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 Wall Street Journal [3/18/2026 4:10 PM, Michelle Hackman and Victoria Albert, 646K] reports Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R., Okla.), President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, sparred with lawmakers Wednesday during a contentious confirmation hearing. The Oklahoma lawmaker and loyal Trump ally faced pointed questions about his past comments and his vision for the department. If confirmed, Mullin will take the reins from Kristi Noem, who Trump ousted earlier this month after a tumultuous tenure atop the agency. Noem’s leadership at DHS was marked by near-constant chaos and flashy displays of enforcement, such as the huge deployment of agents to Minnesota, that ultimately doomed her with the president. In his opening statement, Mullin said he planned to take a lower-profile approach. “My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every day,” he said. “My goal is for people to understand we’re out there. We’re protecting them, and we’re working with them.” During questioning by Sen. Andy Kim (D., N.J.), Mullin appeared to say he would end a rule, imposed by Noem, which required her personal signoff on any new contract above $100,000. The rule resulted in a weekslong backlog of contracts, slowing down construction of Trump’s border wall and imperiling numerous other contract renewals, which nearly lapsed while they waited on her desk. “That’s called micromanaging,” Mullin said. “And I don’t know if the Secretary put that in or someone else did. I’m not a micromanager.” In another exchange with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), Mullin also vowed to adhere to a longstanding policy requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to have a warrant signed by a judge before entering homes. Under Noem, ICE had issued a secret policy allowing officers to force entry without a judicial warrant if the immigrant they were searching for had received a deportation order. “A judicial warrant will be used to go into houses, into place of businesses, unless we’re pursuing someone that enters in that place,” Mullin said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The AP [3/18/2026 5:11 PM, Rebecca Santana, Lisa Mascaro, and Meg Kinnard, 31753K] reports that the Oklahoma Republican faced questions from members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about his vision for a department tasked with carrying out the Republican administration’s push for mass deportations. Democrats have halted routine funds for the Department of Homeland Security in a weekslong standoff as they demand restraints on immigration officers after the death of at least three American citizens at the hands of federal agents. Throughout his confirmation hearing, Mullin struck a soft tone on some of the administration’s most contentious policies, and he retracted his description of a Minneapolis man killed by federal officers as “deranged.” But his combative style, seen in a heated exchange with the committee chair, and loyalty to the president meant questions remained over how he might revamp a troubled department that is central to Trump’s deportation agenda. Roll Call [3/18/2026 3:30 PM, Savannah Behrmann, 673K] reports that if the panel advances Mullin’s nomination at a meeting Thursday, his confirmation will likely be on a glide-path in the full Senate, given it’s 53-47 GOP majority. A floor vote on confirmation will be a top priority, leadership aides said. Much of the hearing revolved around Mullin’s relationship-building skills on Capitol Hill. A former member of the House, Mullin has been dubbed the "House whisperer" during his three-plus years in the Senate, and has also touted a close, personal relationship with the president. Mullin said one of his highest priorities is getting DHS reopened; the agency’s shutdown has stretched more than a month. Both the White House and Democrats continue to exchange offers, with the latest papers being traded on Tuesday between the two sides. Still, the agency remains unfunded as both sides struggle to find consensus on issues such as body-worn cameras. The shutdown remained a consistent theme at the hearing, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and others questioning how Mullin would run the agency differently.

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USA Today [3/18/2026 4:13 PM, Seth Vertelney, 70643K] reports Senator Markwayne Mullin warned that the United States is "behind" on World Cup preparations during his confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mullin faced questions from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday, as he aims to be confirmed and replace the outgoing Kristi Noem. The Oklahoma Republican would face a number of challenges if he is confirmed, not least of which is the fact that DHS is currently embroiled in a partial government shutdown that has lasted nearly five weeks. Preparation for the World Cup has also been affected, with $625 million in security funds for the 11 American host cities currently undistributed. The money is supposed to be administered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is part of the DHS. During his hearing, Mullin laid out some of the challenges that the DHS faces for the World Cup and beyond.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 10:14 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports Democrats bungled their chances to disseminate Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) record in Congress, instead opting to turn the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary nominee’s confirmation hearing into a debate with Republicans over the agency’s ongoing shutdown, the 2020 election, and the legitimacy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On Wednesday, as Mullin fielded attacks from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Senate Democrats pressed him on the 2020 election, whether he had traveled overseas while in Congress, and statements made by President Donald Trump’s senior advisor Stephen Miller, among other things. In one bizarre line of questioning, for instance, once-rising Democrat star Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who delivered the response address to Trump’s address to Congress last year, claimed that the president is preventing the United States from free and fair elections and suggested he would "try and steal" another election in the future. "I would just say that if we ever get to the point where you are being asked to put armed ICE officers at polling locations, we have lost the plot as a country," Slotkin told Mullin after questioning him about the 2020 election: We have fundamentally lost it. And until I hear someone tell me that this man, President Trump, will actually allow us to have a free and fair election, there is zero trust here, and I cannot trust that he won’t try and steal it again. [Emphasis added]. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) similarly brought up the 2020 election to Mullin. Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) asked Mullin a series of questions about White House senior advisor Stephen Miller, to which the nominee repeatedly told the senator that he ought to ask his questions to Miller, not him. "Stephen Miller also said, again on Fox News, ‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we are looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day.’ If you’re confirmed, are you going to be directing ICE to arrest 3,000 people a day?" Blumenthal asked Mullin. "Sir, once again, I can’t speak for Stephen Miller. But I can say that the president has tapped me to be the secretary of Homeland [Security] and I will lead that department, and I’ll lead it …" Mullin responded, before Blumenthal interrupted to ask if he would follow the quota mentioned by Miller. "No quota has been set for me, sir," Mullin said. CNN [3/19/2026 12:33 AM, Noah Weiss, 19874K] reports Rep. Goldman says the biggest thing for Senator Mullin is not his temper, but if he is willing to stand up to Stephen Miller. Goldman claims Miller is a “dangerous individual” and if Senator Mullin is willing to stand up for him, there is a “potential future” for him to be successful within the DHS. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The New York Times [3/18/2026 11:44 AM, Michael Gold, 148038K] reports Senator Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing began on Wednesday with a bitter and fiery personal clash, as Senator Rand Paul accused Mr. Mullin of having “anger issues” and questioned whether he had the temperament to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Paul, the Kentucky Republican who is the chairman of the Senate’s homeland security committee, opened the hearing by blasting Mr. Mullin for calling Mr. Paul a “freaking snake” and for telling a group of constituents that he “understands completely” why Mr. Paul’s neighbor assaulted him in 2017. “I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain,” Mr. Paul said. “I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.” Mr. Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, acknowledged that he had said he “understood” the reason for the assault and did not apologize for his remarks. Instead, he accused Mr. Paul of smearing his character, claiming that the two men spoke about the attack against Mr. Paul when Mr. Mullin was serving in the House. “Everybody in this room knows that I’m very blunt and direct to the point, and if I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face,” Mr. Mullin said. “If you recall back in your — back in my House days, we actually did have this conversation.” The exchange, though highly personal, touched on a central debate about the Department of Homeland Security’s handling of immigration enforcement. Democrats in Congress have accused the department of fostering an environment of impunity for federal officers and encouraging improper uses of force against immigrants and protesters. They have refused to allow federal funding to flow to the department without new policies reining in officer conduct. Republicans at the hearing responded that Democrats were punishing federal workers, many of whom recently missed their first full paycheck since the department’s funding lapsed on Feb. 14. Among those affected are airport security workers, who have called out of work in large numbers in previous shutdowns, causing travel delays. Mr. Paul’s opening statement set the tone for a strikingly contentious hearing in a body that often prides itself on collegiality. Senators, who can usually draw on their relationships with their colleagues, often face an easier path to confirmation. But Wednesday’s hearing displayed the risk of those personal ties, which threatened to overshadow Mr. Mullin’s views on immigration and his leadership abilities. Mr. Paul accused Mr. Mullin of disparaging him behind his back. “You’ve never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified,” Mr. Paul said. “So today, you’ll have your chance.” And Mr. Paul, a libertarian-leaning conservative who has raised concerns about federal immigration agents’ use of force, connected Mr. Mullin’s remarks to whether he had the right character to oversee immigration enforcement efforts. Mr. Mullin criticized Mr. Paul for his political record, saying that it “seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us.” But Mr. Paul did not relent. He pursed his lips as Mr. Mullin spoke, and he responded by berating Mr. Mullin and questioning whether he had a violent and angry character. At one point, Mr. Paul accused Mr. Mullin of a “lack of contrition, no apology and no regrets.” Then, he broadened the scope of his inquiry beyond a personal dispute and played a clip of Mr. Mullin challenging the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to a physical fight during a 2023 hearing. Breitbart [3/18/2026 12:46 PM, Jasmyn Jordan, 2238K] reports Paul described in detail the violent assault he suffered, recounting how he was "struck in the back" by an attacker who charged at him, sending both men "nearly 10 feet down the hill" upon impact. He said the attack left him with six broken ribs, including three that were fully separated, as well as a damaged lung. Recalling the aftermath, Paul added, "The pain was such that I could only sit up in bed by tying a rope to the foot of the bed and pulling myself up… the pain was that of 1000 knives.” He then turned directly to Mullin’s past remarks, saying, "You told the media that I was a ‘freaking snake’ and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault." Paul questioned whether someone who "applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force." He then challenged Mullin to address the issue directly, stating, "Today I’ll give you that chance to correct the record. Tell me to my face why you think I deserve it.” When it was his turn to respond, Mullin said, "I simply addressed that I said I could understand, because of the behavior you were having, that I can understand why the neighbor did what he did." Mullin addressed his prior remarks, stating, "As far as my terms, the snake in the grass, sir, I work around this room to try to fix problems. I’ve worked with many people in this room. Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us. I did address those remarks. I did explain your gimmicks by the amendment you put forth." NewsMax [3/18/2026 11:14 AM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K] reports "I think before I can start my opening statement, I have to address the remarks of the chairman made calling me a liar," Mullin said, adding he is known for being "very blunt and direct to the point." The Oklahoma Republican emphasized that he deals with colleagues openly and does not engage in backroom criticism. "So, for you to say I’m a liar, sir, that’s not accurate," Mullin said, arguing their clashes reflect political disagreements rather than dishonesty. He also clarified that he does not condone violence, even as he defended the context of his prior comments.

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NewsMax [3/18/2026 8:45 PM, Sam Barron, 3760K] reports Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Wednesday that he will not vote to confirm Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead the Department of Homeland Security because of Mullin’s anger issues. At a confirmation hearing, Paul confronted Mullin over comments the Oklahoma lawmaker made when he said he could understand why Paul’s neighbor assaulted him in 2017. "During the assault, I had six ribs broken," Paul said on "Rob Schmitt Tonight.” "Three of them snapped completely in half, rubbing together for months on end. My lung was damaged and I had multiple pneumonia. I ended up having to have part of my lung removed. "I ... don’t take it kindly when someone says, oh yeah, you kind of got what you deserved," Paul added. "Well, he can hardly expect me to be supporting his candidacy when he seems to be justifying the political violence that happened to me.” Paul also pointed to the time Mullin threatened to fight someone in a Senate committee hearing. "He said that people deserved to be smashed and punched in the mouth," Paul said. "When he asked whether he would reject any of that, he said, ‘Well, we’ve had dueling and caning for a long time, and these are things we do in the Senate.’". "Well, those things have been illegal for 170 years," Paul added. "I wonder with his anger issues and his justification of violence, whether or not he’s the best person or would set the best example for our ICE agents and Border Patrol agents.” "What I worry about is when you’re chief of police or you’re in charge of the federal immigration police, they need to see an example from you," Paul continued. Paul said he doesn’t think it would be appropriate for the person in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to think brawling is acceptable and to reminisce fondly about duels and canings in the Senate. "Markwayne Mullin thinks there’s a historical precedent for why we sometimes have to use violence in the Senate. That’s completely inexcusable.” "It should make him unfit in anybody’s mind to lead ICE and CBP," he said, referring to Customs and Border Protection. "My fear is someone like Markwayne Mullin, who glorifies violence, will send the wrong message to ICE and CBP," Paul added. The Hill [3/18/2026 1:47 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18170K] reports Paul said he thinks U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is at a critical junction where aggressive force needs to be checked. “We shouldn’t settle personal questions with violence, I think that would be a terrible example for ICE and for our Border Patrol agents. We’re in the midst, I think, of a crisis where there needs to be more direction from the top, and a guy who brawls, a guy who can’t say sorry about initiating violence on me and really applauding the attack that happened on me, who can’t come to say that, I don’t know how in my opinion you’d be a leader of ICE.” Paul also bashed Mullin for not taking the opportunity to apologize. “I don’t think highly of people who think that that’s OK, and really, this is sort of a low-par question. You would think that a nominee would come forward and say, ‘You know, I was angry at you over that vote,’” Paul said. “Even with him knowing this was going to come up, he couldn’t get an apology [out].” Paul’s no vote may not be enough to doom Mullin’s chances of being forwarded out of the committee, given that Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has said he plans to back Mullin. The committee is set to meet Thursday morning to consider his nomination.

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FOX News [3/18/2026 11:13 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports that Sen. Markwayne Mullin responded to heavy criticism from Sen. Rand Paul during his DHS confirmation hearing on Wednesday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart [3/18/2026 1:09 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, reportedly blocked Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) from introducing Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) at his confirmation hearing to become the next Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. At the start of the hearing on Wednesday, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) introduced Mullin. According to Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Britt had sought to introduce Mullin, as the two are friends, but she was stopped from doing so by Paul. "Per source familiar, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blocked Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) from introducing Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) at his confirmation hearing this morning," Melugin wrote on X.

Politico [3/18/2026 3:40 PM, Jordain Carney, 21784K] reports Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination as Homeland Security secretary remains on track for rapid-fire action this week, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Wednesday — despite his own sharp misgivings about Mullin’s fitness for office. As chair of Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Paul holds Mullin’s confirmation hopes in his hands. He questioned in stark terms whether his fellow Republican has the temperament to run DHS after Mullin expressed sympathy for a man who attacked and severely injured Paul in 2017, then cast further doubt on his nomination when he demanded answers Wednesday about a secretive overseas trip Mullin took as a House member a decade ago. But after a combative public hearing and a separate classified meeting to discuss the travel concerns, Paul indicated he would proceed “as of now” with a committee vote on Mullin Thursday. “We’ll let you know if it changes,” he said in a Fox News interview Wednesday. While Paul confirmed to reporters after the hearing that he would oppose Mullin’s confirmation, he also made clear he would not use his considerable power to block his colleague from succeeding Kristi Noem atop the sprawling and controversy-prone Department of Homeland Security. Other Republicans lined up Wednesday to praise Mullin as a trusted friend and colleague. Because the Homeland Security panel is closely split, Paul’s opposition could tank Mullin’s nomination if the vote falls on party lines, but at least one Democrat, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, appeared open to supporting him. “At this point, I think he’ll get Democrat votes, and so I think he probably, if I had to guess, will probably still win without my vote,” Paul said in the Fox news interview. If Mullin wins committee approval Thursday, his nomination is set to hit the Senate floor next week for confirmation ahead of a two-week recess, according to two people granted anonymity to describe internal plans. Paul’s comments came after questions about Mullin’s shadowy travel history threatened to derail the planned committee vote. Mullin was questioned extensively about the matter Wednesday by Paul and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Homeland Security panel. Testifying under oath Wednesday, Mullin said he participated in what he described as “official travel” and a “classified trip” as part of a “special program inside the House” that went from 2015 to 2016. He said he was not a member of the House Intelligence Committee at the time and refused to answer further questions outside of a classified setting.

Politico [3/18/2026 11:52 AM, Jordain Carney, 21784K] reports Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he is confident Sen. Markwayne Mullin will be confirmed as the next secretary of Homeland Security despite a contentious exchange with fellow GOP Sen. Rand Paul at a hearing Wednesday. Paul, the chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sharply questioned the Oklahoma senator about past remarks that he “understood” why Paul suffered a heinous assault from a neighbor in 2017. Mullin refused to apologize for the remark. “Those two obviously have some history, and it’s, you know, personal stuff,” Thune said. “They’ve got to work through it. I mean, in the end, this is about the job, and it’s about making sure that we got the right person there. I think Markwayne is the right person for the job.” Asked if he was still confident Mullin can be confirmed, Thune said, “Yeah.” Paul has scheduled a committee vote on Mullin for Thursday. While Paul’s vote is in serious doubt, Mullin could win over Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has expressed support for Mullin previously and said Wednesday he would approach the nomination “with an open mind.” “I haven’t been rocked by some mic-dropping kind of moments,” Fetterman told reporters after the hearing.

The Hill [3/18/2026 10:50 AM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18170K] reports Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) largely declined to explain his past trips overseas, saying such information was “classified” as he faced scrutiny from Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) over a series of remarks implying he had been on military missions. Mullin, who is facing the Senate Homeland Security Committee for his confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is not a veteran but has come under fire for numerous statements indicating he is familiar with the dynamics of active combat. “Where did you ‘smell war,’ sir?” Peters asked. Mullin said he was involved in a trip as a House member that was to help do some training, but he offered few specifics. “I just said that this was classified, and the dates, locations and the mission,” he said. “But in 2015 I was asked to train with a very small contingency and go to a certain area…I have spoken general about my experiences, but I’ve never spoke specifically on details, on dates or on the mission, and that was official,” he said, adding that just four or so people were involved in the trip. Mullin said he did not disclose the trip on his confirmation paperwork because you don’t have to report official government trips. Mullin has frequently nodded to work overseas without offering specifics, and in a comment to Washington Post described the travel as mission work. “War is ugly. It smells bad. If anybody has ever been there and been able to smell the war that’s happening around you and taste it and feel it in your nostrils and hear it, it’s something you will never forget,” Mullin said earlier this month during an appearance on Fox News. During a podcast appearance the next day, he said he’s never directly worked for the Department of Defense. “I never wore the uniform or the flag on my shoulder, but I might have been in the same area,” he said. Peters implied Mullin hadn’t detailed the matters fully as would have been expected in paperwork. “The letter that we sent you said that we need to have information of any of these activities,” Peters said.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 1:05 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K] reports Americans hated President Joe Biden’s loose borders, Pennsylvania’s Sen. John Fetterman said on Wednesday as he suggested he would confirm Sen. Markwayne Mullin to the homeland security post. "Americans don’t like chaos," Fetterman said to Mullin, adding: America definitely didn’t like the kinds of chaos during the Biden administration at the border. As a Democrat, I was alarmed that there were up to 300,000 encounters at our border once a month… That’s not sustainable, and that’s not manageable, and it’s making it impossible for us to assimilate [migrants]. "My experience with you has been consistent kindness and professionalism," Fetterman told Mullin, adding, "I’m going to remain with an open mind throughout all this [hearing].” Fetterman explained why he has broken from his fellow Democrats’ support for chaotic migration. "I refuse to punish and make our nation less secure," he said, adding: If you care about immigration, as I deeply do, you can’t possibly provide the American Dream for people when [a population] the size of Pittsburgh [is] showing up at our border once a month. That needs to be brought under control. And that happened [under Donald Trump]. I signed up as a Democrat [for] rounding up all of the criminals and deporting them. I can’t imagine why we can’t all agree with that as well, too. I grieve for Renee Good, and I agree for Alex Pretti, but I also deeply, deeply grieve for Laken Riley and her family. Now all three were failures of our government there. I was proud to be the sponsor of the Laken Riley bill, because we have to address that. Two things [should] be true here. We [should] have a secure border, and we [should] round up and deport every single criminal in our nation. I can’t imagine why that’s… controversial for anybody. "I don’t understand why you would shut the entire agency down just because you want those kinds of reforms on ICE that have absolutely no impact on ICE," he said.

New York Times [3/18/2026 5:05 AM, Madeleine Ngo, Michael Gold and Hamed Aleaziz, 148038K] reports Senator Markwayne Mullin tried to strike a cooperative tone at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, suggesting that he would pull back on some of the aggressive immigration policies that drew concern from lawmakers from both parties. Mr. Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, made clear that he would remain loyal to Mr. Trump and carry out his promise to crack down on illegal immigration and ramp up arrests if confirmed as homeland security secretary. But he told senators on the Homeland Security Committee that under his leadership, immigration officers would generally no longer enter homes without a judicial warrant. He said the Homeland Security Department would foster closer relationships with jails, suggesting a move away from major urban sweeps like the recent one in Minneapolis. And he said he regretted comments he made in the wake of Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting earlier this year in which he called him a “deranged individual.” New York Times and others have concluded based on available video evidence that Mr. Pretti did not appear to pose a threat to officers at the time of his killing, and the incident is being investigated by federal agencies. Mr. Mullin said he should not have made such comments ahead of a formal investigation. “Those words probably should have been retracted,” Mr. Mullin said. “I shouldn’t have said that and as secretary I wouldn’t.” The committee is expected to vote on whether to advance Mr. Mullin’s nomination as early as Thursday. The hearing came at a delicate time for the Department of Homeland Security, which has drawn scrutiny under the leadership of Kristi Noem for its heavy-handed immigration enforcement tactics and its approach to spending. Polling has shown a drop in support for the agency after a year of sprawling operations in major American cities, and the shooting of Mr. Pretti and another U.S. citizen in Minneapolis. Mr. Mullin will have to thread the needle of following through on Mr. Trump’s promises of increased immigration enforcement while also repairing the agency’s image. Few details were publicly known about Mr. Mullin’s detailed stances on immigration or D.H.S. policy, but in the hearing, he conspicuously deviated from some of the decisions made by the agency under Ms. Noem. He said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials would no longer enter homes without a judicial warrant, unless they were chasing someone. “We will not enter a home or a place of business without a judicial warrant unless we’re pursuing an individual that runs into a place of business or a house,” Mr. Mullin said. Many ICE officials had been frustrated that they could not enter homes without judicial warrants, and said it stymied their ability to make arrests. Trump administration officials had for months been defending their use of administrative warrants when entering homes to arrest undocumented immigrants. In response to questions from Senator Andy Kim, Democrat of New Jersey, Mr. Mullin appeared to commit to undo a policy imposed by Ms. Noem. The policy required her office to review grants and contracts of at least $100,000, a level of scrutiny that Mr. Kim said has delayed the flow of disaster aid. Mr. Mullin said he would “absolutely” revoke the policy. “That’s called micromanaging,” he said. “I’m not a micromanager.”

New York Times [3/18/2026 1:57 PM, Michael Gold, 148038K] reports Senator Markwayne Mullin, the pugilistic Oklahoma Republican whom President Trump nominated as his next homeland security secretary, is a former mixed martial arts fighter known for once challenging a witness at a congressional hearing to a brawl. But at his own confirmation hearing on Wednesday, he brought a warmer and fuzzier persona, with language and policy positions to match, as he fielded questions on some of the most divisive immigration enforcement issues he would face as secretary — a contrast to the president’s hard-line, aggressive approach. After months in which the Trump administration vocally defended the use of administrative warrants to enter homes to arrest undocumented immigrants, Mr. Mullin signaled that he would be willing, in most cases, to require officers to obtain such permission from judges. He committed to collaborating with senators in both parties to address their concerns over immigration policy, telling them, “If you call me, you’re going to get a response; if you text me, you’re going to get a response.” And when Mr. Mullin was asked how he would confront the leaders of so-called sanctuary cities, which limit cooperation with federal immigration officials, the senator, once a vocal critic of those jurisdictions, suggested he would approach the issue as he would a dispute born of innocent confusion between two loving spouses. “These law enforcement, and I would even say these mayors — they still love their communities” Mr. Mullin said. “They still love their cities, they still love this country. So maybe it is a misunderstanding we can work by, and I’m going to start with that. That’s what I’m going to start with.” Mr. Mullin’s comments suggested a sharp break with Mr. Trump, who has vilified such leaders and tried to withhold federal funding from states and cities that blocked his immigration crackdown. Mr. Mullin had in the past defended the president’s actions and said he believed such jurisdictions were violating federal laws. At the hearing, Mr. Mullin also said he regretted calling Alex Pretti a “deranged individual that came in to cause max damage” after Mr. Pretti, an American citizen, was fatally shot by federal immigration officers, acknowledging that he had rushed to judgment without knowing the facts. As he worked to win confirmation, Mr. Mullin’s attitude toward his fellow senators appeared aimed at setting him apart from the combativeness of Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary he would replace. Her appearances on Capitol Hill were marked by sparring with lawmakers as she defended her militant approach to immigration enforcement, and recently refused to apologize for her characterization of Mr. Pretti as a domestic terrorist. Mr. Mullin’s softer tone was also in line with a broader shift underway among Republicans in how they talk about immigration enforcement. Some have acknowledged that Mr. Trump’s aggressive language and tactics on immigration, which they have backed almost without qualification, have cost their party support with voters, imperiling their already dim prospects for keeping control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

NewsMax [3/18/2026 2:32 PM, Jim Thomas, 3760K] reports that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, told senators Wednesday he would require judicial warrants before federal agents enter homes or businesses, signaling an early policy break with fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as he tried to position himself as a steadier face for a department under intense political pressure. At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Mullin said agents would not enter a home or business without a judicial warrant unless they were pursuing someone who had just run inside. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be "restructured" rather than eliminated and said he would scrap Noem’s policy requiring her personal approval for expenditures above $100,000, calling that approach micromanagement. Mullin vowed that DHS officers would not be sent to polling places to intimidate, adding they would be there only if there were a specific threat and in coordination with local law enforcement. The hearing turned combative when committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., confronted Mullin over past remarks, including Mullin’s comment that he understood why a neighbor attacked Paul in 2017 and his description of Paul as "a freaking snake." Mullin did not apologize but asked Paul to let him earn his respect.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [3/18/2026 1:22 PM, Cate Martel, 18170K]
Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 5:08 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1147K]

Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 10:02 AM, David Zimmermann, 1147K] reports Mullin promised to “empower people” if he ends up running the Department of Homeland Security. His response came after a senator asked how his tenure will be different than that of Noem. "My management style is empowering people," Mullin said. "I want to protect the homeland. I want to bring peace of mind. I want to bring confidence back to the agency. I’m not going to be the smartest guy in any room I walk into, but I know how to get talent, and I know how to bring those people together.”

NewsMax [3/18/2026 12:58 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K] reports that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., acknowledged Wednesday that he spoke too quickly when making remarks about Alex Pretti, telling lawmakers during his confirmation hearing for Homeland Security secretary that he regretted commenting before all the facts were known. Appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Mullin struck a contrite tone as he addressed the controversy surrounding his earlier statements about Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents during large-scale immigration operations in Minneapolis in January. Mullin was among lawmakers and Trump administration officials who made disparaging remarks about Pretti after the shooting, which sparked protests and national scrutiny. He had described Pretti as a "deranged individual" who came to the protest looking to cause maximum damage. At Wednesday’s hearing, Mullin conceded those comments were premature, noting the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing. "Those words probably should have been retracted. I shouldn’t have said that, and as secretary I wouldn’t," Mullin said when asked about his comments by the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan. "The investigation is ongoing." He added, "Sometimes I’m going to make a mistake, and I own it. That one, I went out there too fast." Mullin said his earlier characterization of Pretti was based on incomplete information released shortly after the incident, echoing broader criticism that early official accounts may not have fully aligned with later evidence and witness video.

Reported similarly:
Politico [3/18/2026 6:52 AM, Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, 21784K]
NBC News [3/18/2026 10:19 AM, Staff, 42967K]
Daily Wire [3/18/2026 8:21 AM, Jennie Taer, 2314K]

New York Times [3/18/2026 8:28 PM, Madeleine Ngo, 148038K] reports Senator Markwayne Mullin was grilled on Wednesday about comments he had made that suggested he had been in a war zone, even though he has not served in the military and had no record of holding a job that would take him to conflict areas before he was elected to Congress. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, pressed Mr. Mullin during his confirmation hearing on his past statements that he had completed “special assignments” overseas and was familiar with the “smell” of war. Mr. Mullin, a Republican of Oklahoma, is President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. “War is ugly. It smells bad,” Mr. Mullin said on Fox News earlier this month. “And if anyone has ever been there and been able to smell the war that’s happening around you and taste it and fill it in your nostrils and hear it, it’s something that you’ll never forget.” Asked about his international trips, the Oklahoma senator explained to Mr. Peters that he had tried to enter Afghanistan in 2021 to help get Americans out of the country. The attempts were well-documented in media reports at the time and drew objections from some political and congressional leaders. Mr. Mullin told Mr. Peters he had also taken an “official trip” that was classified when he was a member of the House a decade ago. Mr. Mullin said that in 2015, he “was asked to train with a very small contingency and go to a certain area, which was scheduled for 2016,” he said. “During that time, I was asked to go through — had to meet certain training qualifications, certain qualifications, had to go through SERE training.” SERE is the Air Force’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training program, which is meant to prepare pilots for the possibility that they might be shot down behind enemy lines in wartime. It was created after the Korean War, when airmen who had been captured by Communist forces were tortured and forced to produce propaganda tapes against the United States. The program includes undergoing various coercive interrogation techniques. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when the C.I.A. created its program to torture high-value Al Qaeda suspects, it drew on SERE to craft the techniques it used. Mr. Mullin did not explain why a sitting member of Congress would go through the program, a highly unusual occurrence. “The training and stuff was kind of fun — the SERE training was absolutely awful,” he said, adding that he had never publicly spoken about the details of the trip, including its mission.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 1:21 PM, Jasmyn Jordan, 2238K] reports Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) asked him to recount a personal story involving his son as part of a discussion about leadership qualities including integrity, commitment to the nation’s security, maintaining a strong relationship with the president, and providing insight into his loyalty to President Donald Trump. Mullin began by describing how his son, whom he called "a really world-class athlete," suffered a severe brain injury on January 17, 2020. Mullin said, "We almost lost him. For 26 hours, he had an extremely low pulse. There was a time they thought that they lost his pulse altogether, and when he woke up, he was just different." He detailed the extent of the recovery process, stating that his son "couldn’t touch his nose," "couldn’t walk without shuffling his feet," and "had short term memory loss," adding that he "had to learn how to read, walk, everything." Mullin also said that, at the time, his son was in high school and "couldn’t add five plus three." According to Mullin, Donald Trump contacted him after learning about the injury. "The president found out about it, and he gave me a call immediately," Mullin said, adding that Trump "called almost every day for two weeks, checking on Jim." Mullin testified that his family sought treatment at the Center for Neural Skills in Bakersfield, California, describing it as "one of the best neural rehabilitation places in the world." He said the president offered the use of a personal plane, though Mullin declined, explaining, "Sir, we can’t fly. We got to drive.”

Reported similarly:
FOX News [3/18/2026 2:56 PM, Eric Mack, 37576K] Video: HERE

Breitbart [3/18/2026 11:50 AM, John Binder, 2238K] reports Teamsters President Sean O’Brien sat behind Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) in a sign of support as he faced a Senate confirmation hearing to become the next Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. Mullin infamously had a dust-up with O’Brien back in 2023 during a Senate hearing, where the two seemingly sought to fight each other over comments that O’Brien had made online about Mullin. Since the incident went viral, though, Mullin and O’Brien have become friends. When President Donald Trump announced Mullin’s nomination, O’Brien endorsed his nomination. "If anyone is willing to stand their butt up to protect America, it’s Markwayne Mullin," O’Brien said, in a cheeky reference to his and Mullin’s prior public feud. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said she commended Mullin and O’Brien for setting aside their differences and finding common ground on issues, particularly as it relates to labor unions. "What started out as a very big difference between you and Mr. O’Brien, you found a way to, both of you, come together to share thoughts and ideas and turn something good out of that discourse," Ernst said. "And I think more people need to learn how to do that."

NewsMax [3/18/2026 6:46 PM, Sam Barron, 3760K] reports Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Newsmax Wednesday she is thankful President Donald Trump nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Ernst appeared on "The Record with Greta van Susteren" after Mullin’s confirmation hearing. While Mullin has the broad support of his caucus, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, indicated he would oppose his nomination over past comments the Oklahoma senator made about him. "There is obviously a disagreement between the chair and Senator Markwayne Mullin," Ernst said. The chairman, if he votes no and we get enough people to vote no, it will prevent that nominee from moving forward. But I think there is enough support on our committee to move Senator Mullin’s nomination." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

USA Today [3/18/2026 9:17 AM, Dale Denwalt, 70643K] reports that, in 2017, a company owned by then-U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin paid $99,000 for a half-acre empty lot along the highway that runs through Stilwell, a small city in far eastern Oklahoma near Mullin’s hometown. Mullin’s family later built a two-story restaurant on the site, where they served a country-style menu of comfort food alongside fresh bakery goods and coffee bar. After just four years in business, however, the restaurant shuttered in 2024. Mullin found an immediate buyer. About a week after the restaurant closed, the Cherokee Nation purchased the entire property for $1.5 million, which at the time was about $700,000 above the property’s assessed value. What prompted a sale price so much higher than the assessed value, even with a developed restaurant on it, is unclear. But it points to one of many ways Mullin has sharply increased his wealth since joining Congress in 2013. The land sale to the Cherokee Nation was one of several large financial gains made that year by Mullin, who reported making at least $9 million in 2024. Mullin, who was recently picked by President Donald Trump to become the nation’s next secretary of Homeland Security, is likely to face questions about his financial dealings during a confirmation hearing that starts Wednesday, March 18. If confirmed, Mullin will leave his current position as Oklahoma’s junior U.S. senator. Through a combination of stock trades, property investments and the sale of large assets, Mullin has seen his net worth exponentially grow since becoming a public official, raising questions from ethics experts. Trading on the stock market while a member of Congress creates a conflict of interest, said Donald Sherman, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Unlike federal judges or most executive branch employees, members of Congress can’t easily recuse from matters where they have these kinds of conflicts because it would deny their constituents representation in Congress," Sherman told The Oklahoman. An analysis by The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network, of Mullin’s most recent annual financial disclosure to the U.S. Senate shows that the assets held by Mullin and his close family could be as high as $96.7 million, or as low as $29.2 million. A separate analysis of Mullin’s net worth by analytics firm Quiver Quantitative suggests Mullin and his immediate family could be worth an estimated $66 million in 2026, based on financial disclosures and reports of stock purchases. That’s a far cry from the assets listed on his first financial disclosure in 2013 when he began serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. Aside from his salary working for his family’s plumbing company that year, he reported assets worth roughly between $3 million and $8 million, which mostly included the value of his stake in the plumbing business and his family’s ranch near Westville. These financial reports don’t require a precise value, but only a range. Over time, Mullin built a diverse portfolio of individual company stocks, investments with several mutual funds and multiple property holdings in Oklahoma; Washington, DC; Missouri; Florida and Louisiana. In total, he listed more than 180 assets in his most recent disclosure form filed in August 2025. Much of his wealth comes from the sale of his plumbing business in 2021. While details of the transaction weren’t publicly announced, Mullin reportedly moved between $25 million and $50 million into a cash management account on the same day as the sale, New York Times has reported.

NBC News [3/18/2026 12:51 PM, Staff, 42967K] reports that Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. Gary Peters requested that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, share details with them privately in a secure facility about classified travel he mentioned in the hearing. Mullin said that lawmakers had to go to a SCIF, referring to a secure facility, to discuss the travel. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [3/18/2026 2:29 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18170K] reports that Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Wednesday agreed to meet with members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee behind closed doors after a dustup with leadership from both parties over him largely declining to answer questions about past trips overseas, saying that information was classified. After much wrangling and initial pushback from Mullin, he agreed to meet members of the panel in the Senate’s sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF). The issue was first raised by Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, who asked Mullin to explain a series of remarks that implied he has seen active combat, including the Oklahoman’s references to the smell of war. “Where did you ‘smell war,’ sir?” Peters asked. Mullin said he was involved in a trip as a House member that was to help do some training, but he offered few specifics. “I just said that this was classified, and the dates, locations and the mission,” he said. “But in 2015 I was asked to train with a very small contingency and go to a certain area…I have spoken general about my experiences, but I’ve never spoke specifically on details, on dates or on the mission, and that was official,” he said, adding that just four or so people were involved in the trip. That answer proved unsatisfying to Peters and Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Peters said he already checked with intelligence agencies to verify Mullin’s claims.

Daily Caller [3/18/2026 3:12 PM, Andi Shae Napier, 803K] reports President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Wednesday he would require federal immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants to enter private property. Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin stood in support of the warrants during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Requiring judicial warrants meets one of the Democrats’ crucial reform demands for the department’s law enforcement as they continue to withhold their votes to fund DHS after 33 days of a partial government shutdown. "We will not enter a home or a place of business without a judicial warrant, unless we’re pursuing the individual that runs into a place of business or a house," Mullin told his colleagues in the hearing. Mullin also said he does not plan to send DHS law enforcement agents to polling sites unless there is a present danger.

FOX News [3/18/2026 3:52 PM, Peter Pinedo, 37576K] reports the White House says "no one" will change the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda in response to an appeal by Angel Mom Angie Morfin. Morfin, whose 13-year-old son, Ruben, was executed by an illegal alien gang member, issued a heartfelt appeal to the administration to "make sure no other mother has to get the call I did." This comes as incoming Homeland Security head Sen. Markwayne Mullin undergoes the Senate confirmation process and is expected to take the reins at the agency at the end of the month. In response, Lauren Bis, DHS acting assistant secretary, told Fox News Digital that "our hearts break for the families and victims of illegal alien crime who’ve been completely abandoned and ignored by sanctuary politicians."

AP [3/18/2026 6:13 PM, Kevin Freking] reports lawmakers appear far from ending a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security even as the president’s nominee to run the department, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, pleaded with colleagues Wednesday to resolve the impasse. Democrats, for more than a month, have been refusing to fund certain agencies within the department, saying there must be accountability after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. Two key enforcement agencies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are part of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, Transportation and Security Administration officials warned that delays at some airports could get worse as more screeners working without pay call out or, in some cases, quit. The DHS shutdown entered Day 33 on Wednesday. House Democrats are signing a petition that would force the House to take up a bill from Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., to fund the TSA and other DHS agencies. But the bill would not fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the office of the secretary. Republicans said that Homeland Security needs to be fully operational during a heightened level of security and that Democrats can’t fund it using a piecemeal approach.

New York Post [3/18/2026 4:13 PM, Ryan King, 40934K] reports the month-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown has dealt a $2.5 billion blow to the economy so far, White House economists have forecasted — on top of an over $90 billion loss from last year’s record-breaking stoppage. That current $2.5 billion damage estimate from the White House Council of Economic Advisers is a very "conservative figure that only includes the ‘direct’ effects of reduced government expenditures" and doesn’t account for the adverse ripple effects of the partial DHS shutdown, The Post has learned. The $2.5 billion annualized quarterly gross domestic product loss only reflects the cost of government employees and contractors losing paychecks — rather than the broader economic impact of travel delays and the loss of consumer spending.

Blaze [3/18/2026 1:15 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration has offered several concessions to persuade lawmakers to restart funding for the Department of Homeland Security, but Democrats continue to refuse to compensate Transportation Security Administration personnel. The White House and Democratic lawmakers have remained in a negotiation stalemate since the DHS shut down on February 14. Border czar Tom Homan and the White House director of legislative affairs, James Braid, wrote a letter dated March 17 to Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Katie Britt of Alabama, detailing the administration’s offered concessions. The letter, which was shared by the Daily Wire, explained that the "majority" of Democrats’ demands "would make it impossible to fully protect American citizens from dangerous criminal aliens and expose law enforcement and their families to increasing threats of violence.” "In other words, they would prioritize illegal aliens above American families," it reads. The letter detailed how Homan ended the surge operation in Minnesota, canceled Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s roving patrols, updated protocols for dealing with unlawful agitators, deployed body-worn cameras, and enhanced cooperation with local law enforcement.

The Hill [3/18/2026 10:38 AM, Sophie Brams, 18170K] reports the White House this week unveiled a fresh counteroffer in a bid to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which remains shut down as airport security lines grow and tensions escalate in the Middle East. In a letter outlining the status of negotiations with Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, the White House agreed to implement some reforms to its tactics when carrying out President Trump’s deportation agenda, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras and limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations around “sensitive locations,” such as schools and hospitals. The administration also said it would increase oversight of DHS detention facilities, enforce “the use of visible officer identification” during operations and require officers to identify themselves and their agency when requested. Undercover officers would be exempted from the body camera and identification requirements, according to the letter. Border czar Tom Homan and James Braid, the director of DHS’s office of legislative affairs, wrote that the changes would be “layered on top of the updates” that were negotiated and passed in the House earlier this month. Still, the administration is holding firm in opposing Democrats’ other demands, which include a comprehensive ban on masks and face coverings and the need to obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property. The concessions came a day after the White House said it was reviewing a counteroffer sent by Democrats late Monday evening, as negotiations continue to show few signs of progress. Republicans have sought to use the escalating conflict with Iran to pressure Democrats into reopening DHS by emphasizing the agency’s role in counterterrorism efforts. The shutdown is also straining Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations as officers are going unpaid, leading to more callouts and hundreds quitting the force altogether. Recent Democratic efforts to force a vote to fund agencies within the department, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have been blocked by Republicans. On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) cast the proposal that was floated by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as an attempt to “defund the police.” “One of the dumbest political ideas may be in the history of American politics — but the Democrats aren’t done with it,” Scalise said. “Now that you’re in another moment of Democrat-created chaos, what is their answer? To defund law enforcement again.” Each side has accused the other of refusing to negotiate in good faith since the shutdown began in mid-February, following months of scrutiny against DHS that intensified after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration officers in Minnesota. “The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 30 days because Donald Trump and Republican extremists refuse to get ICE under control,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to fellow Democrats on Monday. “Meanwhile, hardworking employees of the TSA, CISA, Coast Guard and FEMA have been forced to work without pay.”

CBS News [3/18/2026 1:19 PM, Caitlin Yilek, 51110K] reports House Democrats are attempting to force a vote on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, but not federal immigration enforcement, as the partial government shutdown stretches into its second month. Democrats introduced a discharge petition Wednesday to try to circumvent Republican leaders and bring legislation to the floor to fund the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Coast Guard and Secret Service through September. The underlying bill, introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Office of the Secretary. Federal workers at the agencies have missed paychecks and TSA has seen unscheduled absences more than double among airport security officers since the shutdown began. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, unveiled the strategy in a letter to his caucus on Monday, saying the party would continue to demand reforms to immigration enforcement. It’s unclear if Democrats will be able to convince at least four Republicans to join their effort, though Jeffries was bullish. The discharge petition needs 218 signatures to force a floor vote.

DailySignal [3/18/2026 8:16 AM, Virginia Allen, 474K] reports that President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of being "totally unreasonable" in negotiations over funding the Department of Homeland Security. "The Democrats’ purposeful DHS SHUTDOWN is causing chaos at the airports. These Lunatics are being totally unreasonable in their Radical Left asks," Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. "They are FULLY TO BLAME, and must pay a big price, for the good of our country, in the midterm elections," Trump added. Democrats have continued to demand that funding for the agency be dependent upon major immigration enforcement reforms. Republicans refuse to agree to many of the Democrats’ demands, such as requiring immigration agents to unmask themselves while conducting enforcement operations. A month into the DHS shutdown, negotiators remain "far apart," according to a senior White House official. More than two weeks ago, the Trump administration sent congressional Democrats an offer that was both "reasonable" and "serious," the White House official said. The proposal centered on codifying certain operational immigration enforcement guidelines into law, but Democrats responded Monday night "with a counteroffer that does not indicate the seriousness that this moment needs," the official said. Democrats’ offer to the Trump administration was "disappointing," the senior White House official said, adding he would not provide details.

The Hill [3/18/2026 1:46 PM, Mike Lillis, 18170K] reports that House Democrats on Wednesday formally launched their bid to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), amid the impasse over immigration enforcement. Behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Democrats unveiled a discharge petition designed to force a vote on legislation to fund TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and other DHS sub-agencies — but not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection, which are at the center of the fight over President Trump’s deportation tactics. “It’s time to pay TSA, rein in ICE, end this reckless Trump-Republican shutdown, and sign the discharge petition,” Jeffries told reporters on the steps of the Capitol. The effort is a long shot. The Democrats hold 214 seats in the House, meaning they’ll need to find four Republicans willing to sign the discharge petition to force the bill to the floor. Some moderate Republicans have been willing to take that step on several different issues this cycle — including ObamaCare and the Jeffrey Epstein files — but there’s been no indication of similar defections when it comes to DHS funding.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 2:15 PM, Lauren Green, 1147K]

The Hill [3/18/2026 7:09 PM, Sudiksha Kochi, 18170K] reports Democrats on Wednesday sharply criticized the White House’s latest counterproposal aimed at ending the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, arguing that it falls short of sufficiently addressing their concerns about the administration’s immigration crackdown. The counterproposal, outlined in a letter by border czar Tom Homan and James Braid, the White House legislative affairs director, is the most detailed public offer to date, as negotiators from both parties have largely been mum on the specifics of prior proposals. It comes several weeks after the previous offer. In the letter, the White House agreed it would expand the use of body-worn cameras and limit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations around “sensitive locations,” such as schools and hospitals. The administration also said it would increase oversight of DHS detention facilities, enforce “the use of visible officer identification” during operations and require officers to identify themselves and their agency when requested. But Democrats quickly dismissed the offer, saying it fails to meet several of their key demands, including a comprehensive ban on masks and face coverings for immigration officers and a requirement to obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property. “From what I know of it, it seems wholly inadequate,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “It fails to provide the kinds of reforms the American people are demanding.”

FOX News [3/18/2026 3:00 PM, Elizabeth Elkind, 37576K] reports that a senior House GOP leader is accusing Democrats of reviving their controversial push to "defund the police" with their latest bid to circumvent funding for law enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., called the progressive slogan "one of the dumbest ideas in the history of politics" in an interview with Fox News Digital. "The American people lambasted them, and they moved on for a little while, but they came back to it, and they’re trying it again," Scalise said. "We’re not going to let them do it. And by the way, we’re at a heightened level of threat — this is when everybody should be coming together and making sure that the Department of Homeland Security has all the tools they need to keep Americans safe." Democratic leaders announced on Wednesday that they would move to force a vote on legislation to fund all of DHS except for agencies that aid in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. It comes as the ongoing partial government shutdown, only affecting DHS, has gone on for over a month with no end in sight. "If you look, they fund everything except the law enforcement side, which is defunding the police. So here they go again. Democrats, for some reason, just hate law enforcement," Scalise said. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Democrats are filing a discharge petition on a bill to fund all of DHS except immigration enforcement on Wednesday. A discharge petition is a mechanism to force a vote on legislation over the objections of House leadership, provided the measure in question has support from a majority of House lawmakers.

FOX News [3/18/2026 2:20 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows joined ‘America Reports’ to discuss the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, the DHS confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. and the impact of missed paychecks on TSA agents. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [3/18/2026 11:30 AM, Staff, 3760K] reports that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday blasted Democrats for what he called a "dangerous" shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, warning that it undermines border security and puts Americans at risk. In a press release, Johnson said Democrats, in their efforts to block deportations of illegal immigrants, have triggered one of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history while jeopardizing critical national security operations. "In their haste to defend criminal illegal aliens, Democrats have shut down the Department of Homeland Security… and jeopardized our national security at a time of heightened threats," Johnson said. The speaker specifically criticized House Democrats’ proposal to partially fund DHS while leaving Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without funding — a move he said would cripple the nation’s largest federal law enforcement agency. "Any bill that strips [CBP’s] funding weakens our defenses against terrorist plots, undermines the integrity of our borders, and disrupts lawful travel," Johnson said. CBP, which has more than 60,000 personnel, plays a central role in securing the nation’s 6,000 miles of land borders and 2,000 miles of coastline, while also managing ports of entry and combating transnational crime. The agency is also responsible for intercepting drug shipments, human traffickers, and potential terrorists. Republicans point to recent data showing that stronger enforcement policies have produced results.

National Review [3/18/2026 11:56 PM, Jim Geraghty, 109K] reports the U.S. federal government’s 2026 fiscal year began October 1, 2025. Since that date, 137 days have passed. On that date, the federal government shutdown began, and that shutdown lasted for 43 days, the longest in American history. Since February 14, funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed and essential DHS workers must work without pay until the funding is restored; this is 32 days. (DHS employees will get paid the back pay they’re owed, but they have no idea when that back pay will arrive.) This means that if you are an “essential worker” for DHS, you have worked without pay for 75 days, or 54 percent of this fiscal year so far. This is a rotten way to treat people who have signed on to the job of protecting us, and it is a particularly rotten way to treat people who have signed on to the job of protecting us when we face a higher threat of terrorism because of an ongoing war against the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

CNN [3/18/2026 6:00 AM, Audrey Ash and Priscilla Alvarez, 19874K] reports President Donald Trump has heralded a $915 million incentive program and app as key tools to get undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the country, part of a broader push his administration credits with getting 2.2 million people to "self-deport.” But a new document shared internally within DHS and reviewed by CNN shows that the program has helped 72,000 leave the US as of this month. The majority who signed up were already in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, the document shows. Homeland Security officials have not publicly released detailed data on how many people have left the US under the new program, which the administration argues saves money by slashing the cost of deportations. The plan, called Project Homecoming, offers stipends of up to $2,600 and free flights to immigrants to return home. Many others have left on their own without using the app, the agency said in a statement. "DHS has been consistently clear that those who have used the CBP Home app and utilized Project Homecoming are but a fraction of the those who have voluntarily left the country because illegal aliens know President Trump is enforcing our immigration laws," said a DHS spokesperson in a statement, adding that each self-deportation with incentives costs thousands less than a traditional deportation. The White House did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

Daily Wire [3/18/2026 5:03 AM, Jennie Taer, 2314K] reports that Republican Senator Rick Scott is set to introduce legislation that would spell major financial losses for sanctuary cities and states, The Daily Wire has learned. The Florida senator introduced the bill — dubbed the Unifying American Security Interests Act — to explicitly tie eligibility for federal grants to cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In order to secure the federal funds, cities would need to honor ICE detainers, conduct joint training with immigration officers, and commit to openly sharing information with federal authorities. Along with the aforementioned bill, Scott introduced the Sanctuary Jurisdiction Event Security Enhancement Act, which bars sanctuary cities and states from receiving federal funding for event security through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Special Event Assessment Rating. "Democrat politicians are putting illegal aliens first and the American people last, harboring criminals in sanctuary cities where they refuse to enforce our laws," Scott said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire. "President Trump is doing his part by securing the border, now Congress must pass my bills to hold sanctuary cities and states accountable by withholding federal tax dollars until they cooperate with federal law enforcement," Scott said. President Donald Trump has previously threatened to cut federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions amid his mass deportation crackdown. The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office told The Daily Wire that they don’t "obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers," but didn’t say whether they’d notify federal immigration officers ahead of the suspect’s eventual release.

FOX News [3/18/2026 4:39 PM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports House Republicans are hauling in two top Fairfax County law enforcement officials, including a Soros-backed prosecutor, after violent crimes involving illegal immigrants released from custody intensified federal scrutiny of the county’s sanctuary-style policies. Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Ann Kincaid and Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Steven Descano are invited to voluntarily testify at an upcoming Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement Subcommittee hearing entitled "Fairfax County Virginia – The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary City Policies." The Fairfax officials have until Monday to confirm their presence at the April 15 hearing to be held at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Bloomberg Industry Group Bloomberg Tax [3/18/2026 12:08 PM, Zoe Tillman and Greg Stohr, 50K] reports the US Supreme Court twice last year cleared the Trump administration to end protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants fleeing violence and instability. In the months that followed, current and former judges repeatedly called out the justices for failing to explain their reasoning. The issue is before the high court again, and this time, there are signs the justices heard the criticism. They declined to immediately intervene in the government’s favor this week in two other cases, meaning Haitians and Syrians with legal status in the US remain shielded from deportation for now. But the court granted the administration’s request to leapfrog over appellate courts and fast-track arguments next month on the merits of the fight, potentially ruling by July with a broad decision backing the president’s power to end what’s known as Temporary Protected Status. Lawsuits challenging the administration’s efforts to roll back TPS protections have become a flashpoint in the debate over the Supreme Court’s handling of emergency requests, known to critics as the "shadow docket." Since President Donald Trump returned to office, the conservative-majority court has resolved 27 such requests filed by the administration, backing him in full or part in 23 of them -- in many cases with little or no explanation.

The Hill [3/18/2026 3:07 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18170K] reports that House Democrats on Wednesday heightened their investigation into Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who has been accused of mismanagement and corruption. Lewandowski was reportedly serving as a de-facto adviser to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and oversaw the approval of contracts and grants totaling more than $100,000 under a newly implemented policy. Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) and Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), wrote to the DHS Office of Inspector General on Wednesday to request an investigation into Lewandowski, who has remained in his position as a special government employee for more than the allotted 130 days. In a separate letter to DHS, the lawmakers called on officials to rescind the $100,000 approval policy and return to the prior approval threshold, “given the clear risk of mismanagement, confusion, and self-dealing.” “We also demand DHS preserve all documents and communications concerning Mr. Lewandowski’s role within the Department, as well as the Department’s practices, policies, and procedures related to contracting, personnel, and the handling of classified materials, including, but not limited to, social media messages, Signal chats, and other private or personal communications pertaining to DHS matters,” the three House Democrats wrote, setting an April 1 deadline for the requested documentation. “Any effort to hide, steal, alter, or destroy any documentation relating to Mr. Lewandowski, DHS contracting decisions under former Secretary Noem, and related subjects, will be seen as destruction of evidence,” they added. NewsMax [3/18/2026 5:17 PM, Theodore Bunker, 3760K] reports Lewandowski has not publicly responded to the allegations, but Noem directly denied claims about his authority during sworn congressional testimony, saying he had no role in approving DHS contracts. A DHS spokesperson, reiterating Noem’s position, said, "Mr. Lewandowski does NOT play a role in approving contracts," and added that he serves without pay or federal benefits. Noem and Lewandowski have also previously denied any improper personal relationship or misconduct tied to their work at the department. Their latest move builds on months of Democratic oversight pressure over Lewandowski’s standing at DHS, including earlier inquiries from Garcia and Thompson after reporting alleged that he had influenced contract decisions, personnel changes, and funding actions while operating with limited public disclosure and while maintaining outside business interests that critics say could create conflicts. The renewed investigation comes less than two weeks after President Donald Trump reassigned Noem on March 5 amid intensifying questions about her management of DHS, including a $220 million advertising campaign and her testimony to Congress about Lewandowski’s role.

NPR [3/18/2026 4:07 PM, Mary Louise Kelly, Jasmine Garsd, Kate Dario, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports Trump administration’s expansion of migrant detention ignites fierce opposition The Trump administration’s unprecedented expansion of migrant detention facilities is igniting fierce opposition in communities across the political and geographic spectrum.

New York Times [3/18/2026 6:55 AM, Sam Sifton, 148038K] reports voter fraud almost never happens in the United States. Still, in order to prevent it, President Trump is pushing Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, an election law that would, among many provisions, require people to show photo identification to vote. It’s a solution in search of a problem — a solution that narrowly passed in the House last week and is now under debate in the Senate. The law is unlikely to pass there, given deeply felt opposition from Democrats who can block it with a filibuster. Republicans lack the 60 votes they need to overcome one. Trump insists they pass the law anyway, even if they have to kill the filibuster to do so. (Some Republicans don’t want to do that, since eventually they may need the device to block the other side.) He said he would not sign any other legislation until the bill made it to his desk. It’s his “No. 1 priority,” he said, and would “guarantee” the midterm elections for the Republicans. “If you don’t get it — big trouble,” Trump told them last week. Most Americans support the idea of voter identification, polls say. We show driver’s licenses and passports all the time — to go on planes, to register at hotels, to buy indica at a dispensary. Show ID at a polling place? Sure. But voter identification is not really what the SAVE America Act is all about, according to Democrats and election experts who oppose it. (Its full name is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.) They say it’s about disenfranchisement. They say that it could hand the Trump administration data it could distort to claim widespread voter fraud when Republicans lose races. It would require voters to prove their citizenship in person when registering to vote. They would need to do so every time their registration changes — when they move, say, or change their name or party affiliation. What’s so bad about that? Maybe you have an enhanced driver’s license that proves your citizenship. Maybe you have a passport, or naturalization papers. Let me ask you: Do you know where your birth certificate is? My colleague Nick Corasaniti, who covers voting and elections, pointed me toward a study that found that nearly 10 percent of American citizens of voting age don’t have proof of citizenship at hand — if they have the papers at all. The bill would curtail voting by mail. Would you photocopy your driver’s license or passport and send it in the mail, just to request a ballot? I might. But first I’d need to find a working photocopier. And then I’d have to use it again when sending my ballot in. Anything that introduces friction to the voting process, election experts say, leads to less voting. The bill would require states to send voter information to the Department of Homeland Security. Some state election officials don’t like that idea at all: What are federal officials doing with that information? How safe is it? How open to manipulation? And the legislation would require compliance within days, without providing funding to support it. Local election offices aren’t set up to collect copies of photo identification for mail-in ballots. They would need to spin up whole new processes to verify citizenship status, instantly. (Realistically, those efforts take staffing and time.) And should states fail to make these changes quickly enough, they wouldn’t be allowed to count mailed ballots.

DailySignal [3/18/2026 3:07 PM, Katherine Matt, 474K] reports that on Tuesday afternoon, the Senate kicked off what could be a dayslong debate over the SAVE America Act, the voter ID bill backed by President Donald Trump. As Congress struggles to move the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, better known as the SAVE America Act, through Washington, state legislatures across the country are beginning to chart their own course on election integrity. The SAVE America Act, passed by House Republicans, would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Supporters say the measure is a commonsense safeguard designed to ensure that only American citizens cast ballots. In the Senate, the bill faces an uncertain future. With a divided chamber and divisions within the GOP over the talking filibuster, the legislation—despite the current floor debate—has effectively stalled on Capitol Hill. Chip Wyatt, Heritage Action’s government relations director, acknowledges that the SAVE America Act faces an uphill battle in the Senate. With limited support and a chance of a filibuster, the process of passing the act would be long and tedious. Wyatt stated, "At the federal level, Senate Republicans should use every tool available, including enforcing the two-speech rule to force a talking filibuster, to try to pass the SAVE America Act. At the same time, state legislatures can and should continue to work to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in American elections."

New York Times [3/18/2026 5:01 AM, David A. Fahrenthold and Andrea Fuller, 148038K] reports the Trump administration has bypassed regular procedures to award more than $13 million in contracts to the company that helped organize President Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021, repeatedly creating hidden business opportunities that only one firm could win. Those contracts have transformed Event Strategies Inc., staffed by veterans of Mr. Trump’s campaigns and first White House, from a minor federal contractor into the government’s highest-paid event planner. The firm has arranged celebrations of the Navy’s 250th birthday and a Treasury Department event to tout new savings accounts for children, called “Trump accounts.” By law, federal agencies are generally supposed to seek competing bids before awarding contracts, to get the best value for taxpayers. Event Strategies won contracts that were particularly lucrative, the kind that other companies say they would have liked to win. In at least five cases, other firms never got the chance. Instead, the agencies invoked legal loopholes meant for special situations — instances of urgent need, or cases where only one specialized vendor could do a job — and gave the contracts to Event Strategies. Of the $22 million in federal contracts that Event Strategies has received since Mr. Trump resumed office, the majority has come through these carve-outs. By contrast, less than 3 percent of the $120 million the Trump administration awarded to other event planners involved similar exemptions, a New York Times analysis of federal contracting data found. This firm’s special treatment is a stark example of the way that the second Trump administration has used taxpayer money to benefit people close to the president or his top officials. Mr. Trump ran on the promise of “draining the swamp” of Washington influence-peddling. But in these cases, his agencies seem to have turned off a decades-old system meant to ensure an even playing field. “Competition allows the government to contract for the best products, the best services, at the best value to the government,” said Jessica Tillipman, an associate dean at the George Washington University Law School and procurement law professor. She said these cases raise “questions about whether or not the agencies have a legitimate basis to sidestep competitive procedures.” Federal regulations require agencies to award contracts “with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.” It is difficult to judge whether these specific contracts ran afoul of those rules, because agencies have given so little detail about them. Regardless, there can also be political consequences for awarding no-bid contracts. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security used urgency exemptions to justify $220 million in no-bid media contracts that went to companies tied to Kristi Noem, the department’s secretary, and her allies. The controversy over those contracts played a role in Ms. Noem’s downfall: She was fired this month after lawmakers grilled her about the deals. Event Strategies did not respond to questions about the contracts or Jan. 6. Instead, Tim Unes, its president, issued a statement that touted the company’s years of experience. “We’re honored to play a role in bringing our nation’s 250th celebration to life,” Mr. Unes said. The Treasury Department, which provided one of the five contracts to Event Strategies, said it had been working on a “condensed timeline.” The Navy, which provided the other four, defended its decisions by saying that Event Strategies was the “only vendor capable of executing the requirement within the necessary time frame.” A spokesman for Mr. Trump, Davis Ingle, said in a statement that the White House was not involved in the awarding of these contracts. “There is a standard federal process, and the White House expects all agencies to comply with it,” Mr. Ingle said in a statement.

Telemundo [3/18/2026 8:59 PM, Pilar Niño, 26K] reports that, in California, a new proposal is being promoted to provide free legal representation to detained immigrants facing deportation. Countless challenges, she said, were faced by a young woman and her family when her stepfather was detained by immigration. “When we were trying to find lawyers, each consultation cost $100, $150, $200,” said the young woman, who preferred not to be identified. But this wasn’t the worst of it. “We also went through fraud, we paid some lawyers who never responded again, yes we spent more than $4,000,” the victim said. She finds the new proposal in California, which would provide free legal representation to people facing deportation, especially if they are in detention, to be a relief. “It addresses a very clear problem: in the immigration system, the government always has a lawyer, but more than half of those facing deportation do not have lawyers. This in itself creates an unequal and unfair system,” said Santiago Mueckay, spokesperson for the Vera Institute of Justice. Assemblywoman Mia Bonta’s project AB-2600 would create a state program funded with public resources to guarantee the right to defense for these people. Bonta explained that nearly 10,000 Californians have been detained in random raids, another 8,250 have been deported this fiscal year, and an additional 6,400 remain detained under unbelievable conditions, denied due process. This project will give them access to legal representation. But how is this possible when the budget is already facing challenges? According to Bonta, California will have to choose, and at the end of the day, the immigrant community members detained in these centers generate billions of dollars for the state. “We must use some of the $8 billion we receive from taxpayers to protect their right to defend themselves,” Bonta emphasized. Some critics question the assistance given to undocumented immigrants compared to citizens or legal residents, arguing that they are provided with a benefit that is not available to others who cannot afford legal fees in civil proceedings, such as tax payment litigation. If the project is approved, it would come into effect next year.

The Hill [3/18/2026 7:00 AM, Nathan Diament, 18170K] reports that, as the American Jewish community continues to reel from the near massacre of Jewish preschool children last week at Temple Israel, senators will hold a confirmation hearing today for Sen. Markwayne Mullin to be the new secretary of Homeland Security. Our lawmakers must ask Mullin what he will do to keep Jewish and other faith communities safe. The attempted shooting at Michigan’s Temple Israel ended well — at least, as well as such a story could end. Like so many Jewish institutions in America, Temple Israel invested heavily in private security personnel and systems. According to reports, the largest Reform synagogue in America employs multiple security guards daily and its employees had taken an active shooter training class weeks earlier. When the assailant rammed his car into the synagogue, the guards immediately engaged with and disabled the shooter. But here’s the bad news. The money needed to keep Jewish communities (and other faith communities) safe is being held hostage by the political showdown over the Department of Homeland Security. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) awards federal funds to religious institutions to bolster their security, like surveillance cameras, access control systems, gates and lighting, alert systems, staff training and security personnel. It’s the largest and most direct way federal or state governments are protecting people in their pews. But, as it is, these funds are woefully inadequate to meet the security needs of the American Jewish community. In 2024, only 43 percent of applicants received NSGP funds out of nearly $1 billion in requests. That’s why we have urged Congress and the Trump administration to increase these funds to $500 million for fiscal 2026. American Jewish communities are forced to pay what amounts to an antisemitism tax to provide essential, life-saving protection. With antisemitism on the rise, local police don’t have the resources to keep our community safe. Jewish communities pay north of $750 million per year to send their children to Jewish schools, attend synagogue and hold communal events safely. The story at Temple Israel could have ended very differently if not for the quick thinking of the guards on the scene, as well as county officials and the FBI who work with Jewish institutions to train staff and private security guards. We don’t have to imagine what that ending looks like. We saw it at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, at California’s Poway Chabad and at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. In recent days, there have also been violent attacks on synagogues in Canada, Norway and Belgium. Jewish communities in America and elsewhere are on their highest alert, doing whatever we can to ensure that our freedom to worship is joined with a freedom from fear. I wish the same could be said for politicians in Washington. Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security was beset by funding delays, dysfunction and a high level of partisan gamesmanship — even for Washington. Mullin’s nomination is an opportunity for the administration to start anew, and focus on keeping vulnerable communities safe instead of political theatrics. As Mullin begins his confirmation process, members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on both sides of the aisle should press the nominee on his plans for ending the funding standoff, investing in vital security programs like the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and prioritizing safety over politics. If last week’s shooting isn’t a wake-up call to Congress to get its act together, I don’t know what is. We need Republicans and Democrats in Congress, together with those in the Trump administration who have boldly spoken out against antisemitism, to get together and deliver security and safety to American Jewish communities. Or, to put it another way, deliver the most basic thing citizens expect from our government. Jewish communities and local police are doing their part. They are doing everything right. The least Congress can do is its job.

Bloomberg [3/18/2026 7:00 AM, Staff, 18082K] reports shortly after Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin heard that President Donald Trump had picked him to be the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, he told reporters there were “opportunities to build off things that didn’t go as planned” for his predecessor Kristi Noem. “I think there’s a lot of work we need to do,” Mullin said from the steps of the US Capitol. What has been lacking so far are specifics — and Mullin’s colleagues in the Senate shouldn’t let him sail through today’s confirmation hearing without getting as many as they can. It’s all but certain that Mullin will be confirmed as secretary. Republicans need only a simple majority vote to do so. But the American people deserve more than customary political deference and softball questions at a time when DHS, the third-largest federal department with more than 260,000 employees, is in shambles. A partial shutdown over immigration enforcement has left long lines at airports and thousands of workers without paychecks. Multiple states are waiting on long-delayed federal disaster assistance. Polls show most Americans believe immigration agents went too far to carry out Trump’s mass deportation plan, particularly with a violent operation in Minneapolis that led to the deaths of two Americans.

Los Angeles Times [3/18/2026 3:05 PM, Jacob Ware and Colin P. Clarke, 12718K] reports that on Monday came the latest evidence of dysfunction within the Trump administration’s counterterrorism apparatus, when Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned, citing his opposition to the war in Iran. But the disarray is not new. In July 2025, Sebastian Gorka, the senior director for counterterrorism on President Trump’s National Security Council, announced that he was "on the cusp of releasing the unclassified new presidential U.S. counterterrorism policy." Yet eight months later, while America wages war on a notorious state sponsor of terrorism, the strategy has yet to be released. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has not published a National Terrorism Advisory since September and has failed to issue the annual Homeland Threat Assessment report since Trump returned to office. This remains the case, even as counterterrorism experts have warned about the possibility of Iranian-backed sleeper cells being activated because of the current conflict with Iran. Without a strategy that clearly lays out American priorities and responses, America’s counterterrorism defenses are divided, disorganized and under-resourced. It is this malfunction that left Trump answering a question about whether Americans should expect more violence in the homeland with an effective shoulder shrug: "I guess."

NewsMax [3/18/2026 10:14 AM, Duggan Flanakin, 3760K] reports that long before she took the job as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), former Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., was the target of a smear campaign that seemingly attacked even her choice of breakfast cereal (oatmeal with berries). Then, when she later took the position, it came with the slur "ICE Barbie"; a woman (they said) impervious to any remorse over the deaths of two violent protesters against the 23-year-old U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, part of DHS – or, of the impact on illegal immigrants and their families of being "ripped from their homes" and sent back to nations "they fled in fear." In a culture that finds excuses to set murderers and even terrorists free to ruin other peoples’ lives because "they may have changed during their years in prison" or because at age 57 they surely would not sexually assault another child, sending people who contracted with terrorist cartels to enter America illegally to face the consequences of their actions is deemed cruel and unusual punishment. But taking money, jobs, and housing from needy Americans to give to strangers and then helping those with no legal right to America’s riches sign up to vote themselves, even more government assistance is at best callous toward American citizens – and especially to those patiently awaiting the right to enter the U.S. legally. It’s rewarding the scofflaw and punishing the paying customer.

NewsMax [3/18/2026 1:11 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) informed Newsmax exclusively on Wednesday of the latest arrests involving illegal migrants with pending criminal charges or prior convictions in the U.S. According to ICE, agents apprehended multiple criminal illegal aliens convicted of serious offenses, including child molestation, sexual assault of a child, attempted rape, and drug trafficking. Officials said the arrests highlight the agency’s focus on removing dangerous individuals from communities. "Yesterday, the heroic men and women of ICE arrested child predators, sex criminals, drug traffickers and other despicable criminals," Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in an email to Newsmax. "These monsters have no place in this country. Under President Trump, if you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you and arrest you. The safety of the American people comes first." Among those arrested was Gabriel Garcia-Tapia, a Mexican national convicted of second-degree child molestation and incest in Washington. Also taken into custody was Jose Ordaz-Sanchez, convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in Texas, and Hugo Rene Monroy-Giron, convicted of attempted rape in Virginia. ICE also arrested Francisco Torres-Angulo, convicted of trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine, and Kristian Naveda-Cabrera, a Venezuelan national convicted of illegal firearm possession in New York. Officials emphasized that nearly 70% of illegal aliens arrested under the Trump administration have either prior convictions or pending criminal charges — a statistic the administration says underscores its focus on targeting threats to public safety.

Univision [3/18/2026 4:01 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports following the announcement of a new detention model by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the creation of mega-centers for immigrants in the United States was revealed, as part of a strategy aimed at expanding the government’s capacity to detain and process people without legal immigration status. As part of this strategy and with the goal of accelerating the creation of mega-centers, the federal agency began acquiring properties in various regions of the country. With this, ICE seeks to reduce its reliance on facilities operated by third parties and, instead, opt for the direct purchase of real estate to develop its own larger-scale detention complexes. According to the document that N+ Univision had access to, the Detention Reengineering Initiative (DRI), published on February 13, 2026, will see ICE implement a revamped system through Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). This model envisions larger, standardized facilities specifically designed to streamline migration processes and facilitate large-scale deportations.

USA Today [3/18/2026 5:08 PM, Carlie Procell, Christopher Cann, Stephen J. Beard, 70643K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is speeding ahead with a controversial effort to drastically expand its detention space by buying up warehouses nationwide and converting them into holding centers. According to internal documents, the agency is planning to buy and retrofit 24 commercial warehouses, boosting its detention capacity to more than 92,000 beds in a matter of months. The largest of the proposed facilities, which ICE has described as “mega-centers,” would hold between 7,000 to 10,000 people at a time, and will serve as the primary location for deportations. ICE is also planning to buy 16 warehouses to convert into “processing centers," which would hold 1,500 detainees for an average of five to seven days, documents show. As of March 17, the government has purchased at least 11 warehouses across the country, according to a USA TODAY analysis and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. In another 11 communities where ICE has proposed detention centers, private developers or the federal government itself backed out of deals following pushback from residents, as well as local, state and federal officials from both parties. In statements, ICE has said the sites will be "well-structured detention facilities" and will undergo "rigorous due diligence" to ensure there’s no adverse impacts to local communities. "Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space," the agency said in a statement. Several of the largest facilities purchased by ICE – including warehouses in Georgia and Texas – are more than a million square feet in size, about 17 times larger than an NFL football field. Officials and residents alike have raised concerns about whether warehouses meant to hold commercial cargo can safely and humanely house people. Local officials, including in Republican districts, have said the facilities could overwhelm public sewage and water systems, especially in rural areas, and said they were not consulted about the projects before sales were completed. ICE said it is complying with all federal regulations and has taken public infrastructure into account when surveying potential sites. The plans could change, however, as DHS is set to gain new leadership following Kristi Noem’s ouster in early March. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who Trump has picked to lead the agency, appeared skeptical of the warehouse initiative during his confirmation hearing. Mullin said "it’s important that we’re talking to the communities." He also said such large facilities could weigh on neighborhoods’ infrastructure and cut off revenue for public services, since federal properties are exempt from local property taxes. "Being from small, rural Oklahoma, it’s a big impact, and the community should be visited with," Mullin said.

NPR [3/18/2026 1:44 PM, Jasmine Garsd, 28764K] reports that with its civil war memorials, rolling hills and quaint houses, Williamsport, Md. looks straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. In the middle of it all, there’s an enormous warehouse, scheduled to become one of the largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers in the country. It’s part of ICE’s plan to massively expand its detention system using the historic $45 billion Congress allocated the agency to do so. But in many cities and towns, detention expansion is being met with resistance from Democrats and Republicans. "Did you see the building?" A man named Donnie Daggenhart asks at the parking lot of the local WalMart, which is just a few minutes away from the new detention site. "It’s huge." It is massive: if it gets built, the 825,000 square foot warehouse that ICE bought is projected to hold at least 1,500 people. Williamsport has a population of around 2,000. Washington County is conservative: it voted for President Trump in the last election. In February the county board unanimously approved a resolution welcoming ICE, which was immediately met with angry local protests. Daggenhart, who owns a local construction company, says he supported Trump for years, but he’s recently changed his tune. Among other things, he disagrees with how immigration is being enforced. "I just think we’re living in a police state and it’s getting worse," says Daggengart. "They’re getting the wrong people. Let’s get the bad ones out. That’s what we should be doing, but we’re not."

NPR [3/18/2026 6:25 PM, Staff, 28764K] Audio: HERE reports on red states and blue states, in suburbs and cities and in rural communities, officials from the Department of Homeland Security are scouting out real estate. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to significantly expand its detention capacity, to help support President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. NPR’s Jasmine Garsd and Kate Dario of New Hampshire Public Radio have been talking with people in communities slated to host mass detention facilities. They’ve found fierce, bipartisan opposition to the plans. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

Newsweek [3/18/267:18 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports a federal judge has admonished the Trump administration for violating procedural due process when it detained a Cuban national without following required agency procedures, though the court stopped short of ordering his release. In a 22-page court order, U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek of the Middle District of Florida found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violated both the Constitution and its own regulations when it revoked the supervised release of Roberto Francisco Franco Rodriguez without giving him notice or an opportunity to respond. While ICE issued a notice of revocation, the court noted the agency failed to conduct the required "informal interview" after taking him into custody, denying him procedural due process, according to court filings Newsweek reviewed. "Rodriguez has proven a constitutional violation—the government cut corners and denied him the process he was due," Dudek wrote in court documents.

NPR [3/19/2026 4:44 AM, Meg Anderson, 34837K] reports immigration agents took DNA samples from observers and protesters they detained during the Minnesota ICE surge, NPR has found, raising questions about how the government uses that personal data. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

FOX News [3/18/2026 11:41 AM, Taylor Penley, 37576K] reports that Border czar Tom Homan blasted anti-ICE activists after an incident in Boston where they tipped off a child rape suspect wanted in El Salvador, allowing him to evade arrest for weeks. "I can’t tell you how many serious public safety threats and national security threats escaped because of these heads-up," Homan told "The Ingraham Angle" Tuesday. "These agitators… they’re just idiots," he continued. "But they need to understand [that] 70% of everybody arrested is a public safety threat or a criminal. That’s who we’re going to arrest." Homan’s criticisms were in reference to an incident involving illegal immigrant Walter Roberto Vides-Ortez, who is wanted in his native El Salvador for alleged child rape. Video taken by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Feb. 12 in Boston showed activists shouting obscenities at an agent and recording from inside a vehicle. During the February incident, agents were waiting in their vehicles outside Vides-Ortez’s East Boston home when activists surrounded them, blowing whistles, cursing at them and accusing the ICE agents of traumatizing children at a nearby elementary school. Their cover was blown, and no arrest was made at the time. Vides-Ortez was later apprehended on March 12. Homan said the incident highlights a broader issue he has long warned about, arguing that activists’ interference and sanctuary policies are making it harder for ICE to detain dangerous individuals. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NBC News [3/18/2026 3:47 PM, Staff, 42967K] reports a New York City public school student has been released from ICE detention roughly 10 months after he was grabbed following a routine court hearing. Dylan Contreras was released from Moshannon Valley Processing Center, a federal ICE facility in Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, his family and attorneys said. Enrolled at Ellis Prep Academy in Marble Hill, then-20-year-old Contreras had no criminal history and was pursuing a green card after arriving from Venezuela. He was one of the first known NYC high school students taken by ICE during the beginning of the second Trump administration. DHS accused Contreras of entering the United States illegally one year prior, under the Biden administration. Contreras’s lawyers argued that the young man came to the U.S. legally to seek asylum. Univision [3/18/2026 3:35 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports López Contreras was arrested on May 21, 2025, after attending a routine asylum hearing at an immigration court in Lower Manhattan. At the time, he was a student at Ellis Prep, a public school focused on immigrant students. His arrest set a precedent: he was the first New York public school high school student arrested by federal authorities since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in 2015. The Department of Homeland Security maintained that the young man was subject to expedited deportation for having entered the country illegally. However, his legal defense asserted the opposite: that he had entered legally and complied with all the requirements of the asylum process. The New York Times [3/18/2026 5:27 PM, Ana Ley, 148038K] reports that in a telephone interview, Mr. Lopez Contreras said that his release from detention felt like a dream. “I still can’t believe that I’m out,” he said in Spanish. “There was a moment that I never thought it would happen, but wow — it caught me by surprise.” Mr. Lopez Contreras and his mother, Raiza Contreras, expressed gratitude for the people who worked to release him, including the staff of Senator Chuck Schumer, who invited her to this year’s State of the Union address to speak about Mr. Lopez Contreras’s detention. “All glory and honor belong to God, who opened doors and made the impossible possible,” Ms. Contreras said in a statement provided through the New York Legal Assistance Group, which provides legal services to immigrants and is representing Mr. Lopez Contreras. “I am grateful to everyone who, in one way or another, played a part in offering support and strength, and who was always there,” she said. “Very soon, my son will be back with his siblings and me — it is both a relief and a blessing.” Mr. Lopez Contreras was the second person from the New York City region to be freed from immigration detention this week after having spent months in custody. On Monday, Leqaa Kordia, a New Jersey woman who took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University in 2024, was released from a federal immigration detention center in Texas where she had been held for more than a year. Before his detention, Mr. Lopez Contreras had been attending Ellis Preparatory Academy, a school in the Bronx that enrolls migrant students who are considered too old to start at a traditional high school. He enrolled after leaving Venezuela in 2024 with his family and was admired for going to school while working as a delivery driver to help support his family. The circumstances of his release were not immediately clear, according to Chloe Chik, a spokeswoman for the New York Legal Assistance Group. Power Malu and Candice Braun, co-founders of ROCC NYC, an immigrant advocacy organization, accompanied Mr. Lopez Contreras after his release. Mr. Malu said that Mr. Lopez Contreras had been released on his own recognizance and that he was wearing an ankle monitor and needed to comply with routine immigration check-ins. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said that Mr. Lopez Contreras had entered the United States illegally under the Biden administration. “He will receive full due process,” the officials wrote in a statement. “If a judge finds he has no right to remain in the U.S., he will be swiftly removed.”

Reported similarly:
CBS New York [3/18/2026 6:32 PM, Mark Prussin, 51110K]

New York Post [3/18/2026 6:35 PM, Haley Brown and Ben Kochman, 40934K] reports the New York City Council vowed Wednesday to fight an immigration judge’s "outrageous" decision to deport a Venezuela-born city data analyst because of a missing signature on his asylum application. Immigration Judge Charles Conroy cited the technicality in his final deportation order for Rafael Rubio, 53, who has been jailed since January, when ICE officers hauled him away at what he believed was a routine check-in at a Long Island immigration center. Judge Conroy — who has one of New York City’s lowest asylum grant rates — issued his ruling after refusing to allow Rubio to fix the signature, which his lawyer said he could take care of in an hour, according to City Council Speaker Julie Menin. "This is an indefensible decision," Menin told reporters at a press conference in the City Hall rotunda. Menin said the Council would be appealing Conroy’s ruling, which she called "cruel" and "inhumane." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Pittsburgh [3/18/2026 5:15 PM, Erika Stanish, 51110K] reports the chief of the Glassport Borough Police Department in Allegheny County said Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made 17 arrests in the borough over the last two weeks. Witnesses sent pictures to KDKA-TV showing ICE agents as they surrounded a building at the corner of Ohio Avenue and Sixth Street moments before those witnesses said several people were escorted out in handcuffs. Glassport Police Chief Shawn DeVerse released a statement to KDKA-TV in response to ICE’s presence in the community, saying, in part, that it is not part of the 287(g) Program, which allows state and local agencies to act as immigration enforcement agents. The police chief added that no ICE arrest in Glassport has led to any violence.

Daily Caller [3/18/2026 2:35 PM, Mary Rooke, 803K] reports a Virginia county and local school system are seemingly covering for an illegal immigrant who allegedly groped at least a dozen female students, most of them being minors. Authorities charged an 18-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador named Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz with nine counts of misdemeanor assault and battery March 7 after being enrolled at Fairfax High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. Flores-Ortiz entered the United States illegally in 2024 and was released under former President Joe Biden. Over several months in early 2026, he is accused of sneaking up behind female students and reaching between their legs to grope their private areas before sometimes shifting to their buttocks. Parents describe the acts as deliberate and invasive, not accidental horseplay. One mother told reporters it was "a groping of a private area" that had been occurring for months. The victims said they endured this in crowded transitions between classes, where supervision was evidently lacking. Despite the nature of the allegations, which are reportedly supported by hallway surveillance footage, the Fairfax County Public Schools principal, Georgina Aye, waited until March 12 to notify families. Her email described the incidents blandly as "the student touching students’ buttocks while they were transitioning in the hallways," according to 7News. Unsurprisingly, the parents were outraged, calling the school’s handling of the situation "abysmal." Multiple parents labeled the letter an attempt to minimize the harm inflicted on their children by Flores-Ortiz. They also claim some of the girls experience bullying from other students who said the accusations were "attention-seeking." "This 19-year-old criminal illegal alien should NOT have been attending a Virginia high school and allowed to prey on innocent teenage girls. He now faces nine counts of assault and battery. This is yet another example of the Biden Administration’s failed open border policies," said DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "We are calling on Fairfax County sanctuary politicians to NOT release this predator from jail back into our communities to assault more teenage women. Unfortunately, Governor Abigail Spanberger ended cooperation with ICE and is siding with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens.”

Blaze [3/18/2026 11:00 AM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1556K] reports Israel Flores-Ortiz, an illegal alien from El Salvador who stole into the U.S. in 2024 and was subsequently released by the Biden administration, is accused of molesting at least nine girls at Fairfax High School in Virginia where he was enrolled in the 11th grade, even though he is at least 18 years old. Adding insult to injury, the school allegedly downplayed the scandal. The alleged offenses took place as recently as Feb. 25. Flores-Ortiz was arrested on March 7 and has been charged with nine counts of assault and battery. "There’s a group of about 12 individuals that have reported this assault," a mother of one of the victims told WJLA-TV. "It was all perpetrated by a single individual who is a stranger to the girls. He just sneakily walked up behind them and put his hand in between their legs. It was not just a butt smack or a butt grab. It was a groping of a private area. It had been occurring for several months." Two of the victims’ mothers said that the school was doing a terrible job handling the situation.

The Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 8:49 AM, Emily Hallas, 1147K] reports Georgia officials locked down the water line for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Social Circle after expressing concern that the planned detention center would overwhelm the small city’s infrastructure. City Manager Eric Taylor said this week that the water has been shut off, reiterating requests for details on how federal authorities plan to address questions regarding how the ICE facility’s water and sewer needs will be met. The planned detention center in the Republican stronghold about 45 miles east of Atlanta has seen pushback from some in the GOP due largely to infrastructural concerns. It is expected to house up to 10,000 people, and would more than triple the city’s population, according to local authorities. "There is a lock on the meter," Taylor told GPB. "A representative from ICE was informed about the lock on the meter shortly after the sale of the property when she inquired about how to establish an account. The lock is there until ICE indicates how water and sewer will be served without exceeding our limited infrastructure capacity." The detention facility would have a sewage demand of 1,001,683 gallons per day, but the city’s wastewater system processes 660,000 gallons a day and is already operating at capacity, according to Social Circle. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has held one conversation with city officials about the facility, according to local authorities. That conversation, detailed in a Feb. 18 statement from the city, did not satisfy local concerns about strains to the city’s infrastructure. Blaze [3/18/2026 6:30 AM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports ICE’s plans to open a detention center in Social Circle, Georgia, first became public in December, when the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration aims to overhaul the immigration detention system by renovating seven large-scale warehouses to hold 5,000 to 10,000 people each. The warehouses will reportedly be located in major logistics hubs: Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri. ICE would also establish other smaller warehouses capable of holding 1,500 people each. According to the Post, ICE plans to establish a feeder system in which individuals would be booked into smaller processing sites and then funneled into one of the seven larger detention facilities for holding while they await deportation. This new system reportedly aims to speed up deportations. The Post’s article revealed that one of those mega-centers would be located in Social Circle, a plan which city officials have called "infeasible," citing limitations on local water and sewer infrastructure. "The mayor and city council of the City of Social Circle unequivocally does not support an ICE detention facility in the city or the surrounding areas," the city said in a December statement. Later reports revealed that the DHS is planning eight large detention centers, not seven.

USA Today [3/18/2026 5:12 PM, Irene Wright, 70643K] reports two towns in Georgia are preparing to become new hubs for Immigration and Customs Enforcement sites in the southeast as the Department of Homeland Security works to retrofit industrial warehouses into detention facilities. A smaller warehouse in Oakwood, Georgia is set to become a detainee processing facility, holding about 1,500 beds. A massive warehouse in Social Circle, Georgia is being converted to a longer term detention center where detainees will be held before deportation. As many as 10,000 detainees could be held there. Oakwood and Social Circle are both small towns about 40 to 50 minutes outside Atlanta, Oakwood to the northeast and Social Circle to the southeast. Officials in both towns found out their properties had been selected by DHS when Washington Post reporters called to confirm documentation they had received. It was a surprise to city officials in both cases. Residents of Oakwood and Social Circle have strongly opposed the centers, despite voting for Republicans overwhelmingly in the last few elections. Officials say the water and sewer systems can’t handle the sudden influx and added capacity these facilities will need, but there has been little to no conversations between DHS officials and local engineers. The facilities are expected to begin hosting detainees later this spring, but there is a lot of work that has to be done both to the warehouses and the towns’ infrastructure before that can happen. Town officials have little to no control over the properties once they were purchased by the federal government. That hasn’t stopped them from trying. Options for city officials are limited, but Social Circle has taken the first major step to slow down the construction process as they demand transparency from DHS. The city has shut off water and sewer services at the detention center, and a lock has been placed on the water meter, a city representative confirmed to WSB-TV. The lock will be in place until DHS provides answers to questions from the city about infrastructure support. Water will remain off "until ICE indicates how water and sewer to the facility will be served without exceeding the limited infrastructure capacity," a representative told the outlet. In a previous statement in February, the city said DHS told officials the center is one of eight "mega centers" across the U.S. as part of a new "Hub and Spoke Model" where smaller processing facilities (like the one in Oakwood) would feed into regional centers. DHS said the model would be implemented by the end of the 2026 fiscal year. "In documents suppled to the City by DHS, it is stated that the facility will have ‘no adverse effect on the community and surrounding properties.’ The City contends that the information provided is insufficient in fully answering our questions," according to the statement. "... The City’s concerns regarding water and sewer infrastructure have not been addressed to our satisfaction. We continue to have more questions than answers." Social Circle was already in plans to build a new sewer treatment plant that would be operated internally, instead of the current system that is outside the city limits, and increase the capacity over time as the city’s population grows. "If DHS intends to rely on this future facility to meet the demands of its project, the question remains whether it plans to assist in alleviating the significant financial burden associated with accelerating or expanding that infrastructure," the city said.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 8:45 AM, Bob Price, 2238K] reports an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation led to the conviction of a Florida man who was distributing more than 40 "animal crushing videos," officials reported. Some of the videos depicted the physical and sexual torture of monkeys. Francisco Javier Ravelo, a U.S. citizen living in Florida, pleaded guilty earlier this month in federal court to charges related to the Animal Crushing statute, according to a statement released this week. The 36-year-old man faces up to seven years in federal prison following the investigation led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "Homeland Security Investigations pieced together the case that led to Ravelo’s guilty plea," said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. "He personally distributed more than 40 animal crushing videos to other people, but he didn’t count on HSI being able to track him down, pull together evidence and present it to the judge. Now he knows better. I hope this serves as a warning to others who acquire or distribute this kind of content: HSI will find you, and you’ll end up in federal court just like Ravelo did.”

Univision [3/18/2026 3:02 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports a driver on his way to work was pulled over by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper at Interstate 4 Exit 27, Tampa-bound, near Davenport. According to the trooper, the reason was a traffic violation: the tinted windows on his pickup truck. The incident occurred on March 13. The man is Víctor Javier Pérez Díaz, 58 years old. His son, who later spoke with the officer, maintains that the arrest was justified by the level of darkness of the windows. According to his testimony, Pérez Díaz entered the United States in 2023 through humanitarian parole. He then applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which was granted, and also initiated an asylum process. According to his son, at the time of his arrest he had a valid work permit and driver’s license. Highway Patrol data indicates that at least 4,620 arrests have resulted from stops for “defective equipment,” a category that includes violations such as damaged lights or illegal window tinting. In these cases, the initial violation is not the reason for the arrest, but rather the starting point. In Florida, this scenario has expanded since May 2025, when the state government authorized a group of Highway Patrol officers to receive training to perform immigration-related functions.

FOX News [3/18/2026 9:46 AM, Eric Mack, 37576K] reports that a federal judge in Minnesota declined to step aside from an immigration-related case despite a conflict-of-interest challenge tied to his spouse’s legal work. The U.S. Department of Justice plans to appeal the judge’s order, which called the government’s motion "improper, untimely, and lacking merit." Last week, the DOJ formally moved to disqualify U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan, arguing his impartiality could reasonably be questioned because his wife serves as Minnesota’s solicitor general under Democrat Attorney General Keith Ellison and is leading a separate lawsuit against federal immigration enforcement actions at issue in Bryan’s courtroom. In its filing, DOJ emphasized that federal law requires recusal when "a judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned," noting the standard is meant to avoid even "the appearance of partiality" — noting that "public perceptions of partiality can undermine confidence in the courts." The motion pointed to significant overlap between the habeas case before Bryan and the state’s lawsuit led by his spouse, both of which challenge the legality of Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale federal immigration enforcement effort. According to the filing, both cases allege that federal agents conducted "warrantless arrests," engaged in "racial profiling," and "terrorized, assaulted, and harassed" individuals. DOJ stressed that the issue is not whether Bryan is personally biased, but whether a reasonable observer could question his neutrality given the circumstances.

Reported similarly:
Daily Caller [3/18/2026 12:03 PM, Jason Hopkins, 803K]

Reuters [3/19/2026 12:44 AM, Maria Tsvetkova, 16072K] reports an immigration judge has ended the asylum claim of the Ecuadorean boy who was detained during an immigration raid in Minneapolis, Minnesota Public Radio reported on Wednesday, citing a lawyer for the boy and his family. Liam Conejo Ramos was taken into custody at the age of five along with his father in late January and spent 10 days in a detention facility in Texas before both of them were released and returned home. A photograph showing Liam in a blue bunny hat outside his house, with federal agents standing nearby, drew national attention. U.S. Immigration Judge John Burns issued the decision to end the asylum claims of Liam and his family. Attorney Danielle Molliver who represents the family, told the station the decision would be appealed, a process that can take months, if not years. The lawyer did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. "The announcement that an immigration judge has ended the asylum claims of the family of Liam Conejo Ramos is heartbreaking. We understand that this decision will be appealed and remain hopeful for a positive outcome," Columbia Heights Public Schools, a school district near Minneapolis where Liam studies, said on Wednesday. Liam was detained during Operation Metro Surge, when President Donald Trump deployed about 3,000 armed immigration agents to deport migrants in Minnesota. On different days in January, immigration agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis who had come out to protest or observe the agents. In a rare retreat, Trump ended the operation last month, leaving the city grappling with trauma and economic damage. "The detention in January of Liam and his father shed light on the harm caused by Operation Metro Surge, during which many children and families have been detained," the school district said. "While we respect the legal process, we cannot ignore the profound human impact—especially on children—of this federal action, which has disrupted the lives of so many of our community members who entered this country through legal means."

FOX News [3/18/2026 6:18 PM, Louis Casiano and Brooke Taylor, 37576K] reports an illegal immigrant has been arrested in connection with the hit-and-run death of a Texas sheriff’s deputy, Fox News has learned. Dennis Arguello-Acosta was arrested Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. Authorities said Arguello-Acosta was driving a vehicle that struck and killed Fort County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Lewis on Feb. 21 before fleeing the scene. "Deputy Kenneth Lewis served his community honorably as a law enforcement officer—and he would still be with us today if it were not for this criminal illegal alien who should’ve never been in our country in the first place," said Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "ICE has arrested Arguello-Acosta to ensure that he is not free to roam on our streets and threaten public safety. Under President Trump, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”

Reported similarly:
ABC 13 Houston [3/18/2026 7:58 PM, Staff, 34146K]

CBS News [3/18/2026 8:20 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Seiji Yamashita, 51110K] reports the family of an Afghan immigrant who died one day after being taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas says it has received no answers as to what caused the man’s death. Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, 41, was detained by ICE on March 13 while getting ready to take his children to school. He died the following day in a Dallas hospital. "I just want answers for my dad," 12-year-old Imrain Paktiawal, Paktiawal’s son, told CBS News in Richardson, Texas. "That’s it. I want to know why he died. He was healthy.” The father of six is the 12th person to die in ICE custody so far this year. Thirty-one ICE detainees died last year, a two-decade high, according to a CBS News analysis of agency reports and notices. Naseer Paktiawal told CBS News he received his brother’s body on Tuesday. "I received a call from my sister-in-law," Naseer said of the morning his brother was taken into ICE custody. "She say that, ‘Some people show up from nowhere, and they just took your brother.’". Naseer said the family received no explanation as to why Paktiawal was detained. "Nothing, they just put him in their car and drove away," Naseer said. "His kids were screaming, asking for help, asking question, ‘Who are you guys? Why are you guys arresting my father, my dad?’ No one answered those children.” In a statement provided to CBS News, ICE said Paktiawal was brought to the U.S. in August 2021 through an immigration policy known as parole, which allows certain immigrants to live and work in the U.S. temporarily on humanitarian grounds. The Biden administration used the parole policy to welcome tens of thousands of Afghans it evacuated from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. ICE said Paktiawal’s parole status expired on Aug. 20, 2025. ICE also said Paktiawal had been arrested twice last year in the Dallas area on local fraud and theft charges. The Dallas County District Attorney confirmed the arrests but said he had not been convicted in either case as of the time of his death. The theft arrest stemmed from an allegation that he stole groceries and other items from a Walmart store, according to the Garland, Texas, police department. Naseer, however, said the arrests don’t tell the full story of his brother’s life. He points to Paktiawal’s service, which he said included a decade in the Afghan military, fighting alongside American forces before being evacuated to the U.S. in 2021. "My brother, he was a wartime hero and he was a soldier, a warrior alongside with U.S. Army," Naseer said. "He was special forces in the most dangerous places in Afghanistan.” In a statement, DHS said it "has no record of this individual serving alongside American forces." But Naseer showed CBS News documents and a badge that he says are evidence that Paktiawal fought alongside U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. "These are the people that my brother was working (with), American soldiers in Afghanistan," Naseer said.

Houston Chronicle [3/18/2026 7:00 AM, Neena Satija and Eric Dexheimer, 2493K] reports that as President Donald Trump continues his aggressive mass deportation campaign, many of the private Texas businesses assisting in the effort have done their best to avoid the spotlight while still cashing in. Some companies, including suburban Houston-based Target Hospitality, have quietly celebrated the profits by touting dollar figures to shareholders while also warning of potential negative impacts from bad publicity. Others, such as privately-owned businesses that don’t have to answer to stockholders, are keeping silent but are coming under scrutiny nonetheless. The Houston Chronicle combed through government documents, public meeting transcripts and news reports to identify companies and other entities in Texas – including one tiny town south of San Antonio – that are financially benefiting from the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The Chronicle requested a copy of the contract that Dilley has with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding the detention center, which was updated last year. The city opted to ask Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office if it can withhold the document entirely, and the AG’s office has yet to rule on the request. City officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Idaho State Journal [3/18/26 11:25 PPM, Katie McKellar] reports Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Tuesday sent a letter to a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official asking for a meeting over the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recent $145.4 million purchase of a warehouse property in the city. In the letter, Mendenhall asked Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, to respond by March 27 “with times you or your designee can meet with myself and other Salt Lake City officials.” “While we are seeking additional information about the ultimate intended use for this building, a large-scale detention facility is inappropriate for this location and does not have the support of Salt Lake City officials,” the mayor wrote. The 830,000-square-foot building is located in a sea of warehouses in a developing industrial district along a rail line and a 10-minute drive from the Salt Lake City International Airport. Last week, a representative from ICE issued a statement saying the agency intends to use the site as a detention facility and that it will undergo “community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process to make sure there is no hardship on local utilities or infrastructure prior to purchase.” However, the mayor said in her letter that the Department of Homeland Security “has not engaged Salt Lake City regarding its plans for this facility.” “It is critical to communicate with Salt Lake City plans to operationalize and mitigate the detrimental and numerous community impacts it would create,” Mendenhall wrote. The mayor’s three-page letter outlined concerns that a “large-scale detention facility” would create for the city, including for zoning and infrastructure, economic development, and public safety.

Axios [3/18/2026 3:38 PM, Esteban L. Hernandez, 17364K] reports Axon, the company Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration tapped to take over the city’s automated license plate reader system, currently has a contract with the Department of Homeland Security, per USASpending.gov. Axon’s direct ties to a federal agency overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement put it at odds with a city whose leaders publicly denounced ICE’s tactics and policies. Denver City Council members on Wednesday moved a proposed one-year contract with Axon out of committee. Axon is in the middle of a five-year contract with DHS worth up to $997,118 to provide cameras and data storage to support DHS investigations, per USASpending.gov. The contract helps DHS "fulfill its mission of protecting American citizens" by providing body-worn cameras and other camera-related accessories, a DHS spokesperson tells Axios Denver. Council members Wednesday said they worry President Trump’s administration could bypass those protections with subpoenas or executive orders, potentially obtaining data gathered locally. The Denver City Council will host a one-hour public hearing on the contract Monday.

Los Angeles Times [3/18/2026 9:15 PM, Andrew J. Campa, 12718K] reports Attorney Nikolas De Bremaeker said deaf 6-year-old boy Joseph Lodano Rodriguez, who was snatched from Northern California and deported to Colombia earlier this month, needed to be returned to the U.S. immediately or he would die. The child has a cochlear implant that requires regular maintenance and cleaning. Joseph, his 28-year-old mother Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and another son, 5, were detained on March 3 and deported shortly after. A deaf 6-year-old boy snatched by immigration agents from Northern California and deported to Colombia this month needs to be returned to the U.S. immediately or he could die, a lawyer representing the child said Wednesday. Attorney Nikolas De Bremaeker said the boy, Joseph Lodano Rodriguez, was "at risk every day that he is not getting his treatments." The child has a cochlear implant that requires the same routine maintenance and cleaning he was receiving stateside but may not get in Colombia. "Joseph is at immense risk for his life if he does not continue the treatment that he was receiving in the United States," De Bremaeker said at a virtual news conference hosted by California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate. "He is at risk of infection, he is at risk of meningitis, he is at risk of death if he is not given the proper care for his surgical implants.” Joseph, his 28-year-old mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, and another son, 5, were detained by federal agents on March 3 while attending an immigration meeting and deported shortly after. Rodriguez Gutierrez traveled to the United States in 2022 seeking asylum from domestic violence and lived in Hayward. She was told in the run up to the March 3 meeting that she needed to bring her two children for a routine check-in to update the photos Immigration and Customs Enforcement had of them. Shortly after arriving, ICE agents "tried to force her to sign a document without explanation, and then pushed the family into a vehicle to be put on a flight to a faraway detention facility, " De Bremaeker told The Times earlier. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions sent Wednesday after office hours but has consistently said that Rodriguez Gutierrez was "an illegal alien from Colombia" who "illegally entered the United States in 2022.” She was issued a removal order on Nov. 25, 2024, according to DHS.

Reuters [3/18/2026 8:03 AM, Steve Holland, 38315K] reports that President Donald Trump’s administration will require citizens from 50 countries to post bonds of $15,000 to apply for U.S. entry, a State Department official said on Wednesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 12 countries are being added to a list that already includes 38 other nations, largely in Africa. The expanded visa bond program, which requires those foreign nationals to pay $15,000 for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism, goes into effect on April 2. The aim is to prevent visitors ⁠from overstaying their visas, the official said. The new nations included in the visa bond program are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia. The official said bonds will be returned to visa recipients who return home in compliance with the terms of the visa and the bond, or do not travel in the first place. Since taking office last January, Trump, a Republican, has pursued a hard-line immigration policy, including an aggressive deportation drive, revocations of visas and ⁠green cards, and screens of social media posts and past speeches of immigrants. Human rights groups have condemned Trump’s immigration and travel-related policies, saying they curb due process guarantees and free speech. Trump and his allies say the policies seek to improve domestic security. The State Department official said the visa bond program has ⁠reduced the number of people who overstay their visas.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 11:21 AM, Molly Parks, 1147K]

AP [3/18/2026 2:02 PM, Staff, 35287K] reports a new survey of Americans who are considering, actively planning, or already living in Portugal found that 49.0% would consider renouncing their U.S. citizenship after securing Portuguese citizenship. Out of 200 respondents, 29.5% said "Yes" and 19.5% said "Maybe," while 45.0% said "No" and 6.0% said they were unsure. According to James Cave, founder of Portugalist.com, "Most people move to Portugal for the lifestyle — the good food, the cobbled streets, and the beautiful beaches. But this is different. This is values-based migration. Whether through completely renouncing their citizenship, or planning to never return, many American expats are planning to sever ties with the US in one way or another."

Breitbart [3/18/2026 6:26 AM, Ian Hanchett, 2238K] reports on Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s "Hannity," FBI Director Kash Patel said there needs to be "stronger legislation that allows us to sentence criminals and terrorists to prison and jettison them" including stronger legislation on the ability to denaturalize. While discussing the Old Dominion attack, Patel said, "That individual was convicted and sentenced [for] terrorism before, and no one bothered to denaturalize him and remove him from the country. But Sean, here’s what most Americans don’t know: In the Trump Justice Department in the first administration, that individual, we sought a sentence of 240 months. The judge in that case downward departed and gave him nearly half of that time. Had the judge given the sentence that the Trump administration wanted, that individual would still be in prison and not have conducted that terror attack. But it goes to the more important point, we need stronger legislation to remove individuals from this country who want to do us harm. The FBI is always going to be standing on the watch. But we need a collaborative effort from the legislative branch to make sure criminals in this country are jettisoned from this country, especially if they violate the rights of the Constitution and American safety." He added that preventing terrorism can be done "with stronger legislation that allows us to sentence criminals and terrorists to prison and jettison them from this country permanently.”

NewsMax [3/18/2026 8:29 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C., told Newsmax on Wednesday that her "No Mercy for Terrorists Act" would allow the Department of Homeland Security to strip a person of U.S. citizenship for supporting terrorists. Appearing on "Wake Up America," Biggs said the legislation is aimed at closing dangerous loopholes in the law following recent violent incidents, including a deadly attack tied to a suspect with prior terrorism-related convictions. "The No Mercy for Terrorists Act pretty much does just what it says," Biggs told host Marc Lotter. "It’s going to impose stiff penalties on those convicted of inflicting harm or supporting terrorist organizations that harm U.S. citizens." Biggs said she was compelled to introduce the bill after last week’s shooting at Old Dominion University, which she argued could have been prevented if tougher penalties had been in place. She pointed to the suspect’s early release from prison as a glaring failure in the system. "That suspect was released after serving seven of 11 years on good conduct," she said. "It absolutely makes me sick to think that that was preventable. He still should be sitting in jail." Under the proposal, individuals convicted of supporting terrorist organizations could face significantly harsher sentences, including life imprisonment or even the death penalty in severe cases. The legislation would also allow DHS to revoke citizenship from naturalized Americans involved in terrorism.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 7:38 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 2238K] reports a group of Florida county sheriffs on a state advisory council are calling on President Trump to ease up on his immigration policy and to create a "path to citizenship" for illegal migrants who are holding down jobs and who are not otherwise engaging in criminal activity. Despite that the sheriffs have been elected by Republicans and appointed to the State Immigration Enforcement Council by Republican Gov. Ron De Santis and Republicans, the council members are collaborating on a letter to President Trump calling for a more liberal focus on immigration policy. The call to leniency has already spurred one state official to speak out against the council. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he "does not support the letter," and added, "If somebody is here illegally in this country, they have broken the law.” Regardless, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the chair of the Council, recently said those migrants who are here "working hard" need a break. "To make sure that the top priority is to remove these folks that are violating the law, these people who’ve been through the immigration system, these people who have avoided the immigration system and snuck into the United States, but there are those here that are working hard. They have their kids in college or in school. They’re going to church on Sunday. They’re not violating the law, and … they are living the American dream and are being very productive and … doing good in this country," Judd said. "But we have allowed, what I call the criminal troublemaker, to just flood in this country and victimize people. And I think a path for the good folks with a good intention, for the right reason, is reasonable," he added, CBS News noted. Judd went on to complain that federal immigration operatives are deporting people who "are healthy and can work.” Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummel, agreed with Judd and ripped Congress for not stepping in to clarify things. "They need to get off their butts and they need to fix it," he said. Still, Judd said he is not proposing a "free pass.” "We’re going to give you five years, and you’ve got to learn to speak English, you’ve got to pay a fine for coming into the country illegally, a civil fine," he explained. "And you’ve got to not be on the taxpayer dollar, and you’ve got to work, and you’ve got to put your kids in school, and we already know those people who are doing that.” At least one Florida county sheriff publicly disagreed with Judd and his like-minded councilmembers. Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters, who also serves on the council, does not support Sheriff Judd’s letter. "As Sheriff, I want to reaffirm that our agency has and always will work hand-in-hand with our state and federal partners to uphold the laws and priorities established by our elected leaders," Waters said, according to WJAX-TV. "I was not on the call referenced and do not share or endorse the comments made by others.” Ultimately, Sheriff Judd quickly started feeling the heat from a backlash against his soft-on-illegals position. Only days after news broke of his demands that President Trump soften his immigration policies, Judd had to come out to reiterate his support for the president. "Any illusion that we’re not supporting the president or the government is absolutely false. We’re providing input. We’re providing feedback," Judd said defending his letter, WPLG-TV reported.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 12:28 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports the National Border Patrol Council, which represents thousands of federal agents, is endorsing Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to be the next Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. "The men and women of the National Border Patrol Council are excited to provide our support for President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to be secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Senator Markwayne Mullin," the group’s president, Paul A. Perez, wrote in a statement to Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Gary Peters (D-MI). "We have no doubt that Senator Mullin is the right person to lead DHS and continue the Trump administration’s focus on keeping America safe," Perez wrote. "We know Senator Mullin will have our backs as we execute our mission." During his time in the Senate, Mullin has been a fierce defender and supporter of Trump’s America First agenda on immigration, including having Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) partner with local law enforcement to more easily arrest criminal illegal aliens. Last year, Mullin supported Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill to allocate almost $200 million to interior immigration enforcement, including arresting and deporting millions of illegal aliens residing in the United States.

FOX News [3/18/2026 12:15 PM, Alex Nitzberg, 37576K] reports that President Donald Trump, who has picked Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead the Department of Homeland Security, highlighted the National Border Patrol Council’s endorsement of the senator for the job. On Truth Social, Trump shared a screenshot of NBPC national president Paul Perez’s letter to Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and ranking member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., backing Mullin for the role. "The men and women of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) are excited to provide our support for President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Senator Markwayne Mullin," the letter declares. "The NBPC is proud to endorse Senator Mullin to be the next DHS Secretary, and we urge the Committee to swiftly pass and move his nomination to the full Senate," the letter, dated March 17, urges. The committee is holding a hearing on Trump’s nomination of Mullin today. Trump also posted a screenshot on Truth Social of a post on X in which the union expressed its support for Mullin. "The National Border Patrol Council fully supports and endorses Senator @MarkwayneMullin to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security! We look forward to working with him to continue protecting our great nation under the tremendously successful leadership of @POTUS Donald J. Trump and his Administration," the Wednesday post on X declared.

Daily Wire [3/18/2026 4:16 AM, Jennie Taer, 2314K] reports that El Centro Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino, who was known for his aggressive roving patrols in major American cities, will soon retire. Bovino was tapped to lead aggressive raids in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, New Orleans, and Minneapolis, where he was eventually replaced after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January. He soon became the face of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and was seen walking around cities accompanied by federal agents as they conducted roving patrols. President Donald Trump replaced Bovino with border czar Tom Homan in the aftermath of the deadly shootings. After Minneapolis, Bovino was sent back to his post at the border, ending his long reign leading the aggressive immigration sweeps across the country. While serving as a commander for the at-large operations across the country, Bovino has aligned himself with outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, advocating for increasing arrest numbers and putting on a show of force, as previously reported by The Daily Wire. Homan, however, has long advocated for ditching quotas and focusing on nabbing the worst criminals first. "The greatest honor of my entire life was to work alongside Border Patrol agents on the border and in the interior of the United States in some of the most challenging conditions the agency has ever faced," Bovino told Breitbart Sunday, adding, "Watching these agents out there giving it their all in some of the most dangerous of environments we have ever faced was humbling."

Bloomberg [3/18/2026 5:30 AM, Sophie Alexander and Dylan Sloan, 18082K] reports the biggest beneficiary so far of the Trump administration’s roughly $171 billion immigration spending blitz is a third-generation family business that specializes in sand and gravel. Since President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4, Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. has won more than $8 billion in contracts from the Department of Homeland Security to design and construct segments of Trump’s long-touted wall on the southern border. The awards account for nearly one-fifth of the money DHS has agreed to spend over that timeframe, during which its three largest contracts — ranging from $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion each — all went to Fisher. The surge in spending has made the Fishers the first known billionaire family born out of the Trump administration’s immigration policy.

NewsNation [3/18/2026 5:43 PM, Jeff Arnold, 4464K] reports an attempt to smuggle 15 migrants from three countries into the United States illegally was stopped after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection crew intercepted the boat off the coast of Miami last week, NewsNation has learned. Customs and Border Protection, working in a joint effort with the Coast Guard and Homeland Security Investigations, arrested four people, including a Bahamian national who was operating the boat, a Department of Homeland Security official told NewsNation on Wednesday. The four people arrested by HSI face criminal human smuggling charges and charges for illegal reentry to the United States. Officers working on the CBP crew observed the Bahamian man operating the board and also saw 14 other people aboard the vessel, DHS told NewsNation. Among the 15 migrants aboard the boat were five men from the Dominican Republic, three men from Ecuador, one man and five women from Haiti, along with one person described as a Haitian minor who is male. A nearby Lauderdale Marine Unit vessel assisted in securing the scene and transporting all occupants to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter William Flores for processing. Eleven of the 15 people were returned to the Bahamas by the Coast Guard vessel, DHS said.

FOX News [3/18/2026 3:39 PM, Mitch Picasso, 37576K] reports a Mexican national was arrested after climbing beneath a busy El Paso overpass near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to video released Tuesday. The incident happened near Loop 375, close to the border wall in the Bridge of the Americas area. The man maneuvered himself beneath the bridge, moving along support beams above active traffic. Authorities responded and arrested the man, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. NewsNation [3/18/2026 5:43 PM, Staff, 4464K] reports that the man was crossing during “peak traffic hours” under the Loop 375 overpass of BOTA. In the video, you can see the man “spider climbing” under the bridge. “CBP Officers remain vigilant in the face of evolving and dangerous attempts to enter the United States unlawfully. Strong borders are the foundation of National Security,” read the post.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [3/18/2026 2:43 PM, Staff, 37576K]

New York Post [3/18/2026 11:55 AM, Louis Casiano, 40934K] reports that border authorities arrested 23 illegal immigrants over the weekend in a failed alleged smuggling operation off the California coast. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) air and marine crews intercepted a panga-style vessel Saturday just west of San Clemente Island near San Diego, the agency said. When a crew intercepted the boat at around 1 p.m., it found 23 illegal immigrants on board. They were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego. The illegal immigrants arrested appeared to be all men and women. In February 2025, the mayor of San Clemente, a coastal city just north of San Diego, told Fox News Digital about an uptick of panga boats that often came ashore to drop off illegal migrants who then disappeared inland. "We’ve had a large increase in the number of pangas that have come up on our beach," Steve Knoblock said at the time. "It happens, and nobody seems to notice. No one seems to capture it. There’s no interdiction, and we’ve been having them with much greater frequency." In 2021, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warned of increased sightings of pangas being used for smuggling in Southern California. The fishing boats are used by smugglers to transport migrants and illegal drugs, according to ICE. At the time, ICE said around 90 migrants were caught along the coastline of Los Angeles County on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and in San Pedro, Long Beach, Malibu, Santa Catalina Island and Newport Beach in Orange County.

CNN [3/18/2026 9:35 AM, Casey Chiang, 19874K] reports will some airports be forced to close because of the partial government shutdown and ensuing TSA debacle? CNN News Central’s John Berman discusses with TSA Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [3/18/2026 2:15 PM, Ashley J. DiMella, 37576K] reports that the ongoing DHS shutdown has sparked travel chaos in areas of the country, with some airports now closing security checkpoints due to callouts by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. Philadelphia International Airport, for example, announced it will temporarily close three security checkpoints "to help optimize operations across other checkpoints" starting Wednesday. The airport has a total of six main checkpoints — now with just half of them open and operating. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News Digital in an interview that the airport has had increases in unscheduled absence rates — and that other airports could be next. "We’re determining [airport and security line closures] based on staffing, but we have federal security directors on the ground who are experts in their particular airport, the configuration, demographic, and travel and patterns tied to that airport," he said. Stahl said the issue is not just staffing. He said "a variety of other streams of information, including threat [and] intelligence" input, are also part of ongoing risk assessments. So far, 366 TSA officers have quit during the shutdown. Stahl warned that as the shutdown drags on, the TSA faces the risk of losing even more officers. "The reality is [that] as this continues, as our officers continue not to receive a paycheck, it just stretches into weeks … [and] rates [of callouts] are going to continue to go up. We’re going to have individuals that can’t afford to go into work and individuals quit, possibly altogether," Stahl added. There was a national callout rate of 10.19% on Sunday, a TSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital this week.

ABC News [3/18/2026 4:00 PM, Ayesha Ali, 34146K] Video: HERE reports nearly 10% or 2,700 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers across the country called in sick Tuesday, according to TSA data first obtained by ABC News. Atlanta and New Orleans saw the biggest impacts, the data said, with nearly 40% of officers calling out in each airport. For context, about 2% of TSA officers call out on any given day across the country, the agency said in a report. After the partial government shutdown began for the Department of Homeland Security (which oversees TSA) on Feb. 14, TSA employees initially had their pay reduced as funding dried up. Those employees received their first $0 paycheck of this shutdown last week, and the rate of unscheduled absences and callouts spiked, according to TSA statistics obtained by ABC News. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 4:47 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K]

Reuters [3/18/2026 3:42 PM, David Shepardson, 38315K] reports absences by Transportation Security Administration security officers at airports fell slightly on Tuesday to 9.9% as a partial government shutdown hit its 33rd day and long lines were reported at a number of major airports, the ​government said on Wednesday. The funding standoff has forced 50,000 Transportation Security Administration airport security officers to ​work without pay for the last month, and since Sunday around 10% of them ⁠are failing to show for work daily. ​The partial government shutdown has disrupted travel at times and prompted CEOs of the nation’s largest airlines to call for a quick end as spring break travel is in full swing. Typically, under 2% of TSA workers call in sick or ​do not report to work, DHS said, and hit a high of 10.2% on Tuesday. Some airports ​have closed a number of security checkpoints and others are working to raise money to help TSA workers buy food ‌or other ⁠essentials as they go without pay. On Tuesday, a top TSA official warned the agency may be forced to shut down some smaller airports in the coming weeks owing to a shortage of security personnel. DHS said 366 TSA officers have left during the shutdown. Airlines are expecting a record-breaking spring travel period, with 171 million passengers expected ​to fly, up 4% from the same two-month period last year.

CBS News [3/18/2026 7:57 AM, Staff, 51110K] reports right now, 1 in every 5 TSA officers has been calling out of work, which is about five times the normal rate. And officials expect it to get worse as they are not getting paid. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [3/18/2026 2:50 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports that Allied Pilots Association spokesman Dennis Tajer discusses the DHS funding shutdown, its impact on air travel, and TSA agents working without pay on ‘America Reports.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [3/18/2026 8:05 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports that TSA union leader George Borek discusses the impact of the DHS funding shutdown on airport security, how workers are coping without pay and more on ‘Fox & Friends.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [3/18/2026 5:15 PM, Kris Van Cleave and Sarah Lynch Baldwin, 51110K] reports Acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl says the agency is concerned about the growing number of sick calls among TSA officers, which is leading to long security lines at airports across the country. "If the call rate does climb, there could be scenarios where we may have to shut down airports," he told CBS News. "This is a serious situation.” Stahl said the situation will get worse the longer the agency and the Department of Homeland Security don’t receive funding. "This will not get better," he said. Hundreds of TSA officers have quit, while the 50,000 who are going to work are living without pay. "Our people are hurting," Stahl said. "We have individuals sleeping in their cars, drawing blood to afford to pay for gas to get to work." Airport closures, however, did not seem imminent as of early Wednesday – a scenario that is more plausible at small airports. TSA sick calls have been surging since officers missed a paycheck Friday due to the month-long partial government shutdown. Monday saw the most yet, with more than 10% of officers nationwide calling out – five times more than a typical day. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [3/19/2026 4:45 AM, Alexandra Skores, 19874K] reports for over a month, Transportation Security Administration employees have been showing up to work at US airports without getting paid. It’s the same song all over again for these security workers who have endured three lapses in funding during the last six months. The employees have become “political pawns” in these increasingly frequent Washington battles, missing paychecks as lawmakers jockey to see who will take the blame for the pain inflicted. And usually, it doesn’t get better until things get worse for the workers. “The real leverage points should be (lawmakers being) worried about their constituents,” said Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of AFGE TSA Council 100, the TSA union. “They should be really worried about making sure that they uphold the Oath of the Constitution, like the TSA officers do.” Yet Congress remains in a stalemate over funding the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats and Republicans are locked in a disagreement over something that has almost nothing to do with airline travel - immigration reform. Late last year, a 43-day government-wide shutdown, the longest in US history, ended after many TSA officers and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers stopped showing up to work, disrupting travel. Union leaders say many had to take other jobs to make ends meet. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle point fingers at their political opponents for what is happening to TSA workers.

AP [3/18/2026 5:50 PM, Rio Yamat] reports scenes of airport security lines spilling out of terminals may be adding a new layer of stress for travelers as the busy spring break season unfolds. Some airports have seen wait times stretch well past an hour. In recent days, passengers reported waiting up to two hours in line at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, while people were advised to get to the airports in New Orleans and Austin, Texas, as much as three hours before their flights. Many other airports reported wait times in line with normal conditions, making it difficult for travelers — especially those with upcoming trips or those accustomed to arriving at the last minute — to know what to expect. The uneven delays are being driven by a mix of factors, including a partial government shutdown that has strained Transportation Security Administration staffing, along with heavy spring break crowds. The result is a patchwork of conditions that can shift quickly, even within the same airport. That unpredictability makes checking TSA wait times before a scheduled departure a key step for airline customers right now. TSA is not actively managing its sites during the shutdown, meaning the wait times listed on the MyTSA mobile app may not be accurate. Experts say the estimated wait times listed on third-party websites tracking TSA lines may also be outdated during the shutdown if they rely on publicly available data.

CBS Boston [3/18/2026 6:38 PM, Mike Toole and Mike Sullivan, 51110K] reports TSA wait times at Logan Airport in Boston haven’t been as bad as other airports around the county during the partial government shutdown. But Massport is starting to use new technology to help passengers keep track of TSA lines at the airport. They’ve hired an outside company to develop a new wait time system that’s now being tested in terminal B. "A third party vendor is using camera analytics to time bodies going through the TSA line. The cameras do not capture male/ female or faces or clothing- only that a shape is moving in line. From that information it creates an average estimated wait time," Massport spokesperson Benjamin Crawley told CBS News Boston in an email Wednesday.

NBC News [3/18/2026 1:17 PM, Corky Siemaszko, 42967K] reports that Philadelphia International Airport announced it was temporarily closing two more Transportation Security Administration checkpoints starting Wednesday due to ongoing TSA staffing shortages. This is the latest major American airport to cut back on security checkpoints as TSA workers, who missed their first full paycheck over the weekend due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, have increasingly been absent from work. The announcement of the closures of TSA checkpoints at terminals A-West and F came less than a week after the Philadelphia airport shut down the Terminal C checkpoint on Thursday, creating a bottleneck and lengthy delays for thousands of travelers trying to catch their flights. As of around noon Wednesday, with the TSA checkpoints at terminals A-West and C already closed, wait times at the remaining TSA checkpoints ranged from two to 22 minutes, according to the PHL website. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told NBC News on Monday that wait times at U.S. airport security checkpoints can vary from day to day depending on how many workers show up for work. For example, at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Monday morning, wait times for getting through TSA security ranged from three to 45 minutes, according to the IAH website. At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest airports, the Airline Airport website was reporting TSA security checkpoint wait times of 10 to 25 minutes Wednesday afternoon, but the website notes those wait times can fluctuate and travelers are urged to "arrive 2-3 hours before departure."

CBS Pittsburgh [3/18/2026 5:23 PM, Chris Hoffman, 51110K] reports airports around the country have been dealing with backlogs at TSA checkpoints while the Department of Homeland Security shutdown is in place. For the most part, travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport have avoided that issue. There have been a few instances with morning flights where longer lines have appeared, but nothing compared to other airports. At peak times, airport officials say they are using staff and volunteers to help people get into the correct lines to expedite the process. Airport officials are also working to set up a food pantry for agents in partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

USA Today [3/18/2026 3:17 PM, Irene Wright, 70643K] reports Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the busiest in the nation, if not the world. (Even if Chicago tries to take the title). Hundreds of thousands of passengers pass through the gates, ride the SkyTrain and take off from the airport’s five runways every week. Airport officials predict 350,000 travelers will pass through the airport between Thursday and Sunday this week. But during the partial government shutdown, lines at TSA inside Hartsfield-Jackson have reached staggering lengths, even passing an hour and a half long on some days. Bad weather the past two weekends hasn’t helped the situation as hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled, and passengers were at the whim of changing flight schedules. Hartsfield-Jackson has also become a major talking point for Republicans in Congress and other GOP pundits as the debate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security drags on. "The Atlanta airport is in total chaos," Senate Republicans wrote in a post on X. "Hours-long wait times. TSA agents working without pay. Spring break travelers missing their flights. All because Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff REFUSES to fund TSA and DHS." House Republicans shared the same message, blaming the long lines on the "Democrat DHS shutdown," in a post on X. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [3/18/2026 8:47 AM, Jamal Goss, 51110K] reports travelers passing through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport may face longer security lines this week as spring break travel ramps up and staffing shortages impact Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. Airport officials say flights have already seen delays and some cancellations during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Roughly 36% of TSA workers in Atlanta did not report to work during the ongoing partial government shutdown, after many missed paychecks due to a lapse in federal funding. According to FlightAware, there have been 101 flight delays at Hartsfield-Jackson today, with 57 cancellations involving flights within, into, or out of the United States. Despite the challenges, officials say operations are continuing but are urging travelers to plan ahead. "We always have an influx of passengers traveling through. Many are not familiar with the screening process, so we ask that you pack your patience as you move through the facility," said Charles Pettis, director of customer experience at Hartsfield-Jackson. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Houston Chronicle [3/18/2026 9:46 AM, Jarrod Wardwell, 2493K] reports that more than half of the TSA agents at Hobby Airport called out of work on Saturday as the partial government shutdown continues to leave them unpaid, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS reported a 55% callout rate at Hobby Airport — the highest single-day rate of any airport in the country. Federal funding for DHS lapsed more than a month ago due to a standstill over immigration policy in Congress, and the department’s shutdown has eliminated TSA agents’ pay through three paychecks, according to DHS officials. Security lines have lasted as long as 3½ hours at Hobby as TSA officers call out of work, and the strained staffing prompted airport officials to request assistance from additional officers who deploy nationwide. TSA delays have plagued airports across the country during the partial government shutdown, and DHS officials have blamed Democrats who have resisted funding the department without reforms to immigration enforcement. “The Democrats’ reckless DHS shutdown is causing TSA officers to go without pay for the third time in nearly six months,” Lauren Bis, the acting assistant secretary at DHS, said in a release issued Tuesday. “These political stunts are causing unneeded financial hardship for our TSA officers and their families.” DHS officials said 366 transportation security officers had left as of Tuesday, leaving staffing gaps while replacements take four to six months to train and certify.

CBS Colorado [3/18/2026 11:28 AM, Staff, 51110K] reports TSA wait times spike across the nation and at Denver International Airport amid partial government shutdown. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [3/18/2026 7:52 PM, Scott Dance, 148038K] reports the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Wednesday it would relaunch a canceled grant program that had helped states invest billions of dollars in projects that made local communities more resilient to floods, fires and other disasters. The announcement came days ahead of a deadline imposed by a federal judge who ruled in December that the Trump administration’s decision to end the program, known as Building Resilient Communities and Infrastructure, or BRIC, last April was illegal. In a March 6 court order, Judge Richard G. Stearns of U.S. District Court for Massachusetts gave FEMA two weeks to comply with his ruling and reinstate the program. FEMA’s announcement on Wednesday did not mention the ruling. The agency said officials were reviving the grant program — which FEMA created during President Trump’s first administration — after completing an evaluation. It concluded that under President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the program had become too “focused on ‘climate change,’” but that the Trump administration would “reconstitute the BRIC program in a way that reflects good stewardship of taxpayer money,” the announcement said. The court ruling was a victory for 22 states that had sued the Trump administration seeking to have the grant program reinstated, citing laws regarding federal spending and FEMA’s statutory mission to help prevent disaster damage. “We are aware of this development and are cautiously optimistic,” said Mike Faulk, a spokesman for the Washington state attorney general’s office. “However, we still need to see if they actually take concrete actions to back this up.” When the lawsuit was filed in July, New Jersey’s Democratic attorney general at the time, Matthew J. Platkin, said the loss of the grants was “making it much harder for communities across our state to protect themselves against future extreme weather events and putting lives at risk.” The program was designed to help states prepare for disasters, rather than react to them, as rising global temperatures render many weather extremes more severe and frequent. The grants had invested roughly $4.5 billion in projects such as sea walls and drainage improvements to prevent flooding; brush clearance and evacuation planning in case of wildfires; and improvements to public buildings to help them withstand hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes. In their lawsuit, the states estimated that the grants and similar investments predating the program had prevented $150 billion in disaster damage over two decades. In canceling the program last year, FEMA officials said it “was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program.” On Wednesday, though, they said the agency “remains deeply committed to supporting hazard mitigation work and looks forward to working with communities across the nation to move critical resiliency projects forward.”

The Hill [3/18/2026 11:39 AM, Rachel Frazin, 18170K] reports Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should be “restructured, not eliminated” and that he would revoke current Secretary Kristi Noem’s controversial policy of personally reviewing major expenditures. Mullin’s comments came during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. FEMA, which is under the DHS, has been in the Trump administration’s crosshairs. Among Noem’s most contentious changes at the agency was her policy of personally reviewing expenses of more than $100,000, which led to billions in agency funding being held up. Asked by Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) if he would commit to eliminating the review policy, Mullin said “absolutely.” “That’s called micromanaging, and I don’t know if the secretary put that in or someone else did. I’m not a micromanager,” Mullin said. Mullin, when asked by Kim, did not commit to ending staffing cuts at FEMA. “Some of these agencies … not some, all of them got very bloated,” Mullin said. Pressed about whether he thought there were still too many staffers, Mullin said, “I can’t answer that. When I get there, we’ll be adequately staffed to respond to our nation’s disasters.” A review council set up by the administration to assess changes to FEMA was reportedly set to recommend cutting the agency’s staff in half in a report that was scheduled to come out last year but never did.

New York Times [3/18/2026 5:01 PM, Scott Dance, 148038K] reports Senator Markwayne Mullin, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, said Wednesday that if confirmed he would “absolutely” revoke a policy that has drastically slowed the flow of federal disaster aid under the current secretary, Kristi Noem. Since June, Ms. Noem has required that her office approve any contracts or grants of $100,000 or more, creating significant delays and uncertainty for disaster-struck states and communities waiting for recovery assistance. An investigation by Senate Democrats this month found that the policy had delayed Federal Emergency Management Agency projects by three weeks, on average. “That’s called micromanaging,” Mr. Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, told Senator Andy Kim, Democrat of New Jersey, at a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill. “I’m not a micromanager.” The statements provided the first clear signals of how Mr. Mullin might approach federal disaster policy differently than Ms. Noem if he is confirmed to lead the Homeland Security Department, which includes FEMA. Under Ms. Noem, FEMA shed thousands of employees as the Trump administration moved to shift more responsibility for disaster response to states. But Mr. Mullin also echoed statements by Ms. Noem and Mr. Trump that FEMA should defer to states and communities and respond to fewer disasters, while speeding the flow of aid. And though the administration had briefly explored the idea of abolishing FEMA, Mr. Mullin said the agency needed to be “restructured, not eliminated.” He defended steps to reduce federal agencies, including FEMA, saying many of them “got very bloated” in recent years. If confirmed, he said he would ensure FEMA will be “adequately staffed to respond to our nation’s disasters” and pledged “to be very responsible for the taxpayer dollars.” But, contrasting himself with Ms. Noem, he pledged to let FEMA leaders take control of their agency and said he would prioritize hiring an administrator to lead the organization. Since Mr. Trump took office last year, three people have run FEMA on an acting basis, but Mr. Trump has not nominated any permanent candidates for the role. “We’re already looking at some in the case that we do get confirmed,” Mr. Mullin said. That heartened some emergency managers, who have stressed that federal law requires FEMA’s leader to have a background in disaster response. Samantha Montano, an associate professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, called it “a good sign in terms of where he stands on FEMA.” But Ms. Montano said she was still concerned that the Trump administration’s vision for a leaner disaster agency could hamper its ability to help communities. Even before the current administration began cutting the federal work force, research by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that FEMA lacked the necessary staff to tackle increasingly frequent and complex disasters.

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Federal News Network [3/18/2026 4:58 PM, Justin Doubleday, 1297K]

AP [3/19/2026 12:11 AM, Gabriela Aoun Angueira, 16072K] reports President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security presented a softer approach on federal emergency management in his Senate confirmation hearing, rejecting the idea of eliminating FEMA and pledging to undo some of his predecessor’s unpopular policies. The remarks by Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday raised hopes among disaster response managers that a shift is coming in the administration’s approach to the Federal Emergency Management Agency after months of turbulence under outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem. But despite his mostly conciliatory remarks about federal disaster response, it remains to be seen what reforms Mullin would actually champion, or how he would lead if confirmed. Mullin is loyal to Trump, whose messaging on FEMA has been inconsistent. “It’s got a great mission, and I think people at FEMA want to do their job,” Mullin told fellow Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford Wednesday in his confirmation hearing to replace Noem. Mullin said he backed reforms for the agency to make it more effective, speed up payments to state and local jurisdictions and better serve rural communities. Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of phasing out the agency and pushing more disaster responsibilities to states. Mullin’s remarks came less than a year after FEMA’s then-acting leader Cameron Hamilton was fired following a House committee hearing where he said the agency should not be eliminated. FEMA was mired in upheaval and uncertainty throughout Noem’s DHS tenure, undergoing staff reductions, program cuts and delays to disaster declarations and spending. The release of a highly anticipated report from the Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council meant to spell out recommendations for overhauling the agency is months late, keeping states and other stakeholders in suspense over how much they can rely on federal disaster support in the future. Former FEMA officials expressed hope that Mullin’s comments could mark a change from the tumult experienced under Noem, and an opening to serious reforms to streamline the agency. “He gets the importance of FEMA and while there is definitely room for improvement, he understands the partnership with FEMA is essential,” said Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator under President Joe Biden. Pete Gaynor, FEMA administrator during Trump’s first term, said Mullin’s remarks represented “an impressive and meaningful first step forward.” In exchanges with Lankford and Democratic Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, Mullin maintained that disaster response should be locally led with FEMA in a supporting role, an approach already laid out in the agency’s mission, and that reforms were needed to speed payments to disaster-hit communities. “Taking years to get reimbursed is not acceptable,” Mullin said. “Taking, honestly, months to get reimbursed is not acceptable.” Pressed by Kim on specific policies, Mullin said he would revoke Noem’s directive that she must personally approve expenditures over $100,000, a rule that infuriated lawmakers of both parties who said it compromised disaster response and recovery.

AP [3/18/2026 6:59 PM, Margery A. Beck, 35287K] reports a coalition of firefighters and volunteers entered their seventh day Wednesday of battling wildfires in western and central Nebraska — including one that is the largest in state history — that have scorched a massive area of range and grassland and killed one person. “What’s different today is the wind will be less — still, with gusts to 30 miles an hour — but we’re starting to dry out and heat up again,” said David Boyd, a spokesman for the coalition of state, federal, and local officials overseeing the effort. “If we get fire, you know, across the containment line, it’s got the potential for rapid spread.” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s assessment was more succinct. “We are making progress, but the fight isn’t over,” Pillen said in a Facebook post on Wednesday while touring the area. Four separate fires have burned around 1,300 square miles (about 3,367 square kilometers) — larger than Rhode Island. The largest of the fires, dubbed the Morrill County fire, covers parts of five counties and stretches more than 80 miles (129 kilometers) from around Bridgeport in the Nebraska Panhandle east to Lake Ogallala. It has burned about 1,005 square miles (about 2,603 square kilometers), making it the largest wildfire in Nebraska history.

New York Times [3/18/2026 6:08 PM, Adeel Hassan, 148038K] reports hundreds of firefighters from across Nebraska and neighboring states were battling two major wildfires that have burned nearly 800,000 acres in western and central Nebraska, officials said Wednesday. One of the fires, the Morrill fire, is the largest in the state’s history, officials said. That fire has killed at least one person, Gov. Jim Pillen said. The fires, which started on Thursday last week, were burning as much of Nebraska was in drought conditions, a spokesman for the firefighting operation said on Wednesday afternoon. “This is the window where there’s not snow, and we haven’t had the good spring green-up,” David Boyd, the spokesman, said, referring to grass. “There is a lot of dormant fuel ready to burn.” The Morrill fire, which is burning north of Lake McConaughy in west-central Nebraska, spans 645,000 acres and was 16 percent contained as of Wednesday morning. That fire killed Rose Mary White, 86, in Arthur County on Thursday, Mr. Pillen said.

USA Today [3/18/2026 8:59 AM, Julia Gomez, 70643K] reports one person is dead, and thousands of acres have been set ablaze after four wildfires started across the state of Nebraska. Communities near the fires were also evacuated due to the dangers they pose, according to a news release published on Friday, March 13, from the office of Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. "These fires present a significant and active danger, given current weather conditions," Pillen said in a statement. "Anyone living within proximity to current wildfires are urged to heed communications issued by local authorities, including their respective county emergency management agencies.” Four wildfires, Morrill, Cottonwood, Anderson Bridge and Road 203, have set around 827,933 acres ablaze across the state, according to USA TODAY’s data. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Free Beacon [3/18/2026 11:20 AM, Adam Kredo, 317K] reports that Israel on Wednesday killed Iran’s intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, during an airstrike in Tehran, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Khatib orchestrated the violent crackdown on protesters earlier this year and ran an agency that attempted assassinations against U.S. officials. Khatib rose to the senior role in 2021 and "played a key role in supporting the regime’s repression and terrorist activities," the IDF said in a statement. The Iranian intelligence ministry, the IDF wrote, "possesses advanced intelligence capabilities, overseeing surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide, particularly against the State of Israel and Iranian citizens." During Khatib’s tenure atop the Ministry of Intelligence, the Islamic Republic actively attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump and other top administration figures, including former White House national security adviser John Bolton, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, and former Iran envoy Brian Hook. Iranian operatives are also active across Europe, where they have attempted to sabotage anti-regime activist groups and kidnap prominent dissidents. Khatib’s death comes just one day after Israel assassinated Iran’s de facto leader, Ali Larijani, and Basij force commander Gholamreza Soleimani, two of the most senior figures remaining after numerous waves of Israeli strikes wiped out Tehran’s leadership.

FOX News [3/18/2026 10:48 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports that the Coast Guard icebreaker Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB-30) utilized its crane to help lift a stranded snowmobile off a drifting piece of ice in whiteout conditions. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Federal Newswire [3/18/2026 11:30 PM, T. J. Graves] reports the Department of Homeland Security announced on Mar. 18 that a joint operation involving U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Homeland Security Investigations led to the arrest of 15 individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea near Miami. The incident underscores ongoing efforts by federal agencies to prevent human smuggling operations along maritime borders. Such operations are considered dangerous and put lives at risk, according to officials. According to the department, the interdiction took place on March 11 at approximately 11:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time when a Customs and Border Protection crew stopped a vessel operating without lights in an apparent attempt to avoid detection. Officers found one adult male from the Bahamas piloting the boat, with fourteen additional passengers onboard: four Dominican male adults, three Ecuadorian male adults, one Haitian male adult, one Haitian male minor, and five Haitian adult females.

AP [3/18/2026 5:38 PM, Mark Thiessen] reports an investigation is underway after two crew members of a tugboat were killed and two others were harmed in what the Coast Guard described Wednesday as a “confined space incident” aboard a barge moored in southeast Alaska. A news release from the agency provided limited details about what happened to the four, but it said they were in a confined space in the freight barge Waynehoe, moored about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Ketchikan, on Sunday morning, when other crew members from their tug, the Chukchi Sea, lost contact with them. Federal regulations define “confined space” on a vessel as “a compartment of small size and limited access such as a double bottom tank, cofferdam, or other space which by its small size and confined nature can readily create or aggravate a hazardous exposure.” That could include a lack of oxygen. The tugboat crew called the Coast Guard for help and managed to recover one of the dead crewmembers from the confined space and helped the two survivors exit before the rescue team arrived. The body of the second victim was not recovered until after the barge was towed to a pier in Ketchikan “to ensure a safe and thorough response,” the Coast Guard said. The two survivors were reported to be in stable condition, the Coast Guard statement said. The two killed were identified as Ben Fowler and Sidney Mohorovich.

CyberScoop [3/18/2026 2:25 PM, Greg Otto and Tim Starks, 122K] reports researchers have discovered a second instance of suspected Russian hackers using iOS exploits, pointing to what they say are several foreboding trends. iVerify, Lookout and Google collaborated on the research published Wednesday, a follow-up to earlier revelations about a similar exploit kit, Coruna. While the second kit — dubbed DarkSword — also targeted users in Ukraine, the scale is significant: iVerify estimated up to 270 million iPhone users could be susceptible, while Lookout told CyberScoop roughly 15% of all iOS devices currently in use are running iOS 18 or earlier versions and could be vulnerable to the exploit kit. The research reveals a range of new details, as well as interesting patterns: Whereas Russian and Chinese hackers used Coruna with financial gain in mind, there are signs DarkSword could serve both financial and surveillance purposes, and/or could be used to inflict harm. Lookout observed that someone used a large language model to customize both Coruna and DarkSword. The discovery of DarkSword reinforces earlier concerns about a secondary exploit market, Lookout and iVerify said. DarkSword is the second “mass” iOS campaign discovered this month, with the first known one to be Coruna. Both kits suggest cyberattacks are migrating toward mobile phones as they make up a bigger portion of internet traffic, Rocky Cole, iVerify’s co-founder and chief operating officer, told CyberScoop. Google also found that DarkSword was used against targets in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Malaysia.

AP [3/19/2026 1:00 AM, Staff, 35287K] reports deaths from terrorism in the West surged by 280 per cent in 2025, contrasting starkly against a global decline of 28 per cent, reveals the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). In the wake of the widening Iran conflict, the report warns that future trends in terrorism will be shaped by emerging conflicts, breakdown of international norms and declining economic conditions. Deaths from terrorism fell by 28 per cent to 5,582, and incidents decreased by 22 per cent to 2,944, marking the lowest figures since 2007. In contrast, Western terrorism fatalities rose sharply by 280 per cent to 57 in 2025, largely driven by antisemitism, Islamophobia and political terrorism. Iran risks becoming another breeding ground for terrorist militias if it becomes a failed state. Six of the ten countries most impacted by terrorism are in sub-Saharan Africa, maintaining its position as the epicentre. For the first time, Pakistan leads the Index as the country most impacted by terrorism, experiencing a sharp resurgence with 1,139 deaths and 1,045 incidents in 2025, its highest level since 2013. Youth radicalisation fuelled lone-wolf attacks, with youth terrorism investigations rising threefold since 2021. 93 per cent of all fatal attacks in the West were lone-wolf attacks. Islamic State (IS) and affiliates remained the deadliest terrorist organisation, responsible for 17 per cent of attacks worldwide. Globally, deaths from terrorism reached their lowest level in a decade; however, this improvement may be short-lived. Many negative factors are converging in 2026, including the escalation of conflicts in Iran and South Asia, deteriorating economic prospects in the West, and the rising use of drone technology by terrorist organisations. Seven of the 19 countries that deteriorated on the Index were Western nations, and the conditions driving that trend, such as the rapid radicalisation of youth, political polarisation, rising antisemitic violence, and the compression of online radicalisation timelines, show no signs of abating. Recent polling indicates public support for Israel is declining in several countries, while the Gaza war has coincided with increased concern about antisemitism and heightened political polarisation.

CBS News [3/18/2026 5:07 PM, Sarah N. Lynch and Jennifer Jacobs, 51110K] reports FBI and IRS agents are forming a new initiative to investigate nonprofit organizations over suspected possible links to domestic terrorism, sources briefed on the matter told CBS News. In December, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors to prioritize efforts to investigate and prosecute groups and individuals who belong to the anti-fascist antifa movement or are deemed "extremist.” "These domestic terrorists use violence or the threat of violence to advance political and social agendas, including opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity," Bondi wrote in the Dec. 4 memo. The memo asked law enforcement agents to consider potential "tax crimes" in which extremist groups are "suspected of defrauding the Internal Revenue Service." A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment.

FOX News [3/18/2026 2:47 PM, Ashley Carnahan, 37576K] reports that lone wolf attackers inspired by extremist ideologies pose the most likely terrorist threat to the U.S. homeland, according to the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community. The 34-page document was released by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard Wednesday. She testified at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats alongside other key military and Trump administration officials. The 2025 threat assessment similarly warned that terrorist threats to the U.S. increasingly come from individuals acting alone or in small groups. The new report says ISIS and al Qaeda remain intent on targeting the United States, but their ability to plan and execute complex attacks has been significantly degraded over time. Officials warn that individuals radicalized online are increasingly carrying out or attempting attacks with little direction, often using simple tactics and requiring minimal coordination. "Jihadist narratives that address personal grievances may be attractive to individuals seeking validation of violent desires or moral clarity, even if they lack familiarity with Islam. Such content normalizes intolerance of other beliefs and persons and attracts followers to Islamism," the threat report states. "Anti-Western and anti-Semitic narratives probably influence Muslim youths facing integration challenges or who are disaffected by the West’s role abroad, including with the Israel–HAMAS conflict."

Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 11:02 AM, David Zimmermann, 1147K] reports during her time questioning Mullin, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) warned that the partial government shutdown opens the door for a 9/11-style attack because of the lack of federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security. "The fact of the matter is that there is a greater possibility of September 11 happening all over again because we are not properly funding the men and women that protect our homeland," she said. Ernst said she hoped she never sees a similar attack as the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack comes this year. There have been a slew of Islamic-linked attacks on U.S. soil since the shutdown started on Feb. 14, including one targeting a Michigan synagogue. DHS is on high alert for threats as the Trump administration’s war with Iran progresses.

Wall Street Journal [3/18/2026 9:00 PM, José de Córdoba, Santiago Pérez, and Steve Fisher, 646K] reports an American citizen now appears to be in charge of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel, potentially complicating U.S. efforts to eradicate the narcotics trade here. No sooner was slain kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera buried in a golden coffin in early March, serenaded by popular ballads and surrounded by carloads of floral displays, than his California-born stepson began ascending to the throne of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexican and U.S. officials said. The rise of 41-year-old Juan Carlos Valencia González marks the formal crowning of the Valencia family dynasty from western Mexico at the head of the organization known for its paramilitary prowess and territorial conquest, these officials said. U.S. intelligence agencies may now face legal hurdles in directly targeting and collecting personal data on Valencia González because of his place of birth. That risks hindering a significant tactical partnership that has developed between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Washington that is making increasing use of information provided by U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Under the rules for surveilling Americans overseas, the U.S. would usually need to get signoff from the attorney general, and also persuade a secret foreign intelligence surveillance court that Valencia Gonzalez is acting as an “agent of a foreign power” such as an international terrorist group. Although the hurdles are surmountable, the additional procedural requirements could hobble a fast-moving operation, current and former U.S. officials said. Law enforcement agents, meanwhile, are more limited in the investigative tools they use on American citizens and aren’t allowed by Mexico to conduct operations in the country.

FOX News [3/18/2026 11:18 AM, Adam Sabes, 37576K] reports that new video shows the moment one of the accused terror suspects was tackled to the ground after allegedly throwing a homemade bomb during a protest in New York City. Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, and 18-year-old Emir Balat are accused of throwing live explosive devices into a protest taking place outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion residence on March 7, after driving from Bucks County to Manhattan, according to federal officials. The new video shows Balat being tackled by an NYPD officer while Chief Aaron Edwards nearby yelled, "Get him." An individual could be heard yelling "bomb" after Balat was tackled to the ground. In a criminal complaint, prosecutors said a series of pictures shows the men handling the alleged bomb, which was determined to have contained TATP in addition to nuts and bolts that were attached with duct tape. When speaking to law enforcement, Balat allegedly said he wanted the planned attack to be "bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing." NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the homemade bombs were real and capable of causing serious injury or death, adding that the incident is being investigated as terrorism. "This is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism," Tisch said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [3/18/2026 2:00 PM, Guy Benson, 1147K] reports last week, an Islamic extremist opened fire at Old Dominion University in Virginia, reportedly targeting military personnel as he shouted "Allahu akbar." Tragically, the terrorist managed to murder Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a professor of military science, a decorated combat veteran, and the leader of the school’s ROTC program. The suspect, who was killed by fast-acting and courageous cadets, was an extremely likely perpetrator. His deadly spree could and should have been prevented. The attacker was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone who had previously been convicted of trying to join the Islamic State group. To call this a "big clue" would be too flippant. The judge in the case declined to mete out a sentence that even approached the maximum allowable under the law. Prosecutors asked for 20 years — the judge decided just over half of that would suffice. The aspiring ISIS butcher was then released years early. He proceeded to illegally buy himself a gun, more on that later, and did precisely what a convicted ISIS terrorist would presumably want to do: rob an American hero of his life.

USA Today [3/18/2026 3:38 PM, Karissa Waddick, 70643K] reports Vice President JD Vance called the man who rammed his truck into Michigan’s Temple Israel a "terrorist" while speaking near the synagogue, as investigators hunt for a motive in the attack that wounded a security guard and set a fire that sent preschoolers in the temple fleeing. “When something happens to any member of our American family … it is something that all of us have to stand up and say, it’s disgusting, it’s unacceptable and we’re not going to tolerate in the United States of America," Vance said March 16 during a stop in Auburn Hills, Michigan, north of Detroit. Authorities are still investigating the attack and have not yet described it as terrorism. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, drove his vehicle into the synagogue in West Bloomfield Township and opened fire upon security guards in the synagogue’s hallways on Thursday, March 12. Ghazali died in the attack from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the FBI said last week. No congregants were injured in the attack, nor were the dozens of children and teachers at the synagogue’s Early Childhood Learning Center. Synagogue leaders said a nearby country club took in three school buses full of children as law enforcement responded to the scene. Officials said Danny Phillips, the security guard hit by Ghazali’s truck, is expected to survive. Vance called Phillips a hero and the "very best of this country." "We love you and we’re proud of how you’ve handled this particular situation because it is tough," he said of Michigan’s Jewish community. Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, declined to declare a motive following the attack, but described it as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. Authorities have increased security around houses of worship amid the war in Iran and widening military conflict across the Middle East. Residents of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, where Ghazali lived, said several members of his family in Lebanon, including his niece, nephew and brother, were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel Defense Forces said Ghazali’s brother, Ibrahim Ghazali, was a Hezbollah commander. When asked how the Trump administration is protecting Americans from future attacks amid the war in Iran, Vance said preventing terrorism is an “obsessive focus of the entire U.S. government.” “We’re monitoring some classified stuff, some phone calls, things like that,” he said during his visit to Auburn Hills. Vance’s comments marked his first public response to the attack since it happened Thursday, March 12. President Donald Trump previously vowed to get “down to the bottom” of the attack. "It’s a terrible thing, but it goes on. We’re going to be right down to the bottom of it," Trump said. He called the event “tragic.”

New York Post [3/19/2026 12:48 AM, Zoe Hussain, 40934K] reports the shooting at a New Mexico Air Force Base on Tuesday left a military veteran dead and an active duty service member injured, authorities said in an update. The violence erupted near a convenience store, known as a "shopette," on the Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo around 5:30 p.m. — plunging the 93-square-mile base into lockdown, the 49th wing said in a Wednesday statement to The Post. A service member who was assigned to the base was injured by the gunfire. A civilian and military veteran previously stationed at Holloman Air Force Base was found dead at the scene, authorities said in the update. The injured service member, who has not yet been publicly identified, is in stable condition, the base added. The active shooter lockdown was later lifted after the base, roughly 100 miles north of El Paso, Texas, was deemed safe. The two individuals involved in the shooting were not married, despite the shooting being domestic in nature. It is not yet clear how the pair were related. Details were also not immediately available on how the shooting unfolded or who fired the shots. Holloman Air Force Base is home to the 49th Wing, which supports national security and includes combat-ready airmen and guardians. The shopette will be closed until further notice, the 49th Wing posted on Facebook late Tuesday. It is unclear if the store has since reopened. Officials believe the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no active threat posed to the base community. "We ask that individuals avoid speculating on social media regarding the incident out of respect for the families involved. This incident is still under investigation, and additional details will be provided as they become available," the 49th Wing said in a statement.

DailySignal [3/18/2026 11:50 AM, Wilson Beaver and Emmett Geul, 474K] reports that the Caribbean is one of the most strategically important waterways in the world and serves as the U.S.’ third border, with both the benefits and security concerns that entails. When the Caribbean is left unsecured, drugs, guns, people, and foreign influence find pathways into our country. Strengthening the security of the Caribbean is therefore a core national security interest of the U.S. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, more than 12.1 metric tons of cocaine being trafficked from the Caribbean were seized in 2024. The DEA’s Caribbean Division describes these routes used by drug traffickers as "extremely vulnerable," and this trafficking of drugs has contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. To the credit of the Trump administration, it has taken significant steps in confronting these threats. U.S. forces have conducted joint operations in the Caribbean, targeted drug vessels, seized illicit oil shipments tied to Venezuelan criminal networks, and conducted a historic nighttime raid arresting Nicolas Maduro. Investment in the capacity of our partners in the region is also important from the American perspective, as it helps friendly governments stop drugs at ports and in waterways long before they approach the coast of Florida, and because it contributes to the security of the region, lowering crime rates and making these countries safer for business and tourism. The Caribbean–United States Framework for Security Cooperation provides a standing venue to align on firearms trafficking, maritime security, cyber threats, and disaster response.

Washington Post [3/18/2026 10:35 PM, Isaac Arnsdorf, 24826K] reports U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, according to three people briefed on the situation. Officials have not determined where they came from, two of the people said. The military is monitoring potential threats more closely because of the heightened alert level as the United States and Israel strike Iran, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. Multiple drones were spotted over Fort Lesley J. McNair on a single night in the last 10 days, the official said, prompting increased security measures and a meeting at the White House to discuss how to respond. The drone sightings in Washington come as the U.S. issued a global security alert for overseas diplomatic posts and locked down several domestic bases because of threats. This week, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida raised their force protection level to Charlie — a designation that means the commander has intelligence indicating an attack or danger is possible. The only higher alert level, Delta, is for when an attack has occurred or is anticipated. The drones over Fort McNair prompted officials to weigh relocating Rubio and Hegseth, two of the people briefed said. The senior administration official said the secretaries haven’t moved. Their quarters on the base were publicly reported by multiple outlets in October. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to discuss the drones. “The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible,” he said. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Twice this week officials locked down facilities at MacDill Air Force Base, home to U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations against Iran. The FBI is now investigating a suspicious package that closed the base’s visitors center for hours Monday, and on Wednesday an unspecified security incident left the base under a shelter-in-place order for hours, the base said in a statement. “To ensure the safety and security of our people and the mission, commanders adjust their installation’s security posture in accordance with local threat assessments,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement. On Tuesday, the State Department ordered all U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide to “immediately” undertake security evaluations, citing “the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spillover effects,” according to a cable reviewed by Washington Post. Fort McNair houses the National Defense University and some of the Pentagon’s most senior military officials. The base has not traditionally housed political leaders, but a growing number of Trump officials, including outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, have moved onto area bases, citing security concerns.

Reuters [3/18/2026 1:50 PM, Staff, 42967K] reports that Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez said on Wednesday that General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez will replace General Vladimir Padrino as defense minister, a position Padrino has held for more than 11 years. The change is the most important yet in Rodriguez’s cabinet and marks the demotion of a longtime powerbroker who controlled Venezuela’s sprawling military. In a post on ⁠Telegram, Rodriguez thanked Padrino for his service and loyalty to the homeland and said he would be given new responsibilities. Rodriguez in January appointed Gonzalez Lopez as the new head of the ⁠presidential guard and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence. Gonzalez Lopez, who has been sanctioned by the U.S. and E.U. along with at least half a dozen other high-ranking officials for rights violations and corruption, served as Venezuela’s domestic intelligence director until mid-2024. Later that year, he began working with Rodriguez as head of strategic affairs at state oil company PDVSA, which she previously oversaw as energy minister. Sources have told Reuters Padrino ⁠was likely to be replaced and had been kept in his position after the ⁠U.S. capture of Maduro to ensure stability in the military, ⁠where some 2,000 generals control disparate groups of poorly-paid troops, as well as huge business interests.

ABC News [3/18/2026 12:39 PM, Staff, 34146K] reports Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee amid questions on the Iran war. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [3/18/2026 4L16 PM, Beatrice Peterson, Alexander Mallin, and Chris Boccia, 34146K] reports for the first time since the start of the war, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard faced pointed questions Wednesday on whether Iran posed an "imminent threat" to the U.S. as President Donald Trump has maintained. Lawmakers pressed Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel and other national security officials on the conflict, and other global matters, on the intelligence community’s annual assessment of such worldwide threats on Capitol Hill. Gabbard was also questioned on her presence at an FBI raid of an election center in Georgia in January. The hearing came one day after the resignation of Joe Kent, the Trump administration’s top counterterrorism official, who stepped down over his objections to the war, arguing there was no "imminent threat" from Iran.

New York Times [3/18/2026 6:33 PM, David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes, 148038K] reports President Trump has taken on many ancillary roles in Washington: chairman of the Kennedy Center. The de facto chief architect of the city’s landmark properties. And now, the nation’s chief intelligence analyst. This revelation came from Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence. She had the unenviable task at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Wednesday of squaring Mr. Trump’s comments about an urgent nuclear threat from Iran with a letter from one of her trusted aides that the country posed no “imminent threat.” Her answer? Only the president can decide what is an “imminent” threat. In other words, she was turning one of the key roles of the intelligence community’s 80,000 employees — to make nonpolitical judgments about threats to American security — over to Mr. Trump. Ms. Gabbard’s comments were necessitated by the decision of Joe Kent, her close adviser, to quit his counterterrorism position over his opposition to the war in Iran and his belief that Israel had pressured the United States into the conflict.

Breitbart [3/18/2026 12:42 PM, Staff, 2238K] reports US intelligence concluded Wednesday that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities destroyed last year by the United States and Israel, contradicting a key justification by President Donald Trump for his ongoing war. Tulsi Gabbard, a Trump ally who is director of national intelligence, offered mixed signals on the backdrop and outcomes of three weeks of war as she and other officials appeared before Congress. She also assessed that Iran’s leadership remained intact. "As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated," Gabbard said in prepared testimony to the Senate intelligence committee, referring to the June 2025 US attack. "There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability," Gabbard wrote. She did not repeat the conclusion before cameras. Pressed by a Democratic senator, Gabbard said that she did not have enough time to read the full testimony at the hearing but did not refute the assessment.

New York Times [3/18/2026 2:47 PM, Robert Jimison, 148038K] reports two top intelligence officials directly contradicted one of the Trump administration’s justifications for going to war with Iran, repeating on Wednesday the intelligence community’s conclusion that Iran was years away from developing missiles capable of hitting the United States. Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, and John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, would not say whether the intelligence community had determined that Iran would be able to launch such long-range missiles within six months. Ms. Gabbard said that Iran “could” combine technology from its existing space program with its missile development capabilities to “begin to develop” an intercontinental ballistic missile “before 2035, should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability.” But when pressed by Senator Jon Ossoff, Democrat of Georgia, Ms. Gabbard refused to provide an assessment of the threat Iran posed. “It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” Ms. Gabbard said, adding that such assessments were solely the discretion of the president. Ms. Gabbard affirmed the conclusion reached by the Trump administration’s Defense Intelligence Agency last year that it would be a decade before Iran could get past the technological hurdles to produce weapons capable of reaching the United States. Likewise, Mr. Ratcliffe did not give a timeline when asked whether Iran would have been able to strike the United States within six months, instead focusing on its ability to reach as far as Europe and threaten U.S. bases and interests in the region. Ms. Gabbard noted that the agencies she oversees monitor and work to deter the development of nuclear-capable weapons among U.S. adversaries. “The intelligence community assesses that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced or traditional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our homeland within range,” she said. Of the nations she mentioned, Ms. Gabbard said that China and Russia had systems “capable of penetrating or bypassing U.S. missile defenses,” North Korea’s missiles could already reach U.S. soil, and Pakistan’s missiles “potentially” could as well. Iran, however, which has come under intense bombardment from air and naval strikes since U.S.-Israeli strikes began on Feb. 28, was not presented as one of nations with advanced weapons capabilities. In his State of the Union address last month, President Trump claimed that Iran was “working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.” Ms. Gabbard said a new assessment would need to be conducted to determine the extent of the damage in Iran from U.S. and Israeli strikes. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the chairman of the committee, called Iran’s space program a “flimsy cover” for their “intercontinental missile program” and asked if assessments from independent analysts “that Iran could have had a functioning intercontinental missile to threaten the United States in as few as six months” were accurate.

Reuters [3/18/2026 6:08 AM, Patricia Zengerle, Doina Chiacu, and Jonathan Landay, 38315K] reports that Iran’s government has been degraded since the war began on February 28, but it appears to be intact and Tehran and its proxies remain capable of attacking U.S. and allies’ interests in the Middle East, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday. "The regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded by Operation Epic Fury," Gabbard said, referring to the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, in her opening statement to the Senate Intelligence Committee’s annual hearing on Worldwide Threats to the United States. "Even so, Iran and its proxies remain capable of and continue to attack U.S. and allied interests in the Middle East. If a hostile regime survives, it will seek to begin a years-long effort to rebuild its missiles and UAV (drone) forces," Gabbard said. The 2-1/2-hour hearing was the first significant public appearance since the start of the war by Gabbard, who has kept a low profile for months.

The hearing identified China, Russia, North Korea and Iran as top adversaries, but largely focused on the Iran war, now in its third week. Lawmakers - including some of President Donald Trump’s Republicans as well as Democrats - have said they want more information about a campaign that has killed thousands of people, disrupted the lives of millions and shaken energy and ⁠stock markets.

NewsMax [3/18/2026 6:29 PM, Staff, 3760K] reports CIA Director John Ratcliffe said U.S. intelligence showed Iran posed an "immediate threat" to the United States. Further, the rogue regime had not abandoned its nuclear ambitions. The details reinforced the Trump administration’s justification for confronting Tehran, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal. Ratcliffe said intelligence assessments indicated Iran continued pursuing nuclear weapons–related capabilities and advancing missile programs, warning that the regime’s trajectory—not just its stated intent—demonstrated a clear and urgent danger, the Journal reported. He described the situation bluntly, saying Iran "posed an immediate threat," a conclusion that has been strongly defended by President Donald Trump and senior administration officials amid internal dissent. That dissent came to a head with the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who broke with the administration and argued that Iran did not present an imminent threat. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [3/18/2026 6:03 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K] reports Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Wednesday that he pressed intelligence officials on the scope and urgency of Iran’s military and nuclear ambitions during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing. He cited concerns that Tehran is actively rebuilding key capabilities. Speaking on Newsmax TV’s "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Rounds said his questioning focused largely on CIA Director John Ratcliffe and centered on whether Iran is advancing both offensive and defensive systems following prior strikes by the United States and Israel. "I wanted to know specifically about the Iranian situation and just exactly how serious the Iranian threat was," Rounds said. According to Rounds, intelligence officials confirmed that Iran is reconstituting its offensive missile capabilities, including short- and intermediate-range systems. He also said officials acknowledged that Tehran is continuing to push forward with its nuclear program while simultaneously engaging in negotiations. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [3/18/2026 7:46 AM, Han Huang and Adolofo Arranz, 38315K] reports that
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani was killed by Israel, the government confirmed on Tuesday, the most senior figure targeted since the U.S.-Israeli war’s first day, while a senior Iranian official said Iran’s new supreme leader rejected de-escalation offers conveyed by intermediary countries. Larijani was widely viewed as one of Iran’s most powerful figures and a confidant of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son and successor, Mojtaba. The security chief had a reputation for pragmatic relations with other factions in the ruling system and foreign diplomats. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba was chosen by Iran’s Assembly of Experts to succeed his late father as supreme leader, more than a week after he was killed in an air strike, Iranian media reported. Iran continues to halt almost all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint that carries about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. With Hormuz effectively blocked, Gulf exporters are shifting flows to pipelines that bypass the strait. Shipments through these alternative routes have already started and are steadily ramping up, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Saudi Arabia is rapidly increasing flows via its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, while the UAE is raising exports through the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which connects onshore fields to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.

New York Times [3/18/2026 3:13 PM, Isabel Kershner and Amelia Nierenberg, 148038K] reports Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian intelligence minister, became the country’s latest high-ranking official to be targeted in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign. Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it had killed Mr. Khatib in an overnight airstrike. The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, confirmed the killing in a social media post later in the day, calling it “a cowardly assassination.” Mr. Khatib is the latest top Iranian official to be killed since the United States and Israel launched their joint attack last month. An airstrike killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war. The Israeli military said Mr. Khatib’s ministry oversaw “surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations worldwide,” particularly against the state of Israel. He also played a significant role in the brutal crackdown on the recent anti-government protests in Iran, and led his ministry’s “terrorist activities against Israeli and American targets around the world,” the Israeli military said. In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on both Mr. Khatib and Iran’s intelligence ministry. The ministry, under Mr. Khatib’s leadership, conducted “cyber espionage and ransomware attacks in support of Iran’s political goals,” the U.S. Treasury Department said. Mr. Khatib had also been a member of Iran’s previous conservative government and oversaw mass arrests and crackdowns during a women-led uprising in 2022 that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police. He was appointed intelligence minister in 2021, and previously held key positions in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, according to the Israeli military.

Reported similarly:
Axios [3/18/2026 7:32 AM, Barak Ravid, 17364K]
FOX News [3/18/2026 7:51 AM, Ashley Carnahan and Trey Yingst, 37576K]

New York Post [3/18/2026 6:17 PM, Isabel Vincent, 40934K] reports Iranian leaders call the US the "Great Satan" and burn effigies of President Donald Trump in the streets — but that doesn’t stop them sending their kids over here to learn. Children of regime leaders and bigwigs are at prestigious universities across the US, including University of Massachusetts, New York’s Union College and George Washington University, The Post can reveal. Sources said allowing people linked to the regime to assume such influential positions could present a threat to US values. "I would think that there would be a security risk as Iranian academics have been critical in forming public opinion on the left in the US, essentially deceiving liberals into thinking that the regime is more progressive, when it’s still advancing the same hardline agenda," said Janatan Sayeh, an Iran analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington DC-based think tank.

FOX News [3/18/2026 1:52 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports that Press secretary Karoline Leavitt argues that because the U.S. is now a net exporter of energy, the responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz should fall more heavily on allies who use on the channel for their own economic stability. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reuters [3/19/2026 11:14 AM, Michael Martina, Patricia Zengerle and David Brunnstrom, 42967K] reports China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 and seeks to control the island without the use of force, the U.S. intelligence community said on Wednesday, striking a measured tone on one of the world’s biggest potential flashpoints. The assessment in the intelligence agencies’ annual report on global threats comes as Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan with frequent military drills, even as U.S. President Donald Trump has played down the risk of Chinese military action while he is in office. The Pentagon late last year said the U.S. military believed China was preparing to be able to win a fight for Taiwan by 2027, the centenary of the founding of its People’s Liberation Army, and was refining options to take Taiwan by "brute force" if needed. "China, despite its threat to use force to compel unification if necessary and to counter what it sees as a U.S. attempt to use Taiwan to undermine China’s rise, prefers to achieve unification without the use of force, if possible," the U.S. intelligence agencies said in the report. The U.S. "assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification," the report said. It reiterated previous views that the PLA was making "steady but uneven" progress on capabilities it could use to capture the democratically governed island. Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington said Taiwan will continue to monitor China’s activities and "remain vigilant at all times." "China has never abandoned the use of force against Taiwan, and its continued military intimidation and gray-zone operations pose serious threats not only to Taiwan but also to regional peace and stability," it said in a statement. China’s embassy in Washington did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Trump, who has repeatedly touted his "great relationship" with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, has downplayed the threat of the Chinese drills around Taiwan and said Xi told him he will not attack Taiwan while the U.S. president is in office - something Beijing has never confirmed. China views Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to take the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future. Despite concerns in the U.S. and abroad about Trump’s inclination to back Taiwan, his administration in December unveiled a record $11 billion sale of weapons for the island, angering Beijing, which says such arms deals must end. Nonetheless, some Japanese officials have worried Trump may be prepared to soften support for Taiwan in pursuit of a trade accord with China, a move they fear will embolden Beijing and spark conflict in an increasingly militarized East Asia. Tokyo had been unnerved by muted U.S. rhetorical support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after her remarks last year that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese military response. Trump reportedly told her privately not to escalate the ensuing diplomatic row with Beijing. In Wednesday’s report, the U.S. intelligence agencies called Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan a "significant shift" for a Japanese leader, a framing that is likely to irk Tokyo just a day ahead of a delicate visit by her to the White House. Takaichi has maintained her stance was consistent with Japan’s longstanding policy. "China is employing multidomain coercive pressure that probably will intensify through 2026, aimed both at punishing Japan and deterring other countries from making similar statements about their potential involvement in a Taiwan crisis," the report said.

Reuters [3/18/2026 9:53 PM, Staff, 38315K] reports Japan rejected a U.S. assessment that its stance on how it might react to a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan marked a "significant shift" on Thursday, an issue that could cloud an imminent leaders’ summit between Tokyo and Washington. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments late last year that a hypothetical attack on Taiwan could bring about a military response from Tokyo drew a furious response from Beijing, which views the island as its own territory. While Takaichi has maintained her remarks were in line with Japan’s longstanding policies, an annual report by U.S. intelligence agencies on Wednesday said they sharply departed from the rhetoric of previous Japanese leaders. "The assessment that there has been a major shift is not accurate," Japan’s top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara told a press briefing on Thursday. Tokyo’s position of judging a so-called "existential crisis situation" - which Takaichi was being quizzed on in parliament when she made her November remarks on Taiwan - is consistent with the past, he added. The differing views could cast a pall over Takaichi’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, already complicated by his demands for Japan and other allies to send escort ships to the Strait of Hormuz, largely closed by the Iran war. Relations between China and Japan have plunged to their lowest in over a decade since Takaichi’s remarks, with Beijing urging its people not to travel to Japan and choking off some key exports. The U.S. assessment said that China was likely to intensify such coercive actions through 2026, aimed at punishing Japan and deterring other countries from making similar statements about their potential involvement in a Taiwan crisis. The report concluded that China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 and seeks to control the island without the use of force. The Pentagon late last year said the U.S. military believed China was preparing to be able to win a fight for Taiwan by 2027, the centenary of the founding of its People’s Liberation Army, and was refining options to take Taiwan by "brute force" if needed.

AP [3/19/2026 1:13 AM, Michelle L. Price and Didi Tang, 3760K] reports the meeting that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will have at the White House on Thursday originally seemed like a prime opportunity to have President Donald Trump’s ear before he embarked on a trip to China. But now, the war in Iran and Trump’s unsuccessful call for Japan and other nations to help protect the Strait of Hormuz means the China trip has been delayed and Takaichi may be likely to get an earful. Trump has repeatedly complained on camera and online that U.S. allies, including Japan, have rejected his request to help safeguard the critical waterway for oil and gas transport. “In fact, speaking as President of the United States of America, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere in the World, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!” Trump exclaimed on Truth Social after his initial call for help was rebuffed. The prime minister acknowledged before she left Japan that she expects her meeting with Trump will be “very difficult.” She and her ministers have denied that Washington officially requested Japanese warships for the U.S.-Israeli operation. Japan, a key U.S. ally in Asia, is one of the countries that Trump namechecked on Tuesday as he railed against the lack of help with the Strait of Hormuz before declaring the help wasn’t needed. Trump is expected to put “enormous pressure” on Takaichi, said Kurt Campbell, the former U.S. deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration who is now chair of The Asia Group. Campbell said he’s never seen a meeting between U.S. and Japanese leaders carrying such high stakes. In order to press for Japan’s interests, he said, Takaichi will want to find a way to suggest that Japan is a part of the U.S. plan in the Middle East. “She’s going to want to come out of that as a partner in this case and realize that if she can do that, that she can translate that potentially into the president listening more to Japanese concerns about Taiwan or other issues,” Campbell said. The constraints on Japan’s involvement in Iran include a provision in its post-World War II constitution that bans the use of force except to defend its territory. The country’s military is called the Self-Defense Force. Christopher Johnstone, a partner and chair of the defense and national security practice at The Asia Group, said Japan could help with mine-sweeping, and has had “a small naval presence” in the region as part of an anti-piracy mission for at least a decade. But to join the U.S. mission would require Takaichi to clear “an exceptionally high bar politically to invoke collective self-defense” that has never been done before.

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