the captain came on and said, ‘We have a security issue we need to clear before we can take off.’” Surveillance video obtained by FOX 12 from inside PDX shows a man boarding the plane carrying shopping bags. According to the police report obtained by FOX 12, a flight attendant spotted a meat cleaver inside one of the passenger’s shopping bags. The cleaver had made it through TSA screening — despite being clearly labeled — and onto the plane. According to the police report, the passenger with the cleaver appeared surprised by the disruption and told officers he brought the item because he had gotten “a good deal” on it. He was allowed to board another flight later that night. The passenger was never criminally charged.

NewsNation [2/4/2026 4:41 PM, Kaitlin Howell, 4464K] reports three additional deaths have been reported in Mississippi due to the recent winter storm, bringing the statewide total to 28. Scott Simmons, director of External Affairs for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), said Mississippi residents, who suffered storm damage between January 23–27, 2026, are being urged to document their damage. Simmons said counties are still conducting damage assessments as FEMA, stat, and local agencies carry out storm response efforts. MEMA has received reports from 51 counties indicating that 438 homes, 30 businesses and 23 farms have been damaged, destroyed or otherwise affected statewide. Twenty public roads have sustained major damage, while 63 have sustained minor damage. According to MEMA, power restoration efforts are ongoing. There are 27,500 outages as of February 4, 2026, down from a peak of about 180,000.

NBC 16 Eugene [2/4/2026 5:26 PM, Staff, 43603K] reports regarding Friday’s protest outside the Federal Building in Eugene, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin is claiming that protesters did over $200,000 worth of damage to the building during the protest. She also says four people were arrested in connection to Friday’s protest, with three more arrested Saturday night as well. Read DHS Asst. Secretary McLaughlin’s full statement below: On Friday night, 400 rioters stormed the ICE Eugene building destroying windows and did over $200,000 worth of damage to the facility. The Eugene Police Department and the Springfield Police Department responded to officers calls for help. Four rioters were arrested on charges to include assault on an officer, disorderly conduct, wearing a mask while committing a crime on federal property, and failure to comply with official signs. On Saturday, again rioters attempted to storm the facility and threw objects at federal law enforcement to include projectiles, and an attempt return of chemical munitions. One rioter was carrying a rifle. Three rioters were arrested and cited on charges including assault on a federal officer, trespassing, creating a hazard, and disorderly conduct. Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone who destroys federal property and assaults or obstructs law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Law and order will prevail."

New York Times [2/5/2026 3:19 AM, David C. Adams and Patricia Mazzei, 330K] reports a man who plotted to kill Donald J. Trump at one of his Florida golf courses during the 2024 election campaign was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, the maximum penalty for attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. Ryan W. Routh, 59, an itinerant building contractor from North Carolina, sat quietly as Judge Aileen M. Cannon of the Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., announced his sentence. A 12-member jury convicted Mr. Routh last September after an unusual, lopsided trial in which Mr. Routh represented himself. The jury also found him guilty of assaulting a federal officer for pointing his semiautomatic rifle at a Secret Service agent, and of several firearm violations. Mr. Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen after the verdict was read in court. Last month, federal prosecutors recommended a life sentence, saying that Mr. Routh had “plotted painstakingly” to stake out Mr. Trump at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach. They also noted that he had not expressed remorse for his actions. “Routh’s crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation and a cowardly disregard for human life,” the prosecutors wrote. “Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near total disregard for law.” At the sentencing hearing, one of the prosecutors, John Shipley, told Judge Cannon that Mr. Routh’s intent had been “to upend American democracy.” Mr. Routh, a former roofer from Greensboro, N.C., never fired a shot during the thwarted assassination attempt on Sept. 15, 2024 — a fact that his lawyer, Martin L. Roth, emphasized on Wednesday. A Secret Service agent spotted him outside a fence near the sixth hole while Mr. Trump was golfing nearby. The agent fired; Mr. Routh fled in his car and was caught shortly after. It was the second assassination attempt against Mr. Trump in 2024, as he was running for a second term. Mr. Routh’s sentencing was delayed after he requested a lawyer to help him prepare. Mr. Roth asked the court to consider setting aside the sentencing guidelines and instead sentence his client to 27 years in prison. The lawyer argued that such a term would serve as sufficient punishment. “Defendant would be in custody into his 80s and would not pose any threat to cause harm to the public,” Mr. Roth wrote. On Wednesday, he described Mr. Routh as “troubled,” but said he had “a very good core.”

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [2/4/2026 6:36 PM, Staff, 2238K]
NPR [2/4/2026 12:48 PM, Greg Allen, 28764K] Audio: HERE
Blaze [2/4/2026 2:11 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1556K]

SFGate [2/4/2026 10:44 AM, Staff, 10094K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard is bolstering its security operations in Bay Area waters, lands, and skies in preparation for the Super Bowl in Santa Clara this weekend. For nine to 10 months, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco has been planning its response to help manage public safety for the Super Bowl and the week leading up to the big game. Sector San Francisco manages maritime safety for the Bay Area and is headquartered on Yerba Buena Island. The Coast Guard is helping with public safety for the Super Bowl by using canines trained to detect explosives near Super Bowl events and Levi’s Stadium, as well as increasing patrols of San Francisco Bay and monitoring the skies for potential drones being flown. "This is something that we do every day, just a more robust and augmented response," said Cmdr. Jarod Toczko in a briefing Wednesday at Coast Guard Sector San Francisco’s base on Yerba Buena Island. "When you have an event such as this, obviously, that presents additional security measures with the crowds that are gathering," Toczko said.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 12:44 PM, Staff, 2238K] reports the United States has sent a warship to Port Au Prince, Haiti, ahead of the Haitian government’s transition to new leadership on Saturday. The USS Stockdale arrived off the coast of Haiti on Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command said on X. It joins two U.S. Coast Guard ships already in place: the USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence. "Their presence reflects the United States’ unwavering commitment to Haiti’s security, stability and brighter future," U.S. Southern Command said in a post. On Saturday, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate is scheduled to end, giving way to the installation of new elected leaders. However, it remains unclear who the country’s new leaders will be as a president has not been elected. Discussions continue over what is next for Haiti after the council voted to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime last week. Three of the five council members were then sanctioned by the United States over attempting to remove Fils-Aime. Antoine Rodon Bien-Aimé, former member of Haiti’s Lower House of Deputies, said in an interview that all members of the council must step down. The council has agreed with some members explicitly saying they will step down, though other members have continued to be involved in discussions about the government transition.

Reported similarly:
Univision [2/4/2026 6:47 PM, Staff, 4937K]

NBC News [2/4/2026 6:45 PM, Phil Helsel and Michael Kosnar, 42967K] reports a Chicago man accused of killing two Israeli embassy staffers in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in May has been charged with new terrorism-related counts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Elias Rodriguez had been charged with hate crime and other federal counts, but a new superseding indictment replaces those with 13 charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington said. Rodriguez, 31, is still charged with two counts of hate crime resulting in death and the other previous counts, but the new indictment adds four that allege acts of terrorism while armed, the office said. "These additional terrorism-related charges carry a mandatory life sentence under D.C. Code, while also reflecting the reality that this act was in fact an act of terror," Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a statement. Rodriguez is accused of opening fire on Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, with a semi-automatic handgun around 9 p.m., firing around 20 shots, officials said. Rodriguez said, "Free Palestine," and later entered the museum and said "I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza," the U.S. attorney’s office said. He recorded the fatal shootings on a body-worn camera, prosecutors have said in court filings. Rodriguez pleaded not guilty under the previous indictment. Online federal court records did not appear to show a new plea or appearance in the superseding indictment Wednesday.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [2/4/2026 6:04 PM, Jasper Ward, 38315K]

CBS News [2/4/2026 1:03 PM, Melissa Quinn, 51110K] reports that the man accused of shooting two members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., late last year pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was arraigned in federal court in Washington and entered a not-guilty plea. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who is presiding over the case, said the suspected gunman will remain detained pending a trial. He faces nine federal charges, including first-degree murder while armed. Prosecutors allege that Lakanwal shot Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in an ambush-style attack not far from the White House on Nov. 26. Beckstrom and Wolfe served in the West Virginia National Guard and had been deployed to the capital as part of President Trump’s plan to crack down on crime. Beckstrom, 20, was shot in the head and died the next day. Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded. Lakanwal was shot and wounded by another National Guard member during the attack. He was taken into custody by the U.S. Secret Service. He made his first court appearance virtually from a hospital bed. Prosecutors said that Lakanwal acquired the .357 Smith & Wesson revolver used in the attack from an unnamed person, who told investigators that it had been stolen from the Seattle home of its original owner in 2023. Lakanwal also bought ammunition from a sporting goods store in Bellingham, Washington, days before the shooting and conducted a search on Google Maps for "Washington, D.C.," and "the White House," according to court filings. Prosecutors believe that Lakanwal drove from Washington state, where he lived with his wife and their five sons, to Washington, D.C., and arrived several days before the shooting. Sources told CBS News in December that Lakanwal came to the United States in 2021 as part of a program for Afghan nationals called Operation Allies Welcome, which was rolled out during the Biden administration after the U.S. government’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. He and his family fled threats from the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Khost province and moved to Kabul before traveling to the U.S., sources said. A spokesperson for the CIA confirmed that Lakanwal had worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, during the Afghanistan war.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [2/4/2026 12:42 PM, Melissa Quinn, 51110K]
Daily Wire [2/4/2026 5:21 AM, Zach Jewell, 2314K]

Daily Caller [2/4/2026 4:42 PM, Jack Cowhick, 803K] reports a 14-year-old boy was arrested Saturday in Wimauma, Florida for terrorism threats and possession of child pornography, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office reportedly received a tip on Saturday that the boy, Jose Pagan Jr., "had access to weapons" and was planning a mass shooting at a church in his hometown. The boy was associated with a "neo-Nazi Satanic group," Sheriff Chad Chronister stated during a Wednesday press conference. Days before the arrest, Chronsiter stated that the sheriff’s department’s Internet Predator Unit was investigating a "suspected child exploitation allegation" at the boy’s address.

New York Post [2/4/2026 8:00 AM, Benjamin Brown, 40934K] reports an unholy alliance is reshaping Los Angeles’ criminal underworld. Police have told The California Post once-sworn enemies MS-13 and 18th Street have set aside differences and decades of violence to form a "super gang," cashing in on drugs, extortion and a booming underground casino trade that now rivals narcotics for profitability. The gangs are operating under the control of the Mexican Mafia, abandoning traditional tit-for-tat street warfare in favor of profit, coordination and expansion. Captain Ahmad Zarekani, head of the Los Angeles Police Department Gang and Narcotics Division, revealed gangs are exploiting low police numbers and soft-on-crime laws to grow their operations. "Gangs that have previous feuds with each other or historically don’t get along are working together," Zarekani told The Post, adding that the Mexican Mafia has now established it’s own direct links to drug cartels. "They’re more organized than at anytime before and now act like business enterprises," Zarekani said.

Washington Post [2/5/2026 5:00 AM, Rachel Chason, 24149K] reports there are still bloodstains and bullet holes in the mud-brick alcove where villagers took shelter last month after militants overran their community, opening fire on residents who had gathered to drink tea in the town square. Six people, ages 18 to 60, were killed in Baidi that night, locals said, gunned down without warning by men whose faces were obscured by the darkness. The attack was the latest in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state, carried out by what Nigerian and U.S. officials believe is the newest African affiliate of the Islamic State. On Christmas night, President Donald Trump announced that United States had launched airstrikes against the group, known here as Lakurawa, part of what the White House and its allies have described as a campaign to put a stop to the “slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria. But the U.S. strikes were largely ineffective, Nigerian officials, analysts and residents said, and there are very few Christians in Sokoto to protect. The state, once part of a 19th-century caliphate, remains overwhelmingly Islamic, and it is Muslims in villages like this one who have borne most of the violence in Sokoto. Yet no one here denies there is a real and growing security crisis. Islamist militants from several different groups have wrought havoc in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years while quietly extending their reach into northern Nigeria. Most researchers see Lakurawa as an extension of the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which is strongest along the borderlands between Mali and Niger but has shown the ability to strike high-profile targets. Its fighters kidnapped an American missionary in central Niamey, Niger’s capital, late last year and, just last week, executed a large-scale attack on Niger’s international airport. Now, according to five Nigerian and U.S. officials, ISSP is sharing intelligence and coordinating logistics with the more established Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is based hundreds of miles to the east on the islands of Lake Chad. Together, officials fear, the two groups could destabilize vast stretches of northern Nigeria, home to an estimated 130 million people, where authorities have long struggled to contain insurgent violence.

Reuters [2/4/2026 12:04 PM, Staff, 38315K] reports that the United States and Mexico on Wednesday unveiled a 60-day plan to develop coordinated trade policies aimed at mitigating vulnerabilities in critical mineral supply chains, including possible price floors for certain mineral imports. The plan, which includes no specific mention of China and its chokehold on processing of many such minerals, calls for the two nations to consult on including price floors in a binding plurilateral agreement on trade in critical minerals. Separately, Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday unveiled plans to marshal allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals as Washington escalates efforts to shore up supply chains essential to advanced manufacturing. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S.-Mexico plan underscored the countries’ shared commitment to address global market distortions that have left North American supply chains vulnerable to disruptions. "Correcting these vulnerabilities is imperative, as critical minerals are strategic assets integral to modern and innovative industrial economies, and diverse, resilient, and market-based supply chains are essential for our economic and national security," the plan said. It comes months before a mandatory review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USCMA. There was no mention of Canada in the USTR news release or the joint action plan.

CNN [2/4/2026 7:25 PM, Bianna Golodryga and Michael Rios, 19874K] reports Cuba is ready for "meaningful" dialogue with the United States but it is not willing to discuss changing its government, the Cuban deputy foreign minister told CNN on Wednesday, in comments that come as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the island with talk of regime change. "We’re not ready to discuss our constitutional system as we suppose the US is not ready to discuss their constitutional system, their political system, their economic reality," Carlos Fernández de Cossío said. He said the countries have not yet established "a bilateral dialogue" but they have had "some exchanges of messages" that were "linked" to the highest levels of Cuba’s government. His remarks come days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "would love to see" regime change in Cuba although it wouldn’t necessarily act on it. It also comes as the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on the Caribbean island by trying to cut off oil deliveries there. The US has already disrupted its oil supplies from Venezuela after removing that country’s president from power. Last week, it threatened tariffs on nations that export oil to Cuba, claiming that Havana is posing an "extraordinary threat" by aligning itself with "hostile countries and malign actors, (and) hosting their military and intelligence capabilities.” De Cossío pushed back on the US rationale. "Cuba poses no threat to the United States. It is not aggressive against the United States. It’s not hostile. It doesn’t harbor terrorism, nor sponsors terrorism," he said.

Reuters [2/5/2026 12:24 AM, Staff, 38315K] reports Russia has repeatedly supplied oil to Cuba in recent years, and will continue to do so, Russia’s ambassador to Cuba Viktor Coronelli said in an interview with state news agency RIA. "We assume that this practice will continue," he said. U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States had begun talks with "the highest people in Cuba," days after declaring Cuba "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and threatening tariffs on the U.S.-bound exports of any nation that sends oil to the communist-run island. The U.S. has moved to block all oil from reaching Cuba, including that from ally Venezuela, pushing up prices for food and transportation and prompting severe fuel shortages and hours of blackouts, even in the capital Havana.

CBS News [2/4/2026 2:46 PM, Elanor Watson, 51110K] reports that the last remaining treaty between the U.S. and Russia that limits the number of deployable nuclear weapons expires Thursday, marking the end of decades of arms control agreements between the two countries with the largest nuclear arsenals in the world. The New START Treaty, signed in 2010 by the U.S. and Russia, limited the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons to 1,550 on each side and required on-site inspections and notifications to ensure both superpowers were complying with the agreement. Russia stopped providing notifications and suspended inspections during the war in Ukraine but is estimated to not have significantly exceeded the required caps, according to the State Department’s latest report released last month. Former President Joe Biden in 2021 extended the treaty for five years, but it cannot be extended further. In January, President Trump told The New York Times "if it expires, it expires," indicating he could let the treaty lapse. A White House official told CBS News the president will decide a path forward on nuclear arms control "which he will clarify on his own timeline," and he has indicated he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in future arms control talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that it’s "impossible" to come to an agreement without China "because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile." The Pentagon has estimated China will have over 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2035, up from around 200 in 2019.

FOX News [2/4/2026 2:28 PM, Greg Norman-Diamond, 37576K] reports that U.S. Central Command announced Wednesday that it carried out five strikes against "multiple" Islamic State targets in recent days as part of a joint military effort to "ensure the enduring defeat of the terrorist network." CENTCOM said, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, its forces "located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft." "Striking these targets demonstrates our continued focus and resolve for preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria," Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement. "Operating in coordination with coalition and partner forces to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS makes America, the region and the world safer." CENTCOM said it launched the Operation Hawkeye Strike mission in response to a Dec. 13, 2025, ISIS "ambush" attack against U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria. The attack left two U.S. service members and an American interpreter dead. "After nearly two months of targeted operations, more than 50 ISIS terrorists have been killed or captured. CENTCOM forces killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim during a deliberate strike in northwest Syria on Jan. 16. The terrorist leader was directly connected with the ISIS gunman responsible for the Dec. 13 attack," the military agency said. Cooper said in December at the launch of Operation Hawkeye Strike that the effort is "critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the U.S. homeland."

CBS News [2/4/2026 10:27 AM, Margaret Brennan, Sarah Lynch Baldwin and Jennifer Jacobs, 51110K] Video: HERE reports U.S.-Iran talks are expected to be held in Oman on Friday, sources told CBS News, after the U.S. military said it shot down an Iranian drone and Iranian forces threatened to seize a U.S.-flagged vessel. Iran had objected to holding the talks in Turkey, which was the initial proposed location. Iran is seeking direct talks with the U.S. without the usual third party intermediary, according to two sources — an Arab diplomat and a source familiar with the matter. The direct format has long been sought by the Trump administration. White House spokespeople didn’t immediately comment. The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Tehran and Iran is still designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. government. Ahead of the talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday in Israel. Netanyahu told Witkoff that Iran has proven its promises cannot be relied upon, according to a readout from the meeting. Israel remains skeptical of the diplomacy that Arab and Turkish allies of the U.S. have scrambled to put together to avoid U.S. strikes against Iran. The U.S. military said a Shahed-139 drone "aggressively" approached the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier as it was moving through the Arabian Sea roughly 500 miles from the southern coast of Iran on Tuesday. The drone flew toward the carrier "despite de-escalatory measures taken by U.S. forces operating in international waters," U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement. "An F-35C fighter jet from Abraham Lincoln shot down the Iranian drone in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board," Hawkins said. "No American service members were harmed during the incident, and no U.S. equipment was damaged.”

FOX News [2/4/2026 2:19 PM, Rachel Wolf, 37576K] reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Wednesday that Iran requested to change locations for talks with its U.S. counterparts, following several reports on the matter. "We thought we had an established forum that had been agreed to in Turkey. It was put together by a number of partners who wanted to attend and be a part of it," Rubio said when taking questions from reporters on Wednesday. "I saw conflicting reports yesterday from the Iranian side saying that they had not agreed to that. So, that’s still being worked through. At the end of the day, the United States is prepared to engage in, has always been prepared to engage with Iran." A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News on Tuesday that Iran had requested to hold nuclear talks with the U.S. in Oman on Friday. Additionally, Axios reported that Iranian officials were pressing to limit the talks to a bilateral U.S.-Iran format, excluding other Arab and regional countries — a move that could complicate U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region. Rubio would not say what topics had been agreed on. Rather, he laid out matters that, in his view, would need to be discussed in order for the meeting to "actually lead to something meaningful." The topics on Rubio’s list include the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles, its sponsorship of terror organizations, its nuclear program and the treatment of its people.

Breitbart [2/4/2026 6:36 PM, Joshua Klein, 2238K] reports President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "should be very worried" as U.S.–Iran nuclear talks, earlier reported as collapsing, are now set to proceed Friday in Oman amid sharp disputes over the scope of negotiations and rising U.S. military pressure. Speaking in an NBC News interview excerpt released Wednesday, Trump was asked directly whether Khamenei should be concerned as the negotiating track wavered. "I would say he should be very worried, yeah. He should be," Trump replied. "As you know, they are negotiating with us.” The warning landed amid a day of conflicting signals around talks that were initially expected to be held Friday in Turkey — before multiple reports said the meeting was effectively being called off after Tehran demanded changes to the location, format, and scope of the discussions. According to reporting, U.S. officials rejected Iran’s push to move the talks, exclude regional partners, and limit discussions strictly to the nuclear file — a framework that would sideline U.S. demands related to ballistic missiles, regional proxy groups, and human-rights abuses. "We told them it is this or nothing, and they said, ‘OK, then nothing,’" one senior U.S. official said earlier Wednesday, adding that Washington wants a "real deal" — and warning that failure could force consideration of "other options.” Hours later, fresh reporting and Iranian messaging suggested the meeting is now back on. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that negotiations with the United States were scheduled to take place Friday morning in Muscat, Oman, thanking Omani officials for facilitating the meeting, even as Tehran reiterated that its missile program and regional activities would not be discussed. U.S. officials said the Trump administration agreed to proceed with the meeting after urgent appeals from multiple regional governments to keep the diplomatic track alive, though skepticism remains about Iran’s willingness to broaden the talks.

AP [2/4/2026 10:46 PM, Jon Gambrell, 34146K] reports Iran and the United States will hold talks Friday in Oman, their latest over Tehran’s nuclear program after Israel launched a 12-day war on the country in June and the Islamic Republic launched a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. U.S. President Donald Trump has kept up pressure on Iran, suggesting America could attack Iran over the killing of peaceful demonstrators or if Tehran launches mass executions over the protests. Meanwhile, Trump has pushed Iran’s nuclear program back into the frame as well after the June war disrupted five rounds of talks held in Rome and Muscat, Oman, last year. Trump began the diplomacy initially by writing a letter last year to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to jump start these talks. Khamenei has warned Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own, particularly as the theocracy he commands reels following the protests. Here’s what to know about Iran’s nuclear program and the tensions that have stalked relations between Tehran and Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Trump dispatched the letter to Khamenei on March 5, 2025, then gave a television interview the next day in which he acknowledged sending it. He said: "I’ve written them a letter saying, ‘I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing.’". Since returning to the White House, the president has been pushing for talks while ratcheting up sanctions and suggesting a military strike by Israel or the U.S. could target Iranian nuclear sites. A previous letter from Trump during his first term drew an angry retort from the supreme leader. But Trump’s letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term led to face-to-face meetings, though no deals to limit Pyongyang’s atomic bombs and a missile program capable of reaching the continental U.S. Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has mediated talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. The two men have met face to face after indirect talks, a rare occurrence due to the decades of tensions between the countries.

Reuters [2/4/2026 6:04 PM, Michael Martina, Simon Lewis, and Jarrett Renshaw, 36480K] reports U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday unveiled plans to marshal allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals, proposing coordinated price floors as Washington escalates efforts to loosen China’s grip on materials crucial to advanced manufacturing. China has wielded its chokehold on the processing of many minerals as geo-economic leverage, at times curbing exports, suppressing prices and undercutting other countries’ ability to diversify sources of the materials used to make semiconductors, electric vehicles and advanced weapons. "We want to eliminate that problem of people flooding into our markets with cheap critical minerals to undercut our domestic manufacturers," Vance told a gathering of visiting ministers in Washington without mentioning China. "We will establish reference prices for critical minerals at each stage of production, ... and for members of the preferential zone, these reference prices will operate as a floor maintained through adjustable tariffs to uphold pricing integrity," Vance said.

Reuters [2/5/2026 2:49 AM, Mei Mei Chu, 38315K] reports China opposes any country undermining the international economic and trade order through rules imposed by small groups, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday, after the United States unveiled plans for a preferential trade bloc of allies for critical minerals. "Maintaining an open, inclusive, and universally beneficial international trade environment is in the common interest of all countries," ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press briefing.

FOX News [2/4/2026 8:53 PM, Greg Wehner, 37576K] reports the FBI said it arrested 55 people Wednesday morning in a sweeping takedown of a major Georgia-based drug trafficking ring accused of flooding U.S. streets with dangerous narcotics, including fentanyl. Officials said the organization, which was linked to a Chinese supplier, was responsible for distributing large quantities of deadly narcotics throughout Georgia and beyond in what they called Operation Powder Island. Investigators also identified at least one suspect who was allegedly communicating with an overseas supplier based in China, highlighting the international reach of modern drug trafficking networks. The takedown comes as the FBI ramps up efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has fueled a nationwide overdose crisis, into the U.S. As part of Wednesday’s operation, FBI Atlanta, with assistance from FBI Jacksonville, FBI Charlotte, FBI Dallas and FBI Buffalo, executed 56 federal arrest warrants linked to narcotics and gun charges. Authorities arrested 54 suspects across multiple jurisdictions, with one additional suspect scheduled to surrender to authorities next week and another expected to be taken into custody upon returning from work-related travel. Law enforcement seized one gun during the arrests, and no search warrants were executed. FBI Atlanta and Jacksonville SWAT teams provided tactical support during the operation. In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel credited the arrests to aggressive enforcement under President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi. "Under President Trump’s leadership with Attorney General Bondi, this FBI has initiated an aggressive, nationwide takedown of drug trafficking organizations at levels never seen, taking over 30% more deadly narcotics off the streets in 2025 than the year prior," Patel said. "Today’s arrest of 55 individuals is the latest in our work to crush the drug trafficking industry that preys on so many Americans, eliminating not just the traffickers themselves but also the funding and supply networks that make the criminal activity possible.” He commended the Atlanta team for doing "outstanding work" with local law enforcement partners. Patel added that the bureau would continue its "24/7, full throttle mission to save lives and take these narcotics off the street each and every day.”

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