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.

FOX News [1/27/2026 7:55 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K] reports that an Arizona man suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants was shot Tuesday by federal officers during a gunfire exchange Tuesday after he opened fire on a law enforcement helicopter, authorities said. The shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. near the town of Arivaca, Arizona, just miles from the southern border, after agents recognized a vehicle that belonged to a suspect related to a possible human trafficking incident from hours earlier in which everyone in the car fled during a stop, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters. Hours later, agents spotted the same vehicle and made another traffic stop. The suspect, identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, fled the vehicle on foot, Nanos said. At one point, he allegedly shot at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter and at agents, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Division. "The subject continued to flee on foot while being pursued by CBP agents who returned fire," Janke said. "The subject was shot." Schlegal, a U.S. citizen from Arizona, was rendered aid and taken to a hospital where he was recovering after undergoing surgery. He is expected to survive. No one else was harmed, authorities said. Breitbart [1/27/2026 4:50 PM, Bob Price and Ildefonso Ortiz, 2416K] reports that a DHS source with knowledge of the investigation told Breitbart Texas the chain of events began Monday night when Border Patrol agents attempted to stop a vehicle believed to be smuggling illegal aliens through the remote desert west of Arivaca. The driver managed to escape into the darkness. On Tuesday morning, an aircrew searching the area located the suspected smuggling vehicle abandoned in rugged terrain. Agents also encountered a small group of migrants who had illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Arizona near the scene. According to the source, the helicopter crew then spotted a man believed to be connected to the smuggling attempt. The individual allegedly pointed a weapon at the aircraft. It remains unclear whether the suspect fired at the helicopter, but the aircrew immediately relayed the threat to agents on the ground. Border Patrol agents tracked the suspect through the desert and eventually confronted him near milepost 15 on West Arivaca Road, an area long known for cartel foot traffic and human‑smuggling activity. As agents attempted to take the man into custody, the suspect allegedly brandished a weapon, leading agents to open fire. The man was struck, subdued, and placed into custody while wounded. First responders from the Santa Cruz Valley Fire District and American Medical Response treated him on scene before he was airlifted to a Tucson‑area trauma center in critical condition, the Associated Press reported. Authorities have not released the suspect’s identity or nationality. The FBI is now leading the investigation, standard protocol when a federal agent is involved in a shooting. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is assisting, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection is conducting its own internal review. Officials have not confirmed whether the Border Patrol agent suffered injuries during the alleged assault. Investigators have also not disclosed whether the suspect fired his weapon or how many shots were exchanged. The New York Times [1/27/2026 5:30 PM, Christine Hauser and Hannah Ziegler, 135475K] reports that the F.B.I. is investigating “an alleged assault on a federal officer” that happened around 7 a.m. near the town of Arivaca, Ariz., Brooke Brennan, a spokeswoman for the agency’s Phoenix field office, said. The suspect was taken into custody, she said. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was working with the F.B.I. and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, on the “shooting involving U.S. Border Patrol in Arivaca.” NewsMax [1/27/2026 1:51 PM, Staff, 4109K] reports that in a statement posted on X, the department confirmed the incident and said federal agencies are now involved. "The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is responding to a shooting involving U.S. Border Patrol in Arivaca," the statement read. "We are working in coordination with the FBI Phoenix-Tucson office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.” The statement was signed by Sheriff Chris Nanos. Officials did not provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting or whether Border Patrol agents discharged their weapons. Authorities also did not say whether the person who was shot was armed or if any suspects are in custody. The sheriff’s office has not indicated whether the shooting occurred during an enforcement action, traffic stop, or other encounter.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [1/27/2026 4:16 PM, Georgia Worrell, 42219K]
The Hill [1/27/2026 3:08 PM, Ryan Mancini, 12595K]
AP [1/27/2026 7:38 PM, Matthew Brown and Colleen Slevin, 4829K] r
ABC News [1/27/2026 2:59 PM, Meredith Deliso, 30493K]
CBS News [1/27/2026 4:45 PM, Nicole Sganga, Jacob Rosen, 39474K]
NBC News [1/27/2026 8:53 PM, Mirna Alsharif, Laura Strickler, Andrew Blankstein, and Phil Helsel, 34509K]
CNN [1/27/2026 2:21 PM, Holmes Lybrand, Alisha Ebrahimji, and Elise Hammond, 18595K]
Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 3:17 PM, Brady Knox, 1394K]
Daily Caller [1/27/2026 5:12 PM, Staff, 835K]
Blaze [1/27/2026 3:36 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1442K]

AP [1/27/2026 9:05 PM, Staff, 31753K] reports that, the suspect, Patrick Gary Schlegel, has a criminal history that includes a December warrant for escape stemming from a smuggling conviction. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The New York Times [1/27/2026 10:10 AM, Alan Feuer, 135475K] reports in a remarkable display of frustration, the chief federal judge in Minnesota ordered the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear in court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating court orders arising from the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in the state. In a brief ruling issued late Monday, the judge, Patrick J. Schiltz, of Federal District Court in Minnesota, said he recognized that ordering ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, to personally defend himself in court was “an extraordinary step.” But Judge Schiltz, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said it was necessary because “the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary.” Judge Schiltz wrote that he had been “extremely patient” with the agency even though it had sent thousands of agents to the state as part of President Trump’s immigration crackdown, but did so without preparing for the legal challenges and lawsuits that “were sure to result.” He concluded, “The court’s patience is at an end.” While Judge Schiltz’s irritation with the administration was palpable, he left Mr. Lyons a way out of his court summons. The judge said he would cancel the hearing if ICE quickly released an immigrant whom he said had been wrongly detained by agents. FOX News [1/27/2026 12:48 PM, Rachel Wolf, 40621K] reports that the judge ordered the respondents to hold a bond hearing for T.R. within seven days, warning that if no hearing was held within that timeframe, the detainee was to be "immediately released." The new order, which is dated Jan. 26, states that on Jan. 23 T.R.’s counsel notified the court that a hearing had not been held and that he remained in custody. The new order, which was issued on Monday, calls on Lyons to appear in court on Friday at 1:00 p.m. local time "to show cause why he should not be held in contempt for violating the Court’s January 14, 2026, order." However, Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said the court would call off the hearing if ICE released T.R. ahead of Friday afternoon. "Judge Patrick J. Schiltz is just another activist judge who is clearly more concerned about politics than the safety of the Minnesotans," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. "Does this judge really think Director Lyons should take time out of his day leading ICE to target the worst of the worst criminal illegals including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists into our country to testify at a hearing for one illegal alien’s removal proceedings?"

Reported similarly:
New York Post [1/27/2026 2:55 PM, Ryan King, 42219K]
The Hill [1/27/2026 10:34 AM, Max Rego, 12595K]
AP [1/27/2026 4:27 PM, Mike Catalini and Steve Karnowski, 31753K]
Reuters [1/27/2026 1:07 PM, Staff, 36480K]
CBS News [1/27/2026 3:51 PM, Melissa Quinn, 39474K]
CNN [1/27/2026 5:38 PM, Kaanita Iyer, 18595K]
Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 11:24 AM, Kaelan Deese, 1394K]
NewsMax [1/27/2026 10:17 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K]
Blaze [1/27/2026 1:15 PM, Cooper Williamson, 1442K]

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:34 PM, Ashley Oliver and Bill Melugin, 40621K] reports a Minnesota-based federal judge who threatened to hold Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons in contempt of court has donated to a nonprofit that gives legal support to illegal immigrants. Judge Patrick Schiltz, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, and his wife were listed in a 2019 annual report for the organization, the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, which routinely condemns the Trump administration and advertises free legal advice for immigrants, refugees and people detained by ICE. Schiltz told Fox News Digital in a statement he has "donated for many years to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota." "I have also donated for many years to Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. I believe that poor people should be able to get legal representation," Schiltz said. Schiltz, the chief judge in Minnesota, demanded Lyons appear in federal court on Friday to explain why he should not be held in contempt of court for failing to follow an order regarding an Ecuadoran national who was detained this month after entering the country illegally three decades ago. Schiltz said the man, Juan Hugo Tobay Robles, should have been given a bond hearing by law or be released within seven days and that the Department of Homeland Security failed to follow that order and many others. "This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed to comply in recent weeks," Schiltz wrote, adding that the court’s "patience is at an end.”

CNN [1/27/2026 1:20 PM, Alayna Treene, 606K] reports President Donald Trump met for nearly two hours with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her senior adviser, Corey Lewandowski, in the Oval Office on Monday evening, two sources familiar with the meeting told CNN, after Noem had asked to speak with Trump in person. The meeting comes as the Trump administration has showed its first signs of retreat in Minneapolis following Saturday’s fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, the second person killed by federal agents in the city this month. Trump did not threaten Noem’s or Lewandowski’s jobs during the meeting, the sources said. Instead, the group had a frank conversation about how to continue carrying out the president’s immigration agenda in Minnesota amid national backlash — including criticism from some Republicans — and unrest in the state. Other top Trump officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt and communications director Steven Cheung, also attended the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times. The White House declined to comment on the meeting, though an official reiterated the president’s support for Noem. In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, administration officials shared a torrent of claims that have either been contradicted by video footage or unsupported by any evidence presented so far. Over the weekend, Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, who had been leading the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, scrapped with lawmakers and others online, claiming in social media posts that Pretti was assaulting federal law enforcement officers before he was killed. Bovino, whose social media accounts were suspended by DHS on Monday, is expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday after Trump announced he’s sending border czar Tom Homan to lead the operation. Asked about the Oval Office meeting on Fox News, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Tuesday that Trump and Noem have "had at-length discussions.” "I can’t get into those specifics, but Secretary Noem will continue to oversee, of course, the Department of Homeland Security," McLaughlin said. She added that Noem is "very happy" that Homan will be overseeing immigration operations in Minneapolis.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [1/27/2026 6:50 AM, Emily Crane, 42219K]
Daily Wire [1/27/2026 6:48 AM, Zach Jewell, 2494K]
NewsMax [1/27/2026 9:06 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K]

Politico [1/27/2026 2:53 PM, Meredith Lee Hill, 13586K] reports top officials from ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will testify before the House and Senate Homeland Security committees next month, as lawmakers ramp up scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown after the killing of Alex Pretti. ICE acting director Todd Lyons, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow have agreed to appear in the House on Feb. 10 and in the Senate on Feb. 12. House Homeland Security Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Senate Homeland Security Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for the oversight hearings after federal agents shot and killed Pretti in Minneapolis Saturday. “Transparency and communication are needed to turn the temperature down,” Garbarino said in a statement. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has overseen the Minneapolis operation, isn’t set to testify on Capitol Hill until March 3. FOX News [1/27/2026 5:00 PM, Alex Miller, 40621K] reports that their agreement to appear before the Senate panel comes at a turbulent time for the agency and Noem after the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti during immigration operations in Minneapolis. Those shootings and broader ICE and DHS actions in states across the country have mobilized Senate Democrats to reject funding the agency. Paul on Monday demanded in three separate letters to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, that they appear before his committee. He noted DHS had received "an exceptional amount of funding to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws." The lawmaker’s demand was not specifically geared toward the shootings, but rather the billions in funding that Republicans approved under President Donald Trump’s "big, beautiful bill," last year. Still, Senate Democrats on the committee are likely to pepper the trio with questions about the agency’s actions across the country after the fatal shootings.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/27/2026 4:55 PM, Sarah Davis, 12595K]
CBS News [1/27/2026 3:39 PM, Kaia Hubbard, 39474K] r
Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 4:06 PM, Rachel Schilke, 1394K]

FOX News [1/27/2026 12:10 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports that Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss the investigation into the Border Patrol-involved shooting in Minnesota amid soaring tensions between protesters and ICE. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:29 AM, Staff, 40621K] reports
Author Julio Rosas discusses President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota amid violent protests of ICE operations. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [1/27/2026 8:05 PM, Anushka Patil, Ernesto Londoño and Nick Corasaniti, 135475K] reports Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis held separate meetings on Tuesday with President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, a day after he was dispatched by the president to direct ICE operations in the state in the wake of the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents. Mr. Pretti was the second Minneapolis resident in the past three weeks to be killed, and the third to be shot, by federal agents engaged in the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown. Mr. Homan’s meetings with the governor and mayor came amid Mr. Trump’s struggles to contain the fallout over the killing and his administration’s false accusations about Mr. Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse who was shot repeatedly by agents in South Minneapolis on Saturday. Mr. Walz’s office said in a statement that he and Mr. Homan had met in St. Paul on Tuesday and that the two had agreed to continue working toward the state’s goals: a swift reduction in federal forces on the ground, impartial investigations into Minneapolis shootings involving federal agents and “an end to the campaign of retribution against Minnesota.” Mr. Frey said in a series of social media posts that he and his police chief, Brian O’Hara, had also spoken with Mr. Homan on Tuesday, calling their meeting “productive.” “I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible,” Mr. Frey said, referring to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign in Minneapolis, during which some 3,000 federal agents have flooded Minnesota, making thousands of arrests and prompting mass protests, street confrontations and widespread fear. Mr. Frey said he had made clear that Minneapolis would continue to prohibit city employees, including police officers, from enforcing federal immigration law, but he added that city leaders would “stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team.” Mr. Walz’s office said in its statement that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety would be the state’s primary liaison to Mr. Homan. The president has said Mr. Homan will report directly to him. Commenting on the meetings on social media, Mr. Homan said that he met with Mr. Walz and Mr. Frey to talk about the need to support law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets. “While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead,” he said. Efforts to reach Mr. Homan for additional comment were unsuccessful. The talks with Mr. Homan came one day after Mr. Trump said he’d had “very good” calls with Mr. Walz and Mr. Frey. Later on Monday, he met for nearly two hours in the Oval Office with Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, and her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, according to two people briefed on the meeting. Mr. Trump’s decision to send Mr. Homan to Minnesota is part of a shake-up that, according to two federal officials, will include Gregory Bovino, who has led the Border Patrol’s operations in Minneapolis, leaving the city. Mr Bovino’s aggressive tactics in major American cities have made him a face of the White House’s immigration crackdown.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [1/27/2026 6:31 PM, Staff, 2416K]

Washington Examiner [1/28/2026 1:11 AM, Staff, 1394K] reports Border czar Tom Homan revealed he had a "productive" meeting on Tuesday with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Homan’s meeting was in response to the controversy surrounding the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. Homan was deployed to Minnesota by President Donald Trump to deescalate political tensions stemming from Pretti’s death. Homan posted about the positive conversation in a social media post on X. "Today I met with Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and top law enforcement officials to discuss the issues on the ground in Minnesota," Homan posted. "We all agree that we need to support our law enforcement officers and get criminals off the streets. While we don’t agree on everything, these meetings were a productive starting point and I look forward to more conversations with key stakeholders in the days ahead.” Homan’s meeting with Frey was apparently arranged during a phone conversation between President Donald Trump and the Minneapolis mayor on Monday. Trump provided an optimistic view of the communication and announced Homan’s visit. "I just had a very good telephone conversation with Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis. Lots of progress is being made!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday. "Tom Homan will be meeting with him tomorrow in order to continue the discussion.”

Breitbart [1/27/2026 12:35 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports that Donald Trump’s “border czar” met with officials in Minneapolis on Tuesday as the US president struggled with damage control after the fatal shootings of two civilians fueled a storm of criticism over his signature immigration crackdown. Some federal agents — including Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol official famed for reveling in aggressive, televised immigration crackdowns — were expected to leave Minneapolis. Trump said that Tom Homan — the top US border security official, who brings a less confrontational communication style — met with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Tuesday. “I hear things are going very nicely,” Trump said. The US president told reporters that he rejected the “assassin” label used by a top aide to describe 37-year-old protester Alex Pretti, who was shot at point-blank range over the weekend. “I’m going to be watching over it and I want a very honorable and honest investigation,” he said. But Trump also said people could not go to protests with guns — a reference to Pretti carrying a licensed firearm that was taken off him before he was shot. “I don’t like that he had a gun, I don’t like that he had two fully loaded magazines,” the president told reporters. Frey said in a statement after meeting Homan that he discussed the “serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis,” and that the city “does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws.” ABC News [1/27/2026 4:52 PM, Mary Bruce, Michelle Stoddart, and Isabella Murray, 30493K] reports President Donald Trump on Tuesday touted the arrival of his border czar, Tom Homan, on a mission to Minneapolis -- as he took personal charge of dealing with the backlash following the second fatal shooting of an American citizen by federal agents in the city. The president, who had said Homan would report directly to him, sounded positive about his change in course so far, saying Homan had met with Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and would do the same with Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey. The White House has noticeably sought to put some distance between the president and the controversial words of his top officials in the immediate aftermath of the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse. Trump on Sunday declined to defend the agents involved, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday said she hadn’t heard Trump characterize Pretti the same way as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller or Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem -- both of whom had quickly accused him of domestic terrorism without any evidence. Trump on Tuesday also publicly broke with Miller, telling reporters he does not believe Pretti was an "assassin" as Miller had described him. When asked if he believes Pretti’s death was justified, Trump said a "big investigation" is underway and suggested he would be monitoring it personally. At the same time, Trump continued to criticize Pretti for having a gun on him, which state and local officials said he was lawfully carrying with a concealed carry permit, telling reporters: "You can’t walk in with guns." Still, Trump stood by Noem on Tuesday and told reporters she won’t be stepping down. Noem met with Trump in the Oval Office on Monday as scrutiny grew over the shooting and the administration’s response, sources told ABC News. While sources said Noem is expected to keep her job as of now, her focus is expected to shift to other priorities. A person familiar with the planning said Homan is likely to focus on more targeted immigration enforcement efforts. Homan’s arrival also comes as Customs and Border Protection commander-at-large Greg Bovino is set to leave Minneapolis to return to El Centro, California, and resume his duties as chief of that sector, multiple sources told ABC News. Some Border Patrol agents are also leaving Minneapolis.

NPR [1/27/2026 5:18 PM, Brian Bakst, 28013K] Audio: HERE reports border czar Tom Homan met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Tuesday. Homan takes over from Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino, overseeing ICE operations in the state. Do things look any different on the ground?

NewsMax [1/27/2026 12:58 PM, Mark Swanson, 4109K] reports that federal border czar Tom Homan met Tuesday with Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, with the governor’s office saying both sides agreed to "ongoing dialogue" regarding the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the state. President Donald Trump dispatched Homan to Minnesota on Monday after a second fatal shooting of an anti-ICE protester on Saturday. Homan was also scheduled to meet with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey later Tuesday. "I hear that’s all going well," Trump told reporters before leaving for Iowa. Trump spoke with Walz on Monday and laid out three specific actions the governor must take to end the chaos and prevent further bloodshed. First, Trump wants Minnesota officials to turn over all criminal illegal aliens incarcerated in state prisons and local jails — as well as those with active warrants or known criminal histories — to federal authorities for immediate deportation. Second, state and local law enforcement must agree to transfer all illegal aliens arrested by local police into federal custody. Third, local police departments must actively assist federal agents in apprehending and detaining illegal aliens wanted for crimes, particularly violent offenses. Walz and Homan "will continue working toward those goals, which the President also agreed to yesterday," the governor’s office said Tuesday. The statement from Walz’s office also called for "impartial investigations into the shootings" of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 9:11 PM, Michelle Hackman, John McCormick, and Joe Barrett, 646K] reports Tom Homan, the White House border czar, arrived here with a series of demands for Minnesota’s Democratic leaders. Topping the list: an agreement from them to turn over more immigrants from the state’s prisons and jails, people familiar with the matter said. Homan’s task, the people said, is to secure what the administration can count as concessions from the state’s Democrats—several of whom have been subpoenaed by the Justice Department—in exchange for a drawdown of federal agents. The biggest notable change thus far is that both sides appear to be talking to each other, and the city’s street protests have been relatively muted—at least for now. Homan met Tuesday with Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, two Democrats who had been warring with President Trump and Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who until Monday was carrying out the administration’s operation in the city. Bovino since has been removed and sent back to his old post on the southern border. There weren’t immediate indications that both sides in the Minnesota standoff had agreed to join up in support of the White House’s immigration agenda. Frey, who was among those targeted with a Justice Department subpoena, said he told Homan that the city wouldn’t enforce federal immigration laws. Trump gave a more upbeat assessment. “I hear that’s all going very well,” he said of Homan’s conversations with Walz and Frey. More than anything, Homan’s arrival was intended to mark a reset in the federal government’s relationship with the state. He is seen as likely to wind down the large arrest operations that Bovino had been leading in favor of a more targeted approach. The earlier tactic prompted days of clashes with protesters and led to two fatal shootings of residents by enforcement officials. If successful, Homan’s model could set the tone for how federal immigration agents carry out enforcement across the country. His challenge will be to prove to Trump that, even with a more low-key strategy, he can still deliver enough arrests to fulfill the president’s promises of mass deportation.

The Hill [1/27/2026 6:00 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K] reports Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) on Tuesday said he spoke with border czar Tom Homan and reinforced that the city would not change its sanctuary policies in exchange for the departure of federal immigration authorities. “I shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers,” Frey wrote in a post on the social media platform X. “I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe,” he added. Frey said that city leaders will continue to stay in conversation with Homan and his team. Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) met with the border czar for a “productive” conversation earlier in the day after two U.S. citizens were killed by immigration authorities in Minneapolis. Trump administration officials, including Homan and Attorney General Pam Bondi, have urged local officials to comply with requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help detain migrants without legal status in the area. During a Sunday press conference, Walz told reporters that the state continues to comply with obligations mandated by federal law, including turning over inmates who are determined to be residing in the country illegally.

NewsMax [1/27/2026 6:54 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports some federal immigration agents will leave Minneapolis Tuesday, the city’s mayor said, as President Donald Trump struck a conciliatory note after nationwide outrage over the killings of two American citizens. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote on X that "some federal agents" will begin leaving the city, but did not provide specifics of how many. "I will continue pushing for the rest involved in this operation to go," Frey added. Frey said he spoke with Trump on Monday, adding: "The president agreed the present situation can’t continue.” Trump said he had sent his top border enforcer Tom Homan to Minneapolis on Monday, saying that he "will report directly to me.” U.S. media have also reported that controversial Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino will be leaving Minneapolis – thought the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has vehemently denied he has been "relieved of his duties," DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on X. McLaughlin added that Bovino "is a key part of the President’s team and a great American."

AP [1/27/2026 8:52 AM, Staff, 31753K] reports President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’s going to be “watching over” the investigation into 37-year-old Alex Pretti’s killing by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis Saturday, which he called “very sad.” “I have to see it myself,” Trump said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 5:11 PM, Naomi Lim, 1394K] reports President Donald Trump expressed his dislike that Alex Pretti, the anti-ICE protester killed in Minneapolis on Saturday, was carrying a gun when he was shot dead by Border Patrol agents. Shortly after Pretti was shot during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, the Department of Homeland Security shared a photo on social media of Pretti’s firearm, a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun, contending "officers attempted to disarm the suspect, but the armed suspect violently resisted." Video recordings of the interaction appear to capture a Border Patrol agent taking Pretti’s weapon from him before one of his colleagues opened fire. Pretti was a legal gun owner with a permit to carry. Trump administration officials have zeroed in on that fact, with FBI Director Kash Patel even suggesting over the weekend the presence of a gun at a rally could be evidence of malicious intent. Second Amendment advocates, including the National Rifle Association, have criticized the focus on Pretti being armed at a protest and the fact that he was carrying two magazines with him at the time of the incident. Breitbart [1/27/2026 5:17 PM, AWR Hawkins, 2416K] reports President Trump described Alex Pretti’s death as "terrible" during an interview Tuesday on FOX News’s Will Cain Show, but made clear he didn’t "like the fact that he [Pretti] was carrying a gun." Trump also said the January 7, 2026, incident in which a federal agent shot and killed Renee Good after she allegedly drove her vehicle into him was "terrible." Pretti was allegedly carrying a Sig Sauer AXG Combat pistol, which ships with 21-round magazines. Reuters [1/27/2026 5:56 PM, Jarrett Renshaw, 36480K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Alex Pretti, the man fatally shot by a federal agent during a confrontation in Minneapolis, should not have been carrying a gun or fully loaded magazines, comments that put him at odds with gun rights groups and some Republicans. Asked whether he agreed with administration officials who described Pretti as a domestic terrorist, Trump said: "I haven’t heard that, but certainly shouldn’t have been carrying a gun." Pretti, a licensed concealed-weapons holder, was killed on Saturday by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The shooting drew broad criticism and prompted a White House-ordered leadership shakeup. Gun rights groups, including the influential National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America, said Pretti was legally carrying a concealed gun. Bystander video of Pretti’s killing was widely shared, showing he never touched his gun before being shot and contradicting some Trump officials’ initial claims that he posed a threat to law enforcement.

The Hill [1/27/2026 3:19 PM, Max Rego, 12595K] reports President Trump said Tuesday that Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday, should not have carried a firearm on him. The president went on to call the incident “very unfortunate.” Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was shot and killed Saturday in Minneapolis. Video of the incident shows Pretti recording Border Patrol agents as they conducted an operation. After an agent pushed a woman to the ground, Pretti attempted to assist her and was then surrounded by agents and shoved down himself. One agent appears to retrieve a firearm from Pretti’s waist before another fires multiple rounds at him. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared a photo on Saturday of the weapon, a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun, which was loaded, after the shooting. The department also said that Pretti was carrying two spare magazines. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Saturday that Pretti was a legal gun owner with a permit to carry. State law also allows individuals to carry firearms during protests. Trump administration officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel, have pushed back on Pretti’s Second Amendment rights and claimed he intended to injure law enforcement. That statement, and similar ones made by other administration officials, have garnered pushback from gun rights groups.

New York Times [1/27/2026 8:32 PM, Madeleine NgoAlexandra Berzon and Hamed Aleaziz, 135475K] reports a preliminary review by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s internal watchdog office found that Alex Pretti was shot by two federal officers after resisting arrest, but did not indicate that he brandished a weapon during the encounter, according to an email sent to Congress and reviewed by New York Times. The review makes no mention of the Department of Homeland Security’s earlier claims that Mr. Pretti, a U.S. citizen, “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” Shortly after the shooting, Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, claimed that Mr. Pretti had been “brandishing” a gun. Officials had provided no evidence to back up the claim, which was contradicted by witness videos. The initial review by C.B.P., which deployed more than 1,000 officers and agents to support the enforcement operation in Minnesota, represents the first official written assessment of Saturday’s shooting since administration officials rushed to blame Mr. Pretti. “These notifications reflect standard Customs and Border Protection protocol and are issued in accordance with existing procedures,” Hilton Beckham, a C.B.P. spokeswoman, said in a statement. “They provide an initial outline of an event that took place and do not convey any definitive conclusion or investigative findings. They are factual reports — not analytical judgments — and are provided to inform Congress and to promote transparency.” The review was done by C.B.P.’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which normally conducts internal misconduct investigations following shootings, and was distributed to members of Congress on Tuesday, as required by law. It presents a detailed timeline of the events based on body camera footage and agency documentation. At approximately 9 a.m. on Saturday, a federal officer was confronted by two female civilians blowing whistles, according to the review. Although the officer ordered them to move out of the road, they did not move. The officer then “pushed them both away,” and one of the women ran to Mr. Pretti, the review said. After the officer attempted to move them out of the road and they did not move, the officer deployed pepper spray at them, according to the review. Mr. Pretti then resisted attempts by C.B.P. officers to take him into custody, prompting a struggle, the review said. A Border Patrol agent multiple times yelled, “He’s got a gun!” About five seconds later, a Border Patrol agent fired his Glock 19, and a C.B.P. officer also fired his Glock 47 at Mr. Pretti, according to the review.

CBS News [1/27/2026 5:32 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Scott MacFarlane, 39474K] reports two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents fired their weapons during the fatal shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti over the weekend, according to a government report sent to Congress and obtained by CBS News that does not mention Pretti reaching for his firearm. The report was shared with congressional officials Tuesday by CBP, which said it was based on a "preliminary review" by its Office of Professional Responsibility. It provides the most comprehensive official account yet of Pretti’s killing, which has triggered widespread outcry from members of both parties. According to the report to Congress, CBP agents were conducting an operation in Minneapolis on Saturday morning when an officer was "confronted by two female civilians blowing whistles." The officer ordered the women to "move out of the roadway," the report said. That’s when CBP agents first encountered Pretti. The new information provided by CBP differs from the initial accounts offered by the Department of Homeland Security, which said in a statement over the weekend that one Border Patrol agent had fired "defensive shots." In that statement, DHS also said Pretti "approached" the CBP agents with a 9mm semi-automatic firearm. But CBP’s report to Congress makes no claim that Pretti tried to reach for his firearm. In the hours after the shooting, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that Pretti approached federal agents with a gun in what she described as an effort to kill officers, and Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino accused Pretti of trying to "massacre law enforcement" — allegations that did not appear in the Office of Professional Responsibility’s report. The government’s response to Pretti’s death — the second fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis this month — has drawn intense scrutiny in recent days, as videos of the incident appear to contradict officials’ claims that Pretti approached law enforcement with his gun. The report does not state that Pretti’s gun discharged accidentally, one theory that has circulated in the wake of the shooting. It also revealed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel removed and stored Pretti’s firearm in a government vehicle, a decision now raising broader concerns about the integrity of the investigation. The report to Congress confirmed ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations branch is investigating the shooting, a move current and former agency officials described as highly unusual for an office that has historically not investigated use-of-force incidents. The report said CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is also reviewing the incident internally, and that the DHS Inspector General has been notified.

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 9:35 PM, Alyssa Lukpat, 646K]
Washington Post [1/27/2026 7:12 PM, Annie Gowen, Kadia Goba, Matt Viser, Ben Brasch, and Joanna Slater, 24149K]
CNN [1/27/2026 5:58 PM, Holmes Lybrand, Lauren Fox, Shimon Prokupecz, 18595K]

CNN [1/27/2026 1:00 PM, Jeff Winter and Priscilla Alvarez, 606K] reports federal immigration officers have been collecting personal information about protesters and agitators in Minneapolis, sources told CNN – and had documented details about Alex Pretti before he was shot to death on Saturday. It is unclear how Pretti first came to the attention of federal authorities, but sources told CNN that about a week before his death, he suffered a broken rib when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was protesting their attempt to detain other individuals. A memo sent earlier this month to agents temporarily assigned to the city asked them to "capture all images, license plates, identifications, and general information on hotels, agitators, protestors, etc., so we can capture it all in one consolidated form," according to correspondence reviewed by CNN. Pretti’s previous encounter is another reflection of the aggressive approach federal agents are taking with observers and protesters – a philosophy underscored by the request for agents to collect information about protesters whose activities are broadly protected by the First Amendment. The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly warned of threats against federal law enforcement officers during immigration enforcement operations—and criticized protesters who they argue are impeding those operations. On Tuesday, the department also publicized an online tip form to share information about people allegedly harassing ICE officers. "When our law enforcement encounter a violent agitator who is breaking the law, obstructing law enforcement or assaulting them, our law enforcement make records to advance prosecution. This is not ground breaking, it is standard protocol," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. Earlier this month, a DHS official in Minneapolis sent a memo to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations officers assigned to the state on temporary duty asking them to use a form to input information on protesters and agitators. On Sunday, a DHS spokeswoman denied the agency was compiling a database of "domestic terrorists" after a video in Maine showed a federal agent recording the license plate of a woman observing him during an operation and telling her, "We have a nice little database and now you are considered a domestic terrorist.” McLaughlin told CNN about the Maine incident, "There is NO database of ‘domestic terrorists’ run by DHS. We do of course monitor and investigate and refer all threats, assaults and obstruction of our officers to the appropriate law enforcement. Obstructing and assaulting law enforcement is a felony and a federal crime.”

Reported similarly:
Daily Caller [1/27/2026 4:39 PM, Alexis Lapp, 835K]

Reuters [1/27/2026 3:08 PM , Nandita Bose and Brad Brooks, 36480K] reports Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, met with Minnesota’s governor on Tuesday ahead of talks with the mayor of Minneapolis, as the White House seeks to defuse the unrest that has gripped the city after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents. The move to install Homan in charge of the operation in place of Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who sources said is leaving after having led most of Trump’s crackdowns in Democratic-led cities, is part of a broader reset by the president to soften his administration’s aggressive posture in Minneapolis. Some advisers are concerned that Saturday’s killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal officers, which sparked national outrage, could derail Trump’s immigration agenda. Homan’s job in Minneapolis is to "recalibrate tactics" and improve cooperation with state and local officials, a source with ties to the White House said.

"The goal is to scale back, eventually pull out," the source added. The president held a two-hour meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the Oval Office on Monday evening after Noem asked to meet, a source briefed on the matter confirmed. The New York Times first reported the meeting. The typically combative Trump has also struck a more conciliatory tone in public remarks. He characterized private conversations with both Walz and Frey on Monday as productive, while the two Democratic leaders offered similarly positive comments, a far cry from the vitriol the two sides had previously exchanged. At the White House on Tuesday, Trump expressed sympathy for Pretti’s family and said he would be "watching over" the investigation into his killing. But he also defended Noem and said she would not be stepping down. The Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 7:02 AM, Damian Paletta, 646K] reports less than 48 hours after federal agents shot and killed an ICU nurse in Minnesota, President Trump launched the most dramatic reshuffle so far of his immigration team. In: White House border czar Tom Homan. He is being rushed to Minnesota to try to salvage the operation there after having been boxed out of influence for months. Out: Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino. The defiant face of Trump’s urban-surge approach, Bovino was being whisked out of Minnesota immediately after referring to border agents who killed the nurse as the “victims.” Power dynamics in Trump World can shift suddenly. There are also signs that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and DHS aide Corey Lewandowski could be losing influence, given all the fallout in Minnesota. The outcry from GOP lawmakers in the past two days for a change in tactics has been remarkable. Homan’s reascension is notable, especially because he faced a scandal last year amid allegations that he accepted $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents (Homan has denied any wrongdoing). This is as close as Trump has come in recent months to acknowledging that his administration needs a sharp course correction. With congressional Democrats now preparing for a possible government shutdown this weekend and public opinion turning on the White House’s immigration approach, Homan will be under a lot of pressure to move quickly. Meanwhile, Trump said he had a “very good call” with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Chris Madel, a Republican lawyer representing the ICE agent who fatally shot earlier victim Renee Good, dropped out of the Minnesota governor’s race, saying he couldn’t defend the administration’s immigration-enforcement tactics in the state.

New York Times [1/27/2026 8:05 PM, Aishvarya Kavi and David E. Sanger, 135475K] reports President Trump said on Tuesday that “we’re going to de-escalate a little bit” when it comes to his immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, the latest indication that the mounting backlash to the fatal shooting of a protester Saturday had prompted him to try to shift perceptions of the administration’s approach. Mr. Trump did not specify what tactics being used by federal immigration agents would change, if any. And he continued to blame Alex Pretti, the intensive care unit nurse shot by Border Patrol agents, for legally carrying a gun with a permit — comments that risked angering gun rights supporters in his base. “You can’t walk in with guns,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a speech in Iowa about the economy. “You can’t do that,” he added, before calling Mr. Pretti’s death “a very unfortunate incident.” The president also acknowledged the aggressive tactics of Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official known for his confrontational style who was pulled out of Minneapolis. In an interview with Fox News, Mr. Trump described him as “a pretty out there kind of guy.” “In some cases it’s good,” the president said. “Maybe it’s not good here.”

Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 9:15 AM, Annie Linskey, Alex Leary, and Michelle Hackman, 646K] reports the videos were splashed across cable news—and President Trump was paying attention. Working from the Oval Office as a winter storm barreled toward the nation’s capital, Trump watched as footage of a federal immigration agent shooting Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse and U.S. citizen, played on repeat from Minneapolis. Within hours of the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged Pretti had attacked officers and was brandishing a gun, labeling the actions domestic terrorism. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said Pretti wanted to massacre law enforcement. And Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s aggressive immigration strategy, called Pretti a “would-be assassin.” It wasn’t long before that narrative started to fall apart—and Trump started to get frustrated, according to administration officials. Roughly 48 hours after the shooting, Trump decided to change course, moving to pull back one of his administration’s most high-profile and divisive immigration-enforcement campaigns. By the end of the day Monday, Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar who advocated for a more targeted approach to deportations, was en route to Minneapolis to take charge. Bovino, the face of the hard-edge approach employed in Minnesota, was leaving the state. Trump’s pivot came after Republican lawmakers and other allies raised concerns that he was squandering public support for his signature campaign issue and senior administration officials increasingly saw the chaotic scenes in Minneapolis as a political liability. Gun-rights advocates, normally steadfast allies of Trump, publicly criticized administration officials for saying that Pretti shouldn’t have been carrying a gun during protest activity. State officials said Pretti had a permit to carry the weapon. In the process, Trump appeared to take sides—for now—in a simmering debate that has been playing out quietly in the administration.

FOX News [1/27/2026 5:12 PM, Emma Colton, 40621K] reports the White House is rejecting claims the Trump administration "backed down" on Minnesota’s immigration crackdown, insisting the mission hasn’t changed even as leadership on the ground has. A White House official who spoke to Fox News Digital said that any claims the Trump administration is "backing down" in the Gopher State are incorrect. The administration "has not wavered" from its mission to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, according to the official, who said that President Donald Trump wants to prevent more violence and is looking to work with state and local leaders to remove public safety threats. The official said Homan has successfully partnered with Democrats before — and those collaborations ended with "criminal illegal aliens" arrested and deported — arguing Minnesota should show demonstrators that rioting and attacking law enforcement won’t stop enforcement, as agitators are being arrested and charged. Trump shook up federal immigration personnel Monday, replacing Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino with Homan in the high-stakes Minneapolis fraud and immigration crackdown following two fatal shootings and subsequent chaotic protests in the Twin Cities. The leadership switch is fueling a new political fight: whether the move discourages unrest or teaches activists nationwide that escalating pressure is the fastest way to push ICE out of their communities. Trump said Monday he spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent — an incident that drew sharp Democratic condemnation and growing Republican calls for a deeper investigation. Trump said Walz was "very respectfully" open to deporting "any and all Criminals that they have in their possession." In the wake of the call, Bovino was set to leave the state as border czar Tom Homan took over on the ground in Minneapolis.

NBC News [1/27/2026 12:46 PM, Staff, 34509K] reports that when asked if he believed the shooting of Alex Pretti was justified, President Trump told reporters his administration was conducting a "big investigation" into the incident and would be waiting to see its findings. The president also reiterated his support for Homeland Security Secretary Noem when asked if she would be stepping down. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:01 PM, Nora Moriarty, 40621K] reports President Donald Trump insisted the removal of Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino from Minnesota is not a "pullback," while lamenting the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. During his interview with host Will Cain, the president addressed a shakeup of immigration leadership in Minnesota after two agent-involved fatalities sparked widespread protests and law enforcement clashes in the state. Trump explained the reasoning behind his decision to remove Bovino and replace him with "border czar" Tom Homan. Trump said he plans to "de-escalate" immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, but stressed the personnel change does not amount to a retreat from enforcement efforts. Homan met separately with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey – a pair who have strongly criticized the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Walz and Homan "agreed on the need for an ongoing dialogue and will continue working toward those goals." Cooperation between Trump administration officials and Democratic leaders in Minnesota marks a notable shift in tone following Homan’s arrival.

Breitbart [1/27/2026 11:56 PM, Staff, 2416K] reports US immigration agents may have breached "protocol" in Minneapolis before shooting dead a nurse during protests, President Donald Trump’s senior aide Stephen Miller said Tuesday — days after falsely branding the victim an assassin. The admission comes as Trump says he wants to de-escalate the situation in Minneapolis following the killing of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti during a protest against an immigration crackdown on Saturday. Deputy Chief of Staff Miller, a powerful figure who leads Trump’s hardline immigration policy, said in a statement to AFP that the White House was now looking into the possible breach. He said the White House had provided "clear guidance" that extra personnel were sent to Minnesota to "create a physical barrier between the arrest teams and the disruptors.” "We are evaluating why the CBP (Customs and Border Protection) team may not have been following that protocol," Miller said. Miller also appeared to blame both the border agency and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for his comments on Saturday, which have since attracted criticism. Shortly after the killing, Miller called Pretti a "would-be assassin" and accused him of wanting to murder federal agents. But Miller said his comments were based on an initial statement by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who falsely said Pretti was brandishing a weapon when he approached federal agents. Video evidence later showed that the victim was not holding a gun at the time. Pretti had a sidearm on him, but agents had already removed it before he was shot multiple times at point-blank range. "The initial statement from DHS was based on reports from CBP on the ground," Miller said in his statement. Politico [1/27/2026 10:24 PM, Aaron Pellish, 13586K] reports White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is distancing himself from the Department of Homeland Security amid widespread outrage over the killing of Alex Pretti by immigration agents in Minneapolis. Miller, an architect of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration enforcement campaign, said Tuesday that his initial remarks, which included labeling Pretti as a “terrorist,” were based on information from DHS. He also said the agency may not have been following White House instructions with its overall handling of the enforcement operation in Minnesota. In a statement, Miller said that the White House told DHS to use the extra personnel sent to the state from Customs and Border Protection to keep protesters away from fugitive apprehension operations — suggesting the confrontation that led to Pretti’s death violated those instructions. “We are evaluating why the CBP team may not have been following that protocol,” he said. The statement, reported earlier by Axios and CNN, was a notable reversal and reflects efforts by different administration officials to deflect responsibility for an incident that has quickly spiraled into a disaster for the White House on one of its signature issues. Amid fierce criticism, even from some Republicans, Trump has sought to tamp down the controversy by dispatching border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to take charge of the immigration campaign there. The administration also removed Greg Bovino, the commander at large for the Border Patrol who had become the public face of the aggressive campaign in Minneapolis and other cities. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting on Saturday, Miller and other administration officials sought to portray Pretti, a U.S. citizen, as attacking law enforcement — a claim refuted by videos verified by media outlets which appeared to show the 37-year-old nurse holding a cell phone when he was wrestled to the ground by agents and shot while he was restrained. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters following the shooting that Pretti was brandishing a weapon and said he was engaging in “domestic terrorism.” Miller said in the statement that “the initial statement from DHS was based on reports from CBP on the ground.” His statement is the latest attempt by the White House to clean up their response to the shooting, which has stoked protests around the country. Trump said in an interview earlier Tuesday the changes in Minneapolis indicate “we’re going to deescalate a little bit,” but downplayed a major overhaul in his administration’s aims for the operation. “I don’t think it’s a pullback,” Trump told Fox News. “It’s a little bit of a change.”

FOX News [1/27/2026 12:30 PM, Hanna Panreck, 40621K] reports that Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., called President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics via ICE "un-American," in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Monday, rebuking some of the administration’s claims. In an op-ed headlined "The Un-American Assault on Minnesota," Walz wrote, "The Trump administration’s assault on Minnesota long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of our state. It isn’t just. It isn’t legal. And, critically, it isn’t making anyone any safer." The op-ed comes after a second fatal shooting in Minneapolis over the weekend. A Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti during an immigrations enforcement operation. "Everyone wants to see our immigration laws enforced. That isn’t what is happening in Minnesota. In recent weeks, masked agents have abducted children. They have separated children from their parents. They have racially profiled off-duty police officers. They have aggressively pulled people over and demanded to see their papers. They have broken into the homes of elderly citizens without warrants to drag them outside in freezing temperatures." Walz rebuked claims from the administration with regard to the number of non-citizen prisoners and those the administration has said have been arrested in conducting operations in Minneapolis. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsNation [1/27/2026 12:50 PM, Ali Bradley and Jeff Arnold, 8017K] reports Gregory Bovino, the former Border Patrol commander-at-large overseeing immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, has officially left the city, sources confirmed to NewsNation. Bovino was removed from his role Monday, which made him the face of the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration enforcement operations around the United States. He was reassigned as Border Patrol sector chief in California. Before leading the operation in Minneapolis, Bovino oversaw efforts in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte and New Orleans. “The agents of Operation at Large were a true honor to serve with,” Bovino told NewsNation on Tuesday. “Now folks, THOSE agents really made a difference. Unprecedented!!!!!” White House border czar Tom Homan is taking the helm, overseeing the operation in Minneapolis, and is expected to meet with Mayor Jacob Frey on Tuesday. Homan will report directly to President Donald Trump on the latest from Minneapolis, which has been the site of daily protests and calls for federal investigations after the shooting deaths of Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. Sources confirmed to NewsNation that Homan arrived in Minneapolis on Tuesday morning. He did not immediately return a message seeking comment from NewsNation.

Washington Times [1/27/2026 5:02 PM, Jeff Mordock, 852K] reports President Trump on Tuesday said pulling controversial Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some agents from Minneapolis was not a retreat, although he called Mr. Bovino a “pretty ‘out-there’ kind of guy.” Mr. Trump’s comments come after it was reported that Mr. Bovino and some of his agents were expected to leave Minneapolis on Tuesday and return to their jurisdictions, following the shooting death Saturday of a protester by federal agents. The Department of Homeland Security also suspended Mr. Bovino’s access to his social media accounts after he spent the weekend fighting online with lawmakers and critics about his tactics in Minnesota. Mr. Bovino also lost his commander title. On Monday, Mr. Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, where he is expected to oversee the Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city. Mr. Trump also expressed sympathy for the deaths of two protesters fatally shot by ICE agents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, saying “the whole thing is terrible.”

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/27/2026 5:07 PM, Julia Manchester, 12595K]

The Hill [1/27/2026 9:52 AM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K] reports some Border Patrol agents are leaving Minneapolis, Minn., after the deaths of two local residents at the hands of federal immigration enforcement agents, which Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw (D) said is a “great first step” to deescalating tensions. Greg Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, is expected to depart Minnesota on Tuesday along with some of his agents, according to multiple reports. “That that is a great first step. I talked to Mayor Jacob Frey about 20-30 minutes ago, and he told me that he thinks that they’re going to be some agents leaving as early as tomorrow,” Vetaw said during a Monday night appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.” “He told me that he spoke with the president and actually had a really good conversation with the president and is feeling good about how we move forward as a city, as a state, and so he I left the conversation feeling extremely optimistic,” she added. In a post on X, Frey said President Trump told him the “present situation” in Minneapolis “can’t continue,” echoing Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike. Residents have gathered in large numbers to protest the killing of Alex Pretti, who was shot several times while helping a woman who was pushed to the ground by a group of agents.

Washington Post [1/27/2026 6:00 AM, David Nakamura and Olivia George, 24149K] reports Department of Homeland Security officers have fired shots during enforcement arrests or at people protesting their operations 16 times since July, and as in the recent shootings in Minneapolis, in each case the Trump administration has publicly declared their actions justified before waiting for investigations to be completed. Most of the incidents involve officers firing at drivers during enforcement stops in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago where DHS has surged federal immigration officers. At least 10 people have been struck by bullets — including four U.S. citizens. Three people have been killed. The shootings have sparked alarm not only for their violence but also for the Trump administration’s response. Lawyers say officials have been quick to pursue felony charges against those fired at — though in four of 10 cases, prosecutors have either dropped charges or a judge has dismissed them after evidence emerged contradicting the government’s narrative of events. None of the officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol or Homeland Security Investigations has faced criminal charges in any of the shootings, nor has the administration announced any internal disciplinary measures against them.

The Hill [1/27/2026 5:14 PM, Julia Manchester, 12595K] reports President Trump told reporters Tuesday he had not heard some of his officials refer to Alex Pretti as an “assassin” after being fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis over the weekend. A number of the president’s officials have faced backlash for their initial reactions to Pretti’s shooting at the hands of federal officers. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also faced criticism for saying Pretti “attacked” federal law enforcement while “brandishing” a firearm and saying the incident was an example of “domestic terrorism.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to distance Trump from the comments during Monday’s White House press briefing, saying she had not heard the president “characterize Mr. Pretti in that way.”

The Hill [1/27/2026 2:46 PM, Ryan Mancini, 12595K] reports that Fox News host Dana Perino on Tuesday pressed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin on labeling Alex Pretti, the second Minneapolis resident shot and killed by federal immigration enforcement officers this month, as a “domestic terrorist” after administration officials differed on using the term. Perino played a clip of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem speaking with reporters on Saturday, when she claimed Pretti, allegedly carrying a handgun during the encounter with U.S. Border Patrol officers, constituted an “act of domestic terrorism.” Perino asked McLaughlin if Noem and DHS were “pulling back that label” after the White House on Monday notably distanced President Trump from the term. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump “wants to let the facts and the investigation lead itself.” “Dana, this situation we have seen on the ground in Minneapolis is a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement,” McLaughlin replied. “Your viewers have seen the images. In this case we saw an individual who was armed, he got into a physical altercation with law enforcement, he was in the course of obstructing a federal operation, which is a federal crime.” McLaughlin added that DHS is working to provide “swift, accurate information, and so we’ll continue to do that as facts are emerging, as things are evolving.”

New York Post [1/27/2026 12:42 PM, Anthony Blair, 42219K] reports that the sister of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse shot dead during a weekend anti-ICE protest in Minnesota, has slammed the "disgusting lies" about her brother, including that he was a "domestic terrorist.’’ Micayla Pretti, 32, insisted in a statement Monday evening that her sibling is a "hero. "Alex was kind, generous, and had a way of lighting up every room he walked into," Micayla wrote on social media. "He was incredibly intelligent and deeply passionate, and he made people feel safe. "But most importantly, he was my brother. I had the privilege of being his little sister for 32 years. "I will never be able to hug him, laugh with him, or cry to him again because of those thugs — and that is a pain no words can fully capture," she said. Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents during a confrontation over the arrest of an illegal migrant in south Minneapolis on Saturday. The Department of Homeland Security is probing whether that suspected errant shot caused the surrounding agents to think they were being fired on and return fire. Officials previously claimed Pretti intended to "massacre" law enforcement or "inflict maximum damage" when federal agents unloaded 10 bullets into him. They also stated that Pretti "reacted violently" as officers attempted to disarm him and that the agent who shot him did so out of fear for their life and the lives of their fellow officers. Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller even described Pretti as an "assassin" and a "domestic terrorist" in the aftermath of Saturday’s shooting.

Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 7:00 AM, Jared Mitovich and Kris Maher, 646K] reports for weeks, thousands of federal immigration authorities and thousands of citizen observers have faced off on the cold streets of Minneapolis. On Monday, the White House sought to de-escalate turmoil in the state as judges heard challenges to federal immigration enforcement. But the ICE-watchdog movement that has grown exponentially in Minneapolis has raised questions about the rules of engagement for observers and federal immigration agents going forward. Dan Engelhart, a northeast Minneapolis resident and a commissioner on the city’s park board, said he doesn’t trust statements about a pullback on Operation Metro Surge, which the federal government has called its largest-ever immigration-enforcement action. “We’re going to keep building community in a way we’ve never seen before,” he said. “There’s so much repair to do.” The citizen observers say they have exercised their rights. Trump administration officials say their actions constitute obstruction, rioting and, at times, domestic terrorism. Twice the confrontations have turned deadly, including when federal authorities fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, and on Saturday, Alex Pretti, an intensive-care nurse. The Trump administration has interpreted a wide range of ICE-related protest activity as obstructive or illegal. At the same time, federal agents and officers have often escalated, rather than de-escalated, peaceful protests and less-frequent actual occurrences of obstruction under the law, some legal experts and historians say. In Minneapolis, the encounters have been fluid and often adrenaline-fueled. Residents with whistles and phone cameras have swarmed officers at gas stations, schools and street corners. They have trailed agents’ vehicles, tracked their license plates, honked their horns and yelled at agents to leave. Agents, meanwhile, have deployed pepper spray into the vents of observers’ cars or in their faces, slammed into their vehicles and sometimes wrestled them down, cuffed them and detained them at the federal Whipple Building just outside Minneapolis, according to court declarations, interviews and videos. Local officials have begun taking an accounting of how citizens say the deployment has affected them.

CNN [1/27/2026 8:40 PM, Michael Williams, 606K] reports Stella Carlson was supposed to spend Saturday morning painting children’s faces at a church. It would have been a welcome contrast to the weekslong onslaught of federal immigration enforcement and protests that have overwhelmed her home in the Twin Cities. Being an active participant in her community is important for Carlson, and she had spent the last three weeks learning about mutual aid and participating in grassroots efforts to warn her neighbors of impending federal immigration action. The fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month proved to Carlson and other Minnesotans that the potential for danger as an observer was not abstract. "I know every time I leave my vehicle or leave my house and I put that whistle around my neck, I know because of Renee Good, the risk," she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper during an interview Tuesday. "I think we all knew after that happened, it is now at that point, and it could be any of us.” But she had no way of knowing that she would soon watch a man die — or that her video of that fatal incident would serve as a crucial counter to the Trump administration’s initial efforts to paint Alex Pretti as a wannabe assassin or domestic terrorist. On her way to work, and wearing a pink jacket that would become instantly recognizable from other videos of the incident, Carlson heard the sound of whistles that have become the ubiquitous warning of the arrival of immigration officers. She drove down Nicollet Avenue and saw what she described as a brawl in the street. She thought of Good, who was also driving her car when she was fatally shot. This was when she first noticed Pretti directing traffic. "It felt like somebody in my opinion, in my background, who was doing a risk assessment and found his place in this moment to be useful," she said of Pretti. Carlson got out of her car and began recording. The video Carlson took showed that Pretti, who had a permit to carry a concealed pistol, never brandished his gun, as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem first claimed he did (Carlson said she didn’t even know Pretti had been armed until after he was shot, and wouldn’t have gotten so close if she had known). Nor did he approach law enforcement with the intent to assassinate them, as Stephen Miller, the architect of the White House’s immigration policy, also claimed. Instead, Carlson’s video showed that the 37-year-old ICU nurse who treated veterans spent his last moments trying to help a woman who had been knocked down. The video also showed that Pretti’s handgun had been removed from its holster by an officer seconds before he was pinned down and shot multiple times, including in his back. "I remember him arching his back and his head rolling back," Carlson said. She had previously seen people die in hospice settings and said she knew by looking at Pretti that he was not going to make it. "I knew he was gone because I watched it," she said. "And then they come over to try to perform some type of medical aid by ripping his clothes open with scissors, and then maneuvering his body around like a rag doll, only to discover that it could be because they wanted to count the bullet wounds to see how many they got, like he’s a deer.”

Daily Caller [1/27/2026 11:28 AM, Staff, 835K] reports violent anti-deportation protesters targeted a second Minnesota hotel which they believed housed immigration officials Monday night, but local police responded with force. Officers ordered protesters to leave the SpringHill Suites hotel area due to property damage and objects being thrown at law enforcement, according to Daily Caller News Foundation footage and a statement from the Maple Grove Police Department. Dozens of state and local officers in riot gear guarded the building starting at 8 p.m. and cleared the gathering by 10 p.m. after the DCNF saw several arrests made. Monday’s incident contrasted with a Sunday riot at a Minneapolis hotel, where activists broke glass, blocked a road and remained at the property for more than two hours until federal agents — including one visibly bleeding — dispersed the crowd with little help from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) or state agencies. The state later said it intended to make arrests just before federal agents threw chemical irritants. Some protesters outside the hotel were seen on video blowing whistles, holding up middle fingers, wrapping themselves in caution tape, banging a pot with a stick, playing an accordion and loudly shrieking. An officer eventually commanded the crowd via a loudspeaker to "leave the area peacefully," and when protesters ignored him, several officers were seen chasing them through a parking lot. The MPD has complained that understaffing makes it difficult to respond to Minneapolis’ current unrest, saying its ranks are down by about one-third. President Donald Trump threatened on Jan. 15 to invoke a military response if local officials do not sufficiently protect his agents. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously claimed that the MPD was not helping federal agents enough to suppress rioting, but the agency praised local law enforcement for Monday night’s action. "Local Minnesota Police arrested violent rioters last night," the DHS said in a Tuesday X post. "Glad to see some state and local government cooperation. It’s a start!".

Los Angeles Times [1/28/2026 12:37 AM, Laura Bargfeld and Hannah Schoenbaum, 14862K] reports a man sprayed an unknown substance on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and was tackled to the ground Tuesday during a town hall in Minneapolis, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement have come to a head after agents fatally shot an intensive care nurse and a mother of three this month. The audience cheered as the man was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, "Oh my God, he sprayed something on her.” Just before that, Omar had called for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment. Calls are mounting on Capitol Hill for Noem to step down after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two people who protested deportations. Few Republicans have risen to her defense. "ICE cannot be reformed," Omar said, seconds before the attack. Minneapolis police said officers saw the man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar. They immediately arrested him and booked him at the county jail for third-degree assault, spokesperson Trevor Folke said. Forensic scientists responded to the scene. Police identified the man as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak. It was not immediately clear if Kazmierczak had an attorney. The county public defenders’ office could not immediately be reached. Omar continued the town hall for about 25 more minutes after the man was ushered out by security, saying she would not be intimidated. There was a strong, vinegar-like smell after the man pushed on the syringe, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. Photos of the device, which fell to the ground when he was tackled, showed what appeared to be a light brown liquid inside. There was no immediate word from officials on what it was. Minneapolis City Council member LaTrisha Vetaw said some of the substance came into contact with her and State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion as well. She called it a deeply unsettling experience. No one in the crowd of about 100 people had a noticeable physical reaction to the substance. Walking out afterward, Omar said she felt a little flustered but was not hurt. She was going to be screened by a medical team. She later posted on the social platform X: "I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win.” The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday night.

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FOX News [1/28/2026 5:00 AM, Alec Schemmel and Peter Pinedo, 40621K] Video: HERE

CNN [1/27/2026 12:12 PM, Betsy Klein, 606K] reports that First lady Melania Trump on Tuesday called on Americans to unify in the wake of the fatal shootings of two US citizens by federal law enforcement and widespread protests in Minneapolis this month. "We need to unify. I’m calling for unity. I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor, and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots," Trump told Fox News. It has been rare for the first lady to address current events during President Donald Trump’s second term, but she appeared on Fox News from the White House ahead of the Friday release of her eponymous documentary — marking her first on-camera interview since the 2024 presidential transition. The federal law enforcement killing of Alex Pretti has struck a chord with many Americans, including longtime allies of the president, with lawmakers, conservative media personalities and even the National Rifle Association pushing back on the administration’s rhetoric. That has led to a significant shift in tone and strategy from the White House as it seeks to distance the president from those remarks. "I’m against the violence," Melania Trump said Tuesday morning. "So if, please if you protest, protest in peace, and we need to unify in these times."

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USA Today [1/27/2026 11:15 AM, Chris Brennan, 67103K] reports some of President Donald Trump’s top aides spent the weekend spreading despicably dishonest smears about the latest American to be killed in his invasion of Minnesota. But Attorney General Pam Bondi tried a different approach: She wrote a ransom note. Attorneys for the state of Minnesota, while asking a judge on Jan. 26 to end the violence and chaos created by invading federal immigration agents, took issue with what they called the "ransom note" that Bondi sent to Gov. Tim Walz on Jan. 24. Bondi’s three-page letter used standard Team Trump rhetoric, an inversion of logic that claims that all the problems caused by the invasion are the fault of state officials, and that the real victims here are the agents from Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who have been roughing up people for shooting video of them roughing up people. But Bondi’s letter, which landed in the hours after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, also included a three-point Trump wish list, which she called "common sense solutions." She asked for the state’s voter rolls, records from Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, and an end to local sanctuary policies. The attorney general’s letter doesn’t expressly offer a pullback on the invasion if Minnesota plays ball. But it’s easy to read between the lines.

FOX News [1/27/2026 7:56 AM, Ashley Carnahan, 40621K] reports federal authorities are investigating alleged coordinated Signal group chats used by anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activists in Minneapolis to track, identify and impede federal law enforcement officers, FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday. Patel told conservative commentator Benny Johnson in an interview that the bureau opened an investigation after independent journalist Cam Higby posted a viral thread on X that said people were using the encrypted messaging app to share information about agents’ movements. "We immediately opened up that investigation because that sort of Signal chat being coordinated with individuals, not just locally in Minnesota, but maybe even around the country — if that leads to a break in the federal statute or a violation of some law, then we are going to arrest people," Patel said. "You cannot create a scenario that illegally entraps and puts law enforcement in harm’s way," he added. Higby said he "infiltrated" multiple Signal groups over several days, documenting what he described as structured efforts to identify suspected federal vehicles, relay license plate information and dispatch members to locations where ICE agents were believed to be operating. The investigation has drawn concern from free speech advocates, who say coordination around law enforcement activity is not inherently illegal and must be carefully distinguished from criminal behavior.

Reuters [1/27/2026 2:59 PM, Richard Cowan and Nolan D. McCaskill, 36480K] reports that Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday said if Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is not fired "immediately," they will begin impeachment proceedings against her. "The violence unleashed on the American people by the Department of Homeland Security must end forthwith. Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives," Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said in a joint statement with his top lieutenants. Their statement came in response to recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens with no criminal records. The House is deeply divided with Democrats in the minority and Republicans holding a slim majority. As a result, Republicans control committees that would have to review and write charges of impeachment. And House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, also decides legislative priorities. But there are some procedures Democrats could employ if Republicans refuse to engage on the matter. Democrats would still have to win over at least a handful of Republicans to force a vote on the House floor on an impeachment proceeding. FOX News [1/27/2026 4:15 PM, Michael Dorgan, 40621K] reports House Democrats ramped up pressure on Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday, calling for her firing and warning that impeachment proceedings would follow if she remains in office, citing deadly actions by federal agents in Minnesota. The calls came from both House Democratic leadership and Judiciary Committee Democrats, marking a coordinated escalation from public condemnation to formal impeachment threats. In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to carry out deadly violence. The leaders warned that unless Noem is removed, impeachment proceedings would follow. The demands come as Noem faces widespread criticism after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this month. Separately, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called on Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to immediately begin impeachment proceedings if Noem is not fired or forced to resign. Raskin accused Noem of overseeing what he described as unlawful killings and a subsequent cover-up. Separately, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called on Trump to fire Noem directly on Tuesday. However, President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he has no plans to ask Noem to step down from her role. Trump was asked about Noem’s status during a gaggle with reporters outside the White House. He told the press that he still thinks Noem is doing a "great job."

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Axios [1/27/2026 5:16 PM, Andrew Solender, 12972K] reports House Democrats’ support for articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem surged again Tuesday, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) effectively giving his blessing to the effort. More than three-quarters of the House Democratic caucus is now co-sponsoring the measure, and the list of new signers as of Tuesday afternoon includes some surprising names. Despite the burgeoning support from Democrats, the impeachment articles lack any Republican backing. That will likely be necessary for impeachment to pass in the House, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. Trump has said he has no plans to fire Noem and dismissed Democrats’ impeachment efforts, saying on Fox News, "They’ll find something. There will be something. I made the wrong turn at an exit and let’s impeach him."

The Hill [1/27/2026 1:58 PM, Tara Suter, 12595K] reports that House Homeland Security Committee Democrats said Tuesday that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is going to be impeached if she is not fired or steps down from her role. “Kristi Noem has destroyed public confidence in her ability to lead DHS. She lied about Alex Pretti,” the panel’s Democrats posted Tuesday on the social platform X. “She has been rebuked by Republicans in Congress, by her own senior staffers, and even the President. She needs to be fired, resign, or she will be impeached,” they added. The post comes after intense backlash toward the Trump administration over the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. Both were shot and killed by federal immigration officials. Noem said Pretti “attacked” federal law enforcement and was “brandishing” a firearm, calling his actions an example of “domestic terrorism.” She made similar comments about Good earlier this month. The House Democrats join Senate voices in calling for action on Noem. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said Noem committed an “impeachable” offense by calling Pretti a “domestic terrorist.” And centrist Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.) called on Trump to fire her. “President Trump: I make a direct appeal to immediately fire Secretary Noem. Americans have died. She is betraying DHS’s core mission and trashing your border security legacy,” Fetterman said in a statement. But President Trump on Tuesday, when asked if Noem will step down, responded, “No.”

NewsMax [1/27/2026 10:26 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 4109K] reports Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her actions concerning immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Fetterman took to X to demand Noem’s immediate removal, saying, ".@POTUS @realDonaldTrump: I make a direct appeal to immediately fire @Sec_Noem," and warning the president not to repeat what he called "the mistake President Biden made" by keeping a "grossly incompetent" DHS leader, Alejandro Mayorkas, in place as Americans died amid controversial federal operations. Fetterman’s comments highlight the volatility of the national immigration debate following two deadly shootings involving federal agents in Minneapolis — including the killing of Alex Pretti, and the deployment of thousands of ICE, Border Patrol, and other DHS personnel as part of what the agency has dubbed "Operation Metro Surge," described by DHS as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever. The senator’s demand for Noem’s firing adds to a growing chorus of criticism from the left.

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The Hill [1/27/2026 8:46 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12595K] reports Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) on Tuesday became the second Republican senator to call for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to step down over her handling of the Minneapolis shootings. In remarks to reporters, Murkowski called for accountability from the secretary, criticizing Noem for the “rhetoric” she deployed in the aftermath of Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a local Veterans Affairs hospital, by a Border Patrol agent. “I voted for her. I think the president needs to look at who he has in place as a secretary of Homeland Security. I would not support her again. And I think it probably is time for her to step down,” Murkowski told reporters, when asked whether Noem should step down. The moderate senator, who at times breaks with her party, criticized Noem’s response to the shooting this weekend. Noem claimed without evidence that the slain protester was a “domestic terrorist,” that he was brandishing a gun and was trying “to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement.” Video footage of Pretti’s confrontation with federal agents shows that he was holding his cellphone in one hand while his other hand was empty before he was pepper sprayed by an officer and pushed to the ground. The footage also shows that one law enforcement officer pulled away the gun Pretti was carrying with a permit on his beltline before two other officers fired approximately 10 shots at Pretti while he was kneeling and then lying on the pavement. Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) was the first Republican senator to call for Noem to step down. More than 160 House Democrats have signed on to articles of impeachment against her, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) backed that effort on Tuesday.

NBC News [1/27/2026 7:40 PM, Julie Tsirkin, Frank Thorp V, Raquel Coronell Uribe, and Sahil Kapur, 34509K] reports Sens. Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign Tuesday, making them the first Republicans in Congress to say she should step down. Asked whether he had confidence in Noem, Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters on Capitol Hill: "No, not at all. I think she should go." Tillis, who is not running seeking another term in Congress, said some of Noem’s actions reflected "amateurish assistant-manager-sort of thought processes," calling them "unacceptable" for someone in a Cabinet-level position. Murkowski, R-Alaska, whose term runs until January 2029, said Noem should not be running DHS. "Yes, she should go," Murkowski told NBC News.

FOX News [1/27/2026 2:06 PM, Preston Mizell, 40621K] reports that several House Republicans say Democrats are not working across the aisle on a resolution to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and slammed the Democratic minority’s move as a "messaging exercise" and "partisan stunt." Despite more than half of the Democratic caucus sponsoring the resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly on Jan. 14, there are still a number of Democrats who have yet to sponsor. Kelly posted to X on Monday night that 146 of the 213 House Dems have signed on to the articles of impeachment. GOP sources on Capitol Hill tell Fox News Digital that there has been no effort from Democrats to work with Republicans on the resolution. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, introduced a similar resolution in 2023 to impeach President Biden’s DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and noted that the impeachment articles garnered more support than the Democrats’ attempt to remove Noem from the position. "Mayorkas presided over an open border and the worst human trafficking crisis in modern history, during which 11 million illegal aliens entered our country," Fallon told Fox News Digital. "Sec. Noem, by contrast, has actually done the job she was appointed to carry out. "The record low border crossings we have seen in just the first year of the Trump Administration make clear that Mayorkas willingly chose to leave our border open, despite his two-faced rhetoric under oath," Fallon added. "Secretary Noem is doing her job at DHS, whereas Mayorkas failed."

FOX News [1/27/2026 12:37 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 40621K] reports that President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday he has no plans to ask Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem to step down from her role. Trump was asked about Noem’s status during a gaggle with reporters outside the White House. He told the press that he still thinks Noem is doing a "great job." "Is Kristi Noem going to step down?" a reporter asked. "No," Trump responded bluntly. He later said he believes she is doing a "very good job," citing her role in closing down the border. His statement comes as Noem is facing widespread criticism after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this month. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., called on Trump to fire her directly on Tuesday. In a post on X, the senator accused Noem of "betraying" the department’s central mission. "I make a direct appeal to immediately fire Sec. Noem," Fetterman wrote. "Americans have died. She is betraying DHS’s core mission and trashing your border security legacy. DO NOT make the mistake President Biden made for not firing a grossly incompetent DHS Secretary," he said. Unlike other Democratic senators, Fetterman typically takes a more pragmatic stance toward Trump and the broader GOP on issues including immigration and border security. In recent weeks, Fetterman had encouraged his party to avoid calls to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). [Editorial note: consult video at source link] NewsNation [1/27/2026 4:07 PM, Libbey Dean and Steph Whiteside, 8017K] reports speaking to reporters on Tuesday, President Donald Trump denied reports that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem might be stepping down. “We have a very good relationship,” he said. Trump met with Noem for nearly two hours in the Oval Office on Monday, according to a source familiar with the meeting. The meeting came as immigration efforts are under increasing scrutiny following a second fatal shooting in Minneapolis.

ABC News [1/27/2026 1:07 PM, Staff, 30493K] reports that Addressing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti to reporters, President Donald Trump said his administration is reviewing the incident, but he criticized Pretti for bringing a gun to the protest. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] USA Today [1/27/2026 1:59 PM, Joey Garrison, 67103K] reports that President Donald Trump said he still has confidence in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and won’t ask her to step down from her position following his reshuffling of federal presence in Minnesota. "I think she’s done a very good job. I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure," Trump said Tuesday, Jan. 27 as he departed the White House to leave for Iowa to give a speech on the economy. Noem has been under increasing scrutiny following the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal authorities in Minneapolis. Trump on Monday, Jan. 26 assigned Tom Homan, the White House border czar, to lead immigration law enforcement operations in Minnesota. Noem and Gregory Bovino, the administration’s controversial Border Patrol Commander, previously led those efforts. "No," Trump said when asked by a reporter whether Noem will step down from her Cabinet position. Trump and Noem met for two hours on Jan. 26 amid a growing backlash following the Pretti shooting, the New York Times reported. Several Democratic members of Congress have called for Noem’s impeachment.

Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 11:36 PM, Alex Leary and Annie Linskey, 646K] reports President Trump defended Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid criticism of her job performance and frustration inside the White House over how she responded to last weekend’s fatal shooting in Minnesota. “I think she’s doing a very good job,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “The border is totally secure.” Asked if Noem would step down, he responded, “No.” Trump’s public support for Noem masks the turmoil surrounding her as she faces backlash to the administration’s aggressive immigration-enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Immigration authorities stationed there have shot and killed two U.S. citizens in recent weeks, including Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse who was killed Saturday. Shortly after Saturday’s shooting, Noem asserted that Pretti approached federal agents with a handgun and attacked them. She said the agents took action to defend themselves and accused Pretti of domestic terrorism, alleging that he wanted to inflict “maximum damage” and kill law enforcement. Video footage contradicts Noem’s claims. Senior White House advisers have been frustrated by Noem’s handling of the situation, and the president has fielded calls from lawmakers raising concerns about the direction of his immigration agenda, according to people familiar with the conversations. Trump met for roughly two hours Monday evening in the Oval Office with Noem and her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, according to people familiar with the matter. Noem requested the meeting, one of the people said. The meeting followed Trump’s move to shake up operations in Minneapolis. “There is only one page: the president’s page. Everyone’s on the same page,” said a Department of Homeland Security official in a statement to the Journal.

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CBS News [1/27/2026 12:43 PM, Jennifer Jacobs, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Scott MacFarlane, Nicole Sganga, and Pat Milton, 39474K]
Washington Times [1/27/2026 6:26 PM, Stephen Dinan and Seth McLaughlin, 852K] r

Politico [1/27/2026 7:17 PM, Myah Ward, Eric Bazail-Eimil and Daniel Lippman, 13586K] reports that, publicly, the Trump administration is standing behind Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, casting her as an effective secretary with a big job. Inside Trump’s orbit, President Donald Trump’s decision to install border czar Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minneapolis is seen as a black mark — the latest in a host of concerns about the secretary’s management of the agency. While the administration has tried to contain the fallout, Homan’s new assignment has focused attention on Noem’s leadership, creating an opening that Democrats and longstanding internal critics will be eager to exploit. Some Republicans seem wary. At least one, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina is calling for her ouster. And on Tuesday evening, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota dodged a question about whether Noem has his confidence. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has called a hearing where three top immigration officials will testify. Noem’s missteps in Minneapolis pile on top of already-existing concerns Trump administration officials and allies have had for months about Noem’s tenure atop DHS. Among the criticisms: That she’s bungled the billions of dollars in new funding handed out by Republicans’ recent megalaw, and the outsized role at the department played by her senior adviser, Corey Lewandowski, who has wielded major influence at DHS despite his role as a “special governmental employee” — a designation that’s intended to be temporary. Trump, as he departed the White House for Iowa on Tuesday, told reporters that Noem is “doing a very good job” and said she wouldn’t step down. Later that evening, he pointed to her work at the border, calling it a “tremendous success.” “She was there at the border. Who closed up the border? She did with Tom Homan, with the whole group,” Trump said. But one person close to the administration, granted anonymity to speak candidly, suggested that Trump’s decision to put Homan in charge speaks louder than the administration’s public defense for Noem. “It’s very noteworthy. In a crisis situation, leaders don’t like to pull people out or change things — particularly Trump — because it looks like you’re giving in, or lost confidence,” said the person. “But I think this is a very good move. I’m heartened by it, and it needed to be done.” Trump’s decision to sideline not only her but also Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino in favor of Homan is another knock on Noem, considering they are allies. On Tuesday, Trump went further to criticize Bovino than Noem, saying he’s “a pretty out-there kind of a guy, and in some cases that’s good — maybe it wasn’t good here.” “I think that Noem and Bovino missed the moment at a critical time for DHS,” said a second person close to the administration. “They may have been OK with another few weeks of this — but I don’t think President Trump was.”

New York Times [1/27/2026 8:57 PM, Luke Broadwater, Hamed Aleaziz and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, 135475K] reports that, in his second term, President Trump has been extremely reluctant to fire or even publicly rebuke his aides. So it was no small thing on Monday when he unmistakably gave Kristi Noem, his homeland security secretary, a serious knuckle rapping. Facing an intense and increasingly bipartisan fusillade of criticism over the killing of a protester in Minneapolis and how Ms. Noem and other officials sought to portray the victim as a “domestic terrorist,” Mr. Trump removed the official running the deportation campaign in Minnesota and replaced him with an aide reporting directly to him, effectively cutting Ms. Noem out of the chain of command. When asked later about Ms. Noem’s characterization of the victim, Alex Pretti, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, declined to defend it, distinctly distancing Mr. Trump from her remarks. Mr. Trump’s apparent displeasure with the handling of the situation in Minnesota was quickly mirrored in conservative media. A New York Post front page called Ms. Noem “Iced Barbie.” On Fox News, a morning host argued that she should be replaced. But her time in Mr. Trump’s penalty box was measured in hours. By Monday night, she was in the Oval Office, meeting with Mr. Trump. By Tuesday the president was telling reporters that her job was safe and that the media should focus more on her role in shutting down illegal immigration into the country, not the chaotic scenes coming out of Minnesota in which agents who report to her have twice shot and killed American citizens protesting their presence. “I think she’s doing a very good job,” Mr. Trump said. “The border is totally secure.” Still, the episode was the latest in a year in which her high-profile efforts on behalf of Mr. Trump’s aggressive drive to shut off illegal immigration and deport millions of people have drawn intense criticism and caused heartburn for the White House. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a Republican retiring at the end of his term, told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that Ms. Noem’s actions had been “amateurish” and that she should be fired. “What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying,” Mr. Tillis said. Officials at the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. She has frustrated Mr. Trump with some of the department’s tactics, like work-site raids that harmed businesses, including one on a Hyundai factory, according to people familiar with the matter. She has angered Republican senators with her handling of grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And her propensity for flashy, self-promotional displays has generated some backlash among the rank and file of her agency. Some members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement disliked what they perceived as Ms. Noem’s theatricality, according to three former agency officials who were granted anonymity to speak frankly. They objected to photo ops that showed her in field gear accompanying agents on immigration operations, accusing her of cosplaying, such as an episode in Phoenix in which her bulletproof vest appeared to be improperly secured. In one ICE field office, agents used disparaging nicknames for Ms. Noem that played on her self-promotion, such as “ICE Barbie,” one of the people said. At ICE, according to one official, that made it more difficult to spend the extra money received from the domestic policy bill signed into law last year by Mr. Trump, especially as the White House presses for huge expansions of detention capacity for the deportation drive. The official said that even existing contracts had expired as they waited for approval, forcing the agency to pay late fees to companies it contracts with.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 1:02 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1394K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security is in the midst of a public relations crisis as officials fight internally over how to explain and respond to Border Patrol’s shooting of protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the weekend. The behind-the-scenes and public finger-pointing between the White House, political officials at the Department of Homeland Security, and career law enforcement officials at U.S Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the past several days caps months of infighting across the department, which the Washington Examiner previously reported on in October 2025 and last week. Three sources said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is worried about keeping her job amid the fallout, much of which centers on how she and Border Patrol’s now-demoted commander of at-large operations, Greg Bovino, described the incident in its immediate aftermath. "This individual went and impeded their law enforcement operations, attacked those officers, had a weapon, and multiple dozens of rounds of ammunition, wishing to inflict harm on these officers, coming, brandishing like that, and impeding their work they were doing," Noem said during a press conference on Saturday, hours after the shooting. "Violence against a government because of ideological reasons and for reasons to resist and to perpetuate violence. That is the definition of domestic terrorism." DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner on Monday morning that neither she nor Noem had been asked by the White House not to do media appearances and maintained that she had seven "hits" scheduled for Tuesday.

DailySignal [1/27/2026 4:20 PM, Virginia Grace McKinnon, 549K] reports following the ICE-involved fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, some Republicans are questioning the Trump administration’s methods to follow through on President Donald Trump’s chief campaign promise of mass deportations. The break in party ranks comes ahead of the Senate’s Friday deadline to fund the government. The funding contains appropriations for DHS and ICE. With renewed Democrat opposition to the funding package and a small Republican majority, Senate Republicans will need every Republican vote they can get to avoid a partial government shutdown. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, called on the heads of ICE, CBP, and USCIS to come and testify to the Senate. The heads of ICE, CBP and USCIS will testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on Feb. 10 and Paul’s committee on Feb. 12.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 3:55 PM, Emily Hallas, 1394K] reports Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) on Monday expressed notable skepticism about Minnesota Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, signaling that pivotal Republican House support for the Trump administration is on shaky ground. His concerns about how the Trump administration is strategizing immigration operations come at a particularly significant time, as the deadline for Congress to approve appropriations legislation that would greenlight ICE funding is Friday. The backlash against the DHS comes after two people have been killed during ICE-related operations. The deaths of Renee Good, 37, on Jan. 7, and Alex Pretti, 37, on Saturday, sparked widespread protests and riotous acts against the agency. Amodei appeared to take a fairly neutral view of the debate about whether the deadly shootings were justified, saying he was looking forward to "facts" coming about the Minnesota controversy. But he questioned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s handling of the situation, including her characterization of Pretti as a domestic terrorist. Noem has increasingly faced bipartisan scrutiny for her leadership, with calls growing for her to resign or be fired.

Reuters [1/27/2026 3:08 PM, Renee Hickman, Ted Hesson, Brad Heath and Kristina Cooke, 36480K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump’s top immigration officials have repeatedly made statements after violent encounters involving federal agents - including two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis this month - that were later contradicted by evidence, a Reuters review found. Trump officials quickly painted the two recently shot dead - Renee Good and Alex Pretti - as aggressors and said the shootings were justified. But video and other evidence soon emerged that contrasted sharply with these accounts, fueling questions about the credibility of federal officials and doubts about their willingness to fully investigate these and other incidents. The Reuters review included these two incidents and four others in recent months that, collectively, show a pattern in which officials rushed to defend immigration officers without waiting for key facts to emerge – in what former immigration officials called a clear break with past practice for federal agencies in such situations. These initial representations have been challenged by video footage or other evidence, sometimes in court. In one non-lethal shooting in Minnesota, court documents emerged showing the incident began with a case of mistaken identity. A death in a detention center that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security described as an attempted suicide was later ruled a homicide by a county medical examiner.

FOX News [1/27/2026 10:23 AM, Paul Steinhauser Fox, 40621K] reports President Donald Trump’s approval ratings on tackling illegal immigration dropped to a new low as a majority of Americans say the crackdown by federal agents has gone too far, according to a new national poll. The survey, by Reuters/Ipsos, was conducted Friday through Sunday, both before and after federal immigration agents fatally shot a second U.S. citizen who was protesting enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The poll is the latest national survey to spotlight the deterioration of Trump’s approval on immigration and flagging support for aggressive enforcement operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Thirty-nine percent of adults nationwide questioned in the poll said they approve of the job the president’s doing on immigration, with 53% disapproving. The president’s approval on the issue stands at its lowest level in Reuters/Ipsos polling since Trump returned to the White House a year ago. In February of last year, weeks after his second inauguration as president, Trump stood at 50% approval and 41% disapproval on immigration, as he quickly shut down the flow of migrants across the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

USA Today [1/27/2026 11:04 AM, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 67103K] reports Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined a growing number of prominent Republicans weighing in on the federal government’s immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, suggesting the White House needs to "recalibrate" its plans. Abbott said on the "Mark Davis Show" on Jan. 26 that the issues in Minnesota stem from gubernatorial and mayoral leadership inciting violence, noting that Texas has high numbers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement removals but has not seen the same level of protest. But, when asked whether he was "concerned that ICE’s popularity ratings are going down," Abbott said the Trump administration needs "to recalibrate on what needs to be done to make sure that respect is going to be reinstilled." "That’s not an easy task, especially under the current circumstances, but I know that they (the White House) are working on a game plan to make sure that they are going to ... recalibrate and maybe work from a different direction to ensure that they get back to get what they wanted to do to begin with — and that is to remove people from the country," Abbott said on the podcast. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia Mclaughlin on Jan. 26 blamed Pretti for the deadly shooting and dodged questions about whether the agency stands by its earlier description of events. Kristi Noem and other top DHS officials initially said Pretti brandished a gun and intended to "massacre" federal agents. After bystander videos showed Pretti had a phone in his hand and never touched his lawfully obtained firearm, federal officials have stopped repeating those allegations but have not yet retracted them.

CBS News [1/27/2026 8:55 AM, Kaia Hubbard, 39474K] reports Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota "must be terminated" following the deadly shooting of a Minneapolis man by federal agents."This mission is broken. It must be terminated," Shapiro said on "CBS Mornings." The administration is facing scrutiny after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, on Saturday, which came weeks after another fatal shooting in Minneapolis by a federal agent. On Monday, President Trump announced he would send border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to oversee the operation. Meanwhile, despite internal scrunity from the Trump administration, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to keep her job, CBS News reported Tuesday, while her focus is expected to shift from immigration enforcement operations in the country’s interior to securing the southern border and other priorities. The Pennsylvania governor said the administration’s tone appears to be changing, "but the tactics haven’t.”

NewsMax [1/27/2026 11:57 AM, Jim Mishler, 4109K] reports that Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Tuesday that America needs "a better way" to handle immigration enforcement in light of the unrest in Minnesota. "I know what the president is trying to do. I know that there are plenty of illegal criminals there, but there has to be a better way to do this," Gimenez said on "National Report." "And it’s something that I’ve expressed to the administration." He said he welcomes the assignment of U.S. border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to manage immigration enforcement, along with the expanding probe into fraud against the Minnesota state government. "I think that that’s actually welcome news," Gimenez said. "I think Tom Homan is a highly capable individual. I think the situation in Minneapolis and Minnesota has gotten a little bit out of hand for both sides. And I think it’s time for calmer hands and for calm to take over. We’ve had loss of life." Gimenez, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said immigration enforcement needs to be more methodical. "We should be going after these folks one at a time," he said. "I’m not comfortable with what’s happening in Minneapolis at this time. And so, I welcome the news that Tom Homan’s going to go there and work directly for the president." That does not mean, Gimenez said, that he does not support Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

FOXBusiness [1/27/2026 5:36 PM, Alexandra Koch, 10085K] reports Meta is blocking users from sharing links to a controversial website called "ICE List," which allegedly published thousands of names of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees, including immigration enforcement agents. The site, created in 2025, claims to "document federal immigration enforcement, preserve evidence and maintain a public record for accountability." However, critics claim the document dump could be considered doxxing. A Meta spokesperson told Fox News Digital Tuesday the move falls in line with its existing privacy policy, noting Meta removes content that shares or asks for private information, either on its services or through external links.

FOX News [1/27/2026 1:40 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 40621K] reports that House Freedom Caucus leaders are drawing battle lines in the federal funding fight as the threat of a partial government shutdown grows by the day. Senate Democrats are threatening to sink a massive government spending bill — which would impact the Department of War, Department of Transportation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other offices — over its provisions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If the legislation, which passed the House last week, fails to clear the Senate by the end of the day Friday, large swaths of the government could be forced to pause or reduce operations until an agreement is reached. But leaders within the conservative House Freedom Caucus are warning they will not accept changes to ICE funding that’s included in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) portion of the package. In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the Freedom Caucus Board of Directors urged him to "ensure the Department of Homeland Security is funded fully along with all remaining appropriations bills — and not allow Democrats to strip its funding out to pass other appropriations separately." "We cannot support giving Democrats the ability to control the funding of our Department of Homeland Security," the letter said.

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:34 PM, Alex Miller, 40621K] reports Senate Republicans are marching forward with a massive funding package to avert a partial government shutdown, despite Senate Democrats doubling down on their resistance to the Homeland Security funding bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Tuesday teed up a key test vote for the six-bill package for Thursday. The move allows Senate Republicans time to hash out a deal with Senate Democrats, who are demanding several restrictions on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Republicans are eager to find a middle ground that doesn’t involve modifying the current funding package, given that doing so would almost guarantee a government shutdown and jeopardize funding to several other federal agencies, including the Pentagon. But Democrats aren’t willing to budge, for now, until the DHS bill is stripped and sidelined. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she spoke with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday, but wouldn’t reveal details of the conversation. Collins, whose home state is also a target of Noem’s and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), noted that there were already bipartisan restrictions and reforms baked into the current DHS funding bill, like $20 million for body cams and numerous reporting requirements that, if not met, would halt money flowing to immigration operations.

FOX News [1/27/2026 10:24 AM, Alex Miller and Elizabeth Elkind, 40621K] reports the Senate is again on the verge of entering into another government shutdown as Democrats rage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. But despite Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats’ demands to sideline the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, the agency’s immigration enforcement apparatus is flush with cash thanks to Republicans’ efforts last year with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Still, there are other vital government functions under the DHS umbrella that, should a partial government shutdown happen Friday, would suffer. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News in a statement that while Schumer and Senate Democrats "play games with Americans’ safety, they are blocking vital DHS funding that keeps our country secure and its people safe.”

NewsMax [1/27/2026 9:56 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports Democrats are making a "very poor decision" if they shut down the government by refusing to pass a spending bill that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, Rep. Marlin Stutzman told Newsmax on Tuesday. "Let’s work together," the Indiana Republican said on Newsmax’s "Wake Up America Early." "What President [Donald] Trump did by calling the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota and finding a way to work together to make sure that American people are safe is the better solution than shutting the government down." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that Democrats are committed to fast-tracking five appropriations bills before Friday’s deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. However, he said that the Democrats are not willing to pass legislation for DHS funding after the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good amid protests in Minneapolis over federal law enforcement presence in the city. "I think this is Democrats again, trying to really bring the American people to a point where they’re going to shut the government down over our government, our federal agents doing their job," Stutzman said, accusing them of trying to "politicize the circumstances." "Nobody wants to see an individual shot on the streets in Minneapolis or anywhere, for that matter," he added. "But the fact is, our federal agents are doing their job of going after the bad guys that came into the country, whether it was over the past five years under President [Joe] Biden or whether they’ve been hiding out for the last ten years, for that matter."

Daily Caller [1/27/2026 4:13 PM, Ashley Brasfield, 835K] reports the Democrats’ effort to block funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations fight has so far failed to derail ICE funding. In July, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, setting aside roughly $170 billion for immigration enforcement and border security, including about $75 billion in supplemental funding for ICE, making it one of the most heavily funded federal law enforcement agencies. Even if parts of the federal government shut down at the end of the week, ICE and CBP operations in Minneapolis and across the country are expected to continue uninterrupted. ICE agents are classified as "excepted" workers, allowing them to remain on duty during a funding lapse, and the agency still has substantial carryover funds from last year’s Trump-backed appropriations. Although Democrats’ attempt to curtail ICE funding has not prevailed, outrage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti — a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis over the weekend — has escalated tensions in Congress.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 4:17 PM, Jenny Goldsberry, 1394K] reports Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) admitted Tuesday that even if the government shuts down over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, there is "enough money" for the department to continue its operations. Escobar appeared on CNN’s the Situation Room as the deadline to fund the government, Jan. 30, is fast approaching. If the Senate does not reach a consensus on the appropriations bill to fund DHS, it will result in at least a partial government shutdown. Still, even a complete shutdown would not stop DHS or Immigration and Customs Enforcement from operating. President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act funded DHS with over $170 billion, which Escobar addressed.

The Hill [1/27/2026 6:03 PM, Sudiksha Kochi, 12595K] reports Republicans are rejecting calls from Democrats to make changes to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, arguing that avoiding an impending government shutdown is the top priority. Democrats are calling for broad reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and say they won’t allow the DHS bill to advance unless it includes significant changes to immigration enforcement practices in the wake of a Border Patrol agent fatally shooting Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, on Saturday. They’re urging Republicans to strip it from a larger appropriations package to allow the other five bills in the measure to pass. Doing so ahead of a Jan. 30 shutdown deadline, however, would require the consent of all 100 senators. And Senate Republicans are still seeking to move all six bills together, defending the need for ICE officers to receive funding for equipment and training even as the shooting has intensified calls for accountability and oversight.

Federal News Network [1/27/2026 5:38 PM, Justin Doubleday, 986K] reports the Department of Homeland Security spending bill at the heart of Congress’s latest shutdown fight would support cuts made by the Trump administration to DHS oversight offices. The compromise fiscal 2026 homeland security spending bill would cut funding for three DHS organizations: the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL); the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO); and the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS). Those cuts come in a negotiated DHS funding bill that Senate Democrats are now vowing to oppose after a Border Patrol agent shot and killed a Veterans Affairs nurse protesting in Minnesota over the weekend. Some House Dems had pointed to funding cuts to the three offices as a key reason to oppose the DHS spending bill, even prior to the latest shooting. The negotiated bill would provide $20 million for additional inspections and oversight of detention facilities by the DHS inspector general’s office. And it would restrict Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s ability to reprogram money, as she did last year to effectively cut the offices to skeleton crews. Under Noem’s leadership last spring, DHS laid off or placed on administrative leave most staff at all three offices and installed political appointees to oversee them on an acting basis. One career official, Ron Sartini, is simultaneously serving as the CIS ombudsman, the acting deputy immigration detention ombudsman and the acting deputy CRCL officer. DHS justified the cuts by arguing the offices were impediments to immigration enforcement efforts. Several nonprofits are suing DHS over the cuts to the oversight offices.

Los Angeles Times [1/27/2026 6:37 PM, Dakota Smith, 14862K] reports amid a national uproar over the recent killing of a Minnesota man by immigration agents, the California Senate on Tuesday approved proposed legislation that would make it easier to sue law enforcement officials suspected of violating an individual’s constitutional rights. Senate Bill 747 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) creates a pathway for residents to take legal action against federal agents for the excessive use of force, unlawful home searches, interfering with a right to protest and other violations. The bill, which cleared a Senate committee earlier this year, passed 30-10, along Democrat and Republican party lines. Other states, including New York and Connecticut, are weighing similar legislation following widespread anger over the actions during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns and raids. Existing laws already allow lawsuits against state and local law enforcement officials. But it is much harder to bring claims against a federal officers. Wiener said his bill would rectify those impediments. Several state law enforcement agencies oppose the legislation, arguing it will also be used to sue local officers. Wiener’s proposed law was put forth after George Retes Jr, a California security guard was detained following a July raid in Camarillo. Retes, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran, said he was held for three days without the ability to make a phone call or see an attorney. Retes has accused Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin of spreading false information about him to justify his detention. The Homeland Security department said in a statement last year that Retes impeded its operation, which he denies.

FOX News [1/27/2026 5:37 PM, Morgan Phillips, 40621K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported three Iranian nationals known or suspected of terrorism Sunday. Homeland Security said the three nationals — Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani and Morteza Nasirikakolaki — were former members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). They were among 14 Iranians on board a deportation flight Sunday, the first to head back to Tehran, Iran, since sweeping anti-government protests triggered a deadly government crackdown. Both Mehrani and Khaledi entered the U.S. illegally in Southern California in 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Nasirikakolaki entered illegally in November 2024, when he was encountered by Border Patrol near San Luis, Arizona, the agency said. The Iranian deportation flight drew attention due to reports of human rights abuses associated with the protests. Two unlawful migrants scheduled to be on the flight were gay men, and their lawyer, Bekah Wolf, had warned they stood "an extremely high chance" of being executed if they returned. But the men were moved into quarantine due to measles exposure and were not on the flight.

Breitbart [1/27/2026 4:47 PM, John Hayward, 2416K] reports the Iranian regime said on Sunday that it would accept a group of deportees from the United States who have been held for months in U.S. immigration detention centers. It was the third time Iran has accepted deportees since President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025 – but the first since Iran murdered thousands of its own citizens to put down an uprising this month. Mehrabadi told Iranian state media that the group of Iranian deportees was scheduled to fly out of Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona and return to Iran via Egypt and Kuwait. He said his office worked with American immigration officials to obtain the necessary travel documents. Iranian media claimed the deportees were "held for over two months in overcrowded facilities where basic hygiene and medical standards were nonexistent," causing them to experience a "surge in viral infections" that left over half of the detainees with serious illnesses. Some have criticized the Trump administration for deporting Iranians back into the clutches of their murderous government.

Politico [1/27/2026 9:35 PM, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, 13586K] reports that, when Patrick Schiltz became chief of the federal district court in Minnesota, his plan was to be nearly invisible, a hidden guiding hand for a low-key courthouse. “My hope is to be the Benjamin Harrison of chief judges: one that no one remembers,” he told his hometown paper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, in 2022. Four years later, the mild-mannered George W. Bush appointee — known for his conservative jurisprudence, his clerkship with late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and his mentorship of future Justice Amy Coney Barrett — has been thrust into an increasingly pitched legal confrontation with President Donald Trump’s immigration forces. It’s a role that will be remembered. Schiltz, 65, has publicly aired his fury over the Trump administration’s mistreatment of noncitizens arrested in Operation Metro Surge, the Department of Homeland Security’s mass deportation push in the Twin Cities. He blasted the Justice Department for its criticism of his courthouse colleagues and labeled as “frivolous” the administration’s effort to compel him to issue an arrest warrant for former CNN anchor Don Lemon and others involved in last week’s church protest in St. Paul. The clash is slated to reach a climax Friday, when Schiltz plans to haul into his Minneapolis courtroom Todd Lyons, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to grill him about the rampant violation of court orders that Schiltz and his colleagues say has poisoned the trust between the administration and the court. It’s only fitting, then, that Schiltz — a quintessential son of Minnesota who once wrote the literal chapter and verse on how to live a happy, balanced life as a lawyer — has long harbored a passion for professional wrestling. “Judge Patrick J. Schiltz is just another activist judge who is clearly more concerned about politics than the safety of the Minnesotans,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Does this judge really think Director Lyons should take time out of his day leading ICE to target the worst of the worst criminal illegals including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and terrorists into our country to testify at a hearing for one illegal alien’s removal proceedings?” Schiltz is perhaps an unlikely figure to emerge as the latest hero to the anti-Trump resistance. The Harvard Law School grad carved his professional identity in traditional conservative circles. He advocated for the appointment of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court, took up conservative causes during his stint in private practice and clerked for Scalia twice — once on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and again at the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed him unanimously to the bench in 2006. “He comes from a traditionally conservative point of view, but he’s a rule of law guy,” said former federal prosecutor Mark Osler, now a law professor at the University of St. Thomas. “He’s been regarded as a rock-solid, generally-conservative judge on the bench, but with that comes things other than loyalty to the administration.” As a newly minted lawyer, Schiltz lamented ideological orthodoxy among elite law students and described the faculty of those schools as “overwhelmingly leftist.” But his own early political leanings were somewhat murky. He worked as an intern and paid staffer for Sen. David Durenberger (R-Minn.), but also served as a delegate at Democratic Farmer-Labor Party conventions.

New York Times [1/28/2026 3:16 AM, Dan Barry, 330K] reports the wintry whiteout that swept across half the United States over the weekend could not erase what the country had just seen unfold in Minneapolis. No amount of snow could block out the images: furious protesters clashing with masked officers, clouds of tear gas wafting through neighborhoods — and for the second time in three weeks, video of an American citizen being shot dead by a federal agent. And for the second time in three weeks, the Trump administration’s account of a deadly shooting contradicted what many in the country believe they saw. Federal officials described both victims as “domestic terrorists” intent on harming federal agents; critics of the administration, and many others, said such a description was belied by the video evidence. Scenes from the violent unrest in Minneapolis played on a loop throughout the weekend, overshadowing the extreme weather and two N.F.L. playoff games. The images conveyed the unmistakable sense of consequence, of a watershed moment, prompting reflections about what the nation stands for, and where it is heading. Minneapolis seemed close, no matter where one lived. In Georgia, a high school teacher anticipated the questions his students would ask about the latest shooting death. In Indiana, broadcasts of the violence dampened a 97th birthday celebration. In Iowa, a married couple, on an outing with their autistic son, disagreed about what had happened, while in Wisconsin, a supporter of President Trump marveled at what she considered the stupidity of some protesters. And in Rhode Island, a snowbound student at Brown University cried when he saw the video from Saturday of immigration officers pepper-spraying Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old registered nurse, wrestling him to the cold Minneapolis ground, and shooting him to death. “I didn’t get any sleep last night,” the student, Jack DiPrimio, 23, said on Sunday. “The video was just replaying over and over again in my head.” The weekend’s turn of events in Minnesota began with a campaign promise. Since returning to office a year ago, President Trump has sought to make good on his vow to rid the country of undocumented immigrants he describes as criminals. Agents for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have carried out sweeps in a succession of Democratic-controlled cities, all the while being dogged by protesters. Critics have denounced the operations as cruel, often unconstitutional, fraught with mistaken or improper detentions — even un-American.

New York Times [1/27/2026 10:26 PM, Nick Corasaniti and Hamed Aleaziz, 135475K] reports that, from Day 1, he was Donald Trump’s pit bull. Corey Lewandowski was a hard-charging political operative who worked for a group backed by the Koch brothers when Mr. Trump put him in charge of a nascent White House campaign with only a handful of staff members in 2015. Untested at the presidential level, he led with a simple mantra: “Let Trump be Trump.” With an attack-and-never-apologize style that mirrored his boss’s, Mr. Lewandowski could almost always count on Mr. Trump’s eventual support over the next decade, as he ping-ponged from government to lobbying and back again with several scandals in his wake. Now back as a top adviser to Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, he finds himself at the center of the uproar over the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, where two American citizens have been killed by federal agents in the past month. Mr. Lewandowski and Ms. Noem met with Mr. Trump on Monday for nearly two hours as the administration faced intense pressure, including from Republicans, to ease up federal immigration agents’ aggressive tactics in Minnesota. Mr. Trump did not suggest that either Ms. Noem’s or Mr. Lewandowski’s jobs were at risk, according to people briefed on the meeting, but speculation has swirled about their future amid signs of Republican unease with Ms. Noem’s combative, camera-heavy approach to immigration enforcement. Democrats and a few Republicans have called for investigations into the Minnesota operation that could potentially draw in Mr. Lewandowski. He looms as a significant figure inside the Department of Homeland Security, where he has been serving as a “special government employee” despite questions about whether he has exceeded the limit of 130 days a year for such workers. Ms. Noem’s decision to empower Mr. Lewandowski has frustrated some in the agency and at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the homeland security department. One D.H.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said that Mr. Lewandowski was known as someone willing to fire anyone perceived as getting in his way. At times, this official said, he has mused about which officials were stalling certain priorities and whether they should be fired. A U.S. official said that directions at ICE were coming from Mr. Lewandowski and that nothing got done at the agency without his blessing. At times, this person said, Mr. Lewandowski yelled at ICE leaders as the pressure to meet Mr. Trump’s mass deportation goals increased last year.

New York Times [1/27/2026 10:06 AM, Christina Morales, 135475K] reports in the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security functions in part as the president’s arm for conducting the immigration enforcement operations that he made a key campaign promise. But when the agency was founded in the early 2000s after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the mission was largely focused on coordinating a national strategy to prevent terrorism in the United States. “The new department will analyze threats, will guard our borders and airports, protect our critical infrastructure and coordinate the response of our nation for future emergencies,” former President George W. Bush said in a 2002 speech before he signed the bill that officially enacted the agency. “The Department of Homeland Security will focus the full resources of the American government on the safety of the American people.” When Mr. Trump took office in 2017, he quickly made immigration enforcement a priority of his first term. The administration directed the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize immigration enforcement through several executive orders, including building a wall to protect the border, deporting more undocumented immigrants and limiting travel to certain countries. He also added additional resources to the department. In Mr. Trump’s second term, beginning in 2025, the administration has sought to arrest and deport people living in the United States illegally. It secured an extraordinary injection of funding to help pay for it. The president has targeted sanctuary cities led by Democrats in targeted enforcement operations, and Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has sent thousands of agents from C.B.P., ICE and other offices under her to make arrests.

Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 5:46 PM, Staff, 646K] reports the Census Bureau reported Tuesday that U.S. population growth slowed significantly in the past year amid lower levels of immigration. Restrictionists will cheer the news, but a flagging labor force won’t make America more prosperous. America’s population grew by 1.8 million, or 0.5%, between July 2024 and July 2025 to 341.8 million. That’s 1.5 million less than in the previous year, mainly owing to less immigration. On net, 1.3 million immigrated to the U.S. during those 12 months (down from 2.7 million in the prior year), which included the last six of the Biden Presidency. President Trump has shut down illegal immigration and curbed legal pathways to enter and work in the U.S. The National Foundation for American Policy recently estimated that, on current trends, between 1.5 million and 2.4 million fewer immigrants will obtain green cards during the Trump Presidency. The Census Bureau also projected that net international migration will fall to 321,000 this year. That’s about three-quarters lower than during the first Trump term. If current “trends continue, it would be the first time the United States has seen net negative migration in more than 50 years,” the bureau says. Restrictionists in the White House will rate this as a success—a sign of progress on the way to Stephen Miller’s goal of zero immigration for many years. But declining immigration—legal and illegal—is notably occurring against a backdrop of falling fertility rates and an aging population. Natural population growth last year was a paltry 519,000, down from 1.1 million in 2017 and between 1.6 million and 1.9 million during the 2000s. Conservatives say Americans should churn out more babies, but regardless of the virtues of child-rearing, government can’t force people to procreate. Slowing immigration and an aging population present serious workforce challenges, as any employer will tell you. Artificial intelligence and robots can increase productivity. But America will still need workers for all kinds of vital jobs—from health services, to plumbing and electrical repair, to building homes or working in biotech labs. Five states—California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia—lost population in the latest period. Slowing growth presents a particular political problem for progressive states losing people en masse to other states, such as California (-229,077 net domestic out-migration last year), New York (-137,586), Illinois (-40,017), New Jersey (-37,428) and Massachusetts (-33,340). If this trend holds, Democratic-run states will likely lose at least a half dozen Congressional seats after the post-2030 Census reapportionment, as well as the federal funds tied to population. Anti-growth policies have consequences.

Houston Chronicle [1/27/2026 6:48 PM, Staff, 2983K] reports Americans have watched with increasing horror at the violence erupting on Minnesota’s streets, where two citizens have been gunned down by federal agents sent there to protect public safety. In its defense, the federal government has trotted out a familiar narrative: Renee Good wasn’t cooperating. Alex Pretti wasn’t cooperating. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry wasn’t cooperating. Gov. Tim Walz wasn’t cooperating. They were resisting. “This individual was impeding law enforcement operations,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said of Good in an interview with Face the Nation. She called on Fry to “start working with us” and laughed off a federal judge’s order to stop the use of aggressive tactics. “We only use those chemical agents when there’s violence happening [ …] in order to keep people safe,” she said. Days later, Pretti lay dead after attempting to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Greg Bovino, the commander-at-large of the United States Border Patrol, claimed Pretti violently resisted and that he intended to “massacre law enforcement” because he carried a gun. Never mind that Pretti was licensed to carry, or that he never brandished the pistol, or that agents took it before shooting him dead. Never mind that the Trump administration’s narrative unravels under the scrutiny of witness testimony and video that we can all see with our own eyes. Don’t be fooled by the seeming chill coming from the administration as public opinion sours on the federal dragnet in Minneapolis. Yes, the architect behind the Trump administration’s flashy immigrant enforcement tactics is out, at least in Minnesota. Bovino has gotten a slap on the wrist: supposedly relocated to California and muzzled on social media. What the public saw in Minneapolis and St. Paul is not the case of one agent gone rogue, and we shouldn’t be content to think this move alone will quell the rampant constitutional abuses this administration not only commits but apparently encourages.

New York Times [1/27/2026 4:50 AM, Mike Lawler, 135475K] reports the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this month were tragic and preventable. No matter where you stand on immigration enforcement, the shootings show that what the country has been doing is not working. The loudest voices on each extreme have retreated to their usual corners. They have an interest in keeping our immigration problems unsolved and politically divisive. Everyone else must see that Congress and the president need to embrace a new comprehensive national immigration policy that acknowledges Americans’ many legitimate concerns about how the government has conducted immigration policy. That starts with reviewing how we got here. During President Joe Biden’s term, lenient border policies and foolish state and local laws offering shelter and benefits to illegal immigrants resulted in millions of migrants entering the United States, overwhelming our cities, our legal and public education systems, and our social safety net. Americans demanded action, electing Donald Trump in 2024. Now, just months from the November midterm elections, polls suggest that Americans are increasingly concerned about the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement operations, including in Minneapolis. Americans do not want chaos. They want a common-sense bipartisan solution. During the Biden and Trump administrations I have helped write bills with anyone from any party who would collaborate with me on finding that solution. A workable plan requires a secure border. Thankfully, the Trump administration has effectively stopped illegal border crossings and deported, by its own count, over 675,000 illegal immigrants. Any balanced immigration policy would preserve and expand on this progress — but humanely. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are conducting forceful operations in American communities. They should reassess their current tactics.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/27/2026 11:09 AM, Sarah Davis, 12595K]
FOX News [1/27/2026 10:11 AM, Hanna Panreck, 40621K]

Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 2:57 PM, Prof. Stephen I. Vladeck, 646K] reports the Jan. 23 op-ed “‘How the Deep State Thwarted ICE for Years” by Jimmy Percival, Department of Homeland Security general counsel, attempts to justify searches of private homes by immigration enforcement officers with only administrative warrants by relying upon two false claims. First, Mr. Percival says that “illegal aliens aren’t entitled to the same Fourth Amendment protections as U.S. citizens.” The Supreme Court has never held as much; to the contrary, it has repeatedly suggested that the Bill of Rights’ references to protecting “persons” from particular government action, rather than “citizens,” mean what they say. A 1990 ruling held that the Fourth Amendment didn’t protect a Mexican national against a warrantless search of his home—but that was entirely because his home was located in Mexico, not Minnesota. Second, Mr. Percival argues that “administrative warrants” (pieces of paper signed by an immigration officer rather than a judge) suffice to enter the homes of non-citizens subject to final removal orders because those individuals “are fugitives from justice.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Although the government may detain non-citizens with final orders of removal pending their physical removal from the country, most non-citizens subject to such orders are allowed to remain at liberty until the government orders them to report for removal—through a so-called “bag-and-baggage letter.” And with a large number of removal proceedings conducted in absentia, there are also countless non-citizens who don’t even know that they’re subject to a final removal order—and therefore couldn’t possibly be a “fugitive” from one. As the top lawyer of the department responsible for overseeing immigration enforcement, Mr. Percival either knows that even those non-citizens subject to a final order of removal have Fourth Amendment rights and that most aren’t analogous to fugitives from justice, or he doesn’t. Neither possibility is reassuring.

USA Today [1/28/2026 4:31 AM, Dace Potas, 67103K] reports on the wake of a second agent-involved fatal shooting in Minneapolis, rumors have emerged that the Trump administration is considering moving on from Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem has labeled both of the victims of these deadly shootings as “domestic terrorists” and, in both cases, spread outright lies about what happened. She has no interest in calming the heightened tensions under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown in Minnesota, and she has done nothing but made the situation worse. Noem should resign. If she doesn’t, Trump should fire her. If he doesn’t, she should be impeached, something that Democrats are pushing. The situation in Minnesota demands careful navigation from a competent head of DHS, not another flurry of inflammatory lies from Noem. Though she’s not the only one to spread false information.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 5:00 AM, Staff, 1394K] reports President Donald Trump has sent White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis after Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem responded poorly to another unfortunate shooting death of an anti-ICE activist. Minnesota Democrats should work with Homan to ensure federal officials can safely enforce immigration laws, but judging by the false statements of national Democratic Party leaders, it appears unlikely that they will do so. The most recent fatal shooting occurred Saturday after Border Patrol agents tried to arrest an illegal immigrant wanted for violent assault. The alien was able to avoid arrest and escaped into a nearby doughnut shop. People inside the shop locked the door, preventing Border Patrol agents from coming in and carrying out the arrest. (It is extraordinary that citizens protect violent criminals, but presumably it is due to both reflexive opposition to the Trump administration and a vague notion that anyone in the country illegally must be among the oppressed masses.). Border Patrol agents called for backup but were swarmed by activists shouting epithets at them and blowing whistles. Agents were heavily outnumbered and one of them became involved in a physical altercation with a female activist. That is when Alex Pretti intervened, grabbing the woman’s coat in an attempt to pull her away from the agent. Agents then tackled Pretti, a scuffle ensued, one agent can be heard shouting "he’s got a gun," a shot is fired, and then Pretti is shot repeatedly. White House Deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller called Pretti a "domestic terrorist," and Noem asserted that he "arrived at the scene to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement." Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino said Pretti "wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.” None of these statements was true. Their deliberate falseness is an insult to the public and undercuts the Trump administration’s credibility on immigration enforcement. It now appears that Noem and Bovino have, in consequence, been benched in favor of Homan, who we hope will bring a cooler and wiser head to the dangerous situation in Minneapolis. But if Homan is to succeed, he will need honesty and cooperation from Democrats, and so far, they are offering neither. As evidence, see statements put out by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama about the Pretti shooting.

The Hill [1/27/2026 12:00 PM, Sheldon H. Jacobson, 12595K] reports the events of 9/11 changed the nation and the world in numerous ways. Airport security was transformed after a group of 19 men hijacked four airplanes and used them as weapons to destroy the Twin Towers in New York City and inflict damage to the Pentagon. It led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, whose mission is “to secure the nation from the many threats we face.” Sept. 11, 2001, made the terms “terrorist” and “terrorism” part of everyday speech. Today, the term “domestic terrorism” is being widely used by the Trump administration. His presidential memorandum, “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence,” describes “domestic terrorists [as] wag[ing] a violent assault against democratic institutions, constitutional rights, and fundamental American liberties.” Domestic terrorism is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” In Minneapolis, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are patrolling the area in search of “dangerous criminal illegal aliens … including murderers, rapists, gang members, and perpetrators of fraud.” In its Jan. 19 press release, Homeland Security highlighted 13 such individuals, with descriptions of their crimes. The department also noted that during the six weeks of operations to date, it had arrested “3,000 criminal illegal aliens including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles, and incredibly dangerous individuals.” A complete list of such individuals and their crimes has not been released.

Breitbart [1/27/2026 12:54 PM, Katherine Hamilton, 2416K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will conduct enforcement operations at the Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California. DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told TMZ Sports their mission "remains unchanged" despite unrest in Minnesota. Per Fox News, DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski said in October that ICE enforcement is a "directive from the president" and will not be stopped for the Super Bowl, which is between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. "There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally," Lewandowski said during an interview on "The Benny Show" podcast. "Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find and deport you. That is a very real situation." McLaughlin said security at the event "will entail a whole-of-government response conducted in line with the U.S. Constitution." "Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear," she added. The confirmation comes after President Donald Trump said he is boycotting the Super Bowl. The 45th and 47th president roasted the event’s halftime show choices of Bad Bunny and Green Day, saying, "I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible. NewsMax [1/27/2026 4:17 PM, Jim Thomas, 4109K] reports that in a statement to TMZ Sports, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said: "DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the World Cup. Our mission remains unchanged." McLaughlin added: "We will not disclose future operations or discuss personnel. Super Bowl security will entail a whole of government response conducted in line with the U.S. Constitution." "Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear."

Washington Post [1/27/2026 6:00 AM, Patrick Marley and Karen Tumulty, 24149K] reports for months, President Donald Trump’s administration has been trying to force Minnesota’s Democratic leaders to turn over detailed information about the state’s voters, including driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. State officials have said no. Now, Attorney General Pam Bondi is repeating those demands in a letter that also references the federal government’s aggressive deployment of immigration agents to the streets of Minneapolis. Her letter, dated Saturday, presses the state on sharing the voter information, turning over public assistance data and assisting the federal government with immigration enforcement. It was sent the same day border agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, in Minneapolis. Bondi’s approach has led Democrats in Minnesota and other states to accuse the administration of blackmailing and bullying them into ceding more power to the administration. It comes as she tries to extract similar data from dozens of other states. “The states have power,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) said. “And Trump is saying, ‘No you don’t, not while I’m president. We’ll run you over. We’ll kill your people. We’ll shoot pepper balls at you. We’ll invade your city. We’ll terrorize everyone. We’ll kill citizens.’” The federal government has sweeping authority to enforce immigration laws, as a federal judge made clear Monday as she repeatedly expressed skepticism in response to Minnesota’s arguments in a lawsuit seeking to halt the surge of immigration agents to the state. The administration has far less power when it comes to elections because the Constitution gives states the primary responsibility for voting policies. Bondi’s letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) appeared to try to leverage immigration enforcement to get the state’s voter list. Minnesota officials rejected the demand and said Bondi was trying to force them to give up sensitive voter data that the Justice Department is not entitled to have. “This was never about immigration,” Ellison said. “It was never about fraud. It’s about coercion and bullying.”

Breitbart [1/27/2026 4:15 PM, John Binder, 2416K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, tasked by Congress to carry out federal immigration law, are facing an unprecedented increase in death threats against themselves and their families. This week, ICE officials revealed the extent to which agents are being threatened by "Abolish ICE" sympathizers, detailing an 8,000 percent increase in death threats and a more than 1,300 percent increase in assaults against agents. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said elected Democrats in sanctuary jurisdictions are fanning the flames that are emboldening anti-ICE activists to threaten agents. "Make no mistake, threatening rhetoric and this unprecedented violence against our law enforcement is incited by sanctuary politicians through their repeated vilification and demonization of law enforcement," McLaughlin said. "Comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences," McLaughlin said. "The men and women of ICE are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, we just want to go home to our families at night. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop." Blaze [1/27/2026 12:05 PM, Landon Pfile, 1442K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security shared a disturbing phone call on social media that gives the public a glimpse of the terrors faced daily by members of law enforcement and their families. The expletive-laced audio, posted on Monday, contains what appears to be a call from an agitator spewing sexually violent and suicidal language at an officer working in Minnesota, Fox News reported. The DHS also pledged to ‘hunt these sickos down and put them behind bars.’ "You should f**king kill yourself. I hope your wife dies, I hope your mom and dad die. I hope everything wrong that could go [on] in your life happens," the caller says in the audio clip. "You are a traitor to the American people, to the values that made our very country." According to DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are facing a more than 8,000% increase in death threats and a 1,300% increase in assaults during the second Trump administration, despite conducting operations to remove "terrorists, rapists, and gang members from American neighborhoods." DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated ICE has faced an "unprecedented increase in violence against law enforcement," citing a 3,200% rise in vehicular attacks. She attributed the increase to rhetoric from sanctuary politicians and the media. "The men and women of ICE are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters," DHS said in the post. "They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. The violence and dehumanization MUST END." The DHS also pledged to "hunt these sickos down and put them behind bars."

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [1/27/2026 5:35 PM, Staff, 4109K]

FOX News [1/27/2026 2:30 PM, Andrew Mark Miller, 40621K] reports that a national education watchdog group is rolling out a new tool aimed at giving parents greater transparency into how their children’s schools are responding to immigration enforcement as schools across the country intensify their pushback against ICE and immigration operations. The nationwide database, released by Defending Education, catalogs K-12 districts that have adopted so-called "sanctuary," "safe haven," or immigration-related policies in recent years and limited their cooperation with federal authorities. The list, which Defending Education says it will continuously update, spans more than 700 school districts across 33 states and Washington, D.C., and includes districts that have passed formal resolutions, issued guidance to staff, or adopted written policies governing how school personnel should respond if federal immigration agents seek access to campuses. "When school districts choose to resist or impede federal law enforcement, they are playing a dangerous game," Erika Sanzi, senior director of communications at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. "There is no easy answer when you fear for your students and their families because of their immigration status, but schools should not be declaring themselves sanctuary schools or safe havens from federal authorities, especially if/when they are, knowingly or not, shielding violent family members of their students from deportation."

USA Today [1/28/2026 5:06 AM, Sarah D. Wire, 67103K] reports two people have been killed this month in Minnesota while monitoring the activity of immigration officials, but that hasn’t deterred tens of thousands of others who appear eager to volunteer for similar roles. More than 147,000 people all over the country signed up for an online training session on Jan. 26, learning how to lawfully monitor and record immigration arrests. The next training, run by national protest and organizing groups, is scheduled for Feb. 5. Since the immigration surge in Minneapolis began in December, organized neighbors have tracked immigration agents through private messaging groups, warned immigrant neighbors using whistles and car horns when arrests appear imminent, and filmed arrests to provide a record of the encounters. Two of those observers, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by immigration agents. Trump administration officials have referred to both as "domestic terrorists" who should not have interfered. The trainings are a way for the groups to help prepare Americans for how to respond when and if immigration enforcement arrives in their areas to conduct large-scale deportations, said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, a civic organizing group that helped lead the trainings. "They are coming for you. ICE is not stopping in Minneapolis, Maine, L.A. or just the blue cities," Levin said. "If you want to be prepared for what to do when ICE is ransacking your community, now is the time to get trained up; that’s what we need people doing." Indivisible is part of a coalition of activism organizing groups that have planned two No Kings protests that took place in thousands of cities across the country in 2025 and drew millions of Americans into the streets to protest Trump. The next No Kings Day is scheduled to take place on March 28, he said. Minneapolis and St. Paul are expected to be among the flagship locations of the protests, which will again be decentralized, occurring in big, medium and small cities and towns across the country.

Axios [1/27/2026 7:00 PM, Jason Lalljee, 12972K] reports censorship allegations are mounting against TikTok as users find themselves unable to locate content related to ICE raids across the country. People have been congregating on social media to share information related to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — especially concerning ICE’s killing of two civilians — with suppression concerns escalating across platforms like TikTok and Facebook. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a probe into whether TikTok is violating state law by "censoring Trump-critical content." That’s as a flurry of users across TikTok reported being unable to upload videos about ICE this weekend. Newsom’s office declined to comment further on its investigation. According to a Wired report published on Tuesday, Meta has started blocking users from sharing links to ICE List, a website that has compiled a list of individuals it claims are Department of Homeland Security employees. In addition to Newsom, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on X on Sunday that among "threats to democracy," the alleged censorship on TikTok was "at the top of the list." TikTok directed Axios to its Monday statement, in which the company attributed problems to a "major infrastructure issue triggered by a power outage at one of our U.S. data center partner sites." "You may notice multiple bugs, slower load times, or timed-out requests, including when posting new content," the company said. "We’ve made significant progress in recovering our U.S. infrastructure with our U.S. data center partner," the company added on Tuesday. "However, the U.S. user experience may still have some technical issues, including when posting new content." Nicholas Smith, a spokesperson for TikTok, also said that videos of ICE’s killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota this weekend are available on the platform and have been since Saturday. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Meta pointed Axios to a line of its privacy policy that says, "We remove content that shares, offers, or solicits personally identifiable information or other private information." That includes personally identifiable information such as government IDs of law enforcement, military or security personnel or residential information, the spokesperson said. TikTok users also reported issues sending the word "Epstein" in direct messages. Between the lines: Issues posting about two Trump administration controversies that are unpopular with Americans have fueled the hashtag #TikTokCensorshop on X. Many users pointed to TikTok closing a deal just last week, in which the company divested its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors. Smith said that TikTok does not have rules against sharing Jeffrey Epstein’s name in direct messages. Apple removed from its App Store apps that alert the presence of ICE in people’s local areas, the company announced in October. Since President Trump began his second term, Big Tech — specifically, social media companies — has made major concessions or appeals to the president, including how (and if) they combat misinformation on their platforms. Users have flocked to social media for information about ICE and the Trump administration’s deportation moves. People in the U.S. are leveraging TikTok, the app Trump vowed to save because it’s been friendly to him, to alert people of ICE agent sightings, Axios’ Sabrina Moreno reports. The videos, which mostly started after the Trump administration announced the start of mass deportations last week, are being shared across the U.S., in states including Virginia, Maryland, California, North Carolina and Michigan. As of Tuesday afternoon, nine of Reddit’s top 20 "most popular" posts in the past week have been related to ICE, including the top two. In the past week, 14 of the 20 most-discussed news posts on the site were about the ICE raids or related subjects — such as Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, whom ICE killed in Minnesota. Dominick Skinner, the creator of ICE List, told Wired that volunteers he works with across the U.S. first reported problems with posting links on Meta’s platforms on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, WIRED verified that posting links to the site was blocked on Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads, but that links could still be sent on WhatsApp.

Axios [1/27/2026 7:20 AM, Monica Eng, 12972K] reports an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo revealed by AP last week suggests that agents no longer need a judge’s warrant to enter a home and that an administrative warrant — issued by the agency — will suffice. That assertion challenges Fourth Amendment protections against warrantless search and seizure, and leaves Chicagoans, and people across the country, open to more warrantless entries into their private property. "Every illegal alien who DHS serves administrative warrants/I-205s have had full due process and a final order of removal from an immigration judge," Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant DHS secretary tells Axios. "The officers issuing these administrative warrants also have found probable cause. For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in cases of immigration enforcement." Northwestern law professor Ronald Allen tells Axios that McLaughlin is misleadingly eliding the propriety of using administrative warrants for arrests with the propriety of using them to enter homes, an issue that he says remains "murky" under the Supreme Court. "A search is different from an arrest and the court has not dealt with the question of whether [an administrative warrant] allows the entry into the person’s home," says Allen, who specializes in constitutional law.

NBC News [1/27/2026 6:28 PM, Suzanne Gamboa, 34509K] reports in the first nine months of the Trump administration, a jump in the number of immigration-related street arrests led to an increase in the number of deportations initiated inside the U.S. —and away from the border — by more than four and a half times, according to a new report. Researchers from the University of California Berkeley found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement transfers of people from criminal custody to ICE custody as well as street arrests — people who were not in jail at the time — quadrupled over that period. Much of that steep increase was attributable to street arrests rising by more than a factor of 11 — according to the analysis by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley, a group of academics and lawyers that collect, post and analyze government immigration enforcement data. Even though the overall number of people under ICE custody increased, the people they arrested in this nine-month period were less likely to have criminal convictions. This resulted in a sevenfold increase in arrests of people with no convictions, according to the report. "For both transfers and street arrests, the Trump administration’s decision to stop prioritizing arrests based on factors such as criminal convictions (or to prioritize less) resulted in another well-known trend: the huge increase in the number of arrests of noncitizens not convicted of any crime," the report said. Arrests of people with convictions also went up, about 30%, but not as much as those without convictions. President Donald Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration officials have repeatedly said the president’s mass deportation agenda and his administration’s immigration enforcement activities prioritize and target the "worst of the worst."

Reported similarly:
USA Today [1/27/2026 5:36 PM, Eduardo Cuevas, 67103K]

CNN [1/27/2026 9:09 AM, Casey Chiang, 18595K] reports CNN News Central’s Sara Sidner speaks with NAACP President Derrick Johnson about the civil rights group’s new campaign aiming to curb funding for the Department of Homeland Security until key changes are made. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [1/27/2026 11:09 AM, Staff, 18207K] Video: HERE reports if ICE agents can shoot civilians and never be held accountable, then we aren’t living under the rule of law. We’re living in a police state, says Bloomberg Opinion columnist and Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman.

FOX News [1/27/2026 1:09 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports that some of America’s safest cities are in jurisdictions that cooperate with ICE, a trend also shaped by wealth and zoning — with a handful of notable exceptions. Most of the 10 safest cities on U.S. News & World Report’s list are located either in states or counties that have laws directing municipal authorities to cooperate or coordinate directly with federal immigration enforcement. That cooperation often occurs through 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement agencies to work directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The cities also share other traits, such as high median incomes and a lack of mixed-use zoning or transient rental housing, underscoring the ongoing debate over whether immigration enforcement cooperation plays a meaningful role in public safety. Johns Creek, Georgia — named the safest city in America by U.S. News & World Report — is governed under state laws requiring cooperation with federal immigration authorities, placing it among several highly ranked cities in similar jurisdictions while leaving open the role of income, development patterns and local demographics in shaping the results. Thirty-nine states, plus Guam, have at least one agency that has forged a 287(g) agreement with ICE, according to DHS data. Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut have state laws restraining such cooperation, while the agency is "pursuing opportunities" in Delaware, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and Hawaii.

Federalist [1/27/2026 12:35 PM, Hayden Daniel, 785K] reports that the left proclaimed outrage at the death of Renee Good, the anti-ICE agitator who was shot after she appeared to have struck a federal agent with the vehicle she was driving. The left did so again after the death of Alex Pretti. The corporate press has followed the assigned narrative, painting Pretti, Good, and others trying to impede federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis as victims of a tyrannical Trump administration. They’ve been desperately looking for a martyr to prop up as a latter-day George Floyd and inspire even more radical action against federal agents. It remains to be seen whether Pretti’s death will provide the spark that the leftists are fervently hoping for to kick off a "Summer of Love" 2.0. Radicals have launched unprecedented attacks on ICE agents over the past year. Their rhetoric has fueled ambushes, firebombings, and attempted murders against federal immigration authorities. Overall, violence against ICE personnel surged 1,150 percent from January to November 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security. And why do they assault ICE agents, destroy property, make a mockery of our rule of law, and ultimately put themselves in harm’s way? To protect criminal illegal aliens, many of whom have been convicted or accused of some of the most heinous crimes imaginable.

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:31 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin examines Katy Perry’s call to oppose I.C.E. funding and what it means as Washington faces a possible government shutdown on ‘The Story.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/27/2026 9:58 AM, Marc Tamasco, 40621K] Video: HERE reports late-night host Stephen Colbert said "f--- ICE" following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis Saturday. During Monday’s episode of "The Tonight Show," Colbert tore into ICE and the Trump administration, arguing that videos "appear to contradict federal accounts" of the shooting by Border Patrol, which Colbert appeared to conflate with ICE in his remarks. "Today, more than 50% of Americans are digging out from a massive winter storm, freezing temperatures from Texas all the way up to Maine. It’s frigid here in New York City. I want to thank everyone here who stood outside in the cold today before you came. I think we can all agree, f--- ICE," Colbert said to cheers. According to Colbert, similar to its account of this month’s ICE-involved fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, the Trump administration once again "immediately blamed the victim" and called Pretti a "domestic terrorist." The late-night host pushed back on that assertion and noted videos of the shooting and analysis by several media outlets countered the federal government’s claims. "And again, Trump administration officials immediately blamed the victim, calling him a domestic terrorist, but videos appear to contradict federal accounts of the shooting. That analysis was from The New York Times, and they weren’t alone. They were joined by NBC News, PBS News, Reuters, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as ‘Your Own Eyes and Ears Magazine,’ and ‘I Know That’s Pee on My Leg Weekly,’" he told his audience. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/27/2026 7:30 AM, Michael Dorgan, 40621K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 200 people in Maine over the past five days as part of an enforcement surge that has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has called on President Donald Trump to remove agents from the state. "The brave men and women of ICE have already arrested more than 200 illegal aliens in Maine in the last five days," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, per WMTW. "Some of the arrests of the worst of the worst from the first day of operations include criminal illegal aliens charged with and convicted of horrific crimes, including aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.” ICE launched Operation Catch of the Day last week across Maine as part of a Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration overseen by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. DHS said the initiative prioritizes what it describes as the most dangerous offenders living unlawfully in the state. Mills has requested a meeting with Trump so that she can ask him in person to withdraw ICE agents from Maine, per WMTV.

New York Times [1/27/2026 5:02 AM, Jenna Russell and Sophie Park, 135475K] reports Shandy Priddy, a delivery driver for Target in Portland, Maine, was dropping off a package at an apartment complex on Friday morning when a stranger approached with a startling question: Would Ms. Priddy drive her son to school? On the fourth day of an unprecedented federal immigration crackdown in the state, Ms. Priddy, 48, a mother of three, said she understood instantly. “She looked petrified, like she did not want to step out of that corridor,” said Ms. Priddy, adding how the woman had explained that she was an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo and that her husband had been taken by immigration agents the previous day. “I know that pressure,” Ms. Priddy said, “of having security and then not having it.” As the federal surge began last week, officials with the Department of Homeland Security said that it was targeting 1,400 “criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities” in Maine. On Monday, the department said that immigration agents had arrested more than 200 people so far. Several Democratic elected officials and lawyers for detained immigrants have said that at least some have no criminal records. In Portland, a city of about 70,000 people that is home to many of the state’s estimated 50,000 immigrants, federal officers have been stopping cars, detaining motorists and staking out apartment buildings. As of Monday, more than 60 people arrested in the Maine operation had sought emergency legal help from the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project of Portland, its leaders said. At least eight detained Maine residents had been sent to detention centers in Louisiana. As unmarked S.U.V.s circulated in the small city and social media filled with reports of arrests, some of the most consequential impacts were quietly felt at public schools, where teachers and administrators tracked escalating student absences and tried to offer families assurances of safety.

Politico [1/27/2026 9:24 PM, By Jordain Carney, Katherine Tully-McManus and Jennifer Scholtes, 13586K] reports Susan Collins is stuck in the middle of an ICE storm. The Maine Republican and Senate Appropriations Committee chair is working overtime to salvage a package of six funding bills hanging by a thread after the Saturday killing of a Minnesota man by federal agents. The scramble follows months of work to put the appropriations process back on track in the wake of a record government shutdown. How Collins navigates the fight will have reverberations far beyond whether or not Congress manages to avoid falling over the shutdown cliff for the second time in four months. The 73-year-old — who intends to seek a sixth term this November — is already under a microscope from Democrats back home after the Trump administration launched an immigration enforcement operation in her state. Collins, who said earlier this month she didn’t “see the rationale for a large number of ICE agents” in Maine, spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday, later telling reporters Tuesday she urged Noem to pause “this surge of enforcement” in Minnesota and Maine “until we can get far better focus.” On Capitol Hill, she’s part of a group of senators who are trying to defuse the shutdown fight, including by exploring actions President Donald Trump could have his agencies take without needing to strip DHS funding out of the pending spending package as Democrats are demanding. “We are having conversations with all the parties,” Collins said in an interview Tuesday, referring to the White House and Democrats. As to whether or not a shutdown is inevitable, she separately told reporters “it depends on whether people look at the consequences.” She pointed to Trump’s decision to send border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis as a sign that the administration is willing to make policy changes in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. But just sending in Homan won’t be enough to appease Democrats. Republicans, including Collins, are loath to do that because any changes to the six-bill package would virtually guarantee a partial shutdown starting 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The House would need to approve any changes to the package, and the chamber is in recess until Monday. Republican leaders are also wary of an internal backlash to any revised bill, with the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus warning Monday that they would oppose any measure that did not include money for DHS. Democrats say the deployment of DHS agents in Collins’ home state is justification enough for pulling apart the funding package she’s trying to salvage this week.

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:12 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K] reports the Boston Police Department ignored all detainer requests made by federal immigration authorities last year in compliance with the city’s sanctuary law, according to police Commissioner Michael Cox. In a Jan. 12 letter from Cox to City Clerk Alex Geourntas, the commissioner noted that all 57 requests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were rejected. ICE routinely lodges detainers with local jurisdictions when the agency becomes aware of illegal immigrants being held in custody who are subject to removal from the United States. Cox said the department "remains committed to complying with the Boston Trust Act, as well as State Law, and to building and strengthening relationships and trust with all our communities across the City." "Boston’s immigrant communities should feel safe in reporting crime and quality of life issues to the Department," he added. The request asks authorities to hold the person longer than their release date or notify ICE in time so they can transfer the subject into federal custody to begin deportation proceedings before they are released back onto the street.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 5:50 AM, Christopher Tremoglie, 1394K] reports the Department of Homeland Security told the Washington Examiner it was investigating a woman from Kenmore, New York, who allegedly sought to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. DHS said that an unidentified woman tried to purchase a gun "on two separate occasions" in order "to protect herself from ICE Agents, and also to kill ICE Agents." The investigation comes after a significant increase in violence against federal officers in illegal immigration enforcement operations in recent months, including on Saturday, when a protester bit off part of the finger of an ICE officer in Minneapolis who was working on crowd control duties. The investigation is being conducted by ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York State Police, with the agencies focused on the "purchase attempts which occurred in Kenmore, New York," according to DHS. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin suggested that the inflammatory rhetoric being used against federal law enforcement officers is at least partly to blame, saying such language has "consequences.” "Every day there are more assaults, more vehicle-ramming attacks, more attempts to kill our officers," McLaughlin said in an emailed statement to the Washington Examiner. "Now, we have an American citizen purchasing a gun with the intent to kill our officers.” "Comparing ICE day in and day out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences," she added. "The men and women of ICE and CBP are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, they just want to go home to their families at night." The incident in New York is just the latest in a long string of attempted violence against ICE personnel. Protesters have regularly targeted employees of the federal agency since illegal immigration enforcement operations began after President Donald Trump started his second term.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [1/27/2026 10:33 AM, Staff, 4109K]

FOX News [1/28/2026 1:23 AM, Michael Sinkewicz, 40621K] reports police made dozens of arrests after an anti-ICE protest broke out inside a New York City hotel Tuesday evening, according to reports. New York City Police Department officers responded to the Hilton Garden Inn on Sixth Avenue in Tribeca at around 6 p.m. after protesters took over the lobby and obstructed pedestrian traffic. Sunrise Movement, an activist group, posted on X earlier Tuesday claiming the hotel was housing ICE officials. Videos posted on social media show protesters chanting inside the hotel and holding up signs, while refusing to leave the lobby. Protesters can be heard chanting, "No ICE, No KKK, No Fascist USA" and "ICE out of New York.” In a separate video, protesters chant, "Kristi Noem will hang," blatantly calling out the Department of Homeland Security secretary. Sam Raskin, a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, released a statement Tuesday in response to the protests and the police response. "Mayor Mamdani commends the protestors who exercised their right to protest against ICE today," he said. "As he has said, ICE is a rogue agency that has repeatedly carried out cruel, inhumane, and lawless raids, arrests, shootings, and even targeted American citizens. The Mayor is also pleased with the NYPD’s response to today’s peaceful protest.” At about 8:20 p.m., an NYPD bus carrying the arrested protesters departed the hotel, while remaining protesters chanted, "We love you, we will get justice for you.” NYPD officers continued to stand outside the hotel entrance as the crowd slowly dispersed. The NYPD did not immediately confirm how many people were arrested or what they were charged with. The demonstration followed the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an encounter with U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis over the weekend. Earlier this month, Renee Nicole Good was also fatally shot during an encounter with ICE officers in Minneapolis. On Monday, police in Minnesota arrested multiple anti-ICE protesters outside a hotel after officers declared an unlawful assembly. Those demonstrations took place outside the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where protesters believed U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was staying. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Hilton Garden Inn and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
New York Times [1/27/2026 9:47 PM, Ed Shanahan and Olivia Bensimon, 135475K]

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 11:28 AM, Claire Carter, 1394K] reports as President Donald Trump’s federal funding suspension for sanctuary cities looms, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan signed an executive order Monday barring any city employees from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Trump said earlier this month that starting Feb. 1, the government will not be making any payments to cities that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants because “it breeds fraud and crime.” Although Buffalo is not on the list of sanctuary jurisdictions published by the Department of Justice, New York is. In a news release, Ryan said the order will take effect immediately and is in the interest of public safety to counteract fear around Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operations. "This executive order makes clear that the City of Buffalo will not participate in federal civil immigration enforcement, so that no one is afraid to report a crime, call the fire department, or walk into City Hall for help," Ryan said. "Anyone who lives in Buffalo has a right to our services, and our city government will never be used to intimidate or target residents." Under the new executive order, city employees are prohibited from engaging in or supporting federal civil immigration enforcement activities conducted by federal agencies such as ICE or DHS.

Breitbart [1/27/2026 4:24 PM, John Binder, 2416K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody of an illegal alien accused of attacking a school bus in the sanctuary state of New Jersey by throwing a large rock through the window, leaving an 8-year-old girl with a fractured skull. Hernando Garcia-Morales, a 40-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by New Jersey law enforcement and charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, resisting arrest by flight, and hindering. According to police, on January 7, Garcia-Morales threw a baseball-sized rock through the school bus window of a local Jewish day school — hitting an 8-year-old girl and leaving her with a skull fracture that requires surgery. ICE agents now want to take custody of Garcia-Morales before he is potentially released from jail back into the community thanks to New Jersey’s sanctuary state policy. Garcia-Morales remains in Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing.

Univision [1/27/2026 10:16 PM, Staff, 5004K] reports José Serrano-Maldonado was deported to his native El Salvador on January 20, 2026, despite the existence of two court orders prohibiting his expulsion from the country , the federal government acknowledged during an emergency hearing. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) expelled the Salvadoran father from the country, who had two protection orders. The case—already under review by a federal judge— is reminiscent of that of Kilmar Ábrego García , as both share Salvadoran nationality, are parents, reside in Maryland, and had protective orders to prevent their deportation due to the risk to their lives if they returned to El Salvador. Furthermore, both deportations were deemed “erroneous” by federal authorities. “He has two U.S. citizen children who lived with him before the deportation,” explained his lawyer, Anna Alyssa Tijerina. A federal judge in Baltimore reviewed the case on January 22, demanding formal explanations after it was confirmed that ICE violated orders clearly recorded in the system. During the hearing, federal authorities admitted that the deportation was carried out by mistake , even though Serrano-Maldonado’s file included a visible warning with the instruction "Do not remove".The government could not explain why the deportation was carried out despite the prohibition. The judge described the situation as “very serious” and ordered a written report detailing who authorized each action, when it occurred, and why.

CBS Baltimore [1/27/2026 6:28 PM, Dennis Valera, 39474K] reports a widely spread video purportedly shows what it’s like inside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Baltimore. The video, which WJZ hasn’t been able to authenticate yet, shows dozens of people packed into what’s said to be one of ICE’s holding rooms. Over email, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson didn’t answer whether or not the video is authentic, but said the winter storm has impacted ICE’s ability to transfer detainees safely out of Baltimore’s holding rooms. Meanwhile, one of the lawyers part of the class action lawsuit against ICE’s operations in Baltimore isn’t buying ICE’s reasoning. For nearly a year, advocates have heard what’s been described as "inhumane" conditions inside of ICE’s holding rooms in Baltimore. Some of the accounts include detainees having little to no contact with loved ones or their lawyers, little access to food and water, even denied access to medication. Both of Maryland’s U.S. senators have also seen the video, with both saying on social media they’ve reached out to ICE about it.

FOX News [1/27/2026 2:20 PM, Charles Creitz, 40621K] reports that one of the most liberal municipalities in Virginia urged its residents to report sightings of ICE agents to emergency services as if they were common criminals spotted on the street. The chairman of the Arlington County Board of Supervisors also took a shot at recently departed Gov. Glenn Youngkin for forging a 287(g) state-federal cooperation agreement with the Department of Homeland Security — which new Gov. Abigail Spanberger has since rescinded. The largely wealthy, dense community of 245,000 people lies directly west of Washington, D.C., spanning the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan National Airport northward to the Chain Bridge, and has long been the anchor of Democratic might in the Old Dominion. At this week’s board meeting, Chairman Matt de Ferranti, a Democrat from Rock Spring, urged Arlingtonians to remember that county law prohibits all residents and "public safety professionals… from interfering with the enforcement of federal immigration law." Instead, he said, residents can alert county authorities to federal immigration enforcement and stay out of the way themselves. "That is not just to follow the law, but to do everything possible to protect our neighbors and reduce harm. That means working together to call ‘911’ when you see ICE in our community."

Daily Caller [1/27/2026 6:21 PM, Sean Hustedde, 835K] reports Democratic Arlington County Board chair Matt de Ferranti and Democratic board member Takis Karantonis encouraged residents of the Northern Virginia county to call 911 when seeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in their neighborhoods. De Ferranti held a board meeting on Saturday which opened with a 30-second moment of silence for all the civilians who have been fatally shot by ICE, mentioning by name Renee Good who was fatally shot by an ICE agent after she hit an officer with her car. The board chair then encouraged citizens to call the 911 emergency lines so local officials would know when ICE is in Arlington County. "To be clear, the law prohibits our public safety professionals and all of us from interfering with the enforcement of federal immigration law," said de Ferranti. "That said our responsibility is not just to follow the law but to do everything possible within it to protect our neighbors and reduce harm. That means working together to call 911 when we see ICE in our community." "Calling 911 is important because it helps us know when ICE is in Arlington so we can better pursue Arlington County’s law enforcement mission, preventing violence in our community," he added.

FOX News [1/27/2026 1:18 PM, Staff, 40621K] reports that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health and the VCU Police are investigating after a nurse at the hospital made a series of videos about fighting back against federal law enforcement. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [1/27/2026 6:37 PM, Julia Bonavita, 40621K] reports a West Virginia man is behind bars after police say he allegedly posted videos online threatening to kill supporters of President Donald Trump and ICE agents. Troopers with the Harrison County sector of the West Virginia police received information regarding a "threats complaint" from the local county sheriff’s department on Jan. 19, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WBOY. While investigating the claim, troopers learned that 20-year-old Cody Smith "posted videos of himself" in which he told viewers "he was going to attack and kill ICE agents" while contacting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the complaint reportedly said. He also allegedly threatened the DHS employee who answered his call, according to WDTV.

Daily Caller [1/27/2026 4:51 PM, Jason Hopkins, 835K] reports federal law enforcement seeks to take custody of an illegal migrant accused of raping an 11-year-old child while her younger sister was forced to remain in the room. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an arrest detainer for Kenneth Moreno Guzman, a 26-year-old criminal illegal migrant from Mexico charged with raping an 11-year-old girl at knifepoint while forcing her 10-year-old sister to remain in the room during the attack, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed with the Daily Caller News Foundation. The shocking crime occurred earlier in January within a mobile home park in Statesboro, Georgia. "Another horrific tragedy for two innocent children by the hands of a criminal illegal alien," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to the DCNF. "This monster should have never been in our country in the first place. These are the victims President Trump and Secretary Noem are fighting for and the media and sanctuary politicians ignore," McLaughlin continued. "We have lodged an arrest detainer to ensure ICE is notified to arrest this creep before he can ever prey on more innocent children." However, it’s not immediately clear how soon ICE agents will be able to get their hands on Guzman. Hutchens previously declared that the Mexican national will not be released from Bulloch County custody "under any circumstances" until his criminal case plays out in court.

Breitbart [1/27/2026 4:46 PM, Katherine Hamilton, 2416K] reports Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), who is running for a Georgia U.S. Senate seat this year, is calling for a greater Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Atlanta, as the law enforcement agency continues its crackdown in Minneapolis amid massive unrest. Carter pointed to the arrests of several violent illegal immigrants in the Atlanta area, as well as a report from the Migration Policy Institute indicating that nearly 500,000 illegal immigrants live in his home state, "giving it the sixth highest rate of illegal immigration nationwide — a more than 45 percent increase since 2018." On Monday, Carter again pushed for a larger ICE presence in Atlanta.

USA Today [1/27/2026 4:01 PM, Haley BeMiller, 67103K] reports Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio officials are preparing for a potential surge in immigration enforcement when thousands of Haitians in Springfield lose their legal status overnight. On Feb. 3, more than 500,000 Haitians nationwide are expected to lose temporary protected status, which allows immigrants from dangerous countries to stay in the United States. Springfield is home to an estimated 15,000 Haitians − about one-fourth of its population − and another 30,000 live in central Ohio. DeWine said he doesn’t know for sure whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement will send officers to Springfield after TPS expires. But he’s talked with Clark County police and school district officials to plan for the possibility. DeWine has defended the Haitian community and contends the end of TPS will hurt the local economy and risk the safety of people forced to return to Haiti. DeWine said he’s also concerned that children’s services could become overwhelmed if parents are detained by ICE.

Chicago Tribune [1/27/2026 6:27 PM, Jake Sheridan, 4829K] reports aldermen advanced a package Tuesday to grant Police Department oversight officials the power to investigate alleged cooperation between Chicago officers and federal immigration agents. The effort to address concerns that police may have violated city rules by acting in ways that supported President Donald Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz immigration crackdown moved ahead in a joint committee vote. If the ordinance passes the full City Council, it will empower the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to conduct investigations into complaints alleging illegal cooperation. If COPA found there was wrongdoing, it could recommend officers face punishment.

The Hill [1/27/2026 5:28 PM, Sophie Brams, 12595K] reports an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer is facing a misdemeanor charge after an alleged altercation with an activist in Illinois last month, according to local police. Brookfield Police Department Chief Michael Kuruvilla said in a statement that officers responded to a gas station on Dec. 27 to investigate an alleged battery. The victim, Chicago-based attorney Robert Held, told the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark that he had been filming the officer, Adam Saracco, with his cellphone from the sidewalk when Saracco approached him. The New York Times reported that Held was not injured and that Saracco was off duty at the time of the incident, having just left a nearby immigration detention center. Kuruvilla said in the statement that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and declined to file felony charges, advising that it would be more appropriately charged as a misdemeanor. Saracco cooperated with investigators and was subsequently “charged, cited, and released on one count of misdemeanor battery with an assigned court date,” Kuruvilla added. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security called it “gross” that Saracco was facing charges in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday. The spokesperson claimed Saracco had been “targeted and aggressively harassed by a known ICE agitator,” noting that Held had previously been arrested outside an ICE facility in Broadview.

Washington Post [1/27/2026 10:34 PM, Annie Gowen and María Luisa Paúl, 24149K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers tried to enter the Ecuadorian consulate in Minneapolis on Tuesday but were turned away by consulate staff, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said — prompting the South American nation to file a formal diplomatic protest. The ministry “immediately submitted a note of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to ensure that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States,” it said in a statement. Under international law, law enforcement authorities are generally prohibited from entering foreign consulates or embassies without the permission of the consul or ambassador, though consent may be presumed during certain life-threatening emergencies, such as fires. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.

Reported similarly:
CNN [1/28/2026 1:05 AM, Bryan Dent Wood, 18595K]

Blaze [1/27/2026 5:05 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1442K] reports the Department of Homeland Security highlighted several of Monday’s "worst of the worst" arrests in Minnesota. As part of the DHS’ Operation Metro Surge, federal authorities have captured kidnappers, pedophiles, and other violent assailants, according to a press release obtained by Blaze News. DHS reported last week that it had made 3,000 arrests over the last six weeks as part of the ongoing operation. "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) highlights more worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens arrested in Minnesota yesterday during Operation Metro Surge, including those convicted of kidnapping, child rape, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, assault, and possession of fraudulent documents," Tuesday’s release reads.

Daily Wire [1/27/2026 6:18 AM, Becca Stoll, 2494K] reports that as large-scale protests against federal immigration authorities intensified in Minneapolis, federal agents say they arrested a host of criminal illegal aliens with convictions for child sex crimes, drug possession, and more. The latest detainees bring the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Metro Surge arrest total to 3,500, according to a memo first shared with The Daily Wire. Among those nabbed were Chue Moua, a criminal illegal alien from Laos who was convicted of using a “computer to facilitate child sex crimes.” Also arrested was Bandia Solano, a Guinean national who was convicted of domestic assault, possession of drugs, theft, providing false name and birthdate to a peace officer, financial transaction card fraud, driving while intoxicated, and possession of shoplifting gear In total, DHS arrested five illegal immigrants convicted of domestic violence, four convicted of driving under the influence, and three perpetrators of fraud. Most of those arrested had multiple offenses. Their countries of origin included Mexico, Ukraine, Laos, Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guinea, and Vietnam. “President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. Yesterday, ICE arrested murderers, child abusers, and violent assailants,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said. “These are the type of thugs we are getting off the streets and out of country every single day.”

Daily Signal [1/27/2026 10:37 AM, Fred Lucas, 549K] reports amid escalating tensions in Minnesota, Immigration and Customs Enforcement scored a court win on Monday in staving off agitators. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put a stay on a lower court ruling that restricted ICE agents from arresting, detaining, or pepper-spraying agitators without probable cause, Fox News reported. "We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did," the appeals court ruling said. "What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not. They also show federal agents responding in various ways." Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X that this was a "WIN AGAINST JUDICIAL ACTIVISM IN MINNESOTA." "The [Justice Department] went to court. We got a temporary stay," Bondi said in the post. "NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand." The federal complaint against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE alleged federal law enforcement violated the civil rights of six protesters.

Blaze.com [1/27/2026 10:50 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1442K] reports the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered anti-ICE activists a crushing blow on Monday, granting a full stay of an activist judge’s ruling that had threatened to greatly restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ ability to fend off agitators and obstructionists in the Gopher State. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and three Minnesota-based law firms filed a lawsuit on Dec. 17 against ICE, alleging its agents violated the First and Fourth Amendment rights of several anti-ICE activists, including a Minnesota woman and a Somali-American who were both accused of attacking federal agents. Kate Menendez, a U.S. district judge nominated by former President Joe Biden, ruled in favor of the radicals on Jan. 16, prohibiting federal agents from arresting, retaliating against, and using nonlethal munitions or crowd dispersal tools against "all persons who do or will in the future record, observe, and/or protest against" Operation Metro Surge and related operations in Minnesota. The Biden judge also barred ICE from "stopping or detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles where there is no reasonable articulable suspicion that they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with Covered Federal Agents.” The ACLU of Minnesota welcomed the ruling and expressed relief that they’d gotten their way — but the liberal group’s celebration was premature. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security promptly appealed the Biden judge’s ruling to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Last week, the appellate court granted the defendants an administrative stay of Menendez’s preliminary injunction. The ACLU of Minnesota rushed to reassure fellow travelers that the "entry of an administrative stay is not a judgment by the Eighth Circuit on the merits or strength of the government’s motion to stay the injunction.”

NBC News [1/27/2026 9:07 AM, Staff, 34509K] reports Tippy Amundson and Heather Zemien say, after they were detained by federal immigration agents in the Twin Cities last Thursday, they witnessed one agent having a medical emergency. The women believed he was having a seizure, and said they were able to offer medical aid until emergency responders arrived. Amundson and Zemien joined NBC’s Joe Fryer and Savannah Sellers on “Morning News NOW” on Tuesday to share their account of what happened that day. The story was first reported by NBC affiliate KARE-TV and the Minnesota Star Tribune. NBC News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment but has not heard back. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Axios [1/27/2026 5:30 AM, Maya Goldman, 12972K] reports the escalation of ICE activity in Minnesota is disrupting care at hospitals and clinics that already were navigating shifting legal standards on immigration enforcement in their facilities. Health workers say many patients aren’t coming in for necessary care out of fear they’ll be detained by federal agents. "This has become a public health crisis," Janell Johnson Thiele, a nurse and union leader at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, told Axios. ICE agents have been reported at and near hospitals around the Twin Cities as President Trump’s immigration crackdown continues. At a news conference last week, Minnesota OB-GYN Erin Stevens said she’s seen an increase in requests for home births from patients afraid to enter hospitals. "Many of our patients, undocumented immigrants, naturalized citizens and U.S.-born citizens alike, fear leaving their homes for access to health care," Stevens said at the news conference. "They expressed to us a feeling of being hunted." Family physician Roli Dwivedi described a mother and child being forcibly separated in a clinic parking lot while visiting to fill a prescription. Some patients are even hesitating to make telehealth appointments because they’re scared to take phone calls, she said. Similar incidents have been reported elsewhere. Agents reportedly detained a mother, father and child outside of a Portland, Oregon, hospital earlier this month as the family was on their way into the emergency room.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 6:00 AM, Mia Cathell, 1394K] reports local businesses in Minnesota are aiding the resistance against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, supplying anti-ICE activists and illegal aliens alike with food, housing, and legal support as part of a sophisticated network dedicated to obstructing deportation operations across the sanctuary state. The Minnesota chapter of 50501, one of the left-wing organizations behind the nationwide “No Kings” movement, maintains a list of community partners providing “mutual aid” in the state for agitators targeting ICE and illegal immigrants at risk of removal.
For instance, Latino-operated stores and markets in Minneapolis are delivering groceries for free to illegal immigrants too afraid to leave their homes due to increased enforcement operations. Valerie’s Carniceria, a Mexican meat market in south Minneapolis, serves about 100 customers a week who are too scared to shop in person for fear of ICE capture. Alborada Market is offering free delivery for customers within a three-mile radius, while Daniel Hernandez, the owner of Colonial Market, is making deliveries himself. "The service — it’s a lifeline for them," Hernandez told the Sahan Journal, a nonprofit newsroom covering immigration in Minnesota. 50501 Minnesota itself has organized a network of safe houses in the Minneapolis metropolitan area to help illegal immigrants evade enforcement.

Reuters [1/28/2026 3:09 AM, Kristy Kilburn, 36480K] reports Gail Macklin rewatches a video she filmed on September 14, 2025, of her Senegalese national husband being detained and driven off by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Over a year later, the two are still separated and hoping for a path toward reunification.

FOX News [1/27/2026 10:37 AM, Ashley Carnahan Fox, 40621K] reports a federal judge ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) illegally detained a man in Iowa after a court ordered his release, finding the agency had no legal authority at the time and later attempted to "cover its tracks.” In a Jan. 2 order, U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher said ICE violated federal law when it detained Jorge Eliecer Gonzalez Ochoa on Dec. 23 because it had not yet issued a valid "Notice to Appear," a document the court said is required to start removal proceedings and justify detention. "It is undisputed that ICE had an arrest warrant and order to detain as of that time, but that a Notice to Appear was not issued until some unspecified time later in the day," Locher wrote. Although ICE later issued a Notice to Appear and thereby "cured" the initial defect, the court said the agency’s actions at the time of the arrest were unlawful and inconsistent with federal regulations. Locher sharply criticized ICE for mailing the Notice to Appear later that day rather than serving it in person while Gonzalez Ochoa was already in custody. "In context, it appears that ICE served the Notice to Appear by regular mail to obfuscate the timing of events and suggest that it might have been issued at the same time as the arrest warrant and order to detain. In other words, ICE knew it should not have issued the arrest warrant and order to detain in the absence of a Notice to Appear but sought to ‘cover its tracks,’" the judge wrote. "This is unacceptable. With no pending removal proceeding, and no Notice to Appear, ICE was required to allow Gonzalez Ochoa to be released at 10:00 a.m., period — not to arrest him and then scramble around later to backfill crucial missing documents in a misleading way," he added. The court declined to order Gonzalez Ochoa’s immediate release but ruled he is entitled to an individualized bond hearing in the Immigration Court within seven days.

New York Times [1/27/2026 6:40 PM, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, 135475K] reports a federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the deportation of a 5-year-old boy and his father who were arrested in a Minneapolis suburb in an operation that further stirred the outrage over the Trump administration’s deportation efforts. The boy, Liam Conejo Ramos, and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, were arrested last week in Columbia Heights, Minn., shortly after the father had picked the boy up from school, according to school district officials. They were quickly taken to an immigration detention center outside San Antonio, where they remain. In his order, Judge Fred Biery of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas told the federal government that it could not move the boy or his father out of his court’s jurisdiction while they challenged their detention. Exactly what happened during the arrest remains in dispute. Officials with the Columbia Heights Public School District, where Liam is a prekindergarten student, accused the federal government of using the boy as bait at his home to try to lure other family members out of the house. They said he was one of four students in the district who had recently been detained by the immigration authorities. But Department of Homeland Security officials said that Mr. Conejo Arias had fled from agents, leaving Liam behind, and that Liam’s mother had “refused to accept custody” of him. They said Mr. Conejo Arias had told agents that he wanted Liam to remain with him. They also said that agents had not targeted or arrested the child, though they said he was being held with his father at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security Department spokeswoman, maintained on Tuesday that Mr. Conejo Arias, who is from Ecuador, had entered the country illegally in December 2024. A lawyer for the father and son disputed that in court documents, saying that the pair had entered legally at a border crossing in Brownsville, Texas. The lawyer, Jennifer Scarborough, said they had followed the government’s guidelines for asylum seekers and argued that the government had violated the rights of the father and his son by detaining them.

Reported similarly:
AP [1/27/2026 6:38 PM, Valerie Gonzalez and Heather Hollingsworth]
CBS News [1/27/2026 4:14 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 39474K]
NBC News [1/27/2026 5:42 PM, Gary Grumbach and Doha Madani, 34509K]
FOX News [1/27/2026 5:38 PM, Louis Casiano, 40621K]
CNN [1/27/2026 5:42 PM, Holly Yan, 18595K]
Univision [1/27/2026 4:23 PM, Staff, 5004K]

ABC News [1/27/2026 1:45 PM, Laura Romero, 30493K] reports that Several detainees at a Texas immigration detention facility claim in sworn court declarations that they heard a Cuban immigrant, whose death was later ruled a homicide, pleading for medication shortly before hearing what sounded like guards slamming him to the ground. Geraldo Lunas Campos died in ICE custody on Jan. 3 at Camp East Montana, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He is the third detainee to die at the detention center since it opened last year as a tent facility on the grounds of the Fort Bliss Army base outside El Paso. In an autopsy report released last week, the El Paso County deputy medical examiner determined that Campos died from "asphyxia due to neck and torso compression." Attorneys for the Campos family filed an emergency petition last week to prevent alleged witnesses from being deported. The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cites reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos. According to DHS, Campos was detained in July during an immigration enforcement action in New York. He had prior convictions including sexual contact with a minor and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the DHS and court records. In a statement released following his death, a DHS spokesperson said Campos was pronounced dead after "experiencing medical distress."

USA Today [1/27/2026 9:43 PM, Aaron Martinez and Thao Nguyen, 67103K] reports the federal government agreed on Jan. 27 not to deport detainees who reportedly witnessed a Cuban migrant’s death, which was ruled a homicide by a county medical examiner, inside a Texas detention facility earlier this month. Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban migrant, died in custody on Jan. 3 at the Camp East Montana detention center in East El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced his death, it said he experienced "medical distress" and that the incident was being investigated. A Jan. 15 report from the Washington Post said El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office was likely to rule Lunas Campos’ death a homicide and cited a witness who said guards were choking Lunas Campos — details that were absent from ICE’s initial statement. In response to the report, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a new statement that Lunas Campos attempted to commit suicide and then resisted security officers before he died. The county medical examiner then found the death was a homicide due to asphyxia from neck and torso compression.

USA Today [1/27/2026 1:30 PM, McKenna Mobley, 67103K] reports that Detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto have filed a federal lawsuit challenging what they call the facility’s inhumane conditions. The lawsuit, made public on Jan. 26, seeks to expose a detention system the plaintiffs allege is cruel, inhumane and degrading, and that forces people to live in unsanitary conditions subject to punitive isolation and neglect, the Immigrant Defenders Law Center said in a written statement. The litigation specifically challenges alleged denial of basic necessities at the privately operated facility — including medical and mental health care, access to the outdoors and adequate nutrition and water — and seeks to end "excessive use of solitary confinement," according to the organization. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of detainees by Public Counsel, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Immigrant Defenders Law Center and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Two people men being held at the detention center have died in recent months. Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a 39-year-old DACA recipient, died Sept. 22, 2025, in ICE custody at Adelanto. A month later, on Oct. 23, 2025, 56-year-old Gabriel Garcia-Aviles died after being detained at Adelanto for about a week. Both deaths remain under investigation. The plaintiffs state that being detained for a civil infraction should never result in serious illness or death.

San Diego Union Tribune [1/27/2026 9:26 PM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1538K] reports members of the San Diego Democratic congressional delegation voiced support Tuesday for a proposed bill by Rep. Scott Peters that would establish stricter use-of-force standards for federal immigration enforcement agents — standards they say may have prevented the recent fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Reps. Juan Vargas, Mike Levin and Sara Jacobs joined Peters in demanding accountability from the Department of Homeland Security following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good this month by federal agents. “Neither should be dead today,” Peters said during a news conference outside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego. “Their deaths and the chaos that federal immigration officers have wreaked in American cities are tragedies, and this administration has refused to hold these agents accountable.” Peters introduced the Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act in November, before DHS deployed a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The proposed legislation includes limitations on the use of military-style equipment and requires federal immigration enforcement agents to wear body cameras. The bill also aims to improve training and restrict the use of masks. Additionally, it would prohibit agents from identifying themselves as “police” on their uniforms, as this has led to confusion with local police departments. “My bill … would make DHS operate in accordance with the best practices of law enforcement, would enforce them to abide by the same use-of-force and de-escalation standards to which police officers around the country must adhere,” he said. The local delegation also joined the growing number of voices within their party who have called for the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem — “if she won’t resign or Trump won’t remove her,” said Levin. “I’ve been very reluctant to go down that road, but after the events of this past weekend, there is no other choice,” he said. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expressed his support for Noem amid the backlash after the killings of Pretti and Good in Minneapolis, telling reporters that she is doing “a very good job” by pointing out that the southern border is “totally secure.” He said that Noem would not step down. Trump said he wants “a very honorable and honest investigation” following Pretti’s death on Saturday. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Democrats in the Senate have indicated that they could block a funding bill for DHS as the shutdown deadline approaches, unless there are reforms to ICE operations. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that the Senate Democrats “will not pass the DHS budget until it is rewritten.” “I will vote no on any legislation that funds ICE until it is reined in and overhauled,” he said on X.

NewsNation [1/27/2026 11:08 AM, Juliette Vara, 8017K] reports as part of a statewide, joint effort by over 18 law enforcement agencies, California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced the results of Operation “Stand on Demand.” The operation occurred from Jan. 19 to 24, across multiple counties throughout California with the goal of arresting sex buyers, helping trafficking victims, and ultimately, arresting traffickers. As a result of the operation, 120 total individuals were arrested. Of those arrested, 87 were for loitering, 25 for solicitation and eight for pimping and pandering. Authorities say 105 of those arrests took place in San Diego County including Santee, National City and San Marcos. “Let’s be clear human trafficking is happening in our communities, behind closed doors and in plain sight,” said Bonta. This operation is part of a regional strategy aimed at addressing human trafficking and sexual exploitation by concentrating on the demand for these illicit services. It involves targeted enforcement that depends on both the surveillance of identified locations and the deployment of undercover officers. “Our strategy is straight forward, reduce demand disrupt trafficking networks and protect survivors,” said Bonta.

AP [1/27/2026 1:58 PM, Colleen Barry, David Biller and Trisha Thomas, 31753K] reports news that a unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be present during the upcoming Winter Games has set off concern and confusion in Italy, where people have expressed outrage at the inclusion of an agency that has dominated headlines for leading the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Homeland Security Investigations, a unit within ICE that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. HSI officers are separate from the ICE arm at the forefront of the immigration crackdown known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there was no indication ERO officers were being sent to Italy. That distinction, however, wasn’t immediately clear to local media on Tuesday morning. Italy’s Interior Ministry said later that the HSI investigators would be stationed at a control room at the U.S. Consulate in Milan, in a support role with other U.S. law enforcement agencies, and that they would not include personnel involved in immigration controls in the United States. It noted in a statement issued after Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta met Tuesday morning that HSI agents are present in more than 50 countries, including for many years Italy. “All of the security operations in the territory remain as always the exclusive responsibility and direction of Italian authorities,’’ the ministry said.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [1/27/2026 10:52 AM, Ashleigh Fields, 12595K]
Reuters [1/27/2026 3:42 PM, Crispian Balmer and Alvise Armellini, 36480K]
FOX News [1/27/2026 12:09 PM, Ryan Gaydos, 40621K]

The Hill [1/27/2026 11:56 AM, Sarah Davis, 12595K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday that U.S. immigration officers will remain under the purview of Italian officials at the upcoming winter Olympic games. Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which is a branch of DHS, will assist with security operations at Italy’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games. The competitions begin Feb. 6 and run through Feb. 22. The department responded to the news on the social platform X on Tuesday. “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries,” the DHS posted. “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations. All security operations remain under Italian authority.” ICE’s involvement in the games has been met with criticism from some Italian officials, who cite U.S. law enforcement’s role in killing two people in Minnesota in the past month. Milan’s mayor told local media that ICE is “not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.”

The New York Times [1/27/2026 1:13 PM, Motoko Rich, 135475K] reports ICE will accompany the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Italy next month, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Tuesday, stoking a backlash among Italians angered by the conduct of ICE agents in Minneapolis. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will join a security team from the State Department at the Olympics “to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” D.H.S. said in a statement attributed to Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary for public affairs. “All security operations remain under Italian authority,” the statement said, adding that ICE “does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.” Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend the start of the games on Feb. 6, and 232 American athletes are set to compete in the events. CBS News [1/27/2026 11:03 AM, Haley Ott, 39474K] reports the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, spoke out Tuesday amid reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would have a security role during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, which are set to begin in Milan on Feb. 6. "This is a militia that kills," Sala said in an interview with Italian media. "It’s a militia that enters people’s homes by signing permits for themselves. … It’s clear that they’re not welcome in Milan, there’s no doubt about that." "The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service is leading the U.S. security effort at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics," the U.S. State Department said in a statement shared on Tuesday with CBS News, and also shared by the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service. "As in previous Olympic events, multiple federal agencies are supporting the Diplomatic Security Service, including Homeland Security Investigations [HSI], ICE’s investigative component." The U.S. agencies stressed that HSI has supported the Diplomatic Security Service at previous Olympic Games. "At the Olympics, the role of Homeland Security Investigations is strictly supportive — working with the Diplomatic Security Service and Italian authorities to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations," the statement said. "ICE is not involved in policing or managing security during the Olympics. All security operations at the Olympics are directed and managed exclusively by Italian authorities."

Reported similarly:
NPR [1/27/2026 5:09 PM, Brian Mann, 28013K] r
NewsMax [1/27/2026 505 PM, Jim Mishler, 4109K]
Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 8:25 AM, David Zimmermann, 1394K]

CNN [1/27/2026 1:55 PM, Sana Noor Haq, Barbie Latza Nadeau, and Antonia Mortensen, 18595K] reports outrage is growing in Italy over the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist US security operations at the Winter Olympics next month. Current and former lawmakers have urged Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to intervene to block the agents’ presence in the wake of two fatal shootings during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed the reports in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. ICE will serve "a security role" at the Olympics, a DHS spokesperson said. "They don’t do immigration enforcement (operations) in a foreign country obviously," the spokesperson said. The agency is "supporting" the US diplomatic security service at the Games, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin added later Tuesday, saying that, "All security operations remain under Italian authority." "At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations," McLaughlin told CNN in a statement. According to the Associated Press, citing sources, federal agencies have supported security for US diplomats in previous Olympics, including Homeland Security Investigations, which is a part of ICE.

The AP [1/27/2026 1:02 PM, Mike Schneider, 31753K] reports President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration contributed to a year-to-year drop in the nation’s growth rate as the U.S. population reached nearly 342 million people in 2025, according to population estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 0.5% growth rate for 2025 was a sharp drop from 2024’s almost 1% growth rate, which was the highest in two decades and was fueled by immigration. The 2024 estimates put the U.S. population at 340 million people. Immigration increased by almost 1.3 million people last year, compared with 2024’s increase of 2.8 million people. If trends continue, the gain from immigrants in mid-2026 will drop to only 321,000 people, according to the Census Bureau, whose estimates do not distinguish between legal and illegal immigration. In the past 125 years, the lowest growth rate was in 2021, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when the U.S. population grew by just 0.16%, or 522,000 people and immigration increased by just 376,000 people because of travel restrictions into the U.S. Before that, the lowest growth rate was just under 0.5% in 1919 at the height of the Spanish flu. Births outnumbered deaths last year by 519,000 people. While higher than the pandemic-era low at the beginning of the decade, the natural increase was dramatically smaller than in the 2000s, when it ranged between 1.6 million and 1.9 million people. The immigration drop dented growth in several states that traditionally have been immigrant magnets. The Wall Street Journal [1/27/2026 6:09 PM, Paul Kiernan and Paul Overberg, 646K] reports that part of the issue remains a slowing birthrate in the U.S., something Republicans have flagged as a major concern. The Trump administration has encouraged Americans to have more children. While the number of births edged slightly higher to 3.6 million in the most recent year, it isn’t nearly enough to make up for the drop in immigrants. Deaths also increased slightly. The figures also show five states lost population in the most recent year—Vermont, Hawaii, West Virginia, New Mexico and California—up from two the prior year. The sharpest change in the data is a drop in net immigration, or the difference between people who moved to and from the U.S. The Census estimated 1.3 million net arrivals in the most recent measured year, down 54% from the preceding 12 months, a period when migrants were surging into the U.S. in historically high numbers. The slowdown is likely to steepen further. The latest Census estimates include the second half of 2024, when migrants were still crossing the border in relatively large numbers.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [1/27/2026 6:38 PM, Jeff Adelson and Sabrina Tavernise, 135475K]
Bloomberg [1/27/2026 4:42 PM, Augusta Saraiva, 18207K]
CBS News [1/27/2026 6:53 PM, Julia Ingram and Laura Doan, 39474K]

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 11:19 AM, Rachel Schilke, 1394K] reports Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) is calling on President Donald Trump and Congress to work together and change immigration policies after the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration officers in Minneapolis this month, urging Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to “reassess their current tactics.” In an op-ed to the New York Times, the centrist congressman wrote that after tensions raised by Minnesota have calmed, Congress should devise a “realistic plan” to provide a “path to legal status — not citizenship — for long-term illegal immigrants without criminal records.” "This path would be rigorous and fair, and it would aim to keep families together," wrote Lawler. "Fair means those who benefit would face mandatory work requirements, forgo public assistance and pay fines and any back taxes they might owe.” Lawler wrote that Congress should also "change the legal immigration system." "Lawmakers should create a system in which applicants’ merit matters more than it does now, better accounting for the country’s economic needs," he wrote. "I will always fight to provide opportunity to others who have the potential and desire to contribute to America’s success." His opinion piece comes after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by an ICE officer and Border Patrol agent, respectively. The administration has insisted that the two individuals were impeding federal investigations.

Blaze [1/27/2026 12:20 PM, Rebeka Zeljko, 1442K] reports that while the Senate continues stalling the commonsense SAVE Act, the Republican Study Committee members are pressuring their colleagues to send the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk. The House passed the SAVE Act for the second time in April, but the Senate has yet to schedule a vote to pass the bill. Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas originally spearheaded the legislation, which would simply require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections. Since then, dozens of RSC members have been pressuring the Senate to hold a vote, telling Blaze News that "the Senate must do their job." "Voting in American elections is a right reserved for American citizens, and the House did our job by passing the SAVE Act months ago to secure it," RSC Chairman August Pfluger (Texas) told Blaze News. "We’re already a full year into the 119th Congress, and the American people are still waiting for the Senate to deliver what we promised them in 2024. They sent us here to get things done, not to make excuses." "This is a commonsense reform with broad public support from Americans who want elections that are free, fair, and secure," Roy told Blaze News. "Now it’s time for the Senate to act. All it takes is 51 Republicans willing to demand a vote. And if Democrats choose to filibuster, they can explain to the American people why they believe noncitizens should be allowed to vote. That is a debate we will win every time."

Reuters [1/27/2026 1:49 PM, Jasper Ward, 36480K] reports that U.N. human rights experts on Tuesday denounced the Trump administration’s decision last year to cut legal aid for unaccompanied children in U.S. immigration proceedings. The condemnation came days after U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged the Trump administration to ensure that its migration policies respect individual rights and international law. "Denying children their rights to legal representation and forcing them to navigate complex immigration proceedings without legal counsel is a serious violation of the rights of children," said the independent experts, who are appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council. In February, the U.S Department of the Interior ordered legal service providers working with the children to stop work and cut their funding. The providers sued over the move and a federal judge later temporarily restored the funding for the program. The move came amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, including an effort to deport hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the U.S. without their parents. The U.N. experts called the deportations unlawful and said they breached international human rights law prohibiting the removal of vulnerable groups, including children at risk of human trafficking. They also condemned the administration’s $2,500 offer to get the unaccompanied children to voluntarily leave the U.S.

CBS Miami [1/27/2026 6:11 PM, Staff, 39474K] reports with Temporary Protected Status for Haitians set to expire on February 3, Miami leaders and faith groups urge the Trump administration not to rescind protections for thousands. Local Haitians share their fears as their legal status and livelihoods hang in the balance. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [1/27/2026 4:34 PM, Sophia Tareen] reports a Chicago carpenter cleared of accusations that he put a $10,000 bounty on the life of a Border Patrol commander has been taken into immigration custody and faces deportation, attorneys confirmed Tuesday. Juan Espinoza Martinez, 37, was acquitted of one count of murder-for-hire last week. Within 24 hours, he was picked up by federal immigration agents, said defense attorneys Jonathan Bedi and Dena Singer. Born in Mexico, Espinoza Martinez was brought to the U.S. as a young child, according to a videotaped interview played during the short trial. His immigration status was not part of the first criminal trial stemming from the Chicago immigration crackdown. Defense attorneys said the federal government, which referred to Espinoza Martinez as a "criminal illegal alien," engaged in "character assassination." Prosecutors accused Espinoza Martinez of being a "ranking" member of the Latin Kings, but the claim quickly unraveled when they didn’t present evidence and a judge barred mentions of the street gang at trial. His wife, Bianca Hernandez, told the Chicago Tribune that her husband was a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era program that’s shielded hundreds of thousands of people from deportation if they meet certain criteria, including no criminal history. However, Espinoza Martinez was not able to reapply in 2020 due to financial hardship, according to family.

New York Times [1/27/2026 3:47 PM, J. David Goodman and Vimal Patel, 135475K] reports Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas on Tuesday abruptly blocked state agencies and public universities from using skilled foreign worker visas in hiring, as conservative state leaders and the Trump administration seek to curtail the program. Mr. Abbott, in a letter to state agencies, ordered an investigation into agencies and universities that sponsored foreign job applicants for what are known as H-1B visas, which are issued to nonimmigrant workers in a range of specialty fields. Texas is among the top states for such visas, along with California, New York and New Jersey. But some in higher education have pushed back against efforts to limit visas.

Houston Chronicle [1/27/2026 11:54 AM, Benjamin Wermund and Samantha Ketterer, 2983K] reports Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered all state agencies and public universities to stop sponsoring specialty H-1B visas for highly skilled workers until after the Legislature meets next year. The Texas Republican wrote in a letter to agency heads that the freeze on petitions for new visas is aimed at giving state lawmakers time to consider “guardrails” for the federal H-1B program and for reforms pushed by President Donald Trump to set in. The pause comes amid growing angst on the right over the H-1B program, which allows employers, including state agencies, to sponsor foreign workers in specialty occupations. “Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified U.S. workers before seeking to use foreign labor,” Abbott wrote. “Rather than serving its intended purpose of attracting the best and brightest individuals from around the world to our nation to fill truly specialized and unmet labor needs, the program has too often been used to fill jobs that otherwise could — and should — have been filled by Texans.” According to federal data, the vast majority of H-1B workers in Texas are at private companies. The biggest public institutions affected by Abbott’s order appear to be state universities and hospitals, but at least one of them — the Texas A&M University System — said they had already stopped sponsoring new H-1B holders after the Trump administration slapped a $100,000 fee on the visas last year. Abbott’s letter comes as Trump is pushing sweeping changes to the program, including the $100,000 fee for new petitioners — a massive increase that could price out many sponsors, who generally cover the costs. His administration is also working to replace the current lottery system for awarding the visas with a weighted system prioritizing workers with higher pay and skills. Abbott’s letter says no state agency or public institution of higher education should petition for new H-1B workers without the written permission of the Texas Workforce Commission.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [1/27/2026 12:31 PM, Joe Lovinger, 18207K]
AP [1/27/2026 6:29 PM, Sara Cline, 31753K]
Reuters [1/27/2026 1:41 PM, Jasper Ward, 36480K]

FOX News [1/27/2026 8:00 AM, Adam Sabes, 40621K] reports a former CIA operative says that a recent alleged "sham marriage" scandal involving U.S. Navy sailors marrying Chinese citizens exposes a "targeted" national security threat focused on a major U.S. Naval base, potentially opening the door to foreign spies. According to court documents, Jacinth Bailey and Morgan Chambers, both Navy sailors based in Jacksonville, Florida, were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud after they allegedly accepted thousands of dollars from Chinese nationals in order to enter sham marriages. Both Bailey and Chambers allegedly took part in a plot where American citizens marry Chinese nationals for the sole purpose of getting green cards. According to Stars and Stripes, Bailey was assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier as an aviation boatswain’s mate. According to federal prosecutors, Bailey even attended a party after the sham wedding in order to "substantiate its purported legitimacy by taking pictures to be used for immigration application purpose.” The plot dates back to September 2024 and involved several other unnamed individuals who are called "conspirators" in the indictment.

CBS News [1/27/2026 10:03 AM, Will Croxton, 39474K] Video: HERE reports just over a week ago, 60 Minutes reported from Minneapolis, Minnesota, about the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the city, Operation Metro Surge. Thousands protested in the streets of Minneapolis over this past weekend after a second Minneapolis resident, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse at a VA hospital, was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters that the Border Patrol agent fired "defensive shots," fearing for his life because Pretti was "brandishing" a handgun. Multiple videos contradict the statement: Pretti held a phone, not the gun he was licensed to carry, in the moments leading up to his death. It is not the first time that video shot by bystanders has cast doubt on statements made by DHS. In Chicago, on Oct. 10, Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen and paralegal, was driving to work after dropping her son off at school. She came across a chaotic scene: masked agents were blocking traffic while bystanders filmed them. "It didn’t make sense to me because… they weren’t in an ICE agent’s uniform," she told correspondent Cecilia Vega. "I’ve never seen that before… I was confused, because they were also masked.” Figueroa said she saw that their vehicle had pulled up, creating an open lane for her to pass by. She drove ahead, attempting to get through. Bystander video of the incident appears to show the agents’ vehicle swerving into the side of Figueroa’s car. "He sideswipes me," Figueroa said. "And it wasn’t a huge accident either. It’s not like it was a huge collision.” In the bystander video, Border Patrol agents can be seen exiting the vehicle with their guns drawn, one pointing their gun directly at Figueroa. Figueroa was put in a red van with two men accused of being in the United States illegally. She said she told agents multiple times that she was a U.S. citizen, and no one responded. En route to a detention center, Figueroa said, they finally identified themselves as agents working for the Department of Homeland Security. She said they took her to an FBI facility for questioning. Figueroa told 60 Minutes that she had been detained for about four hours when she was finally released by FBI agents after she told them she had urinated blood and expressed concern about damage to her kidneys. Paramedics then arrived to take her to a hospital. "I left without a single piece of paper… as if it never happened. I was put on to the stretcher and as I’m being wheeled away, [the FBI agents] said that I’m released pending charges," Figueroa explained to Vega. Figueroa said she was never charged with a crime. In a statement to 60 Minutes, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: "U.S. Border Patrol was conducting a targeted immigration enforcement arrest of two illegal aliens when an individual used her Mercedes Benz to block in agents, honking her horn. As agents were departing, the driver, a U.S. citizen, hit a government vehicle. In fear of public safety and of law enforcement, officers attempted to remove her from the vehicle. She violently resisted, kicking two agents and causing injuries. This agitator was arrested for assault on a federal agent.”

AP [1/27/2026 10:03 AM, Staff, 31753K] reports more than 22,000 tons of high-grade aluminum alloys seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2017 will be sold at public auction in Riverside. The aluminum, stored at the Amentum Consolidated Storage Facility, consists of approximately 279,000 spot-welded "pallets" made from AL356 and AL6063 alloys. Laboratory analysis confirmed the material is suitable for recycling and remelting for use in manufacturing across industries such as aerospace, construction, automotive and transportation. The auctions, to be conducted by Amentum and CWS Marketing Group, will be held in two events. The first auction is scheduled for Feb. 19, 2026, and will offer two inside lots totaling nearly 20 million pounds. The second auction, set for May 2026, will feature an outside lot of more than 24 million pounds stored in 625 shipping containers, which are included in the sale. CBP-approved buyers may participate in person at the Riverside CSF live auction event or in Online via CWSMarketing.com. A refundable $100,000 good-faith deposit and proof of funds will be required for bidder registration.

New York Times [1/27/2026 11:17 AM, Scott Dance, 135475K] reports about $17 billion in federal disaster funds for states is getting an extra layer of review by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, causing unusual delays in payments, according to internal Federal Emergency Management Agency documents reviewed by The New York Times. The delays stem from a directive issued by Ms. Noem in June that said any expenditure of $100,000 or more must be approved by her office, which oversees the disaster agency, to root out “waste, fraud and abuse.” The bottleneck includes money that had already been approved by regional FEMA offices for things like debris removal and repairs to roads, bridges and water and sewer systems. Ms. Noem’s directive has extended the final processing of large projects, a stage that normally takes a few weeks, by months, causing the backlog to balloon, according to three FEMA employees familiar with the process who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. FEMA has barred staff from discussing review timelines with state officials who ask about the status of aid, the employees said. FEMA and Homeland Security officials did not respond to questions about the aid backlog.

Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 7:00 AM, Rachel Schilke, 1394K] reports Senate Democrats’ threats to withhold Homeland Security funding over the Trump administration’s immigration policies could put federal emergency assistance funding at risk, coming after a massive snowstorm that swept the country over the weekend and left thousands without power. The DHS bill provides $64.4 billion, of which $32 billion is allocated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Of that $32 billion, $26.4 billion is for the Disaster Relief Fund and $3.8 billion for grant programs, education, and training of firefighters, first responders, and others. The Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for several states ahead of the winter storm, dubbed "Winter Storm Fern" by the Weather Channel, that brought freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall to many states. But FEMA’s funding is at risk now that many Democrats have come out against a six-bill appropriations legislation that includes funding for Homeland Security after another shooting death involving a U.S. citizen. Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern after Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent. But Democrats are now largely calling for the DHS bill to be removed from the bill so they can place more guardrails on ICE. Doing so, however, would affect funding to other agencies under the legislation, including FEMA.

NewsMax [1/27/2026 11:08 AM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 4109K] reports Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said Tuesday that Republicans are prepared to work across the aisle to prevent a partial government shutdown that could undermine federal emergency aid as Tennessee struggles with frigid temperatures following a punishing ice storm. Blackburn, appearing on Newsmax’s "Wake Up America," stressed that funding delays in Washington would come at the worst possible time for states hit by Winter Storm Fern. "It is a dangerous combination," Blackburn said of the storm’s impact, noting widespread ice, power outages, and dangerous cold in Middle Tennessee. She said local officials are fully engaged, saying that "warming centers are set up"and "our mayors are hard at work, making certain that they are working with local law enforcement, with the National Guard."

The Los Angeles Times [1/27/2026 5:16 PM, Noah Goldberg, 14862K] President Trump has announced an executive order to allow victims of the Los Angeles wildfires to rebuild without dealing with "unnecessary, dupicative, or obstructive" permitting requirements. The order, which is likely to be challenged by the city and state, claimed that local governments have failed to adequately process permits and were slowing down residents who are desperate to rebuild in the Palisades and Altadena. "American families and small businesses affected by the wildfires have been forced to continue living in a nightmare of delay, uncertainty, and bureaucratic malaise as they remain displaced from their homes, often without a source of income, while state and local governments delay or prevent reconstruction by approving only a fraction of the permits needed to rebuild," Trump wrote in the executive order, which he signed Friday. The order called on the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to "preempt" state and local permitting authorities. Instead of going through the usual approval process, residents using federal emergency funds to rebuild would need to self-certify to federal authorities that they have complied with local health and safety standards. The AP [1/27/2026 4:18 PM, Christopher Weber and Gabriela Aoun Angueira, 31753K] reports Trump’s order, signed Friday, seeks to allow homeowners to rebuild without contending with "unnecessary, duplicative, or obstructive" permitting requirements, the White House said in a statement. The order directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to find a way to issue regulations that would preempt state and local rules for obtaining permits and allow builders to "self-certify" that they have complied with "substantive health, safety, and building standards." California Gov. Gavin Newsom scoffed at the idea that the federal government could issue local rebuilding permits and urged Trump to approve the state’s $33.9 billion disaster aid request. Newsom has traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the money, but the administration has not yet approved it. The Democratic governor said on social media that more than 1,600 rebuilding permits have been issued in Los Angeles and officials are moving at a fast pace. Fewer than a dozen homes had been rebuilt in Los Angeles County as of Jan. 7, one year after the fires began, The Associated Press found. About 900 homes were under construction. The Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and destroyed about 13,000 residential properties. The fires burned for more than three weeks and cleanup efforts took about seven months. It wasn’t immediately clear what power the federal government could wield over local and state permitting. The order also directs federal agencies to expedite waivers, permits and approvals to work around any environmental, historic preservation or natural resource laws that might stand in the way of rebuilding. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement that instead of trying to meddle in the permitting process, the Trump administration should speed up FEMA reimbursements. In addition, Trump’s executive order also directs U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FEMA acting administrator Karen Evans to audit California’s use of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding, a typical add-on in major disasters that enables states to build back with greater resilience. The audit must be completed within 60 days, after which Noem and Evans are instructed to determine whether future conditions should be put on the funding or even possible "recoupment or recovery actions" should take place.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [1/27/2026 3:27 PM, Nick Gilbertson, 2416K]
USA Today [1/27/2026 3:18 PM, James Ward and Paris Barraza, 67103K]
Daily Wire [1/27/2026 12:44 PM, Zach Jewell, 2494K]

Reuters [1/27/2026 12:40 PM, Staff, 36480K] reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at speeding up the rebuilding of houses and businesses destroyed by wildfires in California last January, the White House said on Tuesday, drawing a rebuke from the Democratic governor, who said the state needs money rather than permits. In the order, the Republican president accused the state and local governments of delaying reconstruction of structures "by approving only a fraction of the permits needed to rebuild." The order directs Trump administration officials to issue regulations that would "preempt state or local permitting processes" if they are found to have impeded the "timely use of Federal emergency-relief funds," the White House said. California Governor Gavin Newsom responded that his state needed federal disaster aid that he said Trump was withholding. "The Feds need to release funding not take over local permit approval speed — the main obstacle is COMMUNITIES NOT HAVING THE MONEY TO REBUILD," Newsom said in a statement on social media. Newsom and Trump have long been critical of each other, clashing on major issues including climate change, pipelines and the Republican president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the state last summer. The order, which Trump signed on Friday, also directed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the administrator of the Small Business Administration to come up with legislative proposals within 90 days if states or local governments are found lacking in enabling timely recovery after disasters.

New York Post [1/27/2026 2:59 PM, Annie Gaus, 42219K] reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a desperate plea to President Donald Trump for fire aid after he ordered feds to fast-track permitting to rebuild fire-wrecked Los Angeles neighborhoods. The governor blasted Trump’s executive order to take over permitting, first reported by the California Post, writing on X that "an executive order to rebuild Mars would do just as useful" — before begging the president to release federal aid to help communities pay for extensive rebuilding efforts. "The Feds need to release funding not take over local permit approval speed — the main obstacle is COMMUNITIES NOT HAVING THE MONEY TO REBUILD," Newsom’s press office wrote. "Mr. President, please actually help us. We are begging you. Release the federal disaster aid you’re withholding that will help communities rebuild their homes, schools, parks, and infrastructure," Newsom continued. Trump’s order is intended to "preempt" the building permit process, calling out a "nightmare" of delays and "bureaucratic malaise" at the California state and local levels. Under the order, the heads of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) will issue regulations intended to let builders self-certify to a federal agency that they have complied with health, safety and building standards.

Reuters [1/27/2026 3:04 PM, Staff, 36480K] reports that the captain of a Venezuela-linked crude oil tanker seized by the U.S. this month has been taken from British territorial waters and is now aboard a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, a lawyer for the captain’s wife said on Tuesday. The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. military special forces, bearing a judicial seizure warrant, apprehended the Russian-flagged Marinera in the Atlantic near Iceland on January 7 after pursuing it for more than two weeks as part of Washington’s efforts to block Venezuelan oil exports. After its capture, the tanker was moved to a location off the coast of Scotland. Despite legal attempts to stop their removal, Captain Avtandil Kalandadze, a Georgian, and the boat’s first officer were taken from Scottish jurisdiction to the U.S. Coast Guard vessel Munro, Aamer Anwar, the lawyer for Kalandadze’s wife, Natia Dzadzama, said. On Monday, a Scottish court issued an interim order preventing the captain’s removal pending a judicial review of his detention, but the order was revoked early Tuesday after the court heard Kalandadze was already outside British territorial waters, Anwar said. "Our client’s judicial review can no longer be enforced now her husband has, in essence, been abducted by the U.S. government on Scottish and British territory," he said in a statement.

Washington Post [1/27/2026 2:35 PM, Andrea Sachs, 24149K] reports that on he 12th day of their Antarctica cruise, a group of passengers aboard the Scenic Eclipse II helicoptered into the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area on the frozen continent. Hours later, they found themselves in the polar opposite situation. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Axios [1/27/2026 3:19 PM, Sam Sabin, 12972K] reports a year into the second Trump administration, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is smaller, leaner and at the center of a growing debate over what the nation’s cyber mission should look like. CISA is at the front lines of protecting U.S. government agencies and private companies from nation-state and cybercriminal digital threats, but it now has fewer people and resources to carry on that work. Buyouts, contract cuts and reduced threat-hunting capacity defined the nation’s top cybersecurity agency last year. More than one-third of CISA’s workforce was laid off or took voluntary buyouts or early retirements last year. Some personnel were reportedly reassigned at the end of the year to ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and other Department of Homeland Security offices focused on immigration. Political leadership has also been embroiled in controversy in recent months after acting director Madhu Gottumukkala reportedly failed a polygraph and attempted to oust the agency’s chief information officer. CISA ended funding to outside election security programs and halted much of its work to support state and local election officials. A former senior official, who requested anonymity to avoid retaliation, told Axios that the changes have dampened morale inside the agency and made it difficult for it to maintain strong private sector partnerships. Tensions are growing between the agency and lawmakers over what exactly it means to return the agency to its mission, which was the stated rationale for cutting certain staff and contracts. Part of the House-approved appropriations budget calls on the agency to restart its election security program and provide funding to the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center. The House’s spending bill — which is likely to get held up this week as Senate Democrats push for policy changes at ICE — also provides "$20 million to fill critical vacancies," according to a bill summary.

CyberScoop [1/27/2026 6:40 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports Google Threat Intelligence Group warned that a diverse and growing collection of attackers, including nation-state groups and financially motivated cybercriminals, are exploiting a path-traversal vulnerability affecting WinRAR that was disclosed and patched six months ago. The high-severity vulnerability — CVE-2025-8088 — was exploited in the wild almost two weeks before RARLAB, the vendor behind the file archiver tool, addressed the vulnerability in a software update in late July. Active exploitation of the vulnerability has consistently extended to more threat groups during the past six months and remains ongoing. Google threat hunters have attributed attacks to at least three financially motivated attackers, four Russia state-sponsored groups and one attacker based in China. “Government-backed threat actors linked to Russia and China as well as financially motivated threat actors continue to exploit this n-day across disparate operations,” Google said in a threat intelligence report Tuesday. Researchers did not say how many attacks are linked to the vulnerability but described the activity as widespread. Nation-state groups are consistently exploiting the defect to target victims in military, government and technology for espionage, researchers said. Groups backed by Russia are targeting Ukrainian military and government entities while the China-based attacker’s targets remain unknown.

Politico [1/27/2026 3:30 PM, John Sakellariadis, 13586K] reports the interim head of the country’s cyber defense agency uploaded sensitive contracting documents into a public version of ChatGPT last summer, triggering multiple automated security warnings that are meant to stop the theft or unintentional disclosure of government material from federal networks, according to four Department of Homeland Security officials with knowledge of the incident. The apparent misstep from Madhu Gottumukkala was especially noteworthy because the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had requested special permission from CISA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer to use the popular AI tool soon after arriving at the agency this May, three of the officials said. The app was blocked for other DHS employees at the time. None of the files Gottumukkala plugged into ChatGPT were classified, according to the four officials, each of whom was granted anonymity for fear of retribution. But the material included CISA contracting documents marked “for official use only,” a government designation for information that is considered sensitive and not for public release. Cybersecurity sensors at CISA flagged the uploads this past August, said the four officials. One official specified there were multiple such warnings in the first week of August alone. Senior officials at DHS subsequently led an internal review to assess if there had been any harm to government security from the exposures, according to two of the four officials. It is not clear what the review concluded. In an emailed statement, CISA’s Director of Public Affairs Marci McCarthy said Gottumukkala “was granted permission to use ChatGPT with DHS controls in place,” and that “this use was short-term and limited.” McCarthy added that the agency was committed to “harnessing AI and other cutting-edge technologies to drive government modernization and deliver on” Trump’s executive order removing barriers to America’s leadership in AI. The email also appeared to dispute the timeline of POLITICO’s reporting: “Acting Director Dr. Madhu Gottumukkala last used ChatGPT in mid-July 2025 under an authorized temporary exception granted to some employees. CISA’s security posture remains to block access to ChatGPT by default unless granted an exception.” Gottumukkala is currently the senior-most political official at CISA, an agency tasked with securing federal networks against sophisticated, state-backed hackers from adversarial nations, including Russia and China. Any material uploaded into the public version of ChatGPT that Gottumukkala was using is shared with ChatGPT-owner OpenAI, meaning it can be used to help answer prompts from other users of the app. OpenAI has said the app has more than 700 million total active users. Other AI tools now approved for use by DHS employees — such as DHS’s self-built AI-powered chatbot, DHSChat — are configured to prevent queries or documents input into them from leaving federal networks.

Homeland Preparedness News [1/27/2026 7:45 PM, Melina Druga] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently released its initial list of product categories for technologies that use post-quantum cryptography standards. The list identifies hardware and software categories that currently support or are expected to support-post quantum cryptography (PQC) standards and is intended to assist organizations in shaping PQC migration strategies and evaluating future technological investments. Technologies include cloud services, web software, networking hardware and software, and endpoint security. “The advent of quantum computing poses a real and urgent threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of sensitive data — especially systems that rely on public-key cryptography,” Madhu Gottumukkala, CISA acting director, said. “To stay ahead of these emerging risks, organizations must prioritize the procurement of PQC-capable technologies. This product categories list will support organizations making that critical transition. CISA is proud to deliver this resource in support of President (Donald) Trump’s executive order, helping organizations confront complex technical challenges and strengthen secure technology practices for the quantum era.” Trump issued an executive order in June directing the Department of Homeland Security, acting through CISA, to publish a list of widely available products that support PQC. CISA developed the list in close collaboration with the National Security Agency and will updated the list regularly.

Washington Times [1/27/2026 10:34 AM, Staff, 852K] reports that a U.S. military cargo aircraft touched down in Nigeria on Jan. 13, delivering equipment meant to strengthen the country’s fight against jihadi-linked terrorism. Five days later, armed Fulani terrorists stormed three churches in Kurmin Wali, a farming community, and abducted 166 Christian worshippers during Sunday services. Within the same week, four civilians were seized along a nearby highway and six other residents were abducted in another Sunday attack.

The timing has sharpened a question being asked in Washington and Abuja: Will more weapons disrupt Nigeria’s terrorist networks or reinforce a system that experts say profits from denial and delay? Open Doors International, which advocates for persecuted Christians around the world, said more than 388 million of them face discrimination and persecution because of their faith. Last week, the organization released its annual tally of the most dangerous countries for Christians. African countries account for six of the top 10, with Nigeria listed as seventh. Of the 4,849 Christians killed worldwide in 2025, Nigerians accounted for 3,490 of them. Christian Nani, the director of Open Doors, pointed to sub-Saharan Africa as the “special observation” area of the Watch List 2026, particularly because of “fragile governments” that leave Christians exposed to violence. “The center of gravity of Christianity has shifted to Africa, but it is there that it is primarily under attack,” Mr. Nani told Vatican News.

CBS News [1/27/2026 11:22 AM, Stefan Becket, 39474K] reports the families of two Trinidadian men who were killed in a U.S. missile strike on a boat in the Caribbean in October sued the Trump administration in federal court, arguing the "premeditated and intentional killings lack any plausible legal justification.” Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo were among the six passengers who were killed when the boat they were traveling in was destroyed by a U.S. missile on Oct. 14, 2025, according to a 23-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Tuesday. Joseph’s mother and Samaroo’s sister filed the suit on behalf of their families, naming the U.S. as a defendant. The October strike was part of the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, mostly targeting boats coming from Venezuela. The administration has carried out at least 35 strikes since September, most recently last week. The attacks have killed more than 100 people. President Trump posted footage of the Oct. 14 strike on Truth Social at the time, writing that intelligence showed the boat "was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known [designated terrorist organization] route." He said "six male narcoterrorists" were killed. The lawsuit said Joseph and Samaroo lived in Trinidad and Tobago and had traveled to Venezuela to fish and work on farms. They were returning to their homes in Trinidad and Tobago on the boat that was struck, according to the complaint. Joseph was 26 years old and had a wife and three children in Trinidad and Tobago, the lawsuit said. The complaint said he called his wife two days before his death and said he had found transport back home. His family never heard from him again, the complaint said.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [1/27/2026 3:56 PM, Mariana Alfaro and Dan Lamothe, 24149K]
Washington Examiner [1/27/2026 12:22 PM, Mike Brest, 1394K]

Reuters [1/27/2026 9:52 PM, Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay and Matt Spetalnick, 36480K] reports U.S. intelligence reports have raised doubts about whether interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez will cooperate with the Trump administration by formally cutting ties with U.S. adversaries, four people familiar with the reports said in recent days. U.S. officials have said publicly they want the interim president to sever relations with close international allies like Iran, China and Russia, including expelling their diplomats and advisers from Venezuela. But Rodriguez, whose swearing-in ceremony was attended by representatives of those countries early this month, has yet to publicly announce such a move. She became president after the U.S. captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. The U.S. intelligence reports said it was not clear if she is fully on board with the U.S. strategy in her country, according to the sources, who declined to be identified by name. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled on January 15 to Caracas, where he discussed the country’s political future with Rodriguez. Reuters could not determine if those conversations changed the intelligence agencies’ opinion. Washington wants to rein in its foes’ influence in the Western hemisphere, including in Venezuela, where Trump seeks to exploit the OPEC nation’s vast oil reserves. If Rodriguez were to break ties with the U.S. rivals, it would open more opportunity for U.S. investment in Venezuela’s energy sector. But failure to control Rodriguez could undercut Washington’s efforts to direct the country’s interim rulers from afar and avoid a deeper U.S. military role. The Central Intelligence Agency and the Venezuela government did not respond to requests for comment. Asked for comment, a senior Trump administration official, who declined to be identified, said U.S. President Donald Trump "continues to exert maximum leverage" over Venezuela’s leaders and "expects this cooperation to continue." The CIA has previously assessed that officials loyal to Maduro, including Rodriguez, were best positioned to govern the country following his ouster. But critics of Trump’s Venezuela strategy have expressed doubts about the wisdom of keeping Maduro’s loyalists in place as the country’s interim leaders. The concerns about Rodriguez’ reliability were present prior to the U.S. military operation, said two sources. For Venezuela, the U.S. directive means abandoning its closest allies outside the region. Iran has helped Venezuela repair oil refineries while China has taken oil as repayment for debt. Russia has supplied weaponry, including missiles, to Venezuela’s military.

AP [1/28/2026 12:03 AM, Matthew Lee, 30493K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans on Wednesday to warn that the Trump administration is ready to take new military action against Venezuela if the country’s interim leadership strays from U.S. expectations. In prepared testimony for a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio says the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela and that its interim leaders are cooperating, but he notes that the Trump administration would not rule out using additional force if needed following a raid to capture former President Nicolás Maduro early this month. "We are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail," Rubio will say, according to his prepared opening statement released Tuesday by the State Department. "It is our hope that this will not prove necessary, but we will never shy away from our duty to the American people and our mission in this hemisphere.” As he often is called to do, Rubio, a former Florida senator, will aim to sell one of President Donald Trump’s more contentious priorities to former colleagues in Congress. With the administration’s foreign policy gyrating between the Western Hemisphere, Europe and the Middle East, Rubio also may be called to smooth alarm that has emerged in his own party lately about efforts like Trump’s demand to annex Greenland. In the hearing focused on Venezuela, Rubio will defend Trump’s decisions to remove Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S., continue deadly military strikes on boats suspected of smuggling drugs and seize sanctioned tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, according to the prepared remarks. He will again reject allegations that Trump is violating the Constitution by taking such actions. "There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country," he will say, according to the prepared remarks. "There are no U.S. troops on the ground. This was an operation to aid law enforcement.” Congressional Democrats have condemned Trump’s moves as exceeding the authority of the executive branch, while most — but not all — Republicans have supported them as a legitimate exercise of presidential power. The House narrowly defeated a war powers act resolution that would have directed Trump to remove U.S. troops from Venezuela. As Rubio will argue, the administration says there are no U.S. troops on the ground in the South American nation despite a large military buildup in the region.

FOX News [1/27/2026 12:04 PM, Diana Stancy, 40621K] reports that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned European leaders that they need the U.S. in order to defend themselves, comments that come as tensions between the U.S. and Europe have escalated amid President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland. "If anyone thinks here again that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other," Rutte said Monday in Brussels to the European Parliament. Without U.S. support, European nations would be required to massively ramp up their defense spending to 10% of their GDP. NATO allies pledged to spend 5% of their GDP on defense last year on defense by 2035. Likewise, Europe would be forced to spend billions of dollars to create a new nuclear deterrent, absent the U.S. "In that scenario, you will lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. nuclear umbrella. So hey, good luck," Rutte said. Rutte’s comments come amid frustration from European allies as Trump has doubled down on his quest to acquire Greenland, and as several European leaders, including Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, have suggested the European Union create its own joint army.

Reuters [1/27/2026 7:22 AM, Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang, and Ryan Woo, 36480K] reports China and Denmark have renewed an agreement on cooperating in green maritime technology and shipbuilding, China’s industry ministry said on Tuesday, reaffirming a long-term partnership in the sector. The renewal comes amid heightened tensions between Denmark and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he wants to control Denmark’s semi-autonomous island of Greenland to protect the Arctic region from security threats, including China. China is willing to conduct joint research and development with Denmark on low-carbon and zero-carbon fuel-powered ship technologies and explore cooperation in the new energy vehicle sector, Chinese Industry Minister Li Lecheng told Danish Business and Industry Minister Morten Bodskov, according to a readout of their meeting from the Chinese side. Li also told Bodskov that China was willing to deepen "strategic alignment" with Denmark and contribute more to global green development. Coinciding with Bodskov’s talks in Beijing was an official visit by Petteri Orpo, the prime minister of Finland, a leader in the design and production of icebreaker ships needed to ply emerging Arctic trade routes.

NewsMax [1/27/2026 6:38 AM, Staff, 4109K] reports a U.S. naval strike force led by an aircraft carrier was in Middle Eastern waters Tuesday as Iran vowed to hit back against any strike and President Donald Trump said he believed the Islamic republic still wanted talks. Washington has not ruled out new military intervention against Tehran over its crackdown on protests, which according to rights groups saw thousands of people killed within days. A strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln has now arrived in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said, without revealing its precise location. Since Iran earlier this month launched the crackdown on protests accompanied by a blanket internet blackout, Trump has given mixed signals on intervention which some opponents of the clerical leadership see as the only way to bring about change. "We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela," Trump told the Axios, weeks after U.S. military action resulted in the capture of the Latin American nation’s president Nicolas Maduro. But he added: "They want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk."

Free Beacon [1/27/2026 11:50 AM, Adam Kredo, 411K] reports CCP-controlled messaging platform WeChat has become a favorite tool of Chinese criminal rings inside the United States to "facilitate drug trafficking, human trafficking, [and] money laundering," according to Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.), who in a letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon requested that the White House ban the app from cellphones in the United States. WeChat, owned by China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd., has emerged in recent years as a primary means of "coordination among Chinese criminal networks" operating stateside, wrote Lankford, who serves on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence as well as the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The app has grown in popularity as Chinese nationals enter the United States, buy inexpensive farmland in places like Lankford’s home state of Oklahoma, and use that land to grow illicit marijuana for sale on the black market. U.S. law enforcement agencies, Lankford noted in the Jan. 16 letter, do "not have access to WeChat’s server or any of the encrypted communications and transactions that occur on this app," making it "an investigative black box" that is "uniquely appealing to Chinese criminals operating on American soil." Lankford’s request comes nearly six years after President Donald Trump’s first-term attempt to ban WeChat from U.S. app stores with an executive order, citing China’s control over its user data as a pressing national security risk. A California magistrate judge ruled the action unconstitutional, and the Biden administration subsequently nixed the executive order, instead instructing the federal government to conduct a national security assessment of both WeChat and the similarly CCP-controlled TikTok.

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