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

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

The Hill [3/10/2026 9:25 PM, Regina Zilbermints, 4464K] reports that Federal law enforcement officers will patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., for the next seven days, the White House announced Thursday. The enhanced federal presence will begin at midnight. It will be led by the U.S. Park Police and will include officers and agents from the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; divisions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and other agencies. The White House said the federal law enforcement will be in marked units. The announcement comes a day after President Trump said he was considering taking control of the Washington, D.C., police department in the wake of a violent attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer. “Washington, DC is an amazing city, but it has been plagued by violent crime for far too long. President Trump has directed an increased presence of federal law enforcement to protect innocent citizens. Starting tonight, there will be no safe harbor for violent criminals in D.C.,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump is committed to making our Nation’s capital safer for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [3/10/2026 11:48 AM, Josh Campbell, 19874K] reports the US intelligence community has issued a flurry of private warnings in the past week to American companies and government agencies urging vigilance and the hardening of possible targets of cyber attack by the Iranian regime in response to the war with Tehran, according to national security sources and memos reviewed by CNN. While no specific or credible threat has been outlined, in one recent bulletin to US law enforcement agencies, the Department of Homeland Security warned of a heightened threat environment following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US intelligence officials routinely send bulletins to law enforcement agencies across the country, sharing information on potential threats and best practices for protecting the public. Citing open-source intelligence, the DHS "critical incident note" said that "two top Iranian religious leaders issued separate Farsi-language fatwas calling on Muslims worldwide to take revenge for the killing" of Khamenei. "The fatwas, Iranian government rhetoric, and online messaging from regime supporters promoting retaliation against the US heightens the threat from violent extremists who support the Iranian regime," the bulletin said. The bulletin also referenced a decree from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which indicated "the enemy … will no longer have security anywhere in the world, even in their own homes." US officials have not announced any known credible threats to the homeland, but a law enforcement source familiar with the situation previously told CNN the FBI went on an elevated alert status across the country following the launch of strikes by US and Israel. Authorities were particularly concerned about enhancing security measures around US energy infrastructure, hardening potential government targets against cyber threats from sophisticated Iranian actors, and securing the border.

The Hill [3/10/2026 6:27 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18170K] reports Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has teased changes in the operations at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), though the close ally of President Trump has largely backed the White House’s immigration moves. Mullin would take over DHS amid heightened scrutiny over its operations on everything from aggressive immigration enforcement to delays in distributing disaster funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He hasn’t given any public details about how he plans to shift away from any of DHS’s current practices, but he didn’t rule out changes. “There’s an opportunity to build off successes, and there’s also opportunities to build off things that didn’t go as planned,” he told reporters last week shortly after Trump announced he was firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “There’s a lot of work we can do to get the Department of Homeland Security working for the American people.” Should he be confirmed, Mullin would take the helm of the agency as polling shows growing dissatisfaction with how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has carried out raids, a practice that has even earned pushback from some of his GOP colleagues. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) blasted the agency for being focused on quantity over quality, while Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said deportations had gone “a little bit off the rails.” Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a longtime colleague of Mullin in the Oklahoma delegation, praised the senator as someone who would be “politically sensitive” to growing backlash to immigration operations.

DailySignal [3/10/2026 1:10 PM, George Caldwell, 474K] reports that the future of the immigration issue could now rest on one man’s shoulders—Sen. Markwayne Mullin. After President Donald Trump picked the Oklahoma Republican to replace Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, senators are speculating on whether the move will create momentum for reopening the department. For over 24 days, Senate Democrats have almost unanimously refused to advance Republican-backed measures to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They have demanded restraints on immigration law enforcement, such as restrictions on the use of face masks and administrative warrants, as well as requirements for body cameras. This holdout has resulted in a complete lapse in appropriations for an agency that deals with the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, cybersecurity, and several other responsibilities beyond immigration. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has argued Democrats ought to reconsider their refusal to fund the agency now that Trump has selected new leadership. "This, to me, is a huge development, I would think, in the funding conversation, and hopefully they’ll get more earnest about coming to the table and trying to get a deal," said Thune after news broke. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters Monday that Mullin’s "strong guarantee of Republican backing" will likely make the confirmation process easy, but added that Mullin will "be grilled very thoroughly" by Democrats "about what reforms he will support" for the agency. A spokesperson for Mullin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FOX News [3/10/2026 11:32 AM, Alex Miller, 37576K] reports President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a confirmation hearing ready to go, and he will have to reckon with an intraparty feud in the process. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will soon undergo the rigorous confirmation process in the Senate after being tapped by Trump to replace embattled DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. He will first go through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee before heading to a full confirmation vote in the Senate. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who chairs the Homeland Security panel, wants to hold Mullin’s hearing next week. The White House formally sent over Mullin’s nomination to the Senate on Monday, according to the congressional record. "We’re shooting for a week from Wednesday if all the paperwork comes in," Paul said. But Mullin and Paul have a personal rift that could spill out into the confirmation hearing.

Breitbart [3/10/2026 11:47 PM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said that Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) “is a respected person in the Senate, and I’ve worked with him for a good, long time,” but he won’t support Mullin’s nomination to run DHS because “I’m not going to be able to support anybody, including him, for Homeland Security, unless there’s an absolute reset on what our immigration policy is.” Welch said, “There’s an opportunity here for a new person — and this is going to be the real test for Mullin — to have a pause. Let’s not do the mass deportation. The border is secured, the president has a right to be proud of that. Criminals are being deported, and we support that. I absolutely object to this mass deportation where you’re doing raids on farms, you’re doing raids at churches, you’re doing raids at housing construction sites. This is where there’s got to be a question of changing our immigration policy with the opportunity that we’ll have with the new person.” He continued, “Mullin is a respected person in the Senate, and I’ve worked with him for a good, long time, but I’m not going to be able to support anybody, including him, for Homeland Security, unless there’s an absolute reset on what our immigration policy is. We’ve got to end this mass deportation and this violence and this rampage that we’ve seen by ICE.”

Breitbart [3/10/2026 7:17 PM, Elizabeth Weibel, 2238K] reports Republicans are putting pressure on Democrat lawmakers over the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, which is creating long lines at airports for spring break travelers. In a post on X, DHS shared a video of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt being asked by a reporter what the White House’s message is "to the American people that are struggling" during this shutdown. "President Trump wants the Department of Homeland Security, he wants TSA, he wants FEMA, he wants the brave men and women of our United States Coast Guard to receive their paychecks, and he wants this department to be fully funded, and fully reopened," Leavitt answered. Leavitt added that Americans who are "showing up to an airport and facing incredibly long wait times and lines" should call their Democrat member of Congress and "tell them to fund the Department of Homeland Security.” "It’s completely ridiculous that the American people are suffering as a result of these partisan games that are being played by Democrats on Capitol hill," Leavitt added. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) noted that the DHS shutdown was "impacting important functions like cybersecurity, Border Patrol, TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA.” "We are 25 days in Democrats’ DHS shutdown, and now they don’t even want to sit down and have negotiations," Thune wrote in a post on X. "This shutdown is impacting important functions like cybersecurity, Border Patrol, TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA, which are all more important than ever in these dangerous times.”

FOX News [3/10/2026 5:02 PM, Jasmine Baehr, 37576K] reports President Donald Trump is urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act (SAA) as well as restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as more than 100,000 federal employees go without pay during a prolonged funding lapse, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. Leavitt outlined the president’s dual push for sweeping election legislation and immediate action to reopen DHS, where employees have missed paychecks and travelers are facing long airport lines. The SAA would move through Congress as election legislation, while DHS funding requires a separate vote to reopen the department and resume full operations. Leavitt also turned to the ongoing funding lapse at the DHS, saying the president wants Congress to move quickly to restore pay for affected workers and fully reopen the department. More than 100,000 employees across the country have been impacted, she noted, acknowledging the strain on families. She added that the lapse is also affecting travelers nationwide. Trump is pressing lawmakers to act on both fronts, with Leavitt saying the president is calling on Congress to move swiftly to deliver both measures.

FOX News [3/10/2026 7:35 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest on the fight over homeland security, the SAVE America Act and more on ‘Special Report.’[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Roll Call [3/10/2026 5:05 PM, Chris Johnson, 673K] reports senators sparred at a hearing Tuesday over local jurisdictions that have policies against cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, as the Senate teed up another floor procedural vote to end a Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., used the hearing to highlight his proposal to make it a crime for local officials to release migrants if they received a request from federal immigration agents to keep them in custody. Penalties would increase if a migrant went on to commit a crime and cause harm. The Justice Department has identified 200 cities and 12 states that have sanctuary city policies. Graham said local officials who don’t cooperate with federal immigration efforts should "feel the pain, not just the public."

FOX News [3/10/2026 1:46 PM, Arabella Bennett, 7946K] reports that as travelers across the country face increasingly long security lines, the political fight in Washington over funding for the Department of Homeland Security is spilling over into everyday travel. TSA agents responsible for screening millions of passengers each day have been working without pay during the shutdown, raising concerns about staffing levels and wait times at airports. Those pressures have fueled growing frustration across the transportation system, particularly as security personnel remain on the job despite missing paychecks. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on "Varney & Co." to discuss transportation innovation and the policy challenges facing Washington, but the conversation quickly turned to the government funding standoff and its impact on airport security operations. "Stuart, what the hell is going on?... We’re in war with Iran. Joe Biden let thousands, millions of people into this country. We don’t know who they are. Now more than ever, we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security," Duffy said. The transportation secretary also pointed to the financial strain facing TSA workers who continue reporting for duty while going without pay. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Times [3/10/2026 9:53 AM, Mary McCue Bell, 1323K] reports the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee is pinning the blame on Republicans for flight delays, hours-long jams at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints and the overall chaos at major airports across the U.S. — while her party blocks Department of Homeland Security funding. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut said that both President Trump and Republican leadership are “responsible for the chaos at America’s airports,” calling on them to “stop their partisan games.” Democrats are preventing DHS funding in protest of the Trump administration’s hardline Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics after the death of two U.S. citizens confronting ICE agents in Minneapolis. But as Americans begin to feel the negative effects at airports in week four of the funding lapse, there are no negotiations to break the impasse. Ms. DeLauro said the mess at the airports would be solved by her legislation to fund TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard and other offices within the department. Her bill omits funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection so that Democrats can continue to press their multifaceted demands to rein in federal immigration enforcement, including restricting where agents can make deportation arrests and forbidding them from wearing face-covering masks and mandating that they wear body cameras. “Republican leadership is currently blocking my bill to fully fund TSA. If Speaker Johnson allowed my bill to receive a vote, we could resolve this issue immediately. Instead, they are choosing to hold TSA officers and Americans’ travel hostage to force Members of Congress to give even more money to ICE and CBP without the guardrails against abuse a vast majority of Americans want to see,” Ms. DeLauro said in a statement. DHS has pinned the blame squarely on Democrats for travelers’ airport woes.

Blaze [3/10/2026 2:15 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1556K] reports that CNN contributor Scott Jennings obliterated his fellow panelists as they tried to argue that it was reasonable for Democrats to put the Department of Homeland Security at risk. The partial shutdown of some parts of the government is due to the demands of Democrats that Immigration and Customs Enforcement be reformed after multiple lethal incidents during ICE operations. Jennings took on CNN host Abby Phillip and panelists Bakari Sellers, former Biden official Sabrina Singh, and Beth Sanner. "Does anyone here believe that we should keep the Department of Homeland Security — that’s the name of it — indefinitely shut down to try to force ICE policy changes on an agency that’s already funded until 2029?" he asked rhetorically. "When you acknowledge there are sleeper cells, when we all see radical Islamic terrorists throwing IEDs in New York City, when we saw a radical Muslim terrorist shoot up a bar in Austin, when we had tornadoes in Oklahoma and Michigan this weekend, when we have TSA lines of five hours in airports, we have all these things going on," he added. "Is it even remotely reasonable to keep it closed?!" Jennings said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at the end of January that Democrats were not backing down on the restrictions demands.

CBS News [3/10/2026 1:29 PM, Kaia Hubbard, 51110K] reports that Senate Majority Leader John Thune made clear Tuesday that an elections bill known as the SAVE America Act faces an unlikely path to passage, reiterating his skepticism about the bill’s chances as President Trump threatens a legislative blockade until Congress approves the measure. "There are no easy ways to do this," Thune told reporters Tuesday. "Believe me, we’ve examined all the options." The legislation, which the House passed last month, would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, along with photo ID to cast a ballot. But Mr. Trump has demanded that the legislation go farther and ban all mail-in ballots. He has also pushed to include restrictions on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports and on gender-affirming surgeries for minors. On Sunday, the president said in a post on Truth Social that he would not sign other legislation until the SAVE America Act is passed, saying it "supersedes everything else" and "must be done immediately." The White House clarified that he would make an exception for funding the Department of Homeland Security, which remains shut down. Democrats widely oppose the SAVE America Act, warning that its proof of citizenship requirements could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters. And with 53 Republicans in the Senate, support from across the aisle would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold to advance the legislation under the normal process.

NewsMax [3/10/2026 12:44 PM, James Morley III, 3760K] reports that the Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., accusing multiple Trump administration agencies of unlawfully withholding records related to potential federal law enforcement or military involvement at polling places. The complaint targets the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense, alleging the agencies failed to respond to a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests submitted in October. Those requests sought documents about any plans to deploy federal agents, immigration officers, or troops to polling places, ballot drop boxes, or election offices during the voting period and certification process. According to the lawsuit, the DNC sent 11 FOIA requests to components including the FBI, DOJ’s Civil Rights and Criminal Divisions, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the National Guard Bureau. Federal law requires agencies to respond within 20 working days, with a limited extension allowed, but the DNC says it has received no substantive responses or records more than four months later. "Nearly five months later, the DNC has received neither substantive responses nor responsive documents, not even a list of documents withheld under statutory exemptions," the lawsuit reads. The DNC asked a federal judge to compel the agencies to search for and release responsive documents and to provide a list of any records withheld under FOIA exemptions.

NBC News [3/11/2026 5:00 AM, Jane C. Timm, 43603K] reports President Donald Trump has vowed not to sign any bills into law until the SAVE America Act is passed, escalating his pressure campaign to get a sweeping voting bill across the finish line before this fall’s elections. The bill’s future is murky in the Senate, where it lacks enough support to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Republicans in the Senate are divided over how to pass it and whether it’s possible to overcome Democratic opposition. Voter impersonation and noncitizen voting — the problems the legislation purports to solve — are already illegal and extremely rare, but the impacts on American citizens and election officials would be vast. Millions of Americans are thought not to have ready access to the required documents to prove citizenship, and rapid implementation of the bill could overwhelm election officials while they’re trying to run midterm elections, too. At the same time, Trump has repeatedly misstated the contents of the legislation in his public pitches for it and called for additions to the bill that would make those claims true.

CNN [3/11/2026 5:01 AM, Fredreka Schouten, 19874K] reports a growing number of Republican-led states are moving swiftly to implement new voting restrictions, plowing ahead on a key plank of President Donald Trump’s agenda that has so far been stuck on Capitol Hill. Last week, Republican-controlled legislatures in Utah and South Dakota approved legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections. The measures now await action by governors. On Wednesday, the state Senate in Florida — home to more than 13 million registered voters — is slated to take up a citizenship verification bill. A companion measure has already passed the Florida House. Meanwhile, in states where Democrats control the levers of power, proponents of election-rule changes that Democrats oppose are working to enact them through ballot measures. That includes California, where a voter ID measure appears headed to the November ballot and will affect the state’s 23 million voters, if successful. Those state efforts mean tens of millions of voters around the country could face new rules and restrictions in future elections, even if national legislation never moves forward. Requiring individuals to provide citizenship documents when they register to vote and to present identification whenever they cast ballots are cornerstones of the proposed federal "SAVE America Act," a top Trump priority. The bill passed the US House last month, but it has bogged down in the US Senate, where Republicans hold the majority but do not have enough votes to overcome a filibuster from Democrats.

FOX News [3/10/2026 3:20 PM, Peter Pinedo, 37576K] reports Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino declared the Trump administration’s Chicago immigration crackdown "vindicated" Monday after a federal appeals court threw out a sweeping injunction that had curtailed enforcement operations in the city. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit tossed out a preliminary injunction against federal officers enforcing immigration law in the Chicago area issued by Obama-appointed Judge Sara Ellis. The circuit court issued a blistering rebuke of Ellis’ injunction, calling it "overbroad" and "constitutionally suspect." The ruling effectively erases the lower court’s restrictions on federal immigration operations in Chicago, delivering a legal victory to federal immigration authorities and giving the controversial official fresh political ammunition after months of backlash.

Axios [3/10/2026 3:26 PM, Monica Eng, 17364K] reports when Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino left Chicago last fall, immigration officials warned the Sun-Times they’d return in March with a much bigger force. Operation Midway Blitz triggered hundreds of complaints alleging civil, criminal and constitutional violations by immigration agents — complaints local officials are still reviewing. A new surge could restart the process, once again disrupting schools, businesses, courts and immigrant communities across the area. Officials aren’t commenting on a potential new surge. "Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country, including in Chicago. We do not discuss future or potential operations," DHS deputy assistant secretary Lauren Bis told Axios.

NBC News [3/10/2026 11:09 AM, Julia Ainsley, Matt Dixon, and Jonathan Allen, 42967K] reports President Donald Trump has peppered aides in recent days about whether longtime adviser Corey Lewandowski profited personally from a $220 million federal advertising campaign featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired last week, according to three people familiar with his conversations. "He’s mentioned the ads several times," a senior White House official said, referring to Trump asking questions about Lewandowski’s role in the ad contract. The ads were a repeated focus of lawmakers’ questions during a pair of contentious hearings on Capitol Hill last week that led in part to Trump’s decision to remove Noem as head of the agency and reassign her to a role as special envoy to the newly formed "Shield of the Americas.” Trump told NBC News that he "wasn’t thrilled" when Noem testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had signed off on her expensive ad campaign. Contradicting Noem, he said that he "didn’t know anything about it" at the time. Behind the scenes, he has grown suspicious about Lewandowski’s role in doling out government contracts, according to the three people familiar with his conversations.

Axios [3/11/2026 4:50 AM, Brittany Gibson, 12972K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is on track to leave dozens of pending contracts on her desk when she leaves office in three weeks, the legacy of a system she imposed to cut "waste, fraud and abuse," but that has stalled DHS programs. The backlog of contracts has left vendors waiting for payments and delayed projects such as President Trump’s push for mass deportations and the border wall, along with disaster relief under FEMA, Axios has learned. "There’s a mountain of backed-up contracts and invoices on her desk that the new guy will just have to deal with," a source familiar with the situation at DHS told Axios. The backlog existed long before the partial government shutdown over DHS immigration policies that began Feb. 14 and has further pinched the agency’s spending. The shutdown has touched most of DHS’s 23 agencies, including ICE, Customs and Border Protection, FEMA, TSA and the Secret Service. Noem’s delay in approving DHS contracts stems from her requirement that agreements involving $100,000 or more — which is most of those at DHS — be reviewed and approved by her. That policy — imposed just before Congress dramatically boosted DHS funding to implement Trump’s immigration agenda — was disruptive enough that several vendors began charging DHS in contracts of $99,999 each in order to get paid. The impact of Noem’s policy can be seen in delayed DHS payments to vendors, causing disruptions now being compounded by the shutdown.

National Review [3/10/2026 8:33 PM, Audrey Fahlberg, 109K] reports discussions are underway at the Department of Homeland Security about reevaluating plans to buy a Boeing 737 MAX luxury jet that had been used by Kristi Noem prior to her ouster as DHS secretary, National Review has learned. Dubbed the “Big Beautiful Jet” by DHS staffers, the luxury jet and its private cabin have become a major source of consternation among Republicans at the department and the White House following a Wall Street Journal report, which alleged that Noem and her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, used the private plane.

Daily Wire [3/10/2026 4:08 AM, Jennie Taer, 2314K] reports the writing was already on the wall before President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem from her post as Homeland Security Secretary. Key officials tied to some projects that have received massive scrutiny for their hefty price tags left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the weeks leading up to Noem’s ouster. Tricia McLaughlin, Noem’s chief spokeswoman, left the agency last month. At the time, she said she originally intended to leave in December, but that she stayed on in the aftermath of the two fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January. McLaughlin was tied to the scandal that led to Noem’s demise involving $200 million contracts for flashy TV ads promoting the secretary. Last week, Noem testified to Congress that the contracts "went out to a competitive bid and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials." Records obtained by The Daily Wire showed that the contracts were awarded using "other than full and open competition" to a company formed days before. That company subcontracted some of the work to a group run by McLaughlin’s husband.

FOX News [3/10/2026 6:00 AM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports two Democratic sanctuary-state governors signaled they won’t let Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem quietly shift into her new diplomatic role after a year of turbulent immigration enforcement operations in their states. President Donald Trump announced his intention to replace Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and transition her into a new role as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, becoming part of a coalition of Latin American countries the president announced Saturday that will collaborate on drug cartel crime interdiction. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker posted a video statement addressing Noem following the departure announcement, telling her "don’t let the door hit you on the way out." "Here’s your legacy: Corruption and chaos. Parents and children tear-gassed. Moms and nurses, U.S. citizens getting shot in the face. Now that you’re gone, don’t think you get to just walk away," Pritzker said. "I guarantee you, you will still be held accountable.”

New York Times [3/10/2026 9:19 PM, Glenn Thrush, 148038K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi has quietly relocated to one of several military bases in the Washington area where other Trump administration officials also live, after facing threats from drug cartels and critics of her actions in handling the Jeffrey Epstein case, according to people familiar with the situation. Ms. Bondi moved from an apartment in the city within the past month in response to an array of threats flagged to her staff by federal law enforcement, these people said, including an uptick in criticism of Ms. Bondi, and threats relayed by investigators. One catalyst was an increase in threats following the capture and prosecution of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela in January, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters. Ms. Bondi is the latest administration official to move into heavily guarded quarters at military facilities in or near the nation’s capital after citing danger from criminals, adversaries overseas and protesters.

CBS News [3/10/2026 5:43 PM, Sarah N. Lynch, 51110K] reports the rank-and-file career federal prosecutors at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division who specialize in excessive force cases are not playing any role in the investigation into the shooting death of Alex Pretti by two federal agents, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter told CBS News. Instead, the head of the Civil Rights Division tapped Brandon Wrobleski — a lawyer from inside the division’s employment litigation section who has no previous experience handling federal criminal cases — to work with two local prosecutors in the Minneapolis U.S. Attorney’s office on the probe, several of the sources said. The general lack of involvement by career line prosecutors in the Civil Rights Division’s criminal section in the Pretti investigation marks a stark departure from historical practice, and is likely to stoke concern that the probe is not being taken seriously. ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by two U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis during an immigration operation on Jan. 24. Video of the encounter went viral and contradicted early claims by the Department of Homeland Security that Pretti had brandished a gun. His death marked the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by a federal officer in Minneapolis this year, after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent earlier shot and killed Renee Good as she sought to drive away in her vehicle.

NewsMax [3/10/2026 4:23 PM, Jim Thomas, 3760K] reports a Georgia judge has denied Jose Ibarra’s request for a new trial in the killing of Laken Riley, leaving in place the murder conviction and life-without-parole sentence in a case that became a national flash point in the immigration debate. Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard rejected the request after defense lawyers argued Ibarra’s constitutional rights had been violated before trial. The defense had sought a delay to allow a DNA expert more time to review the evidence and had also challenged cellphone evidence used by prosecutors. Haggard convicted Ibarra in November 2024 on all 10 counts, including malice murder and felony murder, after Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial. Riley, 22, was killed in February 2024 near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. The ruling preserves one of Georgia’s most closely watched murder convictions in recent years and keeps alive a case that quickly moved beyond the courtroom. Ibarra’s attorneys plan to appeal.

The Hill [3/10/2026 10:00 AM, Caroline Vakil, 18170K] reports the Democratic National Committee (DNC) sued the Trump administration on Tuesday, alleging that several agencies failed to adequately respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests pertaining to any plans to deploy federal agents at election sites. The lawsuit alleges that the DNC sent close to a dozen FOIA requests to the Justice Department (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Defense Department (DOD) in October “concerning potential deployment of federal agents and troops to polling places, drop boxes, and election offices.” “Nearly five months later, the DNC has received neither substantive responses nor responsive documents, not even a list of documents withheld under statutory exemptions,” the suit added. Late last month, DHS told secretary of states across the country that the agency would not deploy federal officers to the polls after President Trump expressed support for nationalizing elections ahead of the midterms. The DNC, in its Tuesday lawsuit, pointed to the president’s past remarks, which have drawn opposition on both sides of the aisle.

Breitbart [3/11/2026 12:13 AM, Neil Munro, 2238K] reports federal deportation policy is undergoing a "course correction" amid pushback from swing-voting Latinos, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. The GOP is building "a durable governing common sense majority for their foreseeable future," Johnson told an NBC News interviewer, adding: We got a little hiccup with some of the Hispanic and Latino voters, for certain, because some of the immigration enforcement was viewed to be overzealous … But here’s the good news, we’re in a course correction mode right now. We’re going to have a new secretary on Homeland Security. Markwayne Mullen is going to do a great job in that role. I’m sure that he’ll be confirmed by the Senate. He’s a thoughtful guy. He’ll bring a thoughtful approach. [We] have somebody like Tom Homan who has 40 years of experience [in this] field and was decorated by Democrat presidents for his acumen and expertise. He went into Minneapolis and brought calm to the chaos there. That’s what you’re going to see. Mullin, the incoming homeland security chief, opposes any migration amnesty, but has been ambivalent on his preferred deportation policy. The "course correction" plan was also sketched by James Blair, the White House’s deputy chief of staff for legislation and political affairs: The claimed "course correction" term is ambivalent about whether the federal government should only deport criminal migrants instead of all illegal migrants who are being used by companies to drive down wages for American families. Many polls show that a clear majority of Americans favor deporting all illegal migrants — but also that a critical swath of swing-voters dislike the drama of street arrests. Many non-political voters are also moved by the myriad pro-migrant sob stories pumped out by sympathetic media sites. By subscribing, you agree to our terms of use & privacy policy. You will receive email marketing messages from Breitbart News Network to the email you provide. You may unsubscribe at any time. "We want them all gone, James," said a social media response to Blair’s tweet from X account @scalpsandall: I want the drywallers who loiter around the gas station at 5 am and clog everything up because the cashier can’t understand them gone. I want the farmhand who works for $12/hr and no benefits because the taxpayer shells out for his kids’ education, health care, and housing. I want them all gone, violent or not. I want my country back.

USA Today [3/10/2026 6:18 PM, Brie Anna J. Frank, 70643K] reports the Coalition for Independent Technology Research sued the administration on March 9, alleging actions taken against noncitizens based on work in content moderation is unconstitutional censorship. The organization said the policy has already led to action against its noncitizen members and that others "quite reasonably fear they will be next on the list." A Justice Department spokesperson called the lawsuit "baseless." It said the department "respects the First Amendment" and rejected notions that such actions are unconstitutional. A new federal lawsuit filed against President Donald Trump’s administration alleges that actions against noncitizens based on their work in fact-checking and content moderation is unconstitutional censorship. It accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi of "(adopting) a new policy of excluding and deporting noncitizens whose work involves combatting misinformation and disinformation, fact-checking, content moderation, trust and safety, or compliance."

Telemundo 48 El Paso [3/10/2026 3:47 PM, Luisa Barrios, 19K] reports State Representative Vince Perez warned that the construction of the proposed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detention center in Socorro would create a significant demand on the regional water supply. According to estimates from the state representative’s office, the complex could require approximately 850,000 gallons of water per day, based on conservative parameters used for planning detention facilities in the Southwest. While actual consumption will depend on design, occupancy, and operating standards, even this initial figure represents an impact that, he noted, warrants attention and detailed review. Based on the estimates presented, the new complex could consume about 14% of that total supply, a proportion that, according to Perez, could affect the availability of water for the population if a formal environmental review is not carried out. Pérez stated that the federal administration has shown little interest in conducting environmental assessments before proceeding with facilities of this type. He also noted that other states, such as Maryland, have initiated legal action in recent years over similar DHS decisions, which, he asserted, increases concerns about the lack of clarity regarding the project’s actual impact on the region’s water resources. The El Paso Public Utility Board, which operates El Paso Water, plans to review the wholesale agreement with LVWD during its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 11. The matter is scheduled for executive session, where board members will deliberate with legal advisors, according to Pérez.

Washington Examiner [3/10/2026 10:41 AM, David Zimmermann, 1147K] reports New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated the Islamic holy month of Ramadan by hosting dinner for Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by federal immigration officers last year following his activism as a student leader at Columbia University amid the Israel-Hamas war. The Muslim mayor invited the anti-Israel protester to break bread at his official residence on Sunday. "Last night, as we marked the one year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor, and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together," Mamdani posted on X late Monday. "Mahmoud is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City." Khalil was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March 2025 for his active role in anti-Israel protests at Columbia and alleged support for Hamas. The Trump administration deemed his activism detrimental to U.S. foreign policy interests. Following his release from detention in June 2025, Khalil still faces a legal challenge over whether he gets to remain in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security claims he committed fraud on his green card application by not disclosing his work with the British Embassy and the United Nations. Pending a court ruling on the matter, federal law enforcement plans to detain Khalil again and deport him to Algeria, where the activist holds citizenship.

Reported similarly:
Daily Wire [3/10/2026 6:38 AM, Hank Berrien, 2314K]

Washington Post [3/10/2026 4:35 PM, Natalie Allison and Kadia Goba, 24826K] reports White House and top House Republican officials have told GOP members to avoid discussing “mass deportations” ahead of the midterm elections, backing away from public discussion of a central campaign pledge of President Donald Trump. The advice hit as Republican prospects appear dim ahead of the November voting. While Republican members of Congress gathered in Doral, Florida, for a retreat Tuesday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair and Rep. Lisa C. McClain (R-Michigan), the chair of the House Republican Conference, instructed them to eschew talking about sweeping deportations of undocumented people and instead focus only on deportations of violent criminals, according to three people with knowledge of the remarks who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the closed-door event.

New York Times [3/11/2026 3:27 AM, Max Kim, 330K] reports Sae Joon Park’s life was in pieces after he was swept up in the Trump administration’s deportation push last year. But on a recent Tuesday, he was preoccupied with the more immediate concern that he might be going deaf. At a walk-in clinic in Busan, South Korea, he explained to the receptionist, in slightly accented Korean, how his left eardrum had inexplicably ruptured in his sleep a few weeks earlier. Now his right ear seemed to be fading out, too. “Fill in the blanks, please,” she said, producing an intake form. “I can’t read or write Korean,” Mr. Park said. It was a line he had delivered many times in recent weeks, explained by the fact that he hadn’t lived in South Korea since he was 7, when he immigrated to the United States. A U.S. Army veteran with combat trauma and a Purple Heart, he was ordered to leave America at the age of 56 over a criminal history that he thought he had atoned for. He had pleaded his case in nearly two dozen media interviews. In December, he video-called into a congressional hearing where former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem promised to look into his case. For the first few months after returning to South Korea, he held off on buying furniture, hoping something might give. Then last month he bought a bed and a table for his new studio apartment. As he considered what it would be like to be deaf on top of it all, a nurse called his name. “It’s out of my hands now,” he said. “What more could go wrong?” Four decades ago, the Army promised him a sense of direction. In the Los Angeles area in the 1980s, “everybody was either in a gang or a victim,” Mr. Park recalled. His mother ran a record shop in Compton, working 365 days a year while occasionally being robbed at gunpoint. “I knew I didn’t want to do that,” he said. The possibility of obtaining U.S. citizenship with his service was never on his mind, because he believed the green card he got as a child was just as ironclad, Mr. Park said. He deployed with the Army to Panama in 1989, a 20-year-old fresh out of basic training among thousands of troops under orders to capture Gen. Manuel Noriega, the dictator facing drug trafficking charges in the U.S. After a raid on one of Mr. Noriega’s compounds, Mr. Park was eating lunch when he spotted Panamanian soldiers approaching. Just as he turned to warn his sergeant, he crumpled to the ground, unable to feel his legs. What saved him were his dog tags slung over his back, which slowed the bullet that hit his spine. After being medically discharged as a private, Mr. Park was told by the Department of Veterans Affairs that he was ineligible for disability because he had regained his mobility. He also began to suffer from constant nightmares and anxiety from loud noises. Although post-traumatic stress disorder was formally recognized by psychiatrists in 1980, it wasn’t until around 2008 that the V.A. reached out to treat him and offer disability payments. But by then, a crack cocaine habit, among other things, had already landed him in compounding legal trouble.

Breitbart [3/10/2026 9:07 AM, Ildefonso Ortiz, 2238K] reports Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum fired back at U.S. President Donald J. Trump over some mocking comments made about her refusal to use military forces from both Mexico and the U.S. to eliminate cartels. "It’s good that President Trump publicly said that when he has offered to have the U.S. Army enter Mexico, we have said no," Sheinbaum said when asked about Trump’s comments. "It’s the truth, we have said no and will proudly keep saying no." Sheinbaum was responding to a series of comments made by Trump during his announcement of the Shield of the Americas Summit, a multinational approach aimed at stopping the cartel threat. As Breitbart Texas’s Bob Price reported, during his announcement of the summit, Trump said that Mexico is the epicenter of cartel violence and most of the drugs flow through that country. During his speech, Trump mocked Sheinbaum, claiming that when he had offered to use the U.S. military to eliminate cartels, she had whined: "No, no, no, Mr. President." Sheinbaum claimed that Mexico has been working with the United States to share intelligence, but will not allow foreign forces to operate within her country.

Telemundo [3/10/2026 6:22 PM, Staff, 56K] reports Mexico was singled out as the epicenter of cartel-generated violence in the region during the announcement of the so-called "Shield of the Americas," a security strategy for Latin America promoted by US President Donald Trump. The president stated that “we must recognize that the epicenter of cartel violence is Mexico,” explaining the need to strengthen regional cooperation to combat transnational organized crime. The plan envisions collaboration between Latin American countries and the United States on security matters; however, the absence of Mexico, one of Washington’s main partners in the fight against drug trafficking, has raised questions among experts. Terry Cárdenas, an academic at Cetys University, pointed out that Mexico’s exclusion from the new scheme could reflect tensions in the bilateral relationship, although it does not imply the end of international cooperation. “The most noticeable thing that has happened is a distrust of Mexico and the way things have been done. But international cooperation is not closed; for this type of defense from abroad to exist, cooperation between states is needed and, above all, respect for sovereignty,” he explained to Telemundo 20. For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the security relationship with the United States will continue through existing agreements. “We didn’t need to be invited, because we already have an agreement with the United States. Beyond the statements, what we see is the ongoing relationship we have with the State Department, with Northern Command, and with various U.S. security institutions,” the president stated. According to the federal government, the fight against organized crime is reflected in results such as the seizure, during the current administration, of more than 246 tons of drugs, 24,000 weapons and more than 2,300 laboratories and concentration areas linked to the production of narcotics. For José María Ramos, bilateral cooperation will be key in the face of the security challenges that both countries face, especially this year. “A World Cup is coming up, and it’s necessary to strengthen this coordination and cooperation. It’s not new. We may not see operations directly led by U.S. authorities in Mexico, but we will see greater collaboration, because our border faces national risks related to drugs, terrorism, money laundering, and cybersecurity,” explained the researcher from El Colegio de la Frontera Norte. The researcher added that, although the presence of US agencies is not always visible in Mexican territory, collaboration in intelligence and training has been constant for years. “There may not be a high profile of U.S. law enforcement actors, but it is clear that collaboration with agencies in that country has been relevant in training and intelligence. Mexico needs to strengthen its intelligence and investigative capabilities,” he added. Despite not being part of the regional initiative, the Mexican government maintains that bilateral cooperation with the United States continues as one of the main mechanisms to confront organized crime without neglecting national sovereignty.

Los Angeles Times [3/10/2026 6:01 AM, Raul A. Reyes, 12718K] reports across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is acquiring industrial warehouses to be converted into detention facilities for people swept up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. ICE has bought at least seven facilities so far, some of which are projected to hold thousands of people. One warehouse in an Arizona town is the size of seven football fields. The new facilities are slated to be up and running by November. These plans amount to a lose-lose proposition. Warehouses crammed full of people will not be good for local communities, nor for the detainees housed inside the facilities. Literally warehousing people is a terrible idea. According to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, in February there were about 68,000 people in immigration detention. Three-quarters of these folks have no criminal convictions. Now the administration plans to spend $38 billion to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds. ICE will be opening its new detention centers in Socorro, Texas, and Social Circle, Ga., among other sites. These facilities will likely generate more problems than benefits. When the federal government takes over a property, it is removed from the tax rolls, so communities will lose potential tax revenue. Large detention facilities will strain local infrastructure, including water supply, sewage and emergency services. The sites may attract protests, diverting law enforcement resources away from protecting area residents. It’s no wonder that there has been bipartisan pushback against ICE warehouses, with some sellers backing out of deals in response to public opposition.

Washington Examiner [3/10/2026 6:00 AM, Michael Rubin, 1147K] reports the National Intelligence Council bridges the intelligence and policy communities to provide policymakers with intelligence assessments. It famously produces National Intelligence Estimates and makes other judgments that gain legitimacy from the claim that they represent the consensus of 18 different intelligence agencies. That, of course, is nonsense. The Central Intelligence Agency assesses problem sets that Space Force intelligence does not. Coast Guard intelligence has little say or interest in what might happen in Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bunkers buried under mountains in central Iran. As a consequence, National Intelligence Council products and National Intelligence Estimates promote groupthink. The council’s officers also play politics, perhaps not always via leaks, but simply by assigning personnel with specific policy proclivities to oversee the process. This was the case with the council’s 2005 and 2007 National Intelligence Estimates. The 2005 estimate found that "Iran currently is determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure." After the International Atomic Energy Agency referred Iran’s noncompliance to the United Nations Security Council and then-President George W. Bush appeared to take a hard line, the council scrambled to ensure that Bush would not use its intelligence to pursue a policy prescription that intelligence analysts opposed. The council’s 2007 National Intelligence Estimate reversed its findings about Iranian intentions, arguing that Iran had halted its program. It reached that conclusion based not on intercepted phone calls or information gleaned from high-level Iranian defectors, but rather on a change of definition. Iran might be enriching uranium far beyond levels needed for a civilian program, but suddenly the council’s intelligence officers concluded that this did not reflect military intentions. Just as generals often fight the last war rather than the one in front of them, so too do intelligence officers overcorrect based on past failures. Having gotten Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction wrong, intelligence officers overcompensated in the other direction. Certainly, the 2007 estimate did not age well. The council’s recent leak of its new Iran assessment, arguing that the conflict would not change the regime, not only diminishes the council with the blatancy of its political motive but borders on treason as it encourages the Iranian regime to stand firm rather than surrender: If even the CIA does not believe the United States can win, why should the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps do anything other than continue to slaughter Iranians in the street and increase its barrage against neighboring states?

NewsMax [3/10/2026 1:03 PM, Jim Mishler, 3760K] reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested several illegal migrants across the country who were previously convicted of serious offenses including child molestation, rape, sexual battery, and assault, according to information provided to Newsmax by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS said the arrests are part of ongoing enforcement operations targeting individuals charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States. "Yesterday, the brave men and women of ICE arrested more criminal illegal aliens including pedophiles, rapists, and other violent thugs," Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in the statement to Newsmax. "Criminal illegal aliens who prey on vulnerable children, harm innocent Americans, and commit heinous acts of violence," Bis added, "should NEVER be allowed to remain in the U.S." Bis said that immigration enforcement efforts have resulted in hundreds of thousands of removals since President Donald Trump was sworn into office for a second term last January. "Under President Trump, ICE has removed more than 713,000 illegal aliens from our country, and we now have the lowest murder rate in 125 years," Bis said. DHS said the latest arrests include several individuals previously convicted of serious crimes. "These are the kinds of predators sanctuary politicians are protecting by refusing to cooperate with ICE law enforcement," Bis said. "We have requested Utah authorities not release this pedophile and sexual predator from their jail without notifying ICE."

NPR [3/10/2026 12:51 PM, Ximena Bustillo and Rahul Mukherjee, 28764K] reports that it’s the deadliest year for those in immigration detention in more than two decades. More people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since October — 23 — than died in the whole prior fiscal year. The most recent death was of a 56-year-old Haitian man held at an immigration detention center in Arizona. He died in a hospital after going into septic shock. The increase in deaths comes as nearly 70,000 people are in ICE detention, the highest number in several years. Former agency officials and immigration advocates have warned that detaining more people — coupled with reduced oversight — will increase the likelihood of more fatalities. "The abhorrent and worsening conditions in detention centers, gross negligence, and a complete lack of oversight have contributed to yet another grim record for deaths in ICE custody," said Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, senior policy counsel at the National Immigration Law Center, an immigrant rights defense organization. "As a country, we cannot accept that death in federal custody is an acceptable or inevitable outcome of American immigration policy." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to a request for comment on the death count. Democratic lawmakers have also raised questions about the increasing numbers of deaths in detention and detainees’ access to health care, as well as the lag in reporting deaths to the public.

Washington Examiner [3/10/2026 5:50 PM, Molly Parks, 1147K] reports House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said the Republican Party is "in a course-correction mode" after the immigration enforcement policies under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Johnson maintained confidence that the GOP is doing the work to sustain the votes from a new coalition of typically blue voters it brought into the party in 2024, including Hispanic Americans. Johnson made the comments at the Republican policy retreat, responding to a question about how the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration tactics could affect Hispanic voters in the midterm elections, as the panelist pointed to a poll showing how Trump’s poll numbers are slipping among Hispanics. "We got a little hiccup with some of the Hispanic and Latino voters, for certain, because some of the immigration enforcement was viewed to be overzealous. And you know, everybody can describe it differently. But here’s the good news: we’re in a course-correction mode right now," Johnson said. "We’re going to have a new Secretary of Homeland Security, [Sen.] Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)." Johnson also pointed to the work of border czar Tom Homan in de-escalating tensions in Minneapolis, where anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement demonstrators protested following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of immigration officers. Johnson said Homan "brought calm to the chaos there."

Politico [3/10/2026 5:45 PM, Kyle Cheney, 21784K] reports federal judges livid over missed deadlines and outright defiance of their orders in a sea of immigration cases are training their ire on the Justice Department’s political leadership, going out of their way to acknowledge that the rank-and-file lawyers arguing in front of them are sometimes powerless to change the administration’s behavior. Judges in several states have recently taken pains to separate these attorneys from their bosses in Washington — and from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which they see as increasingly responsible, and unremorseful, for the rampant violations amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation push. The dynamic has crystallized amid a deluge of emergency lawsuits filed by ICE detainees, which have overwhelmed court dockets and frustrated judges — who have overwhelmingly rejected ICE’s detention practices as illegal. The flood has, in turn, put DOJ’s line attorneys in uncomfortable spots. They’re being thrust into courtrooms without specifics, often asked to defend ICE’s detentions without details and sometimes without being able to reach their ICE counterparts to get information. They’ve missed deadlines and been scolded by judges for offering boilerplate arguments. Some DOJ attorneys have resigned or been fired, further straining understaffed offices. It’s all coming to a boil in courtrooms across the country. “The judges of this District have been extraordinarily patient with the government attorneys, recognizing that they have been put in an impossible position,” U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz wrote in a recent opinion, instead blaming “the Administration sending 3000 ICE agents to Minnesota to detain people without making any provision for handling the hundreds of lawsuits that were sure to follow.” The George W. Bush appointee’s frustration drew headlines as Minnesota’s federal courts grappled with Operation Metro Surge, the mass detention and deportation operation in the Twin Cities. His colleagues on the bench in Minnesota have voiced similar frustration. U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson scolded the Trump administration this week for providing “utterly meaningless” assurances that a man whose criminal charges were dropped would be released. Instead, the man was immediately detained by ICE — capping a saga in which the judge tried and failed for weeks to get straight answers about whether he remained in ICE custody. Outside of Minnesota, judges are raising similar complaints. In West Virginia, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin, a Clinton appointee, praised rank and file Justice Department attorneys. “I note that counsel for the Government has been responsive and professional before this court,” he wrote in a recent opinion decrying the Trump administration’s conduct in immigration cases. “The problem lies in the attorneys’ clients, federal government actors, who have offered no evidence that they have seen or even care about the legal rulings of this district. The disregard for the law shames every hard working public servant who toils for the benefit of the country and its people.”

Axios [3/10/2026 6:20 AM, Steph Solis, 17364K] reports when Abdulrahmn came to Boston, he told his case specialist he wanted to learn everything he could about American culture. The Sudanese refugee sought to explore the city’s museums, master English and find work in his new country. Thousands of New England-based refugees like him are now at risk of getting detained and deported under President Trump’s second term, despite being vetted and approved to enter legally. Abdulrahmn is trying to build a life in Boston as the federal government upends the nation’s 45-year-old refugee resettlement program. "Boston is home," he told Axios. Axios agreed to identify Abdulrahmn only by his middle name because he fears retaliation from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The International Institute of New England, which helped Abdulrahmn find housing and work here, is suing the Trump administration over a policy change that would let ICE agents detain refugees who have not obtained legal permanent residency after a year in the U.S. The policy states that refugees’ status is subject to a mandatory review after a year. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to Axios that the change signals a shift "to the toughest and most secure enhanced screening and vetting policies for our asylum and refugee processes." "Our war on fraud remains undeterred despite these types of baseless activist lawsuits."

Breitbart [3/10/2026 2:10 PM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports that a bookstore in Brentwood, Pennsylvania, is offering "anti-ICE" whistles to customers and has encouraged locals to shield people from lawful immigration enforcement. Blythe Books owner Lizzie McCoy has used her store’s Instagram page to warn people when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were in the area, Pittsburgh’s Public Source reported Monday. In a post on February 4, the store said it got information from a "credible source" that agents were in the Brentwood and Whitehall areas detaining people who had showed up for court. "Please check in on any neighbors you have who might not be able to leave their house in these conditions. You’re always welcome to tag our store and we will do our best to spread any sitings (sic) we see," the bookstore’s post read: Days later, the store advertised a "Dignity in Action Rapid Response training from Frontline Dignity" to inform locals about ICE activity, "what our rights are when interacting with ICE," and how to shield people from ICE operations: The Source article featured an image of whistles in a glass container with a sign that read: "Anti-ICE Whistle — FREE — Take and share! (Please don’t test in store — they work.)". McCoy told the outlet that some people chose not to follow her business anymore as a result, but "To me, that’s really not important. If I lose followers, but I let the community as a whole know that there’s ICE presence in Brentwood, at the end of night, I lay my head down and sleep. It doesn’t bother me."

Washington Examiner [3/11/2026 4:00 AM, Staff, 1147K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents announced the arrest of a “criminal, illegal alien” accused of voting in seven elections since 2008. Mahady Sacko was apprehended in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and charged. Sacko, 50, originally entered the country in 1998 and first registered to vote in 2005, according to court documents. He cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election, falsely claiming that “he was a U.S. citizen in order to vote and register to vote,” noted a release by the United States Attorney’s Office of Eastern Pennsylvania. ICE and the FBI worked together in his arrest. “Sacko has been illegally voting in this country…” read a press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security. “He entered the U.S. near Miami, Florida, and an Immigration Judge ordered him removed. Sacko exhausted all appeals, and the Board of Immigration Appeals upheld his removal on November 14, 2002 — over two decades ago.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sacko was registered as a Democrat. He is originally from Mauritania and has been living illegally in Philadelphia for more than two decades. An immigration judge originally ordered his deportation in 2000, but federal authorities never followed through with it because Sacko did not have a valid Mauritanian passport,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Breitbart [3/10/2026 11:41 AM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports that in a statement regarding Sacko’s arrest, DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said: This criminal illegal alien committed a felony by voting in federal elections dating back to 2008. Illegal aliens should NOT be electing American leaders. Our elections belong to American citizens, not foreign citizens. Congress must pass the SAVE America Act immediately to secure our elections.

CBS Baltimore [3/10/2026 3:28 PM, J.T. Moodee Lockman, 51110K] reports Maryland’s Attorney General filed a federal lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday in an effort to gain records about conditions in a Baltimore ICE facility. The lawsuit comes as the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division and Federal Accountability Unit conduct an investigation to see if ICE has engaged in civil rights violations against detainees at the George H. Fallon Federal building. The building houses five holding rooms, which several Maryland lawmakers have alleged are overcrowded and have "horrendous" conditions. "The conditions inside the Baltimore holding cells have been dangerous, inhumane and unlawful — and ICE and DHS have done everything in their power to keep us from finding out just how bad they are," Attorney General Brown said. "The agencies have stonewalled our investigation while people in their custody are denied critical medical care and forced to sleep in cold cement cells and live in their own excrement.” WJZ has reached out to ICE and DHS for comment on this lawsuit.[Editorial note: consult video at source link] The Washington Post [3/10/2026 8:02 PM, Omari Daniels and Katie Mettler, 24826K] reports Maryland’s attorney general is asking a federal judge to force the Trump administration to hand over documents that it has so far refused to release in response to an ongoing civil rights probe into a federal immigration holding facility in Baltimore, adding to tensions over the administration’s enforcement efforts in the state. In court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown alleged that conditions at the George H. Fallon Federal Building in Baltimore are dangerous and unsanitary, with dozens of immigrants having been crammed into a single, cold cement room for days at a time with no bedding, no showers and one toilet. “The Trump administration has been holding human beings in conditions that shock the conscience,” Brown said at a news conference Tuesday. “Where cells built for short-term detention have become something far, far worse.” In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said claims of overcrowding and poor conditions are “false.” Detainees “are provided food, water, blankets, and hygiene products,” the statement said, adding that each holding room is also equipped with a phone to make communication with family members and attorneys possible. A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement deferred to the DHS statement. Maryland state leaders have challenged several aspects of the Trump administration’s ramped-up immigration enforcement efforts, with lawmakers banning 287(g) cooperation agreements between local law enforcement and ICE and Brown’s office suing to stop the agency from converting a warehouse in Washington County into a detention facility for as many as 1,500 people. On Tuesday, Brown’s office asked the judge in that case to grant a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from proceeding with construction for 14 days, citing in part the lack of a federally mandated study into potential impacts on the surrounding environment.

CBS Baltimore [3/10/2026 6:10 PM, Dennis Valera, 51110K] reports Baltimore neighbors packed a city council committee hearing on Tuesday, regarding a bill aiming to restrict ICE enforcement in the city. A lot of it goes hand-in-hand with Mayor Brandon Scott’s executive order from last week, as the bill would codify elements of that order into city law. While no one testified against the bill, several people raised questions and concerns. As President Trump’s tramped up immigration agenda continues, the fear has only grown in immigrant communities around the Baltimore region. Others testified about the toll federal immigration enforcement is having on communities. The bill aims to ban city agencies from working with ICE, make sure agencies know how to respond if federal officers try to get information from them about someone, and even restrict ICE from city property. There are few exceptions written in the bill. Agencies would have to abide by ICE if federal or state law necessitates it, also if there’s a court order. It’s not clear exactly when Baltimore City Council will vote on this bill.

FOX News [3/10/2026 12:18 PM, Leo Briceno, 37576K] reports the family of Ashton Minter believes it’s time to vote a Virginia county attorney out of office after he allegedly let her suspected killer out of prison — even in the face of a long rap sheet multiple times. "Steve Descano completely failed Stephanie. He’s failed other people, and he will continue to fail other people unless he is just voted out of office," Ashton Minter, one of Stephanie Minter’s brothers, told local reporters. Another one of her siblings, Gary Minter, echoed his thoughts. "It should never have happened. [Jalloh should’ve] never been out in the streets," Gary said. Ashton Minter was stabbed to death at a bus stop late last month in Fairfax, Virginia. She was discovered with multiple stab wounds to her upper body, according to reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Security camera footage at the scene led authorities to charge Abdul Jalloh, 32, with second-degree murder for Minter’s death. Ahead of the attack, Fairfax County Descano’s office was reportedly warned several times about Jalloh and his conduct. But despite 30 prior arrests, Descano opted to release him. DHS similarly condemned Jalloh’s past releases and urged Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to hold Jalloh in custody. "We are calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE," DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

CBS News [3/10/2026 2:06 PM, Dan Raby, 51110K] reports that the city council of a small North Georgia community has approved a resolution asking federal officials to put plans to build a large inmate detention facility on hold. On Monday night, the Oakwood City Council unanimously approved the resolution, which requested the U.S. Department of Homeland Security immediately stop all planning, construction, and preparations for the 1,500 inmate facility. "The City of Oakwood was not consulted, notified, or provided with any environmental, infrastructural, public-safety, or operational documentation prior to the federal acquisition, despite the significant impacts such a facility imposes on municipal infrastructure and public safety," the resolution reads in part. It then goes on to say that city officials have requested documentation about the facility, but have not received any details. In February, city leaders told CBS News Atlanta that they heard about DHS’s plan from the Gainesville Field Office of U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican congressman representing Oakwood in the 9th District. "It feels like we were blindsided and that we’ve been steamrolled over," City Manager B.R. White said. Officials say the city of roughly 7,000 residents would have to deal with loss of tax revenue and sewer capacity issues if the facility is built on the site of two warehouses, located just about a mile from Oakwood City Hall.

USA Today [3/10/2026 9:54 AM, Irene Wright, 70643K] reports tt was a rainy day in Oakwood, Georgia as cars started to file into a parking lot across the street from two empty warehouses. Vehicles were scattered in the lot just after noon on Sunday, March 8, and the tattoo shop, dance studio, furniture store, Italian restaurant and El Salvadoran eatery appeared dark inside. An Oakwood (about 50 minutes northeast of Atlanta) police car sat just across the street in front of the looming first warehouse. The driveway to the warehouse has a locked gate, and a second, even larger, building blends into the gray sky down the hill. But standing under the trunk of her car, the door hanging above her head to block the rain, was Reverend Dallas Ann Thompson, handing out vigil service bulletins and smiling as people slowly formed a circle around her. Thompson’s bulletin read "2026 Lenten Prayer Vigil, hosted at the site of the newly purchased ICE Detention Center in Oakwood." "This is a prayer vigil. It is not a protest or a spectacle. We want this space to remain prayerful. No signs or bullhorns, please," the top of the page read.

FOX News [3/10/2026 2:17 PM, Alex Nitzberg, 37576K] reports that during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston arrested 414 illegal aliens charged or convicted for child sex offenses. The figure amounts to nearly twice as much as the 211 arrested during the final year of President Joe Biden’s tenure, according to a press release. "As a group, the arrested criminal illegal aliens accounted for 761 child sex offenses and 525 other criminal offenses ranging from homicide to robbery," ICE noted in the release. The Trump administration has been working to crack down on illegal immigration since he returned to office last year. One of the individuals arrested was a man who unlawfully reentered the country a whopping 12 times, according to ICE. "Juan Leonardo Garcia Ibarra, a 48-year-old criminal illegal alien from Mexico, arrested by ICE April 4, 2025… has illegally reentered the U.S. 12 times and been convicted of sexual indecency with a child, aggravated assault, cruelty toward a child, DWI and felony illegal reentry, and three times for illegal entry. ICE officers deported Garcia to Mexico on April 7, 2025," the press release noted. Another one of the individuals arrested, Andrew Mark Watson, is from the United Kingdom. He was "arrested by ICE Dec. 5, 2025," according to the release, which noted that he "has been convicted of two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and sexually exploiting a minor. Watson remains in ICE custody at the IAH Secure Adult Detention Facility in Livingston pending disposition of his immigration proceedings."

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [3/10/2026 4:09 PM, Amy Furr, 2238K]

CBS News [3/10/2026 7:07 PM, Marissa Armas, 51110K] reports Tuesday, North Texas Congressman Marc Veasey got a firsthand look inside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Dallas field office. While security was not the focus of the visit, Veasey said he toured the facility to address community concerns about living conditions and how the center operates. Veasey spent Tuesday morning touring the field office, addressing community concerns about conditions inside the processing center. "What we saw here was people being processed, people getting their fingerprints, DNA swabs," he said. "The facility that we saw, you know, it was clean. Of course, we don’t know what it smells like in there or what it looks like in there. You know, after it’s been, after people have been held there for five, six, 12 hours… and so, it was pretty clear to me that the room that I saw was probably just recently power-washed.” Veasey noted that detainees are not provided undergarments, something he says should be addressed. He also questioned the practice of transferring children from North Texas to the detention facility in Dilley near San Antonio. "A lot of this is about border theater and optics, and I just think that’s really disturbing," said Veasey. There have also been reports that some migrants are being held at the processing center longer than ICE policy allows, something Veasey called unacceptable. "We were told that people here aren’t being held for long periods of time, but if anybody here is being held for a long period, it is a big, big problem because these are not meant for long-term stays at all historically," he said.

FOX News [3/10/2026 9:39 PM, Preston Mizell and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 37576K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas will remain open and is undergoing an operational upgrade, Fox News Digital has learned. "Camp East Montana is NOT closing, quite the opposite," an ICE spokesperson exclusively told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "Rather, ICE has contracted with a new provider following Secretary Noem’s termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War. ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody." The spokesperson said the new contract will allow the facility to maintain what the agency described as the "highest detention standards" while expanding oversight. According to ICE, the new contractor will also provide increased on-site medical care, additional staffing and a "PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan.” The agency said the updated agreement also strengthens ICE’s direct oversight of operations at the El Paso-area facility.

New York Times [3/10/2026 8:47 PM, Rylee Kirk and Alexandra E. Petri, 148038K] reports a Texas woman who was declared innocent on Monday, after spending more than 22 years behind bars for a wrongful conviction in a child’s death, will be allowed to stay in the country, according to a press officer for the Homeland Security Department. She had faced a deportation threat because her immigration status lapsed while she was incarcerated, a judge and her lawyers said. The woman, Carmen Mejia, 54, was convicted of murder and injury to a child in 2005 in connection with the death of a 10-month-old, who suffered third-degree burns from scalding bath water, while in Ms. Mejia’s care at her home in Austin in July 2003. The baby later died from the injuries. Ms. Mejia was sentenced to life in prison with parole but she had maintained her innocence. On Monday, Judge P. David Wahlberg of Travis County dismissed the charges, formally declaring her innocent. In January, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, overturned Ms. Mejia’s previous conviction, citing new evidence that proved she was “actually innocent.” But Ms. Mejia was not released from custody, owing to an immigration hold from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after her legal status expired while she was imprisoned, according to the Innocence Project, an advocacy organization that seeks to overturn wrongful convictions and which represented Ms. Mejia in her appeals case. She came to the United States from Honduras in 1995 and had lawful permission to live and work in the country before her conviction, the organization said. “In light of her conviction being overturned, she will be released from local custody, and ICE will lift the detainer,” the Homeland Security Department said in a statement. “Due to her exoneration, she is legally allowed to remain in the U.S. until her Temporary Protected status expires.” She was being held in the Travis County Correctional Complex, according to jail records. The Trump administration has been arresting and detaining immigrants it seeks to deport in cities from Los Angeles to Minneapolis. In recent weeks, those operations had become more targeted after opposition to its aggressive tactics. Vanessa Potkin, one of the Innocence Project lawyers working on Ms. Mejia’s case, said on Tuesday, before the announcement from federal officials, that Ms. Mejia’s release would give her an opportunity to be reunited with her four children, of whom she has lost custody. “She lost her lawful status as a direct consequence of her wrongful imprisonment and she had no ability to renew her status and to maintain it,” Ms. Potkin said, adding that a deportation would “perpetuate the profound injustice” Ms. Mejia faced. In signing the order to dismiss the charges, Judge Wahlberg said on Monday that he wished the decision would be “the end of this tragedy” for Ms. Mejia.

Reported similarly:
Univision [3/11/2026 12:01 AM, Staff, 4937K]

Houston Chronicle [3/10/2026 12:42 PM, Matt deGrood, 2493K] reports several Houston council members demanded changes and accountability this week, saying Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz should appear before city council to discuss policies and changes after the discovery that at least two police officers had directly transported people to immigration agents. Council members Ed Pollard, Joaquin Martinez and Alejandra Salinas all wrote statements on their social media profiles over the weekend in response to a Chronicle report that revealed details about the two arrests in July and August 2025. Council Member Tiffany Thomas joined the chorus in a statement to the Chronicle Monday. “I’m disappointed by the recent findings regarding coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities,” Martinez wrote in a prepared statement. “For months, I’ve been focused on rebuilding trust between our communities and local law enforcement, especially as increased ICE activity over the past year has already strained these relationships. Actions that blur the line between local policing and federal immigration enforcement only make that trust harder to restore.” Martinez called on the police department to restore the community affairs division as part of an effort to improve its relationship with the community. Pollard echoed Martinez’s comments and took it a step further, saying Chief Noe Diaz would need to appear before council to answer questions about the department’s policies. Thomas agreed, saying it wasn’t enough to handle the issue internally, and Diaz would need to appear before city council.

NBC News [3/10/2026 12:25 PM, Minyvonne Burke, 42967K] reports a Texas mother who spent the last 22 years in prison was exonerated Monday in the 2003 death of a 10-month-old boy who was burned from scalding bathwater while in her care. Travis County District Court Judge P. David Wahlberg exonerated Carmen Mejia after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned her convictions for felony murder, injury to a child and injury to a child by omission. At her exoneration hearing, Mejia cried as she thanked God. "Throughout these 20 years, I kept my faith and my hope that God was going to do justice," she said in court via a translator. "I want to thank everybody who’s with me in this moment and to my judge." In its Jan. 22 decision, the court ruled that "newly discovered evidence establishes that she is actually innocent of all three counts." "There’s nothing that I can say at this point that will bring back those 23 years," Judge Wahlberg told Mejia. "Signing this piece of paper won’t bring it back. There is no amount of money that will ever compensate you for losing the best years of your life. I wish I had that power. What I can do is say to you that there is a reason to hope and believe that your future will be better every day from now on, and I pray that it is so." Mejia was not released at the conclusion of the exoneration hearing because of an immigration hold stemming from her conviction. The Innocence Project said Mejia — who is from Honduras and came to the U.S. in 1995 — was granted temporary protected status before her arrest and obtained lawful work authorization. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has 48 hours to decide whether to detain Mejia and transfer her to a detention center or release her, according to the Innocence Project. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Univision [3/10/2026 6:34 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a group of Democratic senators is seeking to curb the use of an app, called Mobile Fortify, which agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) use during anti-immigrant raids to do facial recognition. The nonconformists with this measure used for President Donald Trump’s migration policy last week presented the legislative initiative to prohibit these immigration agencies, which belong to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using these technologies. The initiative was called ICE Out of Our Faces Act and is led by Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, along with Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, both from Oregon, and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal of Washington. According to the promoters of this law, the Mobile Fortify app allows the biometric surveillance of people without clear limits or democratic control, since the images that are captured enter immediately to a facial recognition registry to look for coincidences with criminals, but also the biometric data arrives in a government database. "For years, I have been sounding the alarm about the dangers of a national surveillance state based on facial recognition technology. Now, we’re seeing Trump’s unscrupulous federal agents deploy this technology on our streets across the country as he tries to bolster his authoritarian control,” said Senator Merkley, the law’s main driver in introducing the proposal, according to El País. “Without oversight, this technology is dangerous in the hands of any government, and the Trump Administration is using it abusively to trample on privacy, freedom of expression and civil liberties. "All freedom-loving Americans must join us in confronting this attack on the fundamental rights of citizens." If the legislative initiative progresses, it would prohibit ICE and CBP from acquiring and using these technologies to save biometric data and, in addition, would force these migration agencies to remove all data collected so far.

AP [3/10/2026 1:21 PM, Claire Rush, 31753K] reports a federal judge in Oregon on Monday restricted federal officers from using tear gas at protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Oregon on behalf of protesters and freelance journalists. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued the preliminary injunction after a three-day hearing in which the plaintiffs — including a demonstrator known for wearing a chicken costume, a married couple in their 80s and two freelance journalists — testified about having chemical or projectile munitions used against them. The lawsuit, whose defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, argues that federal officers’ use of such munitions is a retaliation against protesters that chills their First Amendment rights. "Plaintiffs provided numerous videos, which were received in evidence and unambiguously show DHS officers spraying OC Spray directly into the faces of peaceful and nonviolent protesters engaged in, at most, passive resistance and discharging tear gas and firing pepper-ball munitions into crowds of peaceful and nonviolent protestors," Simon wrote, using the term OC Spray to refer to pepper spray. "Defendants’ conduct — physically harming protestors and journalists without prior dispersal warnings — is objectively chilling." DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In previous statements, it said federal officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary.

Bloomberg [3/10/2026 1:50 PM, Mallory Culhane, 50K] reports that US Department of Homeland Security agents were ordered to stop using excessive force against peaceful crowds of protesters and press outside a Portland, Ore., immigration facility. "In a well-functioning constitutional democratic republic, free speech, courageous newsgathering, and nonviolent protest are all permitted, respected, and even celebrated," Judge Michael H. Simon said Monday. "In an authoritarian regime, that is not the case.” "Our nation is now at a crossroads," the judge wrote in an order issuing a preliminary injunction after granting a temporary restraining order last month. The US District Court for the District of Oregon also granted provisional class certification... [Editorial note: consult extended commentary at source link]

San Diego Union Tribune [3/10/2026 8:27 PM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1257K] reports San Diego County filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking full access to conduct a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center after being allegedly denied the opportunity last month. The legal action was expected after county Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre gave an ultimatum last week to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and private prison operator CoreCivic — all of whom are named as defendants. The county wanted to hear back from officials to try again for an inspection before a deadline they set last Wednesday. That request came after county health officers were granted limited access on Feb. 20, which the officers said was not enough to conduct a proper inspection. “We’re here today to make one thing clear: the Trump administration cannot hide conditions inside the Otay Mesa detention facility,” Lawson-Remer said at a news conference Tuesday outside the San Diego federal courthouse. “If they will not allow a lawful public health inspection, a federal court will.” The complaint argues that state law grants county health officials the authority to conduct such inspections. The lawsuit is seeking a preliminary injunction to require the federal government to allow the county’s public health officer to fully inspect the detention center while the case is ongoing, county officials said. “For months, we’ve heard troubling reports from inside Otay Mesa, including untreated medical conditions, freezing temperatures and contaminated food,” Lawson Remer said. “These allegations must be investigated.” The California Health and Safety Code states that county health officers “may make additional investigations of a county jail, private detention facility, or other detention facility of the county as they determine necessary.” “This case is about ensuring that the county can carry out its legal duty to protect the health and safety of people housed and working within the facility and the broader community that depends on us to do so,” said San Diego County Counsel Damon Brown. The Otay Mesa Detention Center is one of seven private immigration detention facilities operating in California. It is run by Tennessee-based prison operator CoreCivic. Such facilities are also inspected by the California Office of the Attorney General under Assembly Bill 103. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing today reflects a broader pattern under the Trump administration where federal agencies are increasingly blocking transparency and oversight even when public health is at stake,” Aguirre said. When asked about the lawsuit, a DHS spokesperson responded in part that, “ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance-based national detention standards.”

CBS 8 San Diego [3/10/2026 8:02 PM, Kelly Hessedal, 51110K] reports San Diego County supervisors announced they filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and CoreCivic, the company that operates the Otay Mesa Detention Center. "If the Trump Administration cannot hide conditions inside the Otay Mesa Detention facility. If they will not allow a lawful public health inspection, a federal court will," said County Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. The lawsuit names U.S. Department of Homeland Security, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE, Acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons, and CoreCivic Inc. It asks a federal judge to grant a preliminary injunction, which would allow a health inspection to go forward. If successful, San Diego County would be the first county in the state to gain access under these circumstances. County Chair Remer and County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre are leading the legal effort. The dispute stems from a visit county supervisors attempted to make February 20 to conduct a health inspection. County supervisors said they’ve reported receiving complaints from detainees regarding conditions at the facility. They said detainees have described freezing temperatures and untreated medical conditions.

Axios [3/10/2026 9:25 AM, Claire Trageser, 17364K] reports as San Diego’s Muslim community celebrates Ramadan this year, the fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids is bringing increased anxiety for some around gathering at mosques. : Ramadan is a time of spiritual renewal and being in community, but fears about ICE shatter that peace, Tazheen Nizam, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Diego, told Axios. Instead of focusing on prayer and gathering at the mosque, congregants are worried about whether it’s even safe to attend community events, she said. Right before Ramadan began in mid-February, CAIR held "know your rights" workshops at local mosques. That work is continuing through Ramadan, with information and flyers telling people ICE agents do not have the right to enter a private religious space, Nizam said Less than 1% of San Diego’s total population is Muslim, according to the Pew Research Center, but the city has one of the largest populations of Somali refugees in the country CAIR also gives schools resources to help support Muslim students on campuses, including giving students to-go breakfast and lunch when they are fasting. There haven’t been any reported mosque ICE raids nationwide, but the Trump administration did rescind a 30-year ban on immigration enforcement at or near places of worship. Religious leaders sued elsewhere in the country, and some federal judges ruled in their favor.

Los Angeles Times [3/10/2026 7:46 PM, Ruben Vives, 12718K] reports dozens of missing minors — some as young as 14 and some of whom had been sexually assaulted or trafficked — have been located and rescued in Southern California and nearby states, authorities say. State leaders are celebrating the four-day operation to combat human trafficking in Southern California that led to the rescue as well as the arrests of seven people. Dubbed Operation Safe Return, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies fanned out across the Greater Los Angeles area and nearby states including Arizona and Nevada in search of missing children. During the operation, which took place from March 2 to 6, more than 50 children ages 14 to 17 were identified as missing. At least 37 were recovered, and 13 other cases remain open, authorities said. At least seven people were taken into custody. Investigators said the names of the arrested would not be provided amid ongoing investigations. The operation was led by the U.S. Marshal Service and the Riverside County sheriff’s anti-human-trafficking task force with assistance from other law enforcement agencies. Victim advocacy and community safety groups also assisted.

Los Angeles Times [3/10/2026 6:00 AM, Clara Harter, 12718K] reports "What was the sin?" asked Rep. Eric Swallwell on Monday, decrying the deportation of a 6-year-old deaf boy and his family when they showed up for a "routine immigration check.” The Bay Area Democrat said that his staff had traveled to Colombia to return hearing aids to the boy. According to his family’s attorney, Nikolas De Bremaeker, the boy was separated from the medical devices during the deportation process. Swalwell’s staff is now working with De Bremaeker to try to return the family to the U.S. on humanitarian parole and re-enroll 6-year-old Joseph in the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, he announced Monday at a news conference in Hayward. The Department of Homeland Security has stood by its decision to deport the family. A department spokesperson said in a statement Friday that the mother, 28-year-old Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, was "an illegal alien from Colombia" who "illegally entered the United States in 2022 and was RELEASED into our country under the Biden administration." She was issued a removal order on Nov. 25, 2024, according to the spokesperson.

Blaze [3/10/2026 1:35 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1556K] reports that in a 2-1 ruling on Friday, a pair of federal appellate judges appointed by former President Joe Biden blocked the Trump administration from revoking Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status designation — a special status that not only shields over 350,000 Haitian nationals from removal but enables them to continue displacing American labor. Apparently emboldened by the D.C.-based appellate court’s ruling, activists have filed a federal lawsuit in hopes of similarly blocking the Trump administration from ending Somalia’s special status. BlazeTV host Christopher Rufo and investigative reporter Ryan Thorpe highlighted in a damning Nov. 19 report various instances of alleged and confirmed fraud perpetrated by members of the Somali community in Minnesota as well as the alleged direction of stolen taxpayer funds by members of the Somali community to terrorists abroad. Two days later, President Donald Trump announced that he was terminating the TPS designation for Somalia, stating, "Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing. Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!". Amid multiple investigations into the pervasive fraud within the heavily welfare-dependent Somali community, the Department of Homeland Security announced in January that the crime-ridden East African nation would be stripped of its special status effective March 17. The DHS advised Somali nationals without legal status apart from TPS to start the process of self-deporting. DHS did not respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.

Washington Examiner [3/10/2026 2:24 PM, Jack Birle, 1147K] reports that the Trump administration’s bid to end temporary protected status for Somalia is facing a new lawsuit, as the administration turns to the Supreme Court to help end TPS for people from Syria and Haiti. Efforts to end TPS designations for various countries have been met with lawsuits from activist groups, as the Trump administration argues that the temporary protections given to foreign nationals from affected countries no longer meet the legal requirements for the status. While the Supreme Court has sided with the Trump administration twice over its contested effort to end TPS for people from Venezuela, lower courts have since continued to block the Trump administration from revoking those same temporary protections for people from other countries. A pair of activist groups, along with four Somali nationals, sued the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleging the administration’s attempt to end TPS for the country is unlawful for several reasons. The lawsuit claims the conditions in Somalia are a humanitarian crisis, which supports extending the temporary status that has been in place since 1991, and that DHS’s process of ending the status was a reflection of the administration’s "preordained, pretextual, politically influenced agendas." The groups claim the administration failed to "undertake a good faith review of objective evidence of country conditions relevant to the legal grounds for Somalia’s TPS designation" and that the decision was "impermissibly relying on the Administration’s determination about the domestic ‘national interest’ as a basis for termination."

Telemundo [3/10/2026 6:52 PM, Staff, 162K] reports a man is facing charges after authorities reported that they found child pornography on his phone during an inspection at Miami International Airport. Martin Esho, 33, was arrested on charges including possession of visual representations related to the sexual exploitation of minors and transportation of visual representations related to the sexual exploitation of minors, according to a federal criminal complaint. According to the complaint, on March 7 Esho entered the United States through Miami International Airport on a flight from Medellín, Colombia, and was selected for a secondary inspection by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The review of their iPhones found child sexual abuse material in a hidden section of the photo gallery, password protected, the complaint said. Esho was interviewed by investigators and said he downloads videos from the internet and that videos of child sexual abuse are downloaded “inadvertently,” but that when he detects them, according to the complaint. He also said he transfers all downloaded videos to the hidden gallery and had previously seen some of the videos, but claimed he forgot to delete them, according to the complaint.

CNN [3/11/2026 3:34 AM, Hanna Park, 19874K] reports the Trump administration said international travel program Global Entry would be restored on Wednesday morning, reopening a fast-track system that had been halted last month during an ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. "As DHS continually evaluates measures it can take amidst the Democrats’ continued shutdown of the department, DHS will be reactivating Global Entry on March 11th at 5:00 AM ET. We are working hard to alleviate the disruptions to travelers caused by the Democrats’ shutdown," a DHS spokesperson told CNN in a statement. The move was presented as a step to mitigate airport disruptions with the funding standoff in its fourth week. On February 22, the department announced that it would stop processing Global Entry travelers at participating airports after its funding lapsed on February 14, when lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a spending bill. At the time, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said personnel would be reassigned to focus on the "general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry," calling it a necessary reallocation of resources. A similar decision to suspend domestic program TSA PreCheck was quickly reversed. The funding lapse stems from a broader dispute over immigration enforcement. Democrats in Congress have sought new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal immigration agents, including requiring judicial warrants for certain home arrests, mandating visible identification and limiting the use of face coverings during operations. Republicans have opposed several of those proposals, arguing that the changes would hinder enforcement. The suspension of Global Entry, long promoted by the government as a time-saving benefit for frequent international travelers, drew swift criticism from Democratic lawmakers and industry groups. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York accused the administration of using "bully tactics" by targeting airport operations during the standoff. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the move appeared designed to "punish the American people.” The US Travel Association had previously urged the department to reverse course, saying the suspension would swell standard inspection lines, strain border officers and weaken security by diverting attention from higher-risk travelers. "Global Entry is far more than a convenience, it is on the front line of national security. Its more than 13 million members undergo rigorous background checks, interviews and vetting. Suspending it doesn’t just slow lines. It increases costs and strips away a layer of security infrastructure that took years to build," the association said.

NewsMax [3/10/2026 7:12 AM, Staff, 3760K] reports travelers across the country are facing long, frustrating waits at airport security as a partial government shutdown stretches the nation’s TSA workforce just as spring-break travel ramps up, The Wall Street Journal reports. At several major airports, security lines have stretched for hours, with some passengers missing flights after waiting in lines that snake through terminals and even into parking garages. The delays are tied to the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Transportation Security Administration. Funding for the agency lapsed on Feb. 14, leaving roughly 50,000 TSA officers working without pay while they continue staffing security checkpoints. Airport officials say the combination of heavy travel demand and fewer staffed screening lanes is creating major bottlenecks.

CBS News [3/10/2026 6:10 PM, Nicole Sganga, 51110K] reports unscheduled absences among airport security officers have more than doubled during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, with more than 300 employees leaving the agency since the start of the DHS shutdown, according to internal TSA statistics obtained exclusively by CBS News. TSA officer call-out rates have climbed into double-digit percentages at some airports, including half the officers at Houston’s Hobby Airport, straining screening operations and contributing to longer security lines. Statistics obtained from Transportation Security Administration officials show the nationwide callout rate — unscheduled absences by frontline officers — has risen to an average of 6% during the shutdown, compared with about 2% before government funding lapsed. Several days saw significantly higher national absence rates. The highest nationwide rate reached 9% on Feb. 23, followed by 8% on March 6 and 7% on March 9, according to the internal data. The increase comes as roughly 50,000 TSA employees are being required to work without pay during the DHS funding lapse that began Feb. 14. At individual airports, sick outs have climbed even more sharply. Those figures were compounded by extreme weather events. Behind the scenes, DHS officials worry that the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk that more TSA employees will leave, worsening staffing shortages beyond the immediate crisis. Travel demand has continued to rise during the shutdown, meaning fewer officers are screening more passengers. TSA officials say the staffing shortages have forced managers in some cities to consolidate checkpoints or reduce screening lanes, increasing wait times for travelers while remaining officers screen growing passenger volumes. The shutdown has also disrupted some expedited traveler programs.

Daily Caller [3/10/2026 1:40 PM, Andi Shae Napier, 803K] reports that the partial government shutdown has entered its 25th day as over 50,000 airport employees manage the spring break travel season without pay while the conflict in Iran escalates. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is calling on lawmakers to end what it calls the "Democrat shutdown" of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as airport security lines spill outside into parking lots and terrorism threats to the U.S. increase. President Donald Trump slammed Democrats Monday night for not funding DHS — of which the TSA is an agency — and accused them of "deliberately sabotaging our national security," following reports that Iran activated terrorist sleeper cells in the United States. "This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. Stop holding our national security and everyday Americans hostage!" TSA’s X account. The partial shutdown marks the third time TSA agents are working without pay in nearly six months, according to the White House. Airports from Houston to Tampa to New Orleans are facing security checkpoint lines with waiting times as long as three hours. DHS funding lapsed Feb. 13 after lawmakers in the upper chamber failed to reach a deal on sweeping immigration reforms. Despite Democrats’ efforts to implement reforms, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is still fully funded through Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment, the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

AP [3/11/2026 12:08 AM, Rio Yamat, 16072K] reports long security lines snaked into baggage claim areas and parking garages at some U.S. airports this weekend, a possible indicator of more widespread travel problems as the latest government shutdown drags on. That kind of disruption, while not yet widespread, is not a concern that typically surfaces at San Francisco International Airport, the largest of nearly two dozen U.S. airports where screening checkpoints are staffed by private contractors under a little-used federal program that allows airports to outsource security screenings while maintaining TSA oversight. Because contractors’ pay comes from a federal contract, it often continues even when the government shuts down. “The money’s already been allocated, the payments have already been made, and that continues without interruption,” SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told The Associated Press. “That is a very nice place to be.” The contrast draws attention to a long-running debate in the aviation industry: Can private contractors operating under TSA oversight provide a stopgap — and shield airport security operations from the political impasses that can disrupt U.S. air travel? Some aviation experts see the TSA screening program as a potential model for keeping security lines moving with fewer disruptions during shutdowns. At SFO, that system helped maintain screening operations during last year’s record 43-day shutdown, Yakel said. But critics caution that privatization is not a silver bullet — and could introduce new risks. The union representing federal screeners argues that moving operations to private companies could erode job protections and reduce pay and benefits for workers already facing high turnover amid demanding conditions. TSA’s screening partnership program allows airports to use private security companies chosen by the federal government to run checkpoints while TSA retains authority over procedures and oversight. The agency says private security screeners receive the same security background check and must meet the same medical requirements as prospective federal security screeners. In addition to SFO, other participating airports include Kansas City International Airport, Atlantic City International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport. The vast majority of the nation’s roughly 400 commercial airports, meanwhile, rely on federal screening officers employed directly by TSA. During shutdowns, those workers must continue reporting for duty even though they stop getting paid — a dynamic that has historically led to higher absenteeism and slower-moving checkpoints the longer a shutdown lasts. The current partial shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, which includes TSA. Democrats in Congress refused to fund the department over objections to its immigration enforcement tactics. The lapse marks the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily without pay — and once the government reopens, to have to wait for backpay. Those disruptions can ripple through the travel system, cascading problems across already crowded flight schedules. The strain is especially acute this time of year as airlines and airports brace for what they expect will be one of the busiest spring break travel seasons on record.

ABC News [3/10/2026 5:37 PM, Kenton Gewecke, Melissa Griffin, and Bill Hutchinson, 34146K] reports more than 100 million people are in the path of severe weather expected to sweep across parts of the U.S. on Tuesday night, from Texas to Michigan. The system is forecast to spawn strong tornadoes, destructive winds and hail the size of baseballs. A swath of severe weather is also forecast from north-central Illinois, including Chicago, to northwestern Indiana. The severe weather front stretches down to the Texas-Mexico border and across Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan and central to southeast Missouri, including the cities of Detroit, Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. The areas are expected to see thunderstorms, damaging winds, hail and possible tornadoes. A line of storms is expected to sweep east on Wednesday afternoon and move into Ohio and Tennessee, including the cities of Cincinnati, Memphis and Nashville. The severe weather is expected to move offshore on Thursday morning, followed by a cold front that is expected to quickly drop temperatures.

CBS News [3/10/2026 11:49 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports a large tornado south of Chicago downed trees and power lines Tuesday and overwhelmed the 911 center with emergency calls, according to officials, while a second suspected tornado also caused significant damage in northwest Indiana. The tornado struck down in the Kankakee County area, about 47.5 miles south of Chicago, and caused major damage on the south side of Kankakee City, according to Trooper Jayme Bufford, a spokesperson for Illinois State Police. It traveled northeast into Aroma Park, where it caused more damage, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office. No injuries have been reported. CBS News Chicago meteorologist Kylee Miller, reporting from Kankakee County, said she could see significant damage. In a video shared on social media, the twister is seen ripping across a field of farmland near an airport while vehicles lined the road. Severe storms were threatening to bring intense tornadoes, damaging winds and very large hail from the southern Plains to the southern Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service. States from Texas to Michigan were under tornado watches. More than 2 million Americans were at a moderate risk of severe weather in Illinois and Indiana. Nearly 22 million were at a slightly lesser risk in a zone that includes Chicago, Fort Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Just over the Indiana state line in Newton County, another apparent tornado hit several houses in Lake Village and caused injuries, according to Indiana State Police Cpl. Eric Rot. He was not able to provide the number of people injured or their condition. "We’re still in emergency response mode," he said. In a video on social media, Newton County officials confirmed multiple homes were destroyed and there was "a lot of damage," Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran said. "Lake Village took a direct hit, please stay away from the area," said Rob Churchill, Lake Township Fire chief. This comes just days after at least six people were killed last week in Michigan and Oklahoma after powerful storms produced at least three tornadoes.

CBS News [3/10/2026 3:22 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports Georgia farmers, ranchers, and foresters affected by Hurricane Helene will soon be eligible for more than $531 million in federal disaster relief, following months of advocacy by U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. The funding, announced this week, will be distributed through Georgia’s Hurricane Helene Block Grant Program. The relief aims to help agricultural producers in eligible counties whose operations suffered losses in timber, infrastructure, poultry, livestock, milk production, pecans, blueberries, citrus, nursery stock, and other areas as a result of the 2024 hurricane. The storm caused severe damage across South and East-Central Georgia, destroying about one-third of the state’s pecan and cotton crops, damaging or destroying over 100 poultry houses, and impacting 1.5 million acres of timber. The state’s agricultural sector faces an estimated $5.5 billion in total damages due to the storm. Hurricane Helene also claimed more than 250 lives, including 37 Georgians.

New York Post [3/10/2026 3:28 PM, Annie Gaus, 40934K] reports California Gov. Gavin Newsom quietly paid a visit to the Palisades last week to discuss federal funding for rebuilding the fire-ravaged community — as he continues to bicker with President Trump over disaster aid and is in the midst of a national book tour widely viewed as a pre-presidential campaign. Locals at the meeting said they were "willing to provide current disaster-funding requests to the governor to present to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and to HUD" — in the hopes of breaking a funding stalemate between Newsom and the Trump administration, local outlet Circling The News reported. The president has not yet made a formal appropriations request for fire aid to Congress, despite pleas from Newsom’s office. After the Palisades and Eaton fires killed 31 people and destroyed roughly 16,000 homes and structures in January 2025, California submitted a request for roughly $40 billion in federal disaster aid. Trump, however, announced an executive order to streamline permitting for rebuilding efforts in January, which he said would preempt local rules and speed up construction.

Blaze [3/10/2026 10:40 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1556K] reports that the Jan. 6 Select Committee’s various improprieties and its prioritization of narrative over facts have been exposed. Nevertheless, key participants in the Democrat-led lawfare campaign have so far managed to evade consequence. That might soon change. House Republicans have reportedly referred Jan. 6 committee star witness Cassidy Hutchinson to the Department of Justice for criminal charges. A pair of sources reportedly familiar with recent developments told CNN that Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), the chairman of the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding Jan. 6, 2021, recently made the referral, which was co-signed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). The referral reportedly accuses Hutchinson — who milked her time in the limelight for a book deal — of lying to Congress in her public testimony in June 2022. This is undoubtedly good news for President Donald Trump, who claimed Hutchinson "made up" stories about him during her testimony. "Our great Secret Service has totally CRUSHED Cassidy Hutchinson’s (who I barely knew) made up (FAKE!) stories about me roughing up Secret Service Agents from the back seat of the Beast (Limo)," Trump noted in March 2024. "Has she now changed her testimony? Will she be prosecuted for what she did and said?" Blaze News has reached out to the Department of Justice and Loudermilk’s office for comment. CNN indicated that Hutchinson’s current and former lawyers did not respond to multiple inquiries.

NewsNation [3/10/2026 5:26 PM, Jocelyn Fiset, 4464K] reports Kai Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump, brought her Secret Service detail and all her YouTube followers along on a run to luxury grocery store Erewhon, sparking widespread criticism on social media. “I’m gonna need to file for bankruptcy,” Trump joked in her YouTube video, titled “I Brought My Secret Service to Erewhon,” which has garnered more than 343,000 views since it was first published on Sunday, March 8.

AP [3/10/2026 6:02 AM, Staff, 35287K] reports as the partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse enters its fourth week, No Shutdown Pay For Congress today released a new non-partisan report highlighting the severe human and operational toll on the U.S. Coast Guard—the only military branch funded through DHS—and the families who support them. Titled "Shutdown Hits Coast Guard Families: Pay Uncertainty and Morale Strain for America’s Maritime Guardians Amid Iran Crisis," the report builds on our prior analyses of national security vulnerabilities (March 4) and broader workforce hardships (March 6) by focusing on this critical armed force. While most Americans know the Coast Guard for domestic lifesaving, search-and-rescue, drug interdiction, and environmental protection, the report makes clear: the Coast Guard has an indispensable national defense role. Under Title 10 authority (when directed by the President), the Coast Guard shifts to Department of Defense wartime status, operating under Navy command to provide maritime security, law enforcement expertise, and forward presence in contested waters. In the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict (Operation Epic Fury / Roaring Lion, initiated February 28, 2026), Coast Guard cutters and personnel are actively supporting high-threat missions in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz—securing sea lanes vital for global oil and gas shipments (over 20% of world supply passes through the Strait), countering proxy threats, escorting vessels, and deterring disruptions that could spike energy prices and inflation for American families. Despite these essential duties, approximately 41,000 active-duty, Reserve, and civilian Coast Guard members continue operations as excepted personnel without reliable pay. Initial February 15 paychecks were covered, but subsequent cycles (February 27, March 1, and potentially March 15) face delays, partial payments, or no pay for many due to funding constraints. Benefits continue, but payroll deductions pause, forcing families into loans, credit, or hardship programs like Coast Guard Mutual Assistance.

Bloomberg Industry Group Bloomberg Tax [3/10/2026 3:15 PM, Jacqueline Thomsen, Suzanne Monyak, 50K] reports the federal judiciary is accelerating its move to a new case management system after repeated cyber attacks on the current system used for court filings. Judge Michael Scudder of the Seventh Circuit, who chairs the federal court’s IT committee, said Tuesday the judiciary moved up the adoption of a new system by two to three years in response to attacks that took place last year. Sealed documents in espionage and other sensitive cases were targeted in a breach of the federal judiciary’s case management system last year, people familiar with the matter said at the time. Scudder said the Judicial Conference—the judiciary’s policy-making body—was briefed Tuesday about the planned upgrade. Six district courts will start testing parts of the new system this year, according to a judiciary press release, and appellate and bankruptcy courts will adopt it later. The judiciary has faced multiple cyber attacks in recent years.

CyberScoop [3/10/2026 1:10 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports a maximum-severity vulnerability in pac4j, an open-source library integrated into hundreds of software packages and repositories, poses a significant security threat, but has thus far received scant attention. The defect in the Java security engine, which handles authentication across multiple frameworks, has not been exploited in the wild since code review firm CodeAnt AI published a proof-of-concept exploit last week. The company discovered the vulnerability and privately reported it to pac4j’s maintainer, which disclosed the defect and released patches for affected versions of the library within two days. Some researchers told CyberScoop they are concerned about the vulnerability — CVE-2026-29000 — because it affects a widely deployed Java security engine that attackers can exploit with relative ease. “A threat actor only needs to access a server’s public RSA key to attempt exploitation,” researchers at Arctic Wolf Labs said in an email. “It is currently too early into the lifecycle of this vulnerability to tell if it will materialize into a major threat but the fact that it is a vulnerability in a library makes it more challenging to assess the potential risk,” researchers at Arctic Wolf Labs said. “Downstream consumers of the library may end up needing to issue their own advisories, as we’ve seen with other similar vulnerabilities in the past.”

MeriTalk [3/10/2026 3:20 PM, Weslan Hansen, 37K] reports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said Monday that an ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown will probably delay the final Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act (CIRCIA) rule. Town hall meetings scheduled for weeks in March and April to discuss the final CIRCIA rule have been postponed, CISA said in a statement. The agency said it will publish a revised town hall schedule once the department reopens. The CIRCIA cyber incident reporting rule would require covered organizations to report major incidents to CISA within 72 hours and ransom payments within 24 hours. Five industry-specific town halls and two general town halls were intended to hear feedback on the final rule. While the final rule has already encountered delays – it was supposed to be enacted in October 2025, but that date was later extended to May 2026 – CISA said the postponed town halls “will likely result in a delay to the issuance of the final rule.” Currently, CISA – like most DHS components – is working at a limited capacity while the department awaits new appropriations from Congress. Unlike the rest of the federal government, DHS did not receive any fiscal year 2026 appropriations under the latest funding agreement while congressional Republicans and Democrats are in a standoff over immigration enforcement policies. The new delay to the CIRCIA rule was not unexpected. Madhu Gottumukkala, former acting director of CISA, told lawmakers in February that if the DHS shutdown continued, the final rule would be pushed back.

FOX News [3/11/2026 12:11 AM, Landon Mion, 40934K] reports a suspected member of the MS-13 gang who was wanted for allegedly killing a pastor in El Salvador was arrested on Tuesday, according to the FBI. Danny Antonio Granados-Garcia, a Salvadoran national, was in the U.S. with an active El Salvadorian arrest warrant for aggravated homicide — wanted for the alleged murder of a pastor, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X. FBI New Haven wrote that the suspect was taken into custody in Waterbury, Connecticut. "With the assistance of FBI LEGAT San Salvador, Granados-Garcia was identified as a fugitive with an active El Salvadorian arrest warrant and @Interpol_HQ Blue Notice for aggravated homicide," FBI New Haven wrote. "Granados-Garcia was wanted for the murder of a pastor, who was a relative of an El Salvadorian police officer," the agency added. He was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after he was arrested by the FBI "to facilitate his return to El Salvador to be held accountable for his crimes," the agency said. "MS-13 members are notorious for their brutality, violence, and intimidation," FBI New Haven Special Agent in Charge P.J. O’Brien said in a statement. "No matter how committed they are to creating chaos in our communities, the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to relentlessly pursue members and associates of MS-13 and obtain justice for the victims of their crimes," he continued.

New York Times [3/10/2026 6:00 PM, Kyle Bagenstose and John Leland, 330K] reports details slowly started to emerge Monday about the two young men charged over the weekend with trying to detonate homemade bombs outside Gracie Mansion, apparently aimed at a protest billed as “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer.” According to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, after their arrest both expressed support for the Islamic State, the extremist group also known as ISIS that remains widely influential even as it has lost power in the Middle East. The Police Department has not yet released information about the contents of the two men’s cellphones or computers, or about how they might have come to identify with an extremist group or ideology. A lawyer for Emir Balat, the high school student who was caught on video lighting a homemade bomb and tossing it toward the demonstrators, said he thought the two men did not know each other before last weekend. “They’re strangers, as far as I know,” the lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said. Mr. Balat, 18, is a senior at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pa., where he has attended remotely since September, the school confirmed. Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, the other man arrested, graduated from Council Rock North High School in Newtown, Pa., in 2024. Outside the family homes of the two men on Monday, neighbors expressed surprise that the teenagers they knew could have been involved in violence 100 miles away. Both live in well-maintained, ethnically diverse suburbs of Philadelphia in Bucks County, in new middle- or upper-middle-class developments carved out of what was once rural farmland. At Mr. Balat’s family home in Langhorne, a woman wearing a hijab answered the door but politely declined to speak to a reporter. A half-dozen pairs of shoes sat outside the door, a sign of a gathering inside. A neighbor who declined to give her name described the Balats as a very kind family, adding that she was shocked at the news of the Gracie Mansion incident. Mr. Balat’s father, Selahattin Balat, a Turkish native who was granted asylum by the United States in 1998, became a legal permanent resident in 2010 and a citizen in 2017. Mehmet Isak, a former president of the Turkish American Muslim Cultural Association of Bucks County, said he knew the elder Mr. Balat from the Turkish mosque in nearby Levittown, and believed him to be a “good man, a good businessman.” The mosque and the local Turkish American community, he said, had no connection to violent extremism. “In our community, we would never, ever support these kinds of things,” Mr. Isak said of the events in New York. “We wouldn’t want that in our congregation.” The congregation itself has been subject to some bigotry: News reports of a planned expansion of its mosque last year drew a rash of anti-Muslim sentiment on social media, including one comment that suggested it be torn down and a church built instead. At Mr. Kayumi’s family home, in a subdivision of multimillion-dollar houses in Newtown Township, 20 minutes away in a more affluent part of Bucks County, a Mercedes S.U.V. sat parked in front of the three-car garage. Mr. Kayumi’s parents emigrated from Afghanistan and became United States citizens more than a decade ago, according to published reports. Over the weekend, Mr. Kayumi’s father, Khayer Kayumi, told New York Times that they became worried about their son on Saturday when he did not come home.

ABC News [3/10/2026 2:29 PM, Staff, 34146K] reports that in addition, FBI detonated 3 explosive devices tied to suspects arrested outside Gracie Mansion over the weekend. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [3/10/2026 1:24 PM, Staff, 35287K] reports that Authorities said counterprotesters allegedly attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices during a protest near the mayor’s home over the weekend. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [3/10/2026 1:48 PM, Theodore Bunker, 3760K] reports that Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani following an attempted bombing outside his residence, warning that the city’s leadership must take terrorism and public safety threats more seriously. Federal authorities are investigating after an improvised explosive device was thrown during clashes between protesters and counter protesters outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, prompting an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force probe. Police said the device, filled with metal fragments and capable of causing serious injury, did not detonate, and two suspects were arrested in connection with the incident. During an appearance on Newsmax’s "National Report," Malliotakis said the attack underscored the need for stronger law enforcement support and a more forceful response from city leadership. "It’s absolutely serious, and it needs to be taken seriously," Malliotakis said. "And the mayor should have been more forceful in condemning these terrorists, properly identifying it as radical Islam and the association with ISIS." Malliotakis said she was troubled that the mayor initially focused on protesters rather than the suspects who allegedly tried to carry out the attack. "The fact that he could not do that and focused more on the protesters who were utilizing their First Amendment instead of these terrorists who tried to kill people is a real problem," she said. "And it makes me nervous for the future of New York City."

FOX News [3/10/2026 2:45 PM, Adam Sabes and Greg Wehner, 37576K] Video: HERE reports the two Pennsylvania men accused of plotting an ISIS-inspired terror attack in New York City were "strangers" before the alleged plot, an attorney for one of the suspects said. Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, and 18-year-old Emir Balat allegedly threw live explosive devices into a protest that was taking place outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion residence on Saturday after traveling from Bucks County to Manhattan, federal officials said. Balat’s lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, claimed to reporters that the two men didn’t know each other prior to the attempted attack. "They’re strangers as far as I know," Essmidi said. "I’m saying they’re from different parts of Pennsylvania, they’re in different age groups, they are not known to each other. They do not live together, they do not have family or school ties.”[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [3/10/2026 6:53 PM, Staff, 51110K] Video: HERE reports one of two men accused of throwing improvised explosive devices at protesters Saturday outside the New York City mayor’s residence appears to have purchased fuses at a fireworks store in a Philadelphia suburb last week, CBS News has learned. Emir Balat, 18, purchased fuses at Phantom Fireworks,in Penndel, Pennsylvania, according to William Weimer, vice president and general counsel for the Phantom Fireworks Company. Surveillance video provided to CBS News shows Balat walking inside and shopping at Phantom Fireworks at 12:46 p.m. local time on March 2, five days before the incident. Video from inside the store shows Balat purchasing a 20-foot roll of safety fuse, which looks and feels like thick twine, for $6.89 including tax, according to Weimer. "Coming in and buying that was uneventful," Weimer told CBS News in a phone interview. "Had he bought 20 rolls of fuse, it might have raised eyebrows. But buying one or two items of anything in this store is almost a nonevent. Nothing remarkable about the purchase.” The FBI, which is investigating the attack as an act of potential terrorism, contacted the store’s national security director on Monday, Weimer said.

NBC News [3/10/2026 3:30 PM, Matt Lavietes, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, and Deanna Durante, 42967K] reports the FBI said Tuesday that it found "explosive residue" in a Pennsylvania storage unit believed to be connected to what authorities described as an "ISIS-inspired terrorism" incident near New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence over the weekend. In a post on X, the FBI said that it found the explosives and that authorities "conducted a controlled detonation to ensure the safety of law enforcement and others in the area." The explosives are "believed to be connected" to Saturday’s incident, in which improvised explosive devices were thrown outside Gracie Mansion during weekend protests. Two Pennsylvania teenagers — Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18 — are facing federal charges in connection with the Saturday incident. None of the devices were detonated and nobody was injured. A senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said several components and chemicals were removed from the Pennsylvania storage facility. The official added that local police detonated some of those components out of precaution as part of their ongoing investigation late last evening. Separately, the New York City Police Department on Tuesday responded to another suspicious device located near Gracie Mansion, later determined to be "non-threatening," the NYPD said in a series of posts on X. The federal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Balat and Kayumi made statements about the Islamic State terrorist group before and after their arrests. Body camera video from the New York City police officers who arrested Kayumi shows him responding "ISIS" to someone in the crowd asking why he had done it, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors said that the pair hoped to inflict more carnage than the Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured more than 260 others in 2013.

New York Post [3/10/2026 7:06 PM, Joe Marino and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, 40934K] reports the NYPD chief hailed as a hero for helping to chase down a pair of accused ISIS-inspired botched bombers said it was all part of being one of New York’s Finest. Chief Aaron Edwards, the 46-year-old commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan North, was just steps away from a smoking IED dropped in front of a crew of NYPD cops during a rowdy demonstration outside Gracie Mansion — and didn’t hesitate to jump into action. "I always say, we’re all cops, right?" Edwards told The Post Tuesday. "Regardless of rank, regardless of life, regardless of position, you’re a cop first. Once a cop, always a cop. "When you see danger, you have that cop in you," he said. "You react to it.” His heroics went viral, but when his wife of 12 years saw footage of him running into harm’s way, she texted him one observation: "Wrong direction, sir!". Edwards was part of the NYPD deployment at an anti-Muslim rally led by right-wing agitator Jake Lang on Saturday when a group of counter protesters showed up to disrupt the demonstration. Scuffles broke out, and then two radicalized Pennsylvania teens took it one step further, hurling two homemade explosive devices onto the ground — one of them landing right in front of Edwards and NYPD Sgt. Luis Navarro, with the fuse lit.

Washington Examiner [3/10/2026 6:00 AM, Mia Cathell, 1147K] reports several coconspirators convicted in the first federal antifa terrorism case delivered tell-all testimony last week, lifting the curtains on the far-left movement’s operations during the trial of nine suspected antifa members. The nine holdouts taking their chances at trial are accused of belonging to a Texas antifa cell that carried out a coordinated July 2025 attack on an immigration detention center near Dallas. Authorities say that a heavily armed cell of antifa radicals opened fire that night on federal personnel. A local police officer was shot in the neck after he answered a call for help from the facility’s security guards. Four of the defendants who have already confessed to their affiliation and are now cooperating with prosecutors testified last week against their alleged comrades as part of plea deals they had struck in exchange for reduced prison time. The admitted antifa associates, appearing as witnesses for the government, disclosed at trial first-hand knowledge about antifa’s organizing strategies and operational tactics.

Univision [3/10/2026 7:52 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports Harris County authorities arrested a man who called emergency services and warned of his intention to detonate explosive devices and carry out a shooting in the Bronze Leaf Drive area . Harris County Precinct 4 Sheriff’s deputies arrested 20-year-old Jeremiah Chavez on Monday, March 9. According to the official report, they went to Chavez’s home and found inside an AR-type weapon, ammunition, and various components for making explosives . The suspect was arrested at the scene without incident and taken to the Harris County Detention Center , where he remains in custody . The young man will face charges for illegal possession of explosive components . His probable cause hearing was held on March 10 , and his next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, at 9:00 a.m. The bail amount was set at $250,000 , according to preliminary court records. Sheriff Mark Herman stated that the deputies’ quick response helped prevent a potential act of mass violence , emphasizing that these types of threats are treated with the utmost seriousness by local authorities.

FOX News [3/10/2026 1:56 PM, Paul Tilsley, 37576K] reports that the Trump administration, citing Iran, is taking more action against the Muslim Brotherhood—this time in one of the world’s worst conflicts: the civil war in Sudan. On Monday, the State Department declared the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood (SMB) to be a "Designated Global Terrorist and intends to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective March 16, 2026." The statement also contained a warning to Iran regarding its meddling in the conflict. "The SMB has contributed upwards of 20,000 fighters to the war in Sudan, many receiving training and other support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the statement noted. It added, "As the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranian regime has financed and directed malign activities globally through its IRGC. The United States will use all available tools to deprive the Iranian regime and Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism." In November, the State Department sanctioned the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, declaring it to be a terrorist organization in those countries. The organization, the State Department noted, is "composed of the Sudanese Islamic Movement and its armed wing – the al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade (BBMB), (and) uses unrestrained violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and advance its violent Islamist ideology."

Washington Post [3/10/2026 2:33 PM, Meryl Kornfield, Elizabeth Dwoskin, and Lisa Rein, 24826K] reports that the Social Security Administration’s internal watchdog is investigating a complaint that alleges a former U.S. DOGE Service employee claimed he had access to two highly sensitive agency databases and planned to share the information with his private employer — a claim that, if true, would constitute an unprecedented breach of security protocols at an agency that serves more than 70 million Americans. The agency’s inspector general is investigating the disclosure and has alerted members of Congress of its existence, according to a letter by the acting inspector general to top members of four congressional committees reviewed by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. The inspector general’s office has also shared the disclosure with the Government Accountability Office, which has been conducting its own audit of DOGE’s access to data, according to one of the people. The Post has reviewed the complaint and spoken with the whistleblower, who issued the complaint anonymously for fear of retaliation. According to the disclosure, the former DOGE software engineer, who worked at the Social Security Administration last year before starting a job at a government contractor in October, allegedly told several co-workers that he possessed two tightly restricted databases of U.S. citizens’ information, and had at least one on a thumb drive.

New York Post [3/10/2026 7:07 PM, Anna Young, 40934K] reports over 600 New Mexico residents have been alerted by authorities to hand over their home security footage as the bizarre disappearance of a retired Air Force general and UFO expert enters its 11th day. Investigators contacted the Albuquerque homeowners to gather the home camera footage and information in an effort to track down William Neil McCasland, 68, who vanished without a trace from his home on Feb. 28, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. "Investigators have contacted more than 600 homeowners in the neighborhood near Mr. McCasland’s residence to request security camera footage or information," a police spokesperson told The Post. Local authorities, working alongside the FBI, said they’ve received dozens of tips in the missing persons case — although none have yet to bear any fruit. "While none have resulted in a confirmed sighting or led directly to Mr. McCasland’s location, investigators are continuing to follow up on every piece of information received," police said. Cops said McCasland left his phone behind when he mysteriously disappeared on foot from his home. Authorities have issued a Silver Alert for the retired general, but an investigative journalist warned the case amounts to much more than a missing senior citizen — calling it a "grave national security crisis.” "This is a man with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States in his head," journalist Ross Coulthart said in the latest edition of his "Reality Check" podcast, adding that McCasland possesses deep knowledge about what the US government might be hiding regarding extraterrestrials.

The AP [3/10/2026 5:09 PM, Rob Gillies, 2K] reports police in Canada searched Tuesday for two assailants who opened fire at the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto in an early-morning attack that damaged the outside of the building but did not cause any injuries. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Chris Leather called it a national security incident and said the national police force was working with Toronto police on finding the suspects and determining the motive. The shooting came amid heightened tension over the Iran war, and followed gunfire attacks on two Toronto-area synagogues last weekend. Leather said the U.S. and Israeli consulates, as well as embassies in Ottawa, would see an increase in security. “It is extremely concerning,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said. “We will use the full weight of our resources to ensure that the perpetrators feel the full weight of justice.” Toronto Police Deputy Chief Frank Barredo said two individuals emerged from a white Honda CRV SUV at around 4:30 a.m. and fired multiple shots at the building before fleeing. Police released images of the SUV, but had no further information about the suspects. “There were people inside the building. However, this building is highly secured and highly fortified and there were no injuries,” he said. The gunshots caused damage to the outside but did not penetrate into the building, Barredo said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford called it “an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbors,” and he hinted at a possible link to the war in Iran. Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, said his team is in close contact with Canadian authorities. “This morning’s attack on our Consulate General in Toronto is deeply troubling. I am very grateful that no one was hurt,” he said in a social media post. “Our work continues, we will not be intimidated.” Breitbart [3/10/2026 12:00 PM, Oliver JJ Lane, 2238K] reports Canadian police said in a press conference updating on progress with their investigation on Tuesday morning that they were seeking more information about two men who drove up to the consulate in a white Honda CRV and got out of the vehicle before shooting at the building. A police spokesman said "two individuals emerged and discharged what appeared to be a handgun… there was a handgun that was discharged, and both individuals were involved in that discharge… multiple shots fired, more than one". They appealed for anyone who may have been driving in the area at the time to share dashcam footage with officers. "Shell casings" were retrieved from the scene. The spokesman said given the U.S. Consulate is a "highly secure, highly fortified" building, although there is evidence of a bullet impact on the front door, nobody inside was injured and it appears those inside may not have even been aware of the shooting at the time. The alarm was not raised with police until approximately an hour after the shooting. Police said they couldn’t yet determine whether the shooting was linked to rising tensions in the Middle East, but made clear it was their working hypothesis that this may be the case, and said security to the U.S. and Israeli consulates and embassies in the country was being increased in response. FOX News [3/10/2026 2:00 PM, Ashley Carnahan, 37576K] reports Chris Leather, chief superintendent and officer in charge of criminal operations for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ontario, told reporters the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team has been engaged and is working with Toronto police, federal partners and U.S. counterparts, including the FBI. He said it is too early to determine a motive or whether the shooting will ultimately be classified as terrorism under Canada’s criminal code. "There will be no tolerance for any form of intimidation, harassment, or harmful targeting of any communities or individuals in Canada," Leather added. Security has been increased at the U.S. and Israeli consulates in Toronto and in the Ottawa region as a precaution. Officials said there is no indication of an ongoing threat to public safety as the investigation continues. NewsMax [3/10/2026 1:19 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports Chief Superintendent Chris Leather from Canada’s federal police said the shooting was "definitely a national security incident because we had the U.S. consulate ... struck by gunfire." "Whether it’s a terrorist (event), that will be subject to the investigation," said Leather, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Leather also told reporters that security protocols are being enhanced at U.S. and Israeli diplomatic buildings in Toronto and in the Canadian capital Ottawa. "I think it’s fairly obvious based on the incidents in Toronto and elsewhere that these consulates deserve a heightened amount of vigilance and security at this time," Leather said. There were protests outside the consulate last weekend to denounce the Middle East war triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Three Toronto‑area synagogues have also been hit by gunfire in recent days, but no injuries have been reported.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [3/10/2026 12:08 PM, Ahmad Mukhtar, 51110K]
CNN [3/10/2026 1:47 PM, Max Saltman and Paula Newton, 19874K]

ABC News [3/10/2026 8:40 AM, Staff, 34146K] reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said U.S. strikes on Tehran would continue to amplify and Tuesday’s aerial strikes would mark "the most intense" of the 11-day conflict. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

National Review [3/10/2026 11:11 AM, Jim Geraghty, 109K] reports I would have figured, if you’re the Iranian regime, and you have sleeper agents or sleeper cells on U.S. soil, and you find yourself in an all-out war with the United States, you would activate those sleeper cells and agents as quickly as possible. After all, each day you wait is one more day that the FBI or the currently unpaid agents of the Department of Homeland Security can catch them. I certainly would have figured that if Iran had sleeper agents or sleeper cells on U.S. soil, they would want to activate them within the first ten days of a military conflict. But . . . perhaps not: The U.S. has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as “an operational trigger” for “sleeper assets” outside the country, according to a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies. The alert, reviewed by ABC News, cites “preliminary signals analysis” of a transmission “likely of Iranian origin” that was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, was killed in a U.S.-Israeli attack on Feb. 28. The intercepted transmission was encoded and appeared to be destined for “clandestine recipients” who possess the encryption key, the kind of message intended to impart instructions to “covert operatives or sleeper assets” without the use of the internet or cellular networks. It’s possible the transmissions could “be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country,” the alert said. As always, if you see something, say something.

USA Today [3/10/2026 3:50 PM, Kathryn Palmer, 70643K] reports President Donald Trump said the administration is "on top of" possible Iranian sleeper cells operating inside the United States, offering few details about their existence and level of potential threat. At a press conference on Monday, March 9, Trump responded to a question about whether the Iranian government had activated undercover groups, or cells, located within the country. He alleged the Democrat-led shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security was impeding his administration’s efforts to address such concerns. When asked about Trump’s remarks about sleeper cells, the FBI said it had no comment. ABC today reported the United States has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran that may serve as "an operational trigger" for "sleeper assets" outside the country, according to the news outlet’s review of a federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies. The administration has not released any advisory about specific threats of Iranian or Iran-aligned sleeper cells in the United States since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began on Feb. 28. However, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are on a war footing, USA TODAY has reported, and had already been in that status in the lead-up to the U.S. and Israel-launched strikes. The United States went on high alert last June over concerns of retaliation from Tehran, after the United States and Israel bombed three Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war.

ABC News [3/10/2026 1:55 PM, Alexandra Hutzler, 34146K] reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the U.S. will end its war with Iran "on our timeline" and "at our choosing" amid mixed messaging from the administration on the timing of the operation and its ultimate objective. Hegseth notably declined to give a further assessment on how much longer the military campaign will last, saying Tuesday would be the most intense day of strikes yet in the 11-day conflict and that it will be up to President Donald Trump to decide when the war is over. "The president has set a very specific mission to accomplish, and our job is to unrelentingly deliver that," Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon press briefing. "Now he gets to control the throttle. He’s the one deciding. He’s the one elected on behalf of the American people when we’re achieving those objectives. And so, it’s not for me to posit whether it’s the beginning, the middle or the end. That’s his. And he’ll continue to communicate that," the defense secretary said. Trump himself has made conflicting statements on the matter. Trump told CBS News on Monday afternoon that the war is "very complete, pretty much." But around that time, the Defense Department’s rapid response social media account posted on X: "We have Only Just Begun to Fight.” ABC News White House Correspondent Selina Wang pressed Trump later Monday evening at a news conference: "So, which is it and how long should Americans be preparing for this war to last for?". "Well, I think you can say both. The beginning -- it’s the beginning of building a new country, but they certainly, they have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment," Trump said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

DefenseScoop [3/10/2026 1:10 PM, Jon Harper, 150K] reports the Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Army Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd as commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the NSA, ending nearly a year of leadership uncertainty at the agencies and putting a new chief at the helm amid an ongoing war with Iran. Rudd, who previously served as deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and worked in the special operations community, was nominated in December by President Donald Trump for the dual-hat role of Cybercom and NSA boss, despite having a limited cyber background. In April 2025, the Trump administration fired Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh as head of those organizations without providing a public explanation. Since then, Cybercom and NSA have been led by Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman, who stepped in as acting director. Hartman was ultimately passed over to hold the roles on a Senate-confirmed basis. Rudd, who will pin on his fourth star following his confirmation, is entering the job as Cybercom supports U.S. military action against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. The command also played a support role in Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran last year and Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela in January, which included the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. In addition to assisting other combatant commands and the joint force, the organization is tasked with conducting so-called “hunt forward” operations on overseas networks, defending the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN), and bolstering America’s ability to resist and respond to cyberattacks. Other major issues that Rudd will have to deal with in his new job include implementation of the new Cybercom 2.0 force generation model and an ongoing debate about whether the Defense Department should create an independent military service, or Cyber Force, to focus on the digital realm.

Reuters [3/11/2026 1:57 AM, Tala Ramadan, 38315K] reports a cargo vessel ‌was hit by an unknown projectile in the ⁠Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a fire onboard and prompting the crew ‌to ⁠evacuate and request assistance, according to ⁠the United Kingdom Maritime Trade ⁠Operations on Wednesday.

The Hill [3/10/2026 1:12 PM, Ryan Mancini, 18170K] reports that U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff on Tuesday said the Russians have not been sharing intelligence with Iran to target the United States as it fires off retaliatory attacks on Gulf partners in the region. “I can tell you that yesterday, on the call with [President Trump], the Russians said they have not been sharing,” Witkoff said on CNBC. “That’s what they said. So, we can take them at their word, but they did say that.” “And yesterday morning, independently, Jared and I had a call with Ushakov, who reiterated the same,” he said, referring to Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Russian aide Yuri Ushakov. Witkoff later added, “Let’s hope that they’re not sharing.” The special envoy’s comments come days after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” that the “military cooperation” between both countries “is not something new” or a “secret.” “Well, they are helping us in many different directions,” Araghchi said. “I don’t have any detailed information. Russia, Iran’s ally, has largely sat out of the growing conflict in the Middle East with no direct role in the fray. Several reports, however, show that Russia is feeding information to Iran’s military to help locate and strike at U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Washington Examiner [3/10/2026 2:12 PM, Maydeen Merino, 1147K] reports that Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC) is proposing a bill to boost U.S. natural gas exports and ensure maritime shipments to Taiwan in an effort to safeguard the island’s energy supply from Chinese threats. Taiwan is a critical U.S. strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, as it produces most of the world’s semiconductors and advanced chips used for artificial intelligence and defense systems. However, China has long claimed Taiwan and is feared to be weighing a takeover of the island. Harrigan’s bill states that Taiwan’s energy infrastructure, including the electric grid system and liquefied natural gas import facilities, is vulnerable to threats from China, and the bill aims to address those weaknesses. "Energy is leverage," Harrigan said in a statement. The congressman added that the bill is essential at a time when the conflict with Iran has disrupted major energy trade. For instance, ships have been blocked from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, a major trading route for vessels carrying oil and gas. "Beijing knows exactly where Taiwan is weakest—and global events today, from strikes in the Middle East to threats at chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz, underscore that energy vulnerability is national security vulnerability," Harrigan said. The bill calls on the Secretary of State to identify and address barriers to LNG exports and storage to Taiwan. It would also seek opportunities to boost LNG exports by redirecting the flow from China to Taiwan.

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