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.

New York Post [3/24/2026 5:20 PM, Marisa Schultz and Emily Goodin, 40934K] reports Markwayne Mullin was sworn in on Tuesday as the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, where he’ll inherit an ongoing DHS shutdown and President Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. In an Oval Office ceremony, Trump praised Mullin as "fantastic" — three weeks after he ousted Kristi Noem from the post. He expressed faith that Mullin would carry out the Department of Homeland Security’s duties when it came to securing the border and curbing illegal immigration. Noem is departing for a new role at the State Department. Noem went on to say that, under her tenure, the border became more secure, 3 million illegal aliens left the US and taxpayers were saved $13 billion. Her tenure was controversial as she and top aide Corey Lewandowski ran the agency. Mullin vowed a new start for DHS. He will lead more than 250,000 federal law enforcement officers at a department that has been shut down for 38 days due to Democratic opposition. The new secretary praised the agency officials who were showing up to work despite not receiving a paycheck since February. Mullin was confirmed by the Senate Monday evening in a 54-45 vote. Two Democrats supported him and one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against him. NewsNation [3/24/2026 4:48 PM, Steph Whiteside, 4464K] reports that the president expressed confidence in Mullin’s leadership before discussing immigration, repeating common talking points, including mentioning crimes committed by immigrants and suggesting that immigrants to the U.S. were criminals or mentally unsound. Mullin described being in the Oval Office and hearing the president speak so highly of him as “surreal.” He also spoke about TSA workers who have been going to work without pay, promising that nobody would outwork him in the job. “Failure is not an option,” Mullin said.

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CNN [3/24/2026 11:55 AM, Priscilla Alvarez, 19874K] reports newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told senators during his confirmation hearing that he wanted to keep the department out of the headlines. That won’t be easy. The Department of Homeland Security is charged with one of President Donald Trump’s key domestic priorities: cracking down on immigration. Mullin, like his predecessors, will face immense pressure to execute on the administration’s agenda and fend off its critics, while also balancing Trump’s ever-shifting demands. The president is scheduled to swear Mullin in Tuesday afternoon after he was confirmed Monday night. One of Mullin first moves is lining up the personnel to help him do it. He is bringing some of his Senate staff to the department; they already arrived at DHS as of Tuesday morning, according to a source familiar with the matter. Ahead of assuming the role, Mullin spoke with Trump about the people he wanted to bring on. Troy Edgar, who previously served as deputy DHS secretary until being pulled to be ambassador to El Salvador, is expected back at the department, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Edgar’s nomination is still on the calendar for a Senate vote. "We have no DHS personnel announcements at this time," a White House official told CNN. Mullin is expected to be in briefings with DHS officials throughout the day as he gets read in, according to a Homeland Security official. While he sets up his team and gets up to speed on policies and contracts that have been placed on hold amid the transition, Mullin will also have to immediately grapple with the department shutdown that’s resulted in Transportation Security Agency personnel going unpaid and fueled hours-long lines at airports. At Trump’s behest and with little notice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deployed to several airports nationwide Monday to do line management.

NewsMax [3/24/2026 11:05 AM, Brian Freeman, 3760K] reports the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security could mark a turning point in how the agency operates and is perceived, Rep. Pete Sessions said on Newsmax Tuesday. The Texas Republican told "National Report" that Mullin’s leadership may bring a recalibration to DHS priorities, moving away from constant public controversy and toward a more measured approach aligned with the administration’s wider agenda. "The bottom line is now Secretary Markwayne Mullin … recast, reset the tone and the stage when he said that it is his idea that the department will not be on the tube every day as the first thing the American people see. "The administration wants to see positive progress on the economy and a good number of other things." Sessions suggested that DHS, particularly its immigration enforcement arm, had become a frequent flashpoint in public discourse, creating political headwinds not only for the administration but also for the country more broadly. "That work that ICE was doing became a daily beating, not just for the administration, but the American people," he said.

People [3/24/2026 8:31 PM, Madison E. Goldberg, 69300K] reports Kristi Noem shared a parting message on her last day as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the 8th Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security," Noem, 54, who was fired by President Donald Trump, began the post on X on Tuesday, March 24. "I want to thank President Trump for entrusting me to lead the department leading the fight to Make America Safe Again." Noem went on to make a series of claims regarding her accomplishments as DHS secretary. "In one year, the patriots at DHS delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., located 145,000 unaccompanied children, delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion, and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard," Noem continued. Noem’s departure comes amid controversy surrounding her time at the agency, culminating in a series of combative congressional hearings in which she was questioned about the agency’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions.

AP [3/24/2026 4:21 PM, Sean Murphy, 2238K] reports Oklahoma’s governor on Tuesday appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to serve in the U.S. Senate through the end of the year and finish the term of Republican Markwayne Mullin, the new homeland security secretary. The choice by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had pledged to pick a “conservative voice” to fill Mullin’s seat, elevates to the Senate the chairman and former CEO of Williams Companies, a major pipeline operator based in Tulsa. “He’s a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government,” Stitt said. Armstrong was formally sworn into office Tuesday afternoon in Washington while Oklahoma’s senior U.S. Sen. James Lankford stood beside him. Mullin, who was confirmed on Monday to take over the embattled Department of Homeland Security, would have been up for reelection in November. The remainder of Mullin’s term until November’s election results are certified will now be filled by Armstrong, who under Oklahoma law must agree to not run for a full term this fall. Republican U.S. Rep Kevin Hern quickly announced his candidacy for the Senate seat and has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump.

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The New York Times [3/25/2026 3:22 AM, Ernesto Londoño, 330K] reports law enforcement officials in Minnesota sued the federal government on Tuesday, seeking evidence that could be used to prosecute agents involved in three separate shootings during an immigration enforcement crackdown this year. Two of the shootings were fatal. Agents killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both Minneapolis residents and U.S. citizens who were protesting the conduct of immigration officers. A third person, a Venezuelan man, was shot in the leg and survived. Initial accounts by federal law enforcement officials of the shootings have been at least partially contradicted by video evidence. But inquiries by local and state authorities have been stymied by the federal government, which has refused to provide access to evidence — including information as basic as the names of the agents who opened fire. At least one of those agents is under federal criminal investigation related to the shooting of the Venezuelan man. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota revealed last month that the story that agents had told about the episode was false, and dropped charges against the man who was shot. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. It says that cooperation and evidence-sharing among federal agencies and state and local law enforcement authorities “broke down" during the Trump administration’s immigration operation in Minnesota, which at its peak included a surge of some 3,000 federal agents. “We are prepared to fight for transparency and accountability that the federal government is desperate to avoid,” Mary Moriarty, the elected prosecutor in Hennepin County, which encompasses Minneapolis, told reporters on Tuesday. She’s one of the plaintiffs, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota and the head of the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which investigates shootings by law enforcement officers. The suit names as defendants Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, the former Homeland Security secretary who was fired this month by President Trump. The Department of Homeland Security said in an unsigned statement that all shootings by its agents were “reviewed by an appropriate law enforcement agency,” reiterating the agency’s contention that the officer who shot Ms. Good acted in self-defense, despite video evidence contradicting federal officials’ descriptions of the episode. It also said that the F.B.I. was investigating Mr. Pretti’s shooting. The statement did not directly address the claims in the lawsuit, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ms. Moriarty’s office sought evidence from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security this year, submitting requests that went unheeded. The plaintiffs argue that the federal government’s refusal violates administrative law, as well as the 10th Amendment, which gives states the authority to enforce their laws. ABC News [3/24/2026 5:03 PM, Alexander Mallin, 34146K] reports that the lawsuit, filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and Superintendent Drew Evans with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, accuses the federal government of reneging on what were initial pledges of cooperation in investigating each of the shootings. The lawsuit provides, in chronological order, a series of steps the state officials argue are deliberate efforts by the federal government to prevent Minnesota officials from having access to evidence from each of the shootings, which took place following the Trump administration’s announcement of Operation Metro Surge, its immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Pretti was shot by Customs and Border Protection officers who were there to support the ICE operation. The Minnesota officials filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, seeking an order that would declare the government’s policy of withholding evidence from the state unlawful. FOX News [3/24/2026 5:16 PM, Louis Casiano, 37576K] reports that the lawsuit, filed in Washington D.C., by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO), the state, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, names the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, as well as the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem as defendants. The suit seeks evidence related to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and non-fatal shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, an illegal immigrant, saying federal authorities are intentionally withholding the materials. Federal and local authorities have sparred over information about the shootings, which occurred during the administration’s massive crackdown. The lawsuit alleges that the federal government’s policy of withholding evidence is unlawful and prevents local authorities from fulfilling a core duty to the people of Minnesota.

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The AP [3/24/2026 5:59 PM, Lindsay Whitehurst] reports the Supreme Court grappled Tuesday with whether the Trump administration should be able to revive an immigration policy that has been used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some conservative justices seemed receptive to the Justice Department’s push to overturn a lower-court ruling against the practice known as metering. Immigration authorities limited the number of people who could apply for asylum, saying it was necessary to handle an increase at the border. Advocates say the policy created a humanitarian crisis during President Donald Trump’s first term as people who were turned away settled in makeshift camps in Mexico as they waited for a chance to seek asylum. The policy isn’t in place now, and Trump ordered a wider suspension of the asylum system at the start of his second term. The administration, though, argues that metering remains a “critical tool” used under administrations from both parties, and should be available if necessary in the future. Some justices seemed open to that argument, though others raised questions about whether the policy would allow people who entered the country illegally to apply for asylum while new arrivals seeking legal entry at the border could be blocked. The New York Times [3/25/2026 3:22 AM, Ann E. Marimow, 330K] reports a majority of Supreme Court justices seemed sympathetic on Tuesday to the idea that the Trump administration should be able to turn away asylum seekers along the U.S.-Mexico border. If the court backs the administration, it will allow President Trump to revive a policy first used in 2016, in which the government stopped asylum seekers from setting foot on U.S. soil, where federal law would entitle them to try to claim asylum and receive protection from persecution. Under federal law, any noncitizen who is “physically present in the United States” or “arrives in the United States” can apply for asylum. Migrants who announce their intention to do so are then referred for an interview to determine whether they have a credible fear of persecution. At issue in the case is whether noncitizens must fully cross the border to gain the right to apply for asylum or whether they must be allowed to apply if they merely appear at the border and seek entry. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has generally been receptive to the Trump administration’s assertions of presidential power, in a series of temporary orders that have allowed President Trump to implement his policies while litigation plays out in the lower courts. But last month the justices, including two of Mr. Trump’s nominees, invalidated his sweeping tariffs on imports from nearly every U.S. trading partner, in a rebuke of his signature economic policy. A key question for the justices in Tuesday’s asylum case, which will probably be decided in late June or early July, is what exactly it means to “arrive” in the country. The justices spent more than an hour on the case, much of it spent struggling to parse the difference between a person who “arrives in” the United States and one who is “arriving at” the border. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who are often in the majority, suggested that “arrives in” the U.S. means a person who has fully crossed the border — as the Trump administration has argued. “‘Arriving” sounds more ‘in the process of.’ ‘Arrives in’ sounds more like ‘you’ve reached your destination,’” Justice Barrett said. “If it’s not crossing the physical border, what is the magic thing?” she asked, as she explored at what point the court should decide that a person has arrived in the United States. President Barack Obama first began turning back some asylum seekers in 2016. The policy was dramatically expanded by President Trump during his first term before it was rescinded by the Biden administration in 2021. Lower courts have repeatedly invalidated the policy after immigrant rights advocates and several asylum seekers from Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico sued in 2017. Kelsi Corkran of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, who represented the migrants, told the justices on Tuesday that the policy was illegal and at odds with the nation’s long history of providing refuge to immigrants escaping persecution. The San Diego Union Tribune [3/24/2026 7:59 PM, Alex Riggins, 1257K] reports "Administrations of both parties, since 2016, have consistently said this is an important tool in the government’s toolbox for dealing with border surges when they occur," Assistant to the Solicitor General Vivek Suri told the court. "I can’t predict when the next border surge occurs, but I can say when it does occur, this is a tool that (the Department of Homeland Security) will want in its toolbox.” The case is centered on a policy in which immigration officers systematically blocked and turned away asylum seekers beginning in 2016 at ports of entry in San Diego and elsewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border when they deemed a port to be at capacity. The government describes it as "metering," but Al Otro Lado, the immigrant-assistance organization that filed the lawsuit challenging the practice, calls it an illegal turnback policy that violates both federal law and international treaty obligations. A San Diego federal judge and a three-judge panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals have agreed with Al Otro Lado, finding the policy unlawful. The Supreme Court last year accepted the Trump administration’s petition to hear the case, even as Al Otro Lado and others have alleged in new lawsuits that the administration has used other anti-immigration policies to make it nearly impossible for individuals to seek asylum. Kelsi Corkran, the Supreme Court director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, told the justices that systematically turning away asylum seekers should not be a tool available to the government because it is unlawful. "For decades, port officers followed the statutory procedures designated by Congress for inspecting and processing arriving asylum seekers — it was not until 2016 that the government asserted for the first time that it can wholly avoid these mandatory duties simply by blocking asylum seekers just as they are about to step over the port threshold," said Corkran, who was representing San Diego and Tijuana-based Al Otro Lado.

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Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 4:19 PM, Jack Birle, 1147K] reports Justice Brett Kavanaugh voiced concern over how the border "metering" policy at the center of Supreme Court arguments on Tuesday could give people who cross into the United States illegally an advantage over those who seek asylum at ports of entry. The justices heard arguments in Noem v. Al Otro Lado, a case that looks at whether an asylum-seeker at the border has arrived "in the United States" even if he or she is stopped on the Mexican side of the border. The case centers on the "metering" policy at the border to prevent migrant surges from overwhelming federal immigration officials, which was formalized by the first Trump administration but revoked by Biden administration and has yet to be reinstated. During arguments, Kavanaugh expressed concern over the dormant border policy, specifically over how it could give an advantage to those who enter the country through illegal means, rather than through a port of entry, to claim asylum. A ruling by the high court in Noem v. Al Otro Lado is expected by the end of June at the latest, when the current Supreme Court term concludes.

New York Times [3/24/2026 3:54 PM, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, 148038K] reports Costa Rica said on Monday it had agreed to take up to 25 deportees a week from the United States, as the Central American nation seeks a closer alliance with the Trump administration. The deal is part of President Trump’s efforts to find nations willing to take migrants who have been detained in the United States. Many of the people who have already been deported come from countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, where the U.S. authorities cannot easily send them back. Many migrants also can’t legally be returned to their home countries for fear of persecution or abuse. President Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica and Kristi Noem signed the deal, with Ms. Noem visiting the country as Mr. Trump’s special envoy for the Shield of the Americas coalition against drug trafficking, following her recent ouster as U.S. homeland security secretary. Mr. Chaves said the deal is voluntary and nonbinding, allowing Costa Rica to decide which deportees to accept or reject, including the choice of specific nationalities. Under the agreement, the U.S. government provides financial support and the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency, covers the costs of deportees’ housing and meals, the Costa Rican president’s office said in a statement.

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New York Times [3/24/2026 12:20 PM, Michael Gold, 148038K] reports less than 24 hours after President Trump threw cold water on their efforts to cut a deal with Democrats to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, Senate Republicans were intensifying their bid on Tuesday to find an offramp to the impasse amid staggeringly long lines at airports across the country. Under a plan they discussed on Monday night with Mr. Trump at the White House, Republicans would put forth a bill to fund all of the department except for parts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement involved in the administration’s deportation crackdown, according to multiple people familiar with the discussion. It was not clear what, if any, enforcement limits would be included in such a plan, or if Democrats, who have insisted on reining in federal immigration agents’ tactics, would go along with it if it omitted such restrictions. A spokesman for Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said he had made it clear to his members and to Republicans that only removing the ICE enforcement money without any other changes would not be enough to earn the support of his members. The proposal has not changed since the weekend, when Mr. Trump publicly rejected any spending deal and said he would not accept one unless the Senate delivered him the strict voter ID bill, paired with restrictions on transgender athletes and children, that the chamber is now considering. But several Republican senators closely aligned with Mr. Trump told him on Monday that they would work on a separate bill to address those issues and ICE funding, which they would seek to push through without Democratic support using a special process called budget reconciliation that is not subject to a filibuster, according to two of the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations. (Because Republicans gave ICE a vast windfall as part of Mr. Trump’s sweeping domestic policy law last year, the agency has continued to operate during the shutdown.) After the meeting, Senate Republicans sounded sanguine about the prospects of a deal. Asked by reporters if they had a solution to the weekslong standoff, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, one of those who met with Mr. Trump, said, “we do.” Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, which oversees spending bills, said that she had grown “more optimistic that by the end of the week we will fund the Department of Homeland Security.”

Wall Street Journal [3/24/2026 5:56 PM, Siobhan Hughes, Olivia Beavers, and Natalie Andrews, 646K] reports Senate Republicans offered Tuesday to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security except for the unit that carries out immigrant arrests and deportations, moving to end a nearly six-week funding standoff that has caused security snarls at airports nationwide. Democrats reacted coolly to the proposal, which didn’t include the new restrictions on immigration enforcement practices they have demanded, but said that they were engaged in negotiations. President Trump indicated he wasn’t pleased with the direction of the talks, muddying the prospects of a quick resolution. The back and forth came as lawmakers are facing increasing pressure to reach an agreement soon, with lines growing at airport checkpoints due to unpaid employees at the Transportation Security Administration skipping work. Members of both parties are working to make progress ahead of a self-imposed weekend deadline, when the Senate is set to go on Easter recess. “It’s really in the hands of the Democrats,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) told reporters. He indicated that Republicans wouldn’t offer changes Democrats wanted until they agreed to fully fund ICE, which like TSA and the Coast Guard operates under the DHS umbrella. “If they want to have a conversation about some of the reform ideas, that would be contingent upon actually providing funding for ICE,” Thune said. “We need strong, strong reforms, and we need to rein in ICE,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), who said Democrats were preparing a counteroffer that includes demands for changes to immigration practices. “I think we’re getting close,” said Sen. Angus King (I., Maine), who caucuses with Democrats. “Hopefully we’re getting a resolution.” Republicans’ offer would fund all of DHS for fiscal 2026 except for the $5.4 billion for the arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that handles immigrant arrests and deportations, according to people familiar with the matter. However, the proposal doesn’t address Democratic demands, such as requiring judicial warrants for agents to forcibly enter homes and a prohibition on the use of masks by immigration agents. The White House, meanwhile, has sent mixed signals. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump indicated he wasn’t sold. “I guess they’re getting fairly close, but I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it,” he said.

New York Times [3/25/2026 3:22 AM, Michael Gold, 330K] reports that, less than 24 hours after President Trump threw cold water on their efforts to cut a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, Senate Republicans intensified their bid on Tuesday to find an offramp to the impasse amid staggeringly long lines at airports across the country. Under a proposal that Republicans sent to Democrats on Tuesday afternoon, Congress would fund all of the department except for parts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement involved in the administration’s deportation crackdown, according to multiple people familiar with the plan. Several Democrats quickly criticized Republicans’ offer, saying it failed to include any of the limits that they demanded to rein in federal immigration enforcement agents, including narrow changes that the White House had already signaled it would support. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said that negotiations would continue. “We’ll be sending them an offer back,” he said. “And I can assure you, it will contain significant reforms in it.” Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, said that the Republicans’ proposal would fund 94 percent of the Department of Homeland Security. But he suggested that Democrats could not expect to attach the limits they have demanded, which include barring immigration agents from wearing masks and requiring that they seek judicial warrants to enter private homes and businesses, if they continued to refuse to fund ICE’s immigration enforcement operations. “If you’re not going to have funding, I don’t know how all of a sudden now you can demand reforms,” Mr. Thune said. The proposal has not changed since the weekend, when Mr. Trump publicly rejected any spending deal and said he would not accept one unless the Senate delivered him the strict voter ID bill, paired with restrictions on transgender athletes and children, that the chamber is now considering. And at the White House on Tuesday, Mr. Trump did not endorse the idea, saying that he wanted to take a “good, hard look” at the deal and “support Republicans,” but sounding cool to any compromise with Democrats. “Any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it,” the president said of the Republican Party.

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Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 4:48 PM, Rachel Schilke, 1147K] reports members of both parties are rejecting a proposed deal struck between Senate Republicans and the White House to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, except for deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Senate Democrats came out against the proposal on Tuesday afternoon and are drafting a counterproposal to send to Republicans. House conservatives came out against the deal before it was even announced, signaling the difficulty Republican leadership in both chambers could face to end the monthlong DHS shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said during a press conference on Tuesday that there needs to be "reform" to ICE included in any DHS deal to end the shutdown. The Hill [3/24/2026 5:47 PM, Mike Lillis, Emily Brooks and Sudiksha Kochi, 18170K] reports House Republicans are pushing back stiffly against the idea of splitting up legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), despite the White House and Senate Republicans saying President Trump is open to doing just that. For weeks, GOP leaders have rejected the idea of funding most of the DHS, including airport screeners and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), while delaying spending on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as lawmakers negotiate reforms. Republicans have warned that withholding funding for immigration enforcement would “defund the police” and risk national security. On Monday, however, Trump signaled a willingness to GOP senators to carve out funding for some ICE enforcement and put it on a different track. The idea sparked protests from a number of House Republicans — leaders and rank-and-file alike — who quickly threw cold water on the strategy. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters that it’s not his “preference” to push a DHS funding bill that doesn’t include funding for ICE. Trump’s new willingness to split the DHS bill, which came during a White House meeting with Senate Republicans on Monday night, caught House Republicans off guard, undermining their warnings about heightened threats amid the shutdown and forcing them to recalibrate their position in the debate. It also confronted Republicans with a tough choice: They can stick with their initial demands for full ICE funding, in which case they risk a clash with Trump. Or they can back a two-part plan and risk losing those funds altogether if Congress can’t complete the onerous and lengthy process to pass a second reconciliation bill this year. While no deal has been finalized, Senate Republicans say they used Monday’s White House meeting to pitch the president on a plan to seek Democratic help to fund most of the DHS — minus funding for ICE removal operations — while moving the ICE enforcement money separately through the partisan budget reconciliation process. The senators also want to move the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, which mandates voter IDs and other new election guidelines, as part of the same reconciliation package. The Hill [3/24/2026 3:41 PM, Alexander Bolton, 18170K] reports Senate Democrats on Tuesday rejected a new proposal from Senate Republicans endorsed by President Trump to fund almost all of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) while setting aside some funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end the partial government shutdown that has now stretched to 39 days. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday that Democrats would submit a counteroffer to Republicans and declared that his party will still insist on reforms to “rein in” ICE — demands that Republicans have repeatedly rebuffed. He said the latest Republican proposal “does not have any reforms in ICE,” though he said negotiations are ongoing. Senate Republicans submitted text to Democrats on Tuesday morning to fund most of DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), while setting aside funding for ICE’s emergency removal operations — which accounts for more than half of ICE’s budget. But she said the talks have been made more difficult by Trump “making new and unreasonable demands over social media,” referring to Trump’s demand that the Senate pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act before he agrees to a Homeland Security funding deal.

Washington Post [3/24/2026 5:25 PM, Theodoric Meyer, Isaac Arnsdorf, and Riley Beggin, 24826K] reports that Senate Republicans sent Democrats a new proposal Tuesday to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has led to long lines at airport security in recent days and has forced many of the agency’s employees to go without pay for more than a month. The proposal would fund DHS except for the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement charged with arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants, according to three people familiar the plan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. But President Donald Trump did not commit to the potential compromise even though several Republican senators pitched him on it Monday evening at the White House. “I don’t want to comment until I see the deal, but as you know, they’re negotiating a deal,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office. “I guess they’re getting fairly close. But I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it.” On Sunday, Trump wrote on social media that Republicans should not “make any deal” with Democrats until they support the voting bill known as the Save America Act, which Senate Democrats unanimously oppose. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said Democrats could not accept any deal that does not include new restrictions that the party demanded after federal immigration agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota. Democrats will send Republicans a counteroffer, Schumer said. “Every Democrat in my caucus has been consistent all along: We have to rein in ICE and stop the violence,” Schumer told reporters. “We need reform.”

The Hill [3/24/2026 10:02 AM, Alexander Bolton, 18170K] reports Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), one of President Trump’s strongest allies on Capitol Hill, is bashing a proposal that some GOP colleagues are floating to reopen the Department of Homeland Security by funding emergency removal operations through a budget reconciliation package as a “pipe dream.” Scott says the proposal presented to Trump by Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and other GOP senators to break up funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to get Democrats to agree to a deal to fund the rest of the Department of Homeland Security “doesn’t make any sense.” “Democrats took this opportunity to shut down government because they don’t want to provide amnesty to illegals. I don’t agree with that. Why would you just fund a part of government, especially when they don’t want to fund the part that protects Americans from illegal aliens that are committing crimes. We’ve lost people like Laken Riley,” Scott told CNBC’s Joe Kernen in an interview. “This idea that they’ll get funded through a reconciliation package is a pipe dream. We’re not going to get a reconciliation package done,” Scott said. Another key element of the deal presented to Trump at a two-hour meeting at the White House Monday is a pledge to pass elements of the SAVE America Act, a voting reform bill, under budget reconciliation bill as well. But Scott and other conservative proponents of SAVE America are highly skeptical that the bill to require people to show documented proof of citizenship when registering to vote can survive a procedural review by the Senate parliamentarian, a process called the “Byrd Bath.” Scott says the proposed deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security does “nothing to secure elections.” President Trump on Sunday said he would not accept any deal with Democrats to reopen the Department of Homeland Security until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, which he says is critical to Republicans’ future election prospects.

The Hill [3/24/2026 5:31 PM, Sudiksha Kochi, 18170K] reports Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Tuesday that it’s not his “preference” to split apart a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, amid a new proposal from Senate Republicans to fund immigration removal operations through the budget reconciliation process. The potential deal would fund most of DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) emergency removal operations, which account for more than half of the agency’s budget. Senate Republicans are planning to fund that and select provisions of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act through a reconciliation bill. But Johnson threw cold water at the idea of splitting apart a DHS bill. The House had twice passed measures to fully fund DHS, which had been repeatedly shot down by Senate Democrats. The House is scheduled to bring up a similar measure for a third time this week. The White House said that Trump was on board with the Senate GOP proposal. But Trump, when asked about it on Tuesday, did not commit to backing it.

ABC News [3/24/2026 3:01 PM, Lalee Ibssa, et al., 34146K] reports as Senate Republicans on Tuesday scrambled to strike a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid the agency’s partial shutdown, President Donald Trump said he would not be happy with any deal they hammered out, remaining noncommittal on if he would sign anything. Senate Democrats aren’t committing to supporting the GOP proposal, either. "Well, I don’t want to comment until I see the deal, but as you know, they’re negotiating a deal. I guess they’re getting fairly close. But I think any deal they make, I’m -- I’m pretty much not happy with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He was asked if he would support a deal garnering Republican support that would fund everything in DHS except Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. When asked if he would be "comfortable with a deal that involves separating ICE funding from the DHS funding package" to reopen the agency, Trump deflected and said a deal was being worked on. “Well, they’re working on all of that. You know, that’s a detail that they’ll explain later,” Trump said, as the department’s shutdown stretches into its 39th day. This comes despite a White House official saying earlier Tuesday that "conversations are ongoing but this deal seems to be acceptable." Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier Tuesday that Republicans were moving ahead in the Senate with a proposal to fund DHS -- except for immigration enforcement operations -- for the rest of the fiscal year. "It’s basically the discussion that’s been held for the last couple days. I think the offer originally with the Democrats, and that is to fund 94% of the DHS budget, the $5.5 billion that was, as part of the ICE budget, that was pre-funded by reconciliation, would not be included in this deal,” Thune explained to reporters.

Reported similarly:
Washington Times [3/24/2026 3:51 PM, Jeff Mordock and Lindsey McPherson, 1323K]

CBS News [3/24/2026 8:44 PM, Jack Fink, 51110K] Video: HERE reports Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday he is optimistic about a potential deal to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, now the second-longest in history. In an interview with CBS News Texas on Tuesday afternoon, Cornyn said, "It’s encouraging. With the president’s approval, we are proceeding to talk to Democrats about funding all of the Department of Homeland Security, except for ICE." Senate Republicans have offered Democrats a bill that would fund all DHS agencies, including TSA and FEMA. A deal would pave the way for TSA officers to receive back pay and resume regular paychecks. The Department of Homeland Security says 450 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began Feb. 14. Other officers have called out, leading to long lines at some airports, including Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports in Houston. Both parties continue to blame each other.

NewsMax [3/24/2026 10:40 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., signaled Monday that Republicans are turning to budget reconciliation as a key tool to end the Democrats’ partial government shutdown. "It only took a five-week shutdown," but GOP "reconciliation dreams have new life," Thune said in remarks reported by Politico, underscoring a renewed push to pass a party-line bill focused on immigration enforcement. "If we end up going down that route, we’ll try and make the most of the opportunity," Thune added, in what marks a notable shift after previously downplaying prospects for a second reconciliation package this Congress. The change comes after a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and top Senate Republicans, where lawmakers pitched a two-track strategy: Reopen the Department of Homeland Security immediately while advancing enforcement funding and election integrity measures through reconciliation. According to Politico, the proposed reconciliation package would prioritize funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and potentially include elements of the SAVE America Act, a key Trump-backed initiative requiring voter ID and citizenship verification.

Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 3:52 PM, David Sivak, 1147K] reports Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is running into early resistance to passing elements of the SAVE America Act through reconciliation, a party-line budget process that will require near-unanimity among Republicans in both the House and the Senate. On Monday evening, Trump backed off his demand that the voter ID legislation be passed alongside funding for the Department of Homeland Security, a tall order given near universal opposition from Democrats. But the concession — that Republicans would embark on a monthslong process to pass a narrow version of the bill through reconciliation — has frustrated Republicans who believe the process would doom the legislation, or at a minimum is not a good use of the Senate’s time. Republicans appear to be closer than ever to ending a monthlong shutdown at DHS, handing Democrats a symbolic win by agreeing to exclude $5 billion earmarked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal operations. Instead, that money would be lumped together with the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act provisions Republicans may pursue through reconciliation. There are serious doubts that either priority can get through the Senate with just Republican votes, however, and conservatives don’t want to see deportations go unfunded.

Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 7:58 PM, David Sivak, 1147K] reports Senate Republicans are moving "full steam ahead" on budget reconciliation, a major shift in strategy that opens the door for an election overhaul and other GOP priorities demanded by President Donald Trump. Republican members of the Senate Budget Committee left a Tuesday evening meeting announcing that they would use the party-line budget process for the second time since Trump returned to the White House. The meeting was preliminary and left open-ended exactly what will make it into the bill, but the decision breathes new life into passing a version of the SAVE America Act alongside funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Republicans have also discussed using reconciliation to fund the war in Iran. "We’re going to move," Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday, telling reporters that Senate Republicans would make a "down payment" on Trump’s election bill, which requires voter ID at the polls and proof of citizenship when registering to vote. "It won’t be the Big Beautiful Bill — it’s going to be focused on protecting our homeland and helping our troops at home and abroad," Graham said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) left some wiggle room for Senate Republicans, telling the Washington Examiner that he would need to make sure there are enough votes "if" they decide to move ahead. But he acknowledged "discussions are picking up" and that if Graham drafts a blueprint for the legislation, it would "be with a lot of input from members of the conference, and something that I think we would be confident we could support on the floor.” Thune made the comments after meeting with Graham, who is responsible for orchestrating the first steps of reconciliation as committee chairman. Thune was previously noncommittal about using the process, given the complexity of ushering it across the floor, but Senate Republicans floated the option to Trump earlier this week to win his support for DHS funding.

NewsMax [3/24/2026 11:09 AM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports a strong Senate ally of President Donald Trump said the idea of using reconciliation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and include SAVE America Act provisions is "a pipe dream.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., sharply criticized a GOP-backed proposal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by funding most of the agency while delaying full ICE funding to a future budget reconciliation bill. "This doesn’t make any sense to me," Scott said in an interview on CNBC, arguing that Democrats have exploited the shutdown to push for policies that weaken immigration enforcement. "Why would you just fund a part of government, especially … the part that protects Americans from illegal aliens that are committing crimes?" According to The Hill, Scott has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of the plan discussed by Senate Republicans and the White House, which would separate ICE funding from broader DHS operations to win Democrat support.

Daily Caller [3/24/2026 8:54 PM, Mariane Angela, 803K] reports Border czar Tom Homan questioned Democrats on Tuesday about their opposition to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and their stance on election security and immigration enforcement. Republicans back the SAVE America Act’s nationwide voter ID rules, while Democrats oppose the measure, calling it discriminatory. Appearing on "The Charlie Kirk Show," Homan blasted Democrats’ rhetoric on voter access and immigration enforcement, saying their stance is inconsistent. "Are illegal aliens voting? I mean, bottom line is, what are they afraid of? And they say illegal aliens don’t vote. Well, look, part of DHS’s job is secure elections, and I’m not gonna say what our plan is going forward, but if only U.S. citizens can vote, I don’t see the issue, what they’re concerned about," Homan said. "They ought to be concerned about the safety and security of this nation. And why is the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] not funded? That’s what they need to explain.” Homan blamed years of lax immigration enforcement for the surge of illegal crossings at the southern border. "They can get angry at ICE all they want. You gotta remember, they set the stage, right? They baked this pie, right? They, four years of open borders, four years of no immigration enforcement. We had historic illegal immigration on the southern border. They knew it, and the members of Congress stood silent. They’re complicit. They didn’t do anything to [former DHS] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas when he said under oath that the border’s secure, so they’re to blame for this," Homan said. "And what ICE is simply doing is responding to four years of open borders and historic illegal immigration on the border that brought millions upon millions of people to the border and released in the United States. That requires an historic deportation operation.”

USA Today [3/24/2026 6:08 PM, Zachary Schermele, 70643K] reports as negotiations ramp up on Capitol Hill to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Democrats seem to be clinging to a particular word: reforms. It was a term party leaders used in the context of Immigration and Customs Enforcement nearly two dozen times during a March 24 news conference. The refrain threw cold water on a new GOP compromise to fund the critical agency — minus ICE’s enforcement and removal operations — and end a crisis that has upended air travel across the country. After a group of Senate Republicans got President Donald Trump on board with stripping out some pieces of ICE funding from a must-pass appropriations bill, a nascent sense of optimism set in overnight. For the first time in nearly six weeks, lawmakers started to suggest the shutdown could come to an end before or shortly after they’re scheduled to go on a two-week Easter recess. Twenty-four hours later, those hopes seemed less certain. Senate Democrats emerged from a weekly caucus meeting seemingly uniformly dissatisfied with legislative text offered by the GOP. Amid the disagreement, Transportation Security Administration employees have continued to work without pay with many quitting or opting not to show up, jeopardizing airport security nationwide. Both sides of the aisle are feeling the pressure to fix a crisis that’s intimately affecting many Americans. Yet even Republicans aren’t fully on board with the deal leaders in their own party negotiated. As part of the tentative agreement, GOP lawmakers told Trump they’d attempt to pass elements of the SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill the president has called his top legislative priority ahead of the midterms, through a budgetary process later this year known as reconciliation. That tactic faces a considerably uphill battle, though.

CBS News [3/24/2026 9:02 PM, Zachary Bynum, 51110K] reports as a partial federal shutdown stretches into its sixth week, Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock says Transportation Security Administration workers need to get paid, warning the ongoing stalemate is putting both workers and travelers at risk. In a newly released video message, Warnock called on lawmakers to act immediately, saying TSA officers — who continue to report to work without pay — deserve better. "Stop playing the games. Pay TSA workers now. They deserve better," Warnock said. The shutdown, tied to a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security, has now dragged on for more than a month, leaving thousands of federal employees, including TSA agents, working without pay. Warnock says he has voted multiple times to support legislation that would guarantee pay for federal workers during shutdowns. Just last week, he attempted to force a vote on TSA pay on the Senate floor, but he says those efforts were blocked by Republican lawmakers. "Everybody agrees that we ought to fund the TSA workers," Warnock said in the video. "They don’t ask us are we Democrats or Republicans. They keep us safe every single day.” The Georgia Democrat also pointed to what he described as bipartisan efforts over the past year to ensure federal workers are compensated during funding gaps, noting he has even broken with members of his own party at times to support those measures. But so far, no agreement has been reached.

CBS News [3/24/2026 10:13 PM, Arden Farhi, Olivia Rinaldi and Allyson Ross Taylor51110K] reports early this week, Senate Republicans and the president appeared to be edging closer to a framework to ending the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which is now in its second month — but a breakthrough has remained out of reach. CBS News contacted all 532 House and Senate offices (there are three House vacancies) about the DHS funding impasse and asked what lawmakers are doing to end the shutdown. How would they restore DHS funding? What’s their message to Americans waiting in hourslong airport security lines? And what do they have to say to unpaid TSA workers who are about to miss their second full paycheck Friday? Twenty Senate offices responded substantively to CBS News’s inquiries. Republicans blamed Democrats for blocking efforts to fully fund DHS. The House of Representatives has twice passed such a bill with a handful of Democrats signing on, but in the Senate, Democrats have held up the bill over demands for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reforms after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in January. "It makes me angry. The Department of Homeland Security has now been shut down for over a month. And it’s important to understand that it’s Senate Democrats doing this," said Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi. Some Democratic lawmakers have pushed to separate out ICE and CBP funding and vote to open the rest of the department. On Tuesday, Senate Republican leaders floated a version of that idea, proposing to fund every component of DHS except for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit, which is flush with cash in spite of the shutdown because of funding that was separately passed by Congress last summer. Several lawmakers expressed gratitude for the unpaid TSA workers.

CBS News [3/24/2026 11:12 AM, Staff, 51110K] Video: HERE reports TSA lines continue to grow longer at airports across the country, and lawmakers are facing anger from travellers who want the partial government shutdown to end. CBS News’ Skyler Henry and Taurean Small report.

(B) WJLA 24/7 News ON YOUR SIDE at 3 [3/24/2026 3:00 PM, Staff]
There may be some movement on Capitol Hill today toward ending the partial government shutdown. Long lines and delays continue at airports all over the country as more TSA workers are calling out and lawmakers are getting more pressure to make a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security. President Trump deployed ICE agents to at least 14 airports with TSA officers calling out from work as they go another week without a paycheck. The union representing the TSA workers who are trained to screen passengers and baggage say this is not the answer. Senators say they could be close to making a deal to fund DHS and end the shutdown though nothing is on paper yet.

Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 5:06 PM, Anna Giaritelli, 1147K] reports approximately 100,000 employees across the Department of Homeland Security have not been paid for time worked during the 39-day partial government shutdown, according to the department. Roughly 38% of employees across the 260,000-person department have not received a full paycheck since the shutdown began in February. ICE’s more than 20,000 employees continue to be paid during the shutdown due to the historically high funding that Congress provided the agency separately last summer. In addition, Customs and Border Protection’s 67,000 employees are being paid, as well as the Secret Service’s 8,000 personnel. Employees from the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, DHS offices, and others remain unpaid. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was officially sworn in as DHS secretary on Tuesday, succeeding former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Mullin said in a statement that his focus would be on reinstating full funding for the department. "My first priority is to get the Department funded so the incredible patriots that support our 22 critical agencies receive a paycheck and can continue their critical work of keeping our nation safe," Mullin said. "DHS is bigger than any political party. It’s time to end the partisan bickering that threatens our national security and put the American people first."

NewsMax [3/24/2026 5:39 PM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K] reports Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced he has asked the Senate’s financial clerk to withhold his salary for the duration of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, arguing that members of Congress should not continue receiving pay while front-line federal workers go without. The move comes as the partial government shutdown, limited to DHS, drags on following a breakdown in negotiations over the agency’s funding. The shutdown has had visible consequences, particularly for the Transportation Security Administration, whose officers are working without pay. Reports of longer airport security lines and staffing shortages have raised concerns about travel disruptions and national security readiness. Cruz has been outspoken about those impacts, warning that the funding lapse is placing unnecessary strain on essential personnel. He has also suggested breaking the deadlock by funding certain DHS components — such as border enforcement agencies — separately, a proposal that reflects growing Republican frustration with the negotiations. While Cruz’s decision to forgo his salary is largely symbolic, it underscores a broader argument among Republicans that lawmakers should share in the financial burden faced by federal workers during a shutdown.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [3/24/2026 5:58 PM, Sarah Davis, 18170K]

Reuters [3/24/2026 4:12 PM, David Shepardson, 38315K] reports Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego ​on Tuesday ‌introduced legislation to give more ​than 100,000 ​Homeland Security Department employees ⁠a 10% ​bonus for ​time worked without pay since a ​partial government ​shutdown began in mid-February. DHS ‌workers -- ⁠including 50,000 Transportation Security Administration airport security ​officers -- ​are ⁠set to miss their ​second ​full ⁠paycheck on Friday if the ⁠standoff ​continues.

FOX News [3/24/2026 10:47 AM, Staff, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, discusses ongoing negotiations on Capitol Hill to fund DHS and predicts when a deal could be reached on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

Daily Signal [3/24/2026 9:07 AM, Virginia Allen, 474K] reports Mobile billboards are being deployed Tuesday morning at the three Washington, D.C.-area airports amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown that has led to long security lines at airports across the nation. "You’re waiting in line because millions skipped it. Tell Chuck Schumer: Fund DHS," the billboard reads, referring to the millions of illegal aliens that Customs and Border Protection reports entered the United States during the Biden administration. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is the Senate Minority Leader. The billboard includes a number and a QR code to call Schumer’s office. Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on DHS funding last month, sending the department into a partial shutdown starting Feb. 14. Many DHS employees, including Transportation Security Administration workers, are not being paid during the shutdown.

AP [3/24/2026 5:36 PM, Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti] reports travel disruptions deepened Tuesday as senators raced to clinch an emerging proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown by funding much of the department, including airport workers going without pay, but excluding immigration enforcement and deportation operations that have been core to the dispute. The sudden sense of urgency comes as U.S. airports are snarled by long security lines, with travelers being told to arrive hours before their flights in Houston, Atlanta and Baltimore/Washington International. Routine Department of Homeland Security funding was halted in mid-February ahead of the busy spring travel season. Nearly 11% of Transportation Security Administration workers who were scheduled to report for duty Monday — more than 3,200 — missed work, and at least 458 have quit altogether since the shutdown began, according to Homeland Security. A potential breakthrough came after a group of Republican senators met at the White House with President Trump late Monday, after he upended talks and deployed federal immigration officers at some airport security checkpoints — a move some lawmakers warned could lead to heightened tensions. Democrats were taking a more cautionary approach as they scrutinized the deal, but Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that after Trump’s "temper tantrum" eased, it appears "things are getting back on track." But Trump himself was noncommittal: "I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it." Airport conditions have become increasingly unpredictable with swelling crowds seen in major hubs. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were spotted in terminals, including at Philadelphia International Airport, where a protester was seen at one of the checkpoints holding a sign criticizing ICE. Next steps in Congress could happen quickly if lawmakers can reach agreement, or sputter out just as fast. The contours of the deal under consideration would fund most of Homeland Security, but not one main part of ICE — the enforcement and removal operations that are core to Trump’s deportation agenda.

Wall Street Journal [3/24/2026 6:59 PM, Damian Paletta, 646K] reports traveling was already stressful enough. When checkpoints feel like chokepoints, well, Americans can only handle so much. If you are rage-reading this in a TSA line, here’s the back story: Congress missed a Feb. 13 deadline to fund DHS and TSA (that was two weeks before President Trump struck Iran, so, the equivalent of 3,000 Washington news cycles). The standoff was related to ICE and had nothing to do with TSA, but they are both parts of DHS. So TSA employees have now missed multiple paychecks, and many have decided to either quit or call in sick. Add in that it’s spring break for millions of stir-crazy Americans, and a number of airports are struggling. Really struggling. In Washington, when there is a seemingly unsolvable mess, the best bet is to look for the offramps. What outcome might give both sides (in this case, Republicans and Democrats) a way to claim victory but make the problem “go away”? That’s not so easy today. Republicans presented Trump with a proposal over the weekend to fund TSA and other programs, but he rejected it. He wants TSA money packaged with a separate bill related to election rules, among other things. However, Senate negotiators said late Monday they were finally nearing a deal, though much could yet go wrong. Things can happen fast in Washington, and the tragic collision between a plane and firetruck Sunday night at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport might jolt political leaders into action. It’s also unclear what the arrival of ICE agents at airports will mean for the politics of the moment. Still, the chaos and confusion swirling around American airports this week could lead to a real populist backlash against Washington. Just months ahead of the midterms.

CBS News [3/24/2026 12:06 PM, Nicole Sganga, 51110K] reports travelers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport are standing for hours in security lines that may cause more risks for travelers — amid a DHS funding fight that’s resulted in TSA staff shortages at major U.S. airports. The disarray was on full display Tuesday as our CBS News team stood in a screening line. After two hours in the TSA line, we emerged from a basement subway corridor after walking past three different terminals. Late Tuesday morning, in Terminal E, the line extends three stories, including outside the airport terminal where lines are sneaking around the drop-off stations for buses. Lines to clear security in Terminal A stretched across three levels and wrapped around three terminals in the subway corridor at the basement level, an area with no access to food, water, working air conditioning or restrooms — and limited cell service. From there, the line wound up escalators to baggage claim, then looped up a second set of escalators, finally surfacing at the third-floor ticketing area. Passengers described wait times of five hours, with nearly everyone around me missing their flights, resigned to just rebooking on the other side of the security lines. Overhead announcements periodically advised those with departures within four hours to consider rebooking now. The human toll was visible: families with young children, crying infants and pets confined to carriers stood packed into slow-moving lines. For now, operations remain strained, with no immediate resolution in sight. The Senate may be closing in on a deal that would fund the Department of Homeland Security — except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and end the six-week partial government shutdown. Some senators expressed hope that the impasse could be resolved by the end of the week. Although ICE is part of DHS, it has already been funded separately through 2029 by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 5:19 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2238K] reports many travelers are grateful for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers assisting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as Congress fails to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Videos across social media show ICE agents assisting with crowd control and in other ways, such as handing out bottles of water to weary travelers amid the ongoing partial government shutdown. Several other videos show "almost no lines" at a checkpoint in Atlanta, one day after ICE agents were deployed to over a dozen airports across the country. Trump border czar Tom Homan confirmed on Sunday that ICE agents would be deployed to assist amid TSA worker call-outs. Various reports show that the plan seems to be working, with significantly shorter lines at key airports across the country. On Monday, TSA worker call-outs exceeded 3,200 nationwide, comprising 10.93 percent of the workforce.

ABC News [3/24/2026 11:39 AM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE reports former DHS assistant secretary Elizabeth Neumann discusses how Senator Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation as the new DHS secretary could push for a deal for ending the partial government shutdown.

FOXBusiness [3/24/2026 11:46 AM, Staff, 7946K] Video: HERE reports Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to defend ICE presence at Atlanta’s airport as TSA staffing shortages trigger long delays and nationwide travel disruptions.

ABC News [3/24/2026 4:30 PM, Bill Hutchinson, 34146K] reports travel upheaval continued at some of the nation’s airports on Tuesday as people were forced to navigate long security lines despite President Donald Trump deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to help cut down on wait times. One of the longest security waits on Tuesday was at Bush International Airport in Houston, where travelers stood in a line stretching from the airport subway to the security check-in gates, according to ABC Houston station KTRK. As of 11 a.m. local time in Houston, the wait time to get through security was estimated to exceed four hours, according to an advisory posted on the Houston Airport System’s website. The airport disruption in Houston even delayed a member of the National Transportation Safety Board team who was flying to New York’s LaGuardia Airport to investigate Sunday night’s deadly crash between an Air Canada jet and a Port Authority fire truck, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference on Tuesday. Airport security lines are growing nationwide as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, who haven’t received a paycheck for over three weeks, continue to call in sick or quit amid a partial government shutdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The TSA reported that about 40% of its workers at Bush airport, whose duties include staffing security lines and running X-ray machines and magnetometers, called out sick on Monday. Houston’s other airport, William P. Hobby Airport, reported that about 40% of TSA personnel called out sick on Monday, according to the TSA. Across the nation, more than 3,200 TSA officers called out sick on Monday, according to data released by the agency on Tuesday. The numbers weren’t as high as Sunday, when 11.76% of the TSA officers scheduled to work called out sick. In a statement on Tuesday, Lauren Bis, the DHS acting assistant secretary for public affairs, said the partial government shutdown over DHS funding has caused "more than 450 TSA officers to quit and thousands have called out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent." Over the weekend, Trump announced he would deploy ICE agents to at least 14 of the nation’s busiest airports to assist TSA workers coping with long security lines. Those agents began showing up at airports on Monday. The White House’s border czar, Tom Homan, told ABC News on Monday that the agents will be directed by the TSA administrator on how they will best be used to "plug holes in security." Both Homan and Trump said the agents will still be responsible for enforcing immigration laws if they come across violations or spot people in the country illegally while at the airports. Trump said on Monday that if the help from ICE isn’t enough, he’ll deploy the National Guard to airports.

USA Today [3/25/2026 3:01 AM, Nathan Diller, 70643K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were deployed to airports across the country this week, aiming to alleviate long security lines amid a partial government shutdown. Transportation Security Administration worker absences reached their highest levels over the weekend since the shutdown began in mid-February, and the White House said on March 22 that more than 400 officers had quit. ICE was sent to more than a dozen airports, including major travel hubs like New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), CNN reported. DHS Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Lauren Bis, declined to confirm to USA TODAY where ICE agents had been deployed, citing "operational security reasons." However, some have raised concerns about ICE officers’ qualifications. TSA officers – who have been going without regular pay – receive specialized training and their duties differ significantly from those of ICE employees. Here’s what it would take for ICE officers to perform TSA duties. TSOs, or transportation security officers, who operate screening equipment to scan for dangerous objects, perform searches, control terminal entry points and exits and other duties, undergo in-depth training. “What I want people to truly understand is that it takes a long time to become a TSA officer,” Caleb Harmon-Marshall, founder of the Gate Access newsletter and who worked as a TSO for eight years, told USA TODAY. He estimated it took him between five and six months to become certified, which included training at a facility near Miami International Airport (MIA) and on-the-job training with an experienced TSO. “So you work with them for a few weeks, and then you take several extensive tests to make sure you are certified on every single function,” he said, from the X-ray machine to pat downs. While Harmon-Marshall, who spent most of his TSA career at ATL, noted that “aviation security is completely different than what ICE does.” “TSA officers are specifically looking for prohibited items,” he said. “They’re looking for knives, guns, bullets, anything that could cause harm, and that takes a skilled eye to do that,” Harmon-Marshall recalled that he became so proficient on the X-ray that he could tell the difference between MacBook and HP laptops. ICE recruits undergo their own preparations, including “56 days of training and an average of 28 days of on-the-job training,” according to a February news release from DHS. “Just as a 10,000-foot view, one is trained in law enforcement, and the other is not, and then one has a firearm and one does not,” said Cathy Creighton, director of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab. “So, those are quite different kinds of training.” The culture of ICE is also “very aggressive,” according to Creighton. “And that’s not what a regular civilian going to the airport for business or leisure travel is expecting to encounter,” she said. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

The Hill [3/24/2026 1:11 PM, Max Rego, 18170K] reports that at least one Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer believes President Trump’s decision to deploy federal immigration officers to airports nationwide to assist with security is not a legitimate solution to lengthy wait times. Angela Grana, a TSA officer and union leader from Colorado, on Monday told Fox News’s “America Reports” that having an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence at airports is “just a distraction, they’re not a solution.” “The real solution is for Congress to get together and decide to get us paid,” she continued. “That’s an incentive to keep us at work, is to get us paid.” ICE officers arrived at multiple airports around the country on Monday. Since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown began on Feb. 14, more than 400 TSA officers have quit, and call-out rates have significantly increased — leading to lengthy wait times at airports across the country. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, for instance, it takes an estimated four hours to get through security checkpoints at Terminal A South and Terminal E, the only checkpoints currently open there. White House border czar Tom Homan, who is overseeing the deployment of ICE officers to airports, has said in multiple interviews since Sunday that the additional personnel will not directly assist with security screenings, but instead will relieve TSA officers from other areas, such as entry and exit lanes to security checkpoints. Homan also told Fox News’s “Hannity” on Monday that ICE officers will make arrests at airports.

New York Times [3/24/2026 5:36 PM, Karoun Demirjian, 148038K] reports leaders of a union representing Transportation Safety Administration workers blasted the Trump administration’s deployment of immigration enforcement agents to airports, which the government claims will help alleviate long security lines but the union calls a pointless distraction. “No way ICE can guarantee safety of the passengers,” Hydrick Thomas, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees T.S.A. Council 100 union, told reporters at a news conference, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “All ICE is doing is just getting in the way.” The Trump administration began stationing ICE officials at airports around the country on Monday, ostensibly to back up T.S.A. officials, who have been working without pay for the last 39 days amid a partial government shutdown. At many airports, missed paychecks have led to increased absences among T.S.A. workers, as they seek other sources of income. Those absences, in turn, have led to long security lines. But ICE has not been much help, union leaders said. President Trump declared over the weekend that agents would not just seek to help T.S.A. officers, but would arrest illegal immigrants, though he later said that wasn’t their main purpose there and they should not wear masks. Union officials representing T.S.A. workers said that complicates their jobs. Mr. Thomas told reporters that the ICE personnel being deployed to most airports had not been trained in T.S.A. functions and could not help with screening passengers. Others complained that putting ICE officials, who have been paid through the shutdown, in proximity to T.S.A. workers, who have not, was an added source of tension.

The Hill [3/24/2026 10:58 AM, Max Rego, 18170K] reports White House border czar Tom Homan said Monday that federal immigration officers will make arrests at airports, where they are assisting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. “We’re going to arrest criminals going through the airport. We’re going to look for human trafficking, sex trafficking, money smuggling. We’re going to be at the airports, working with our brothers and sisters from TSA,” he said on Fox News’s “Hannity.” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers began assisting TSA officers, who are working without pay, at multiple airports around the country Monday. More than 400 TSA officers have quit the force since the Department of Homeland Security shut down on Feb. 14, while call-out rates have skyrocketed. That has resulted in lengthy wait times at airports nationwide. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, for instance, it takes an estimated four hours to get through the security checkpoint at Terminal A South and four-and-a-half hours to get through the checkpoint at Terminal E. In multiple interviews since Sunday, Homan has said that federal immigration officers will not directly assist with security screenings, but instead will relieve TSA officers from other areas, such as entry and exit lanes to security checkpoints.

NewsMax [3/24/2026 4:16 PM, Brian Freeman, 3760K] reports white House border czar Tom Homan told SiriusXM’s "Cuomo Mornings" that he expects protests at major airports as officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement are deployed to assist with security operations. When asked whether he is anticipating and preparing for protests, Homan replied, "Oh, I’m sure there will be." He added that "in the bigger cities, where there’s been issues in the past, I expect there’s going to be protests outside the airport. But again, ICE officers, they’re there to support TSA who’s overwhelmed." Homan said, "We want to start this out low-key and without fanfare … because what’s going to happen is we have massive protesters out there." ICE and Homeland Security Investigations officers are being deployed to more than a dozen airports nationwide. Homan said that federal immigration officers will not directly assist with security screenings but instead will relieve TSA officers from other areas, such as entry and exit lanes to security checkpoints. That, he noted, will help "move the lines quicker." The deployment of ICE officers comes as TSA staffing shortages have led to long wait times at airport checkpoints. Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said more than 400 TSA officers have resigned since the shutdown began on Feb. 14, The Hill reported.

FOX News [3/24/2026 10:49 AM, Taylor Penley Fox, 37576K] reports Border czar Tom Homan fired back at Sen. Cory Booker on Monday after the New Jersey Democrat blasted the Trump administration’s decision to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports and called the move an "outrage.” "[Trump is] taking the very same agency that has been bursting into our schools, into our churches, into our hospitals, into our courts, and even into the homes of Americans," Booker said at Newark Liberty International Airport. "He’s taking that agency that is reckless and out of control and bringing them to our airports under the lie that somehow this is going to help deal with the long lines that he created in the first place," he added. Homan responded during an appearance on "Hannity," telling the Fox News host that Booker is "driving the violence" against ICE agents by sending the wrong message. "He’s misleading the American people, he is lying," Homan said. "I want him to give me one example, just one, when ICE went into a church to arrest somebody, or we went into a hospital to arrest somebody, or we went to an elementary school to arrest somebody. Just give me just one example. You know why he can’t? Because there isn’t any.” Homan added that he could recall one occasion in which the agency pursued an illegal immigrant who ran into an education center. "You’re damn right, we went in there and arrested him near the front door," he said. "But as far as planned enforcement operations in those places, [it] hasn’t happened. [As a] matter of fact, the only people that violated the sanctuary of the church was Don Lemon and that group that went in there [into a church in St. Paul, Minnesota] to attack Trump supporters while they were having a religious service.”

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [3/24/2026 12:33 PM, Jeff Poor, 2238K]

Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 11:19 AM, Britta Miller, 1147K] reports Washington Examiner columnist Guy Benson said Democrats bicker over Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in airports but won’t come forward to work on funding the Department of Homeland Security to bring Transportation Security Administration workers back on the job. "Democrats shut this down more than a month ago. And if they’re all offended and clutching their pearls about ICE agents being in airports, I would humbly submit that they fund the DHS," Benson said on Fox News’s Special Report with Bret Baier on Monday. "And then TSA agents can come back to work; they can get paid along with some of these other workers that have been going without paychecks.” Benson slammed Democrats for starting an act just to protest ICE, even though the agency is fully funded and its officers are getting paid. TSA agents are still waiting to come back to work. He said that TSA agents bear the brunt of the issue "because of the shutdown that Democrats have orchestrated to protest ICE, even though ICE is funded and getting paid. It’s a giant political show. It’s dangerous. It’s inconvenient.”

Axios [3/24/2026 3:58 PM, Herb Scribner, 17364K] reports ICE officers arrived at more than a dozen airports this week to help TSA deal with the spring travel chaos — but the specifics of their role remains unclear. Though both under DHS, ICE handles immigration enforcement and criminal investigations and TSA oversees aviation security. This raises questions about whether ICE can ease a TSA staffing shortfall during the partial government shutdown. ICE agents already work at some airports, investigating smuggling and arresting people accused of immigration or federal crimes. ICE agents can primarily assist TSA by filling gaps in three areas: Crowd control: Homan said ICE agents would mainly help release TSA officers from "non-significant roles" like managing crowd control so that TSA officers could continue screening passengers. Staffing exit lanes: ICE agents are "highly trained," Homan told CNN, and can staff exit lanes to keep those areas secure. Immigration enforcement: ICE could conduct immigration enforcement at airports as that’s one of their core duties, said Sandweg, in a Tuesday phone interview. ICE agents could probably help TSA with ID checks, Sandweg says, but much of that process is automated now through machines and wouldn’t free up enough officers to make a difference. TSA screeners go through weeks and months of specific "on the job" training around security screenings that ICE officers don’t have, Sandweg tells Axios. Much of that training, experts say, is to detect explosives and weapons, and identify threats that are designed to avoid detection at airport screenings — a task ICE isn’t trained to do. ICE’s role in Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown agenda has prompted civil liberties advocates and some Democratic lawmakers to warn that ICE’s presence at airports could heighten tensions. Sandweg says more ICE involvement at airports — like asking for travelers for IDs or managing large crowds — could increase tension given the political narratives around ICE.

Any widespread protests could divert officers to crowd control duties instead of helping TSA directly. DHS will determine how broadly ICE officers are deployed and what their roles become as travel demand rises and staffing gaps persist.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 10:34 PM, Pam Key, 2238K] reports host Chris Hayes said, “Usually there’s all this kind of rhetorical jujitsu around these deals where no one sort of tells the truth, like. And it was so wild to see John Kennedy and everyone else basically be like, no, no, it’s Trump. Trump is blocking the deal. Trump doesn’t want the deal. He wants no deals. He wants it all to burn unless he gets a the SAVE Act. Is that where we are still?” Booker said, “Yeah, it is exactly where we are. This is about ICE. It is about a fight over their reckless, out-of-control damage they’re doing to our communities. It’s wildly unpopular. That’s where the debates should be. But what Trump is doing is saying, I’m going to try to cause as much chaos, cruelty, long lines, indignities to passengers and hopes that that creates more pressure on Democrats. So they’ll just give me what I want on ICE. And that is absurd. So right now he is shutting down virtually, normal travel on airlines. He added, “And when I was out of Newark, I know something about Newark Airport. I used to be the mayor of the town. I had Port Authority police coming up, Airlines calling me up. Everybody can say, just like, please get ICE the hell out of this airport. They’re causing so much trouble. Their presence here is triggering stress to already stressed out passengers. And they want the TSA simply to be funded.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [3/25/2026 2:46 AM, Staff, 1147K] reports Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner threatened to arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrolling Philadelphia’s International Airport. Krasner made the comments during a press conference at the airport on Tuesday addressing the presence of ICE agents deployed due to Transportation Security Agency shortages. "This is how it works," Krasner said sternly. "You commit crimes within the jurisdiction that is the city and county of Philadelphia, I prosecute you. That is how it works. No, I don’t take a phone call from the president saying ‘let him go.’ No, the president cannot pardon you. I’ll say it again, the president cannot pardon you. And yes, I will put you in handcuffs, I will put you in a courtroom, and if necessary, I will put you in a jail cell if you decide to make the terrazzo floor of this airport, anything like what you did in the streets of Minneapolis, which involved criminal homicide of unarmed innocent people.” "We are not having that here," Krasner said. President Donald Trump deployed ICE agents to airports throughout the country as the current partial government shutdown involving the Department of Homeland Security, which entered its 40th day on Wednesday. The stoppage has caused staffing issues with TSA workers at security checkpoints at airports. The shortages have caused significantly longer than normal delays for travelers, with some airports reporting over 4 hour wait times. "Because of the Democrat shutdown, President Trump is using every tool available to help American travelers who are facing hours long lines at airports across the country — especially during this spring break and holiday season that is very important for many American families," read a statement released on Sunday by the Department of Homeland Security. "This pointless, reckless shutdown of our homeland security workforce has caused more than 400 TSA officers to quit and thousands to call out from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent.” "While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted," noted the statement. "This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions.” Krasner’s words on Tuesday echo sentiments he shared in February at an "ICE Out" press conference in Philadelphia. During that event, Krasner called ICE agents "wannabe Nazis" and said he would "hunt them down" if they committed crimes in the city. "This is a small bunch of wannabe Nazis, that’s what they are, in a country of 350 million," Krasner said about ICE in February. "We outnumber them, and as long as we stick to our values, protect our rights, make it very clear that homicide is not OK just because you are a federal law officer, if we do that, this will end differently.” "There will be accountability now, there will be accountability in the future, there will be accountability after Trump is out of office," Krasner said at the time. "If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities, we will find you, we will achieve justice, and we will do so under the Constitution and the laws of the United States.”

New York Times [3/24/2026 8:19 PM, Hamed Aleaziz and Heather Knight, 148038K] reports the woman and her 9-year-old daughter were walking through Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night, heading to their gate to fly to Miami to visit a relative, when a stranger in plainclothes approached. “Angelina?” he asked. “Sí,” she responded. Minutes later, Angelina Lopez-Jimenez was on her knees, crying, as two immigration agents were handcuffing her in front of her daughter, according to video footage that went viral this week. Government documents obtained by The New York Times explain the events leading up to the tense scene, including the exchange between the agent and Ms. Lopez-Jimenez. The documents shed new light on how the Transportation Security Administration is sharing with ICE officials the names and birth dates of travelers believed to have been ordered out of the country by a judge. That has made it easier for the Trump administration to detain and deport undocumented immigrants as they pass through airports. Ms. Lopez-Jimenez, 41, a native of Guatemala, and her daughter, Wendy Godinez-Lopez, were flagged by T.S.A. officials on Friday when they showed up on a passenger list for a Sunday flight from San Francisco to Miami. The agency then tipped off Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the documents. Ms. Lopez-Jimenez and her daughter were living in Contra Costa County, Calif., on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the congressman for that region, John Garamendi. She had no criminal history, though she entered the country illegally. Democratic officials recoiled this week at the detention. Mr. Garamendi, a Democrat, said that it was the latest example of how the Trump administration was rounding up mothers and children instead of focusing its immigration enforcement on dangerous criminals. He also condemned the sharing of passenger information by T.S.A. with ICE, saying that data sharing seemed to be “omnipresent” under the Trump administration, putting personal information at risk and bypassing due process.

Reported similarly:
San Francisco Chronicle [3/24/2026 11:05 PM, Aidin Vaziri, 3833K]

New York Times [3/24/2026 8:16 PM, Claire Fahy, 148038K] reports that delays were expected to continue for days at LaGuardia Airport as the runway where the Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on Sunday night remained closed, officials said on Monday. Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a Monday evening news conference that there was a significant amount of debris on the runway that would need to be examined and documented, along with other evidence from the crash site. “It’s going to take some time,” Ms. Homendy said. Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said in an email on Monday that the arrival rate at LaGuardia had been reduced because the runway was unavailable. Departures to the airport were delayed by just under three hours on average, according to the agency’s website. A federal notice said that the runway could reopen on Friday. LaGuardia had been closed until 2 p.m. on Monday. After reopening, the airport said in a statement on social media that travelers should continue to expect delays and cancellations, and advised passengers to check with their airlines for the latest information about their flights. The delays came as New York City airports were already under strain over the weekend because of a national shortage of Transportation Security Administration agents caused by the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Long security lines disrupted operations at LaGuardia, where wait times exceeded three hours. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [3/24/2026 6:33 PM, Chelsea Bailey, 612K] reports the Air Canada regional jet was scheduled to take off Sunday from Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport around 8 p.m. Steering the one-hour flight were pilot Antoine Forest and first officer Mackenzie Gunther, both “young men,” the top Federal Aviation Administration official would say, “at the start of their careers.” They were bound for the third-busiest airport in the New York region, LaGuardia, where the crew of air traffic controllers was slightly smaller than its target of 37, with 33 employed and seven in training, the Transportation Secretary later would explain. There were only two controllers working in LaGuardia’s control tower that night: The local controller, tasked with managing active runways and the airspace surrounding the airport, and the controller-in-charge – who, in addition to overseeing the safety of all air traffic operations, was also responsible for giving pilots departure clearance, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. That staffing was standard operating procedure overnight, the NTSB said Tuesday, at LaGuardia and airports nationwide. Sunday’s collision has become the latest in a series of high-profile, fatal accidents renewing scrutiny of the airline industry. US air travel has also faced another significant strain for weeks: diminished Transportation Security Administration staffing owing to a lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security as federal leaders fight over immigration enforcement tactics.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 11:04 AM, Amy Furr, 2238K] reports passengers said the pilots who were killed during the tragic collision at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday courageously tried to stop the plane, ultimately saving the lives onboard. Rebecca Liquori said the Air Canada pilots did not hesitate to try and stop the plane that hit a Port Authority firetruck in a ground crash, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday. "I feel like the pilots saved our lives. They’re the reasons I was able to make it home safe to see my boys, and my heart goes out to their families," she stated. The pilots died in the collision and 41 others were transported to a hospital after the incident that shut down the airport for most of Monday, according to Breitbart News. "Audio recordings from the incident featured air traffic control granting permission to the Port Authority truck to cross a runway just moments before urging the truck to stop as the collision occurs," the outlet said. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy shared an image of the mangled plane early Monday, saying he was on his way to the scene and officials were investigating what happened. The pilots were identified as Antoine Forest and his first officer, Mackenzie Gunther, according to the Mail. In his comments about the tragedy, Federal Aviation Administrator Brian Bedford said, "These were two young men at the start of their careers. It’s an absolute tragedy that we’re sitting here with their loss.” According to an audio recording, air traffic controllers at LaGuardia tried to get the truck to halt moments before it passed into the plane’s path. One of them was later heard saying "I messed up": There were long security lines and ongoing delays at LaGuardia after the crash, and other airports across the nation have been experiencing the same as the Democrat shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) drags on and many Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay, according to Breitbart News.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 3:23 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports an illegal alien, released into the United States by former President Joe Biden’s administration, shot and killed 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, as she ran for her life trying to flee for safety, prosecutors allege. As Breitbart News reported, 25-year-old illegal alien Jose Medina-Medina of Venezuela was arrested by the Chicago Police Department and charged with murdering Sheridan Gorman, who also went by Shera, in a random attack on a pier at Chicago’s Tobey Prinz Beach. On Sunday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials revealed that Medina-Medina is an illegal alien from Venezuela who was apprehended at the southern border on May 9, 2023. Medina-Medina remains in police custody and is reportedly being treated for tuberculosis.

FOX News [3/24/2026 3:37 PM, Adam Sabes, 37576K] reports Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the city’s immigration policies on Tuesday when addressing the death of Sheridan Gorman, who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant. Twenty-five-year-old Venezuelan national Jose Medina was arrested Friday after allegedly killing Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University student, on Thursday near Tobey Prinz Beach. Johnson addressed the tragic shooting on Tuesday for the first time, and was asked if he would apologize for the city’s immigration policies. While Johnson said he hasn’t spoken with Gorman’s family yet, he plans to do so. He also called out President Donald Trump, who he says "refuses to be held accountable." Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In an earlier statement to Fox News Digital, the Gorman family said they are disappointed with policies that allowed Medina to remain in the country.

Chicago Tribune [3/24/2026 7:04 PM, Jeremy Gorner, 5209K] reports that Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday said there were “real failures” in the nation’s immigration system that led to the fatal shooting of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman last week, and added that while fixes need to be made to the system, that responsibility lies with the administration of President Donald Trump. Gorman, 18, was fatally shot during the early-morning hours of March 19 while with her friends on the lakefront near Tobey Prinz Beach Park in Chicago’s Rogers Park community, prosecutors said. Charged in the killing is 25-year-old José Medina, who federal authorities said is a Venezuelan national who was in the U.S. without legal permission. “This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily… There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. That’s — they’re national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event, referencing that the Trump administration stepped up immigration enforcement efforts last year in Chicago and other cities where he vowed to seek deportations of noncitizens with criminal records who are in the country illegally. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Medina was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on May 9, 2023, and “released into the country” under the administration of President Joe Biden.

Blaze [3/24/2026 4:00 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1556K] reports a sanctuary state governor is refusing to confirm whether he will honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer request against an illegal alien accused of fatally shooting a college student. Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old college student at Illinois’ Loyola University Chicago, was attacked at around 1 a.m. on Thursday when she was out on a walk with friends to view the northern lights. Jose Medina-Medina, an illegal alien from Venezuela, approached Gorman while wearing a mask and armed with a gun, according to the Department of Homeland Security. When Gorman attempted to flee, Medina-Medina allegedly fired his gun, shooting Gorman. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The DHS reported that Medina-Medina was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents in May 2023 but was released into the country under the Biden administration. He was again released from custody the following month after he was arrested in Chicago for allegedly shoplifting. On March 22, the DHS asked Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) not to release Medina-Medina from custody a third time and instead honor ICE’s arrest detainer. The Federalist reported Monday that Pritzker’s office refused to say whether his administration would honor ICE’s request. Medina-Medina is facing several charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 5:32 PM, Neil Munro, 2238K] reports Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is stepping up his campaign to blame President Donald Trump for the murder of Chicago student Sheridan Gorman, allegedly by an illegal immigrant. "It is the job of the federal government to go after immigration enforcement," Pritzker told media outlets on Tuesday, even though he has frequently denounced Trump’s policy of deporting migrants and defended the Democrats’ imposition of an amnesty zone in Chicago and Illinois. Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson is also trying to dodge responsibility for lax policing of illegal migrants. On Monday, Pritzker’s office released a statement that tried to blame Trump for the murder.

FOX News [3/24/2026 11:38 AM, Charles Creitz, 37576K] reports nearly a dozen Illinois Democrats are declining to defend their votes against the Laken Riley Act after the killing of a Loyola student allegedly by an illegal immigrant who, under the law, could have been detained following a prior arrest. Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed by Jose Medina-Medina, authorities allege, who had previously been picked up for shoplifting in Cook County. That charge would have qualified him to be held for federal detention and processing instead of being released back onto the streets, where he could reoffend, under the act named for a Georgia college student slain by another illegal immigrant repeat offender. DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that Gorman’s death could have been prevented if not for sanctuary state and city policies and if a law like the Laken Riley Act had been in effect sooner. "Sheridan Gorman — just like Laken Riley and countless other American victims — would still be with us today and with their families if it were not for sanctuary politicians’ refusal to cooperate with ICE," Bis said. The Illinois delegation voted 11-5 against the Laken Riley Act, with Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider not voting due to a medical emergency but later saying he would have voted "no.” All three Republicans, along with Democratic Reps. Nikki Budzinski and Eric Sorenson, voted for the act, but 11 other Democrats opposed it, along with Schneider. "While I firmly believe that the government has a responsibility to keep our communities safe and do everything in its power to keep dangerous criminals off our streets, this bill, as written, opens the door to the targeting and detention of innocent people, something clearly prohibited by our Constitution," Schneider said in a January 2025 statement, going on to say he would support something more along the lines of the Lankford-Sinema immigration bill opposed by President Donald Trump. Schneider said at the time the Laken Riley Act used the student’s death to "score cheap political points." He did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

FOX News [3/24/2026 8:21 PM, Leo Briceno, 37576K] reports Illinois’ Democratic Governor JB Pritzker recently highlighted the calm of Chicago’s shore with Lake Michigan in a video he posted across his social media platforms — a nearby area where an illegal alien shot and killed a college student last week. "Lots of runners coming by," Pritzker said in a video he posted to Facebook last September. "Lakefront path, Lakefront Trail — absolutely gorgeous. Just gorgeous. Look at that overpass. A great lakefront." The tone of the resurfaced clip clashes with the death of Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University student who was shot to death near Tobey Prinz Beach Park, an area included in Chicago’s Police District 24. Pritzker’s walk went viral on social media when several viewers online criticized the governor for his characterization of the shoreside area. "Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker & Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson haven’t posted anything about the murder of Sheridan Gorman, allegedly at the hands of a Venezuelan illegal alien," Fox News Congressional Correspondent Bill Melugin posted on X. "Last year, Pritzker made a video from the lakefront she was killed at, mocking claims that it wasn’t safe."

Federalist [3/24/2026 7:25 AM, M. D. Kittle, 540K] reports it looks like Joe Biden, JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson have helped make another Angel family with their deadly "sanctuary" policies. The liberal politicians’ "thoughts" and blame-shifting once again won’t bring justice to those mourning the latest young victim of violence reportedly at the hands of another criminal illegal immigrant. A fellow Illinois Angel Parent knows this nightmare all too well, and says Pritzker and crew have blood on their hands. On Friday, Chicago police arrested Jose Medina-Medina, who was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and related charges in the death of Sheridan Gorman. Police say 25-year-old Medina fatally shot the 18-year-old Loyola University freshman around 1 a.m. Thursday in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Gorman, according to local reports, was with friends to check out the Northern Lights at the time of the shooting. Medina was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, but was in the hospital with tuberculosis, The Chicago Tribune reported. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina is a criminal illegal immigrant from Venezuela who was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on May 2023 and quickly released into the country thanks to President Joe Biden’s open border policies that flooded the country with millions of illegal aliens. Medina was apprehended again more than a month later, only to be released once more by Chicago authorities after he was arrested on shoplifting charges, DHS reported. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office did not respond to The Federalist’s requests for comment about whether the Chicago PD would honor the Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s arrest detainer "asking sanctuary politicians to not release" the suspect again. Acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said Illinois’ failure to honor ICE detainers had resulted in the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term. The human toll included five homicides, 141 assaults, 23 burglaries, 24 dangerous drug offenses, 15 weapons crimes, and 10 sexual predatory offenses. In the statement, Gorman’s family said they are "gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime.”

Daily Caller [3/24/2026 12:00 PM, Jason Cohen, 803K] reports Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman on Tuesday criticized his party over its response to an illegal immigrant allegedly killing female college freshman Sheridan Gorman. Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan who was released into America under former President Joe Biden after being arrested by Border Patrol, allegedly shot and killed Gorman on Thursday near her Loyola University campus as she attempted to flee, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Fetterman suggested on Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom" that Democrats were not properly mourning the killing or accepting accountability for it. "[W]hy can’t we just talk about that life lost? Why can’t we just acknowledge this is a serious, serious failure … it’s devastating as a father," Fetterman said. The senator noted that he was a co-sponsor of the Laken Riley Act. "[W]e have to require to protect America from the dangerous elements that shouldn’t even be here illegally always," he said. Border Patrol nabbed and released Medina-Medina twice in 2023, according to a Sunday DHS press release. "Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder," DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. "We are calling on [Democratic Illinois] Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.”

Daily Caller [3/24/2026 11:35 AM, Harold Hutchison, 803K] reports Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy openly admitted that the people his party cares about "the most" are illegal aliens, in an interview clip from 2024 that resurfaced this week. Democrats have filibustered to prevent funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over their objections to immigration enforcement operations, leading to a partial shutdown of the Cabinet department. The lawmakers are demanding new restrictions be placed on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in January during clashes with "rapid response groups" opposed to federal immigration enforcement operations. In the resurfaced clip that went viral on Monday, Murphy told MS NOW host Chris Hayes during a 2024 interview that the Democratic party’s strategy hasn’t been working for the group they "care about most." "Chris, that’s been a failed play for 20 years. So, you are right that has been the Democratic strategy for 30 years, maybe, and it has failed to deliver for the people we care about most, the undocumented Americans that are in this country," Murphy said while discussing his party’s efforts on immigration during the Biden administration.

FOX News [3/24/2026 9:53 PM, Greg Wehner, 37576K] reports New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill attended a Ramadan event at a Paterson mosque led by an Imam who fought deportation for years over alleged ties to Hamas. Sherrill posted photos of her visit to the Islamic Center of Passaic County on social media, wearing a hijab and taking selfies. In one image, she is seen speaking with the mosque’s longtime leader, Imam Mohammad Qatanani. "Thank you to the Islamic Center of Passaic County for welcoming me to join their celebration as the holy month of Ramadan comes to a close," she wrote. "I wish our Muslim neighbors a safe, joyous, and peaceful Eid al-Fitr.” Qatanani, a Palestinian-born cleric, has been at the center of a decades-long immigration battle after federal authorities sought to deport him, citing alleged ties to Hamas and claims he failed to disclose a prior detention in Israel. He has denied those allegations, saying he was detained but never convicted. As Fox News previously reported, the federal government moved to remove Qatanani from the U.S. beginning in the mid-2000s, arguing he made misrepresentations on his green card application and raising national security concerns tied to Israeli records. An immigration judge ruled in Qatanani’s favor in 2008, finding the government’s evidence unreliable and giving little weight to Israeli court documents used to support the allegations, according to court records . The judge also found the government had not proven Qatanani engaged in terrorist activity.

The Hill [3/24/2026 2:00 PM, Staff, 18170K] reports that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) will speak with reporters Tuesday afternoon amid new GOP optimism over a potential deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Republicans seem more optimistic about a deal after a meeting with President Trump this week. The White House indicted Tuesday that Trump is on board to back a GOP-led effort to fund DHS agencies not involved in immigration enforcement. The push comes after a Democratic-led measure that would have funded the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in a standalone bill was blocked by Republicans over the weekend. Democrats thus far have held firm on their demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tactics when carrying out Trump’s deportation agenda. The House passed a bill to reopen the department earlier this year, but it has hit an impasse in the Senate thus far. Jeffries’s comments come after Trump deployed ICE officers to airports across the U.S. to assist with security amid the partial shutdown. The Democratic leader is also expected to address rising gas prices sparked by the conflict in Iran and other affordability concerns. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [3/24/2026 8:02 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51110K] reports that a Venezuelan man who was deported from the U.S. and detained in the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador last year has become the first known ex-prisoner to sue the U.S. for damages, filing a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday seeking at least $1.3 million in compensation. In an interview with CBS News, Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, 28, described the months he spent at the prison as "total hell." The Venezuelan man said he and his fellow detainees were constantly beaten and mistreated by prison guards. He recounted having to drink the same water he and other prisoners bathed in. Prison guards also told him he would be there for 90 years, he said. "There came a point when I thought about hanging myself with the sheet they gave us," Leon Rengel told CBS News in Spanish. Leon Rengel was one of several hundred Venezuelan men deported by the U.S. to El Salvador, where they were held incommunicado in CECOT for roughly four months. They were freed in a prisoner swap in July 2025. A report by researchers at Human Rights Watch found the CECOT prisoners endured months of physical and psychological abuse, including some cases of sexual assault. It determined that their time in CECOT amounted to "arbitrary detention" and "torture" under international law.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [3/24/2026 4:24 PM, Mike Scarcella, 38315K]

USA Today [3/24/2026 6:19 PM, Terry Collins, 70643K] reports U.S. taxpayer dollars covered more than $286,000 on production costs for an anti-immigration ad featuring then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to expenses revealed by two lawmakers. Also, The Strategy Group, a Trump-allied subcontractor that created the $220 million commercial, spent more than $107,000 on labor costs, received a $60,000 "signing bonus" to produce the ad, and another $20,000 on horse rentals, Democratic Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut disclosed on March 23 as part of their ongoing investigation into the no-bid contract ad campaign. The senators said the subcontractor also spent more than $52,000 on videography, photography and production vendors and nearly $4,000 on hair and makeup. President Donald Trump removed Noem from her Homeland Security post on March 5, in the wake of the controversial ad, which she said during a combative Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 3 Trump had authorized. Trump later said he didn’t know about the ad campaign.

Reported similarly:
Univision [3/24/2026 8:15 PM, Staff, 4937K]

The Hill [3/24/2026 12:00 PM, Ben Smilowitz, 18170K] reports in the U.S., the number of billion-dollar disasters is increasing each year. Wildfires, hurricanes, floods and extreme weather events are hitting communities with increasing frequency and severity — placing more Americans at risk of losing their homes, livelihoods and financial stability. Instead of preparing for this reality, the Trump administration stopped tracking these disasters to advance an alternate-reality narrative cooked up by an out-of-touch, ideological Beltway think-tank. No president on his own can dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the very system millions of Americans rely on when disaster strikes. Congress has the power to stop it, but right now, too many members are choosing not to. This follows a familiar pattern. Promises of putting Americans first have repeatedly translated into gutting programs that actually serve the public, while costly and high-profile political priorities move forward unchecked. The rhetoric may win headlines, but the consequences fall squarely on American communities. FEMA is not an abstraction. It is one of the most widely relied upon forms of federal support in the country. Around 94 percent of Americans live in a county that has received FEMA assistance since 2011. From 2017 to 2023, $267.7 billion in disaster aid and reconstruction supported communities across rural and urban areas, in red and blue states alike. If FEMA disappears, what happens to your community after the next wildfire, flood, hurricane, or terrorist attack? Last year, Trump said, “I’d say after the hurricane season we’ll start phasing [FEMA] out.” This is an interesting delay for an administration so confident that FEMA is not essential. The same overconfidence already resulted in multiple fire-people-first-and-ask-questions-later moments. There is no serious plan to replace FEMA’s capabilities. Without FEMA, disaster response responsibilities shift to state and local governments that are already stretched thin and to families who cannot afford to wait for help that may never come. Weakening these capacities will make government less efficient. Cash-strapped states and territories will each need to replicate the same systems, resulting in slower, more expensive, and more unequal recoveries. Members of Congress know this. They stand in disaster zones for photo-ops, meet with constituents who lose everything, and vote for recovery funding when politically necessary. They understand that a rapid FEMA response is often the difference between a community rebuilding and a community falling into long-term decline.

The Hill [3/24/2026 8:00 AM, Sheldon H. Jacobson, 18170K] reports that on Sunday, the president announced on Truth Social that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will be deployed to support airport security operations as the Homeland Security shutdown drags on. It may sound like a reasonable way to address shortages of Transportation Security Administration officers, who have gone without pay for more than five weeks. However, reassigning ICE officers to airport security checkpoint makes no sense — and might even be dangerous. To become a TSA officer requires extensive training; the procedures that enable officers to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently, and to work as a unit, cannot be learned overnight. Border czar Tom Homan clarified Sunday night that ICE officers will not be working with sophisticated technologies like Advanced Imaging for physical screening or computed tomography scanners for checked and carry-on baggage technologies. Bringing ICE officers up to speed with such technologies would take weeks, which would do nothing to resolve short-term backups at airport security checkpoints where TSA officer no-shows rates are spiking. That means ICE officers would have a highly restricted footprint of tasks they could perform, such as being stationed at exit gates as passengers leave airport secure areas.

CNN [3/24/2026 5:17 PM, Aaron Blake, 19874K] reports it’s looking like the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could soon be over. Increasing chaos and hours-long wait times at the nation’s airports appear to have pushed Congress toward a possible resolution. Details are still being ironed out, and it’s not done until it’s done. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have said they need to get some bona fide concessions. Some Senate Republicans are grumbling. President Donald Trump doesn’t sound thrilled and has blown up deals at the last minute before. But the two sides seem to have made serious progress, and Trump hasn’t rejected anything, even if he’s a little sour. Still, it’s likely the resolution will disappoint many Democrats. The basic idea is that the two sides agree to fund everything under the DHS umbrella except immigration enforcement. In exchange, Democrats could get some of the smaller things they were looking for to restrict that enforcement — we’re still waiting on those details — but not the big-ticket items. Those bigger asks were things like prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks, a uniform code of conduct for agents and requiring judicial warrants for searching homes. The passage of the deal would, in turn, kick that immigration enforcement funding to a bill Republicans would try to pass later through the "budget reconciliation" process. Reconciliation is a maneuver under which the legislation would require only a simply majority in the Senate and, thus, wouldn’t need the votes of Democrats. But by agreeing to the deal, Democrats would effectively be giving away much of their leverage to demand a larger overhaul of Trump’s immigration enforcement — which was, again, their reason for the shutdown in the first place.

FOX News [3/24/2026 3:26 PM, Peter Pinedo, 37576K] reports as new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin prepared to be sworn in, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers continued operations, arresting child predators, rapists and domestic abusers across the country. According to DHS, in just one day of operations, ICE arrested illegal aliens convicted of serious crimes in Utah, Ohio, New York and Texas. The agency said these arrests align with statistics showing that 70% of illegal aliens arrested by ICE have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the U.S. This comes as Mullin, newly confirmed by the Senate, is sworn in as President Donald Trump’s new DHS secretary. Mullin, who until now served as a Republican senator from Oklahoma, replaces former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Commenting on the arrests, DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that "under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States."

FOX News [3/24/2026 10:19 AM, Chad Pergram, 37576K] reports this is cobbled together talking to senior Senate Republican sources. Senate Republicans are developing a plan to fund most aspects of DHS — leaving out controversial programs like certain ICE operations — to end the five-and-a-half week partial government shutdown. This emerged after a meeting at the White House last night. There is a lot to sort out at the GOP Conference luncheon at the Capitol today. However, Fox is told that the Senate could start to move forward on a plan to end the DHS shutdown "as early as tonight.” The new plan would fund ICE investigations — like cartels, traffickers and child predators. But they will leave unfunded programs for "enforcement and removal.” Ironically, this idea would mirror what Democrats have tried to do on multiple occasions. Democrats have asked unanimous consent on the floor to pass bills to fund DHS — sans ICE. So, Republicans have come around to the position that this is the only way out of this cul-de-sac — even if it reflects the Democratic position. Still, Republicans contend they are "calling the Democrats bluff.” "We’re going to have to move forward and give them what they want," said one Senate Republican source, referring to the Democrats. But the question is whether Democrats will balk — especially since this was their idea. Regardless, this approach would still need Democratic buy-in and need 60 votes to clear a filibuster.

Axios [3/24/2026 6:08 AM, Steph Solis, 17364K] reports a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked federal immigration agents from detaining refugees. The order offers a reprieve for refugees, who were vetted to enter the country legally and apply for legal permanent residency after a year only to be targeted for deportation. "It gives us some relief and a break, really, from this pressure that we’ve all been feeling, that our clients are going to be arrested and detained indefinitely," said Jeff Thielman, CEO of the International Institute of New England. His nonprofit and four refugees filed the lawsuit earlier this month. A Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Judge Richard Stearns on Monday said Immigration and Customs Enforcement can’t enforce the new policy that let agents detain refugees who haven’t obtained green cards within their first year here. Before this year, refugees were expected to apply for their green card starting at the one-year mark and used to get their applications denied if they submitted them too early, Thielman said.

CBS News [3/24/2026 11:39 AM, Dan Raby, 51110K] reports two resolutions aimed at regulating how Immigration and Customs Enforcement works within Atlanta city limits have passed a key vote in the Atlanta City Council. On Monday, the city council’s Public Safety Committee unanimously voted to declare its opposition to any potential plan by the federal agency to purchase or convert warehouses within the city limits into detention facilities. The move comes as the Department of Homeland Security is currently trying to turn warehouses in the small Georgia towns of Social Circle and Oakwood into facilities meant to house immigrant detainees. In those cities, officials have stated that they were not consulted by federal authorities and have raised concerns about the potential impact the large centers may have on their water supplies. Atlanta’s resolution specifically mentions the 2026 FIFA World Cup, pointing out that the city "seeks to welcome thousands of international visitors from across the globe" this summer. "It is the desire of the Atlanta City Council for no municipal resources or property to be used to facilitate the establishment or expansion of immigration detention facilities within the corporate limits of the City of Atlanta," the resolution reads in part. Other municipalities across the country have also passed similar resolutions to Atlanta’s, including one in the nearby city of South Fulton. So far, the DHS has not identified Atlanta as a city where it plans to build any detention facilities. The city was not named in documents provided to Social Circle about the agency’s Detention Reengineering Initiative.

FOX News [3/24/2026 5:42 PM, Louis Casiano, 37576K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is touting its local cooperation with New York authorities to keep an illegal immigrant accused of raping a 5-year-old Long Island girl off the streets, despite state sanctuary laws that disallow such collaboration. Carlos Aguilar Reynoso, 27, a Guatemalan citizen, was babysitting the child as a favor to her mother. When the mother returned home from work on Feb. 1, she discovered the girl bleeding through her underwear, prompting her to take her to a hospital. The girl was transferred to a specialty hospital where she was given a rape kit and underwent surgery to repair internal injuries, the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources. With DNA not yet processed, Reynoso could only be initially charged with endangering the welfare of a child, an offense that bars prosecutors from seeking bail, under New York’s bail reform laws. Federal immigration authorities would also have been barred from taking Reynoso into custody under the state’s sanctuary laws. In a move to circumvent sanctuary laws, Reynoso was given a desk-appearance ticket so he would be processed and released from a police precinct for the endangerment charge. ICE agents nabbed Reynoso as he was leaving a police precinct the day after the alleged rape. DNA results later tied him to the rape, authorities said. On Monday, Reynoso was charged with predatory sex assault against a child, vaginal sexual contact with a child, sexual abuse, acting in a manner to injure a child and resisting arrest. DHS noted that seven of the 10 safest cities cooperate with ICE. Last week, Reynoso was issued a final order of removal from the United States by an immigration judge.

Telemundo51.com [3/24/2026 1:50 PM, Staff, 162K] reports that a federal judge in Texas ordered the release of Lázara Campos Cabrera following a *habeas corpus* petition; the Cuban doctor had been detained in December by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The immigration attorney representing the case explains that they filed "a *habeas corpus* petition in the Texas District Court. It is a federal lawsuit against the federal government," states Nera Shefer. This is a legal remedy that protects personal liberty and allows a detainee to appear before a judge to verify the legality of their arrest. "The main argument was, in fact, unlawful arrest—specifically, the fact that when she first arrived, she had been released on her own recognizance," Shefer argues. "The judge made a significant point, stating: ‘Individuals like her, who have been here for more than three years, possess a protected interest under the U.S. Constitution: their liberty.’" Campos Cabrera, 29, who lived in Miami before moving to Houston, appeared for her first appointment in Texas in December 2025; despite presenting medical records regarding her ailing daughter, she was detained. According to her cousin, Lázara arrived in the United States in 2021 after crossing the southern border and was released with an I-220A—a document that has not been recognized as *parole* and which leaves thousands of Cubans in immigration limbo. Her family asserts that she always attended her appointments with ICE punctually and that she has no criminal record. The attorney who secured her release, Nera Shefer, notes that the I-220A document was revoked, and she was granted humanitarian *parole*. "She had to be released under the same conditions she held prior to being unlawfully arrested by ICE," Shefer points out.

Chicago Tribune [3/24/2026 5:13 PM, Claire Murphy, 5209K] reports just days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers flooded into the Chicagoland area as part of last fall’s 64-day immigration raid, Operation Midway Blitz, Skokie Village Board members moved swiftly to amend their village code. After dozens of protesters rallied outside Skokie Village Hall urging action to rein in ICE, the Village Board unanimously voted on Nov. 3 to codify their stance on immigration operations. The amended code clarified to village residents and the public that ICE agents were prohibited from using any village-owned property for civil immigration enforcement without a proper warrant. But the Skokie Police Department has reservations about the ordinance, a position Chief Jesse Barnes made eminently clear at the March 16 Committee of the Whole meeting alongside Deputy Chief Denise Franklin and Deputy Chief John Oakley. A date for future Board discussion on the proposed ICE ordinance has not yet been determined.

Bloomberg [3/24/2026 10:20 PM, Beth Wang, 763K] reports that Michigan on Tuesday sued to stop the Trump administration from setting up an immigration detention facility near Detroit. The US Department of Homeland Security’s plan to convert a warehouse in the town of Romulus, Mich., into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center has "thrown the Romulus community into disarray" and would have negative environmental, economic, public health, and safety effects, the state and town say in their lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The commercial warehouse at 7525 Cogswell St., which could house up to 500 detainees, "is simply not—and never will be—an appropriate place of detention for numerous reasons," the complaint says. DHS is facing similar lawsuits from New Jersey and Maryland, which are fighting the administration’s push to purchase and convert warehouses into immigration jails as part of a $38 billion plan to shrink its network of more than 200 detention facilities to just 34 government-owned sites. Michigan alleges the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it failed to conduct the required environmental review and "meaningfully engage" with state and city officials and the community on its purchase of and plans for the warehouse. "Defendants’ violations of the APA have caused and will continue to cause ongoing harm to Plaintiffs for which there is no adequate remedy at law," the complaint says. The plaintiffs want the court to vacate the administration’s plan and permanently prohibit the government from converting and operating the Romulus warehouse as an immigration detention center.

NBC News [3/24/2026 7:53 PM, Mike Hixenbaugh, 42967K] reports a 5-year-old nonverbal boy whose plight in a South Texas immigration detention center drew national attention after a video call with children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel has been released with his family, their attorney said Tuesday. Gael, who has significant developmental delays and other medical challenges, had been held for three weeks at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center — a remote, prisonlike facility that has become a flash point in the debate over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. His parents, asylum-seekers from Colombia who asked to be identified only by their first names for fear of retaliation, said their son’s physical and emotional health deteriorated at Dilley. He struggled to eat, often gagging on food, and went more than a week without a bowel movement, leaving his stomach visibly swollen and causing him pain, they said. As his condition worsened, Gael grew increasingly distressed and began hitting himself, according to the family’s lawyer, Elora Mukherjee. The terms of the family’s release weren’t immediately clear, Mukherjee said. She said they plan to return to their home in El Paso and most likely will be required to attend regular check-ins with ICE as their case moves forward. The decision to release them came about a week after Mukherjee requested their release on medical grounds and days after NBC News detailed the family’s experience. The family, who had no criminal history in the U.S., were arrested March 3 in El Paso at an immigration check-in, Mukherjee said. "This family should never have been arrested and detained," she said. "Law-abiding people who are living their lives and complying with all their immigration requirements must not be abruptly seized out of their communities and taken to detention centers.” The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Newsweek [3/24/2026 12:20 PM, Dan Gooding, 52220K] reports a Canadian woman and her 7-year-old autistic daughter are being held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Texas, with her American husband left fighting to free them. Tania Warner and her daughter Ayla, both born in British Columbia, were with her husband Edward Warner, an American citizen, driving in Sarita, Texas, when they reached an immigration checkpoint just over a week ago. After fingerprinting both Tania and Ayla, agents detained them and said the husband was free to go. Edward told CTV that his wife moved to the U.S. five years ago and that she had a work permit. Newsweek reached out to DHS for comment on the Warners’ cases, with a spokesperson not initially answering specific questions on their status. "If you overstay your visa and are in the country illegally, you will be arrested," the spokesperson said. "To be clear: Work authorization does NOT give someone legal status to be in our country." Tania Warner and her daughter are now being held at the Dilley Detention Center, which has been a major cause for concern for Democratic lawmakers in recent months with reportedly poor conditions.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 4:18 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports an illegal alien tried fleeing to Mexico after he skipped his verdict hearing, where he was found guilty of raping an 11-year-old girl over three years in Castle Rock, Colorado. Last week, 45-year-old illegal alien Jorge Alberto Campos was convicted of five counts of sexual assault of a child. Prosecutors said Campos repeatedly raped his girlfriend’s daughter, who was just 11-years-old at the time, from 2021 to 2023. Campos, though, did not show up to the verdict and police found his ankle monitor, which was placed on him as part of his pre-trial jail release, in a dumpster near his residence. Two days after skipping the verdict, Campos was spotted by an eyewitness in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on a bus headed for Mexico. Police arrested him at a gas station. Campos is facing life in prison for raping the young girl. This week, the Denver Gazette reported that Campos had prior run-ins with the law, but a federal immigration judge had ruled that he was not a priority to be deported from the United States.

FOX News [3/24/2026 1:52 PM, Peter D’Abrosca, 37576K] reports that an illegal alien from Mexico living in Utah has been charged with attempted murder after authorities said he slit a woman’s throat. Jesus Alejandro Ramirez-Padilla has been charged with attempted murder, obstruction of justice, aggravated assault and drug paraphernalia after the March 18 incident in Salt Lake City, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Immigration authorities are requesting that local officials honor a detainer lodged against the suspect. The victim is reportedly in critical condition in the hospital. The woman’s identity has not been revealed. "Jesus Alejandro Ramirez-Padilla is a dangerous criminal illegal alien who violently strangled and slit a woman’s throat multiple times," said DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "We are calling on politicians to not release this barbaric criminal from jail and into American neighborhoods. This criminal illegal alien has no place in American communities." According to local reports, Ramirez-Padilla and the woman were smoking methamphetamine before the alleged crime. Police responded to reports of a woman crying in an alley, and found her bleeding with a deep cut in her neck. A homeowner’s surveillance camera reportedly caught the incident, leading to Ramirez-Padilla’s identification.

Univision [3/24/2026 1:02 AM, Staff, 4937K] reports that a Guatemalan mother was detained in front of her daughter by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at San Francisco International Airport. This morning, Angelina López Jiménez and her young daughter, Wendy Godínez López, were inside the airport when at least three agents detained them. In a video shared on social media, Angelina can be seen resisting arrest amidst screams and weeping, while her daughter screams in distress. According to an ICE report, Angelina had been subject to a deportation order since 2019; consequently, she and her daughter were to be repatriated to Guatemala for residing in the U.S. without legal status. At this time, it is unknown where they resided or why they were at San Francisco International Airport. Community members and political leaders react to the detention. After the footage of the arrest was shared, the community and political leaders were quick to react. "It’s outrageous, isn’t it? As a parent myself, I put myself in their shoes, and the truth is that the situation is completely unfair. These policies should be applied differently—not in such an aggressive, violent manner," one traveler at San Francisco International Airport told N+ Univision 14. For his part, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie condemned the arrest and stated that local authorities would not cooperate with federal agencies in such operations. Additionally, the San Francisco Police Department stated that it did not participate in the incident. Separately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that this case is unrelated to the deployment of immigration agents at airports nationwide in response to airport security concerns.

Breitbart [3/24/2026 1:40 PM, Olivia Rondeau, 2238K] reports that a bill that would require colleges and universities to report all student, faculty, and staff visa holders to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) has been introduced by Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) to "ensure foreign nationals aren’t stealing valuable research." The Educational Visa Transparency Act, unveiled Tuesday, would mandate that publicly funded institutions of higher education submit a "complete and accurate list of all students, faculty members, and administrators enrolled at or employed by such institution who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents" to SEVIS within 60 days of passage. Cotton’s proposed legislation comes just months after three Chinese nationals affiliated with a University of Michigan laboratory were criminally charged for allegedly conspiring to smuggle biological materials into the United States, Breitbart News reported. Xu Bai, 28, Fengfan Zhang, 27, and Zhiyong Zhang, 30, all J-1 visa holders conducting research at the University of Michigan’s laboratory overseen by Professor Xianzhong "Shawn" Xu, are accused of attempting to smuggle in biological substances related to roundworms without disclosing it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). If foreigners at higher education institutions were part of the SEVIS database, DHS would have closer monitoring capabilities on who exactly the U.S. is schooling and employing at publicly funded colleges and universities.

NewsMax [3/24/2026 10:12 PM, Jim Thomas, 3760K] reports Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., on Newsmax on Tuesday called for denaturalization, prosecution, and deportation while discussing government fraud, arguing that people in the country illegally who commit crimes should be imprisoned and removed from the United States. Ogles’ comments on "Rob Schmitt Tonight" focused on immigration enforcement and what he described as widespread theft of taxpayer money, saying the Justice Department should be better equipped and funded to pursue fraud cases. "We have to have the DOJ equipped and fund the DOJ to go after these criminals, because you’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, being stolen from the American taxpayer," he said. Ogles also pointed to his broader immigration agenda, saying he backs legislation to curb family-based immigration and arguing the government should take a more aggressive approach toward those who entered the country illegally. "You’ve got to denaturalize, you’ve got to deport. You’ve got to deport, deport, deport," Ogles said. "That’s why I have the Assimilation Act, which brings an end to chain migration," he said. "So instead of having, you know, 700,000 people a year claiming that they’re a relative of someone who is here, we cut that out and only immediate family" are allowed in the U.S. "So maybe 50,000 would get in, and even then, they would have to justify why they’re here," he added. "And if you commit a crime, we’re going to put you in prison, and we’re going to deport you. "I don’t know why it has to be any more complicated than that." Recent federal cases in California underscore the kind of fraud Ogles referenced. On March 10, the U.S. attorney’s office in San Diego said more than 50 defendants had been charged in a yearslong crackdown on theft rings accused of stealing public assistance benefits from low-income families, adding that more than $310 million was stolen from California EBT beneficiaries between June 2022 and January 2026. In Los Angeles, federal prosecutors said on Jan. 23 that the executive director of a South Los Angeles charity was arrested on a wire fraud complaint alleging he fraudulently obtained $23 million in public money intended to combat homelessness and pocketed at least $10 million.

Axios [3/24/2026 5:30 AM, Maya Goldman, 17364K] reports the Trump administration’s suspension of certain immigrants’ work authorization renewals is sidelining possibly thousands of foreign-born doctors, some of the affected physicians tell Axios. The policy could worsen access to care in a health system already facing physician shortages. About a quarter of the U.S. physician workforce are immigrants. Rural communities especially depend on immigrant doctors to fill workforce gaps. The Citizenship and Immigration Services this winter started freezing the processing of immigration benefits like work authorization extensions for people already in the U.S. from 39 countries. The change has affected work authorization renewals, green card processing and naturalization. Visa holders have a grace period allowing them to continue working in the U.S. after applying for a renewal. For the common H-1B visa, that period is 240 days. But the freeze has scrambled arrangements, forcing doctors to take unpaid absences from their jobs. They can legally stay in the U.S. if their employer continues to sponsor them. Immigrant doctors caught in the squeeze now either have to return to their home countries, immigrate elsewhere or stay in the U.S. unable to work. "Even with us, there is [a] severe shortage," one Ohio-based doctor told Axios. "Can you imagine any physician loss, how it will impact the society here?" He and others interviewed were granted anonymity to discuss their immigration status due to fear of retaliation.

NewsMax [3/24/2026 12:56 PM, Jim Mishler, 3760K] reports that a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient to the United States after finding her deportation violated federal protections and constitutional due process. California U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins ruled that Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez was removed "in flagrant violation" of the protections tied to DACA and the Fifth Amendment. DACA is a federal policy created by the administration of Democrat President Barack Obama in 2012 that allows some people who were brought into the U.S. as minors, without legal status, to receive temporary protection from deportation. For eligible recipients, it means they can legally work in the U.S. and remain in the country for a set period, typically two years at a time, subject to renewal. It does not provide permanent legal status or a path to citizenship, and it can be revoked or changed by federal policy or court rulings. The court directed the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Estrada within seven days and restore her DACA status as if the February removal had not occurred. Politico reported that Estrada, a native of Mexico, entered the U.S. in 1998 at age 15 and has lived in the country for more than 27 years, including under DACA protections granted in 2013. Her DACA status remained active through April 2026 and had not been revoked at the time of her detention and removal, according to the court.

The New York Times [3/24/2026 3:29 PM, Katie J.M. Baker and Hamed Aleaziz, 5209K] reports that Gregory Bovino has only a few regrets. “I wish I’d caught even more illegal aliens,” he said in a recent interview. “I mean, we went as hard as we could, but there’s always a creative and innovative solution to catching even more.” Until January, Bovino was the pugnacious face of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. As federal agents moved to suppress protests in city after city, Bovino was often at the center of the scrum, personally lobbing tear gas into crowds and authorizing his team to operate with aggression. He had risen from relative obscurity, but Bovino was built for the moment. He had long harbored hard-line, even radical views on immigration, and said he had a plan to deport 100 million people. And he had a long-standing reputation within the Border Patrol for his eagerness to test the law in service of those views, according to interviews with current and former colleagues and previously unreported documents. The administration handed the mid-level Border Patrol leader a highly irregular position that allowed him to leapfrog the usual chain of command and report directly to the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem. But Bovino’s fall was abrupt. The legally contested and chaotic crackdowns he led resulted in the killing of two American citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis. Protests against the government’s immigration enforcement campaign intensified, and polls showed a broad public backlash. The administration pulled the plug on him. The Daily Caller [3/24/2026 5:35 PM, Derek VanBuskirk, 803K] reports that the interview comes after he led the Homeland Security Department’s (DHS) Operation Metro Surge against illegal aliens in Minnesota that prompted widespread protests and two shootings involving federal officers. He announced his departure earlier in the month after President Donald Trump’s administration ended his role in. Trump said he would have "liked to have captured more" of the "rough, rough, rough people" from all over the world that former President Joe Biden’s administration had let into the country. Six active and former officials in homeland security claimed he was a serious institutional problem, according to the outlet. The officials alleged his theatrics and lack of respect for rules and standards occasionally pushed away people who typically agreed with him politically.

The Hill [3/24/2026 3:42 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18170K] reports newly retired Trump administration immigration official Greg Bovino attacked leadership on his way out Tuesday, saying border czar Tom Homan and others “do nothing.” After the killing of two Minnesotans killed under his leadership, Bovino was demoted. Bovino, in a statement to The Hill’s sister station NewsNation, pointed to the killing of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the man charged in her fatal shooting entered the country illegally. In an interview with The New York Times, he said his biggest regret was not apprehending even more migrants.

NewsNation [3/24/2026 11:50 PM, Patrick Djordjevic, 4464K] reports Border czar Tom Homan responded diplomatically to parting shots from Gregory Bovino as the long-time Border Patrol official retired Tuesday. Bovino, who previously served as Border Patrol’s commander-at-large, accused Homan and Customs and Border Protection Chief Rodney Scott of “saying nothing” in the wake of the death of a college student in Chicago, who DHS officials said this week was shot and killed by a Venezuelan national who was permitted to remain in the United States after entering illegally in 2023. “The Gorman family is burying their daughter this week, and liberal commissioner Rodney Scott and capitulator Tommy Homan say and do nothing, which is how we got in this mess in the first place,” Bovino told NewsNation on Tuesday. Issuing a response via “Katie Pavlich Tonight,” Homan was complimentary of Bovino. “I appreciate Greg Bovino’s service to the country. I think he’s a patriot. The bottom line is, I’ve been fighting sanctuary cities for 10 years, and the fact remains is, under my leadership, I’ve deported more illegal aliens than anybody since the Eisenhower administration,” Homan told NewsNation. “I mean, anybody who thinks Tom Homan’s soft on immigration is just wrong. But look, I appreciate Greg’s service. I appreciate him, you know, putting that badge and gun on every day, so I hope he’s happy in retirement,” he added. In January, Bovino was relieved as the Border Patrol’s commander-at-large overseeing the Minneapolis operation after President Donald Trump sent Homan to Minnesota. After the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Trump suggested that a “softer touch” was likely needed. Trump characterized Bovino as a “pretty out there kind of a guy.” Bovino returned to the Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector, where he served as sector chief before taking on the title of commander-at-large. Department of Homeland Security officials disputed that Bovino was dismissed from the role, which sources told NewsNation did not exist before Bovino. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [3/24/2026 2:25 PM, Katie Jerkovich, 40934K] reports that US Customs and Border Protection agents have busted an illegal immigrant trying to sneak into the US inside a gas tank. Officials at the San Ysidro port of entry in California made the unusual discovery on February 27 when a canine team realized someone was inside an alleged smuggler’s 2005 GMC SUV. The 20-year-old driver was then sent to a secondary inspection where the person was found hidden inside a built-in compartment in the tank. A picture of the crazy discovery showed the person wedged into the tiny space next to parts of the underside of the SUV. The Mexican national sustained serious burns and had to be taken to a nearby hospital for treatment following the smuggling attempt. "This case underscores the dangerous and inhumane tactics employed by smugglers who prioritize profit over human lives," said San Ysidro Port Director Mariza Marin. "Thanks to the vigilance and professionalism of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, this individual was located and removed from a life-threatening situation, subsequently receiving the medical attention they needed. CBP remains committed to disrupting smuggling operations that endanger the public." The driver was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego where he awaits charges. The New York Post [3/24/2026 9:47 PM, Zoe Hussain, 40934K] reports that after a CBP canine team alerted officers to the underside of the vehicle, authorities discovered a Mexican national stuffed inside a non-factory compartment built into the gas tank, the US CBP said. The man was quickly removed from the "life-threatening" situation and taken to a hospital in Chula Vista to treat burn injuries he sustained during the smuggling attempt. Harrowing photos showed him in a fetal position while cramped inside the tight tank compartment. The unidentified driver was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center in San Diego, federal authorities said. It is not immediately clear whether the stowaway is facing legal repercussions or has been taken back to Mexico. "This case underscores the dangerous and inhumane tactics employed by smugglers who prioritize profit over human lives," San Ysidro Port Director Mariza Marin said in a statement.

CBS News [3/24/2026 6:33 AM, Staff, 51110K] reports Mexican authorities found 229 migrants on Monday packed in the back of a truck traveling through the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, the first such encounter in months, marking a potential uptick in migration since President Donald Trump took office. José Manuel Pozos, the state’s deputy government secretary, said that they found migrants trapped in a truck reported stolen after they began to call for help from a police impound lot. Most of the migrants were from Central America, 17 were minors and a number were dehydrated, he said. Veracruz is one of a number of states that masses of migrants have historically crossed to reach the United States, and are preyed upon by cartels and other criminal groups. They are often packed into trucks in dangerous conditions to evade authorities while being smuggled north. But as migration north has plummeted since Mr. Trump took office, cases are few and far between.

The Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 11:34 AM, Molly Parks, 1147K] reports Delta Air Lines is scrapping its congressional specialty service that allows members of Congress to bypass typical airport security lines until the government restores funding to the Department of Homeland Security. "Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta," Delta told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The outlet’s report comes as hundreds of unpaid Transportation Security Administration officers have called out of work amid the partial government shutdown, and officers continue to miss paychecks. The shutdown and subsequent understaffing at TSA checkpoints have also hit travelers hard, with security line waits reaching up to two hours in some airports and screening checkpoints closing in several terminals. "Next to safety, Delta’s No. 1 priority is taking care of our people and customers, which has become increasingly difficult in the current environment," the Delta statement shared with the outlet read. Many mainstream airlines have specialized services for members of Congress to shuttle them to their gates safely and give them more flexibility in booking tickets. Delta is the first airline to strip these specialized services during the DHS shutdown. Delta CEO Ed Bastian has been at the forefront of airline executives advocating support for TSA agents during this partial government shutdown. Bastian was one of 10 CEOs to pen a letter to Congress asking them to stop treating air travel as a "political football" and make a deal to end the DHS shutdown. "TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid," the airline CEOs wrote in the letter to Congress. The New York Post [3/24/2026 11:02 AM, Ryan King, 40934K] reports that last week, Delta CEO Ed Bastian delivered a fierce rebuke of Congress for allowing funding for DHS to lapse, which has resulted in Transportation Security Administration employees going without full pay for over a month. Bastian called the situation "inexcusable" and railed against lawmakers for using TSA workers as "political chips." Across the country, TSA lines have exploded, with call-out rates, which hovered around 2% before the shutdown, jolting past 10% due to the funding lapse, according to acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl. Close to 400 TSA workers have quit since the partial shutdown began.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [3/24/2026 7:40 PM, Livia Albeck-Ripka, 148038K]
Reuters [3/24/2026 12:18 PM, David Shepardson, 38315K]
NBC News [3/24/2026 4:40 PM, Suzanne Gamboa and Jonathan Allen, 42967K]
FOX News [3/24/2026 9:34 AM, Alex Miller, 37576K]
NewsMax [3/24/2026 12:12 PM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K]
USA Today [3/24/2026 4:54 PM, Fernando Cervantes Jr, 70643K]

Blaze [3/24/2026 5:10 PM, Rebeka Zeljko, 1556K] reports while the Democrat-induced shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security enters its sixth week, Americans and even some airlines are looking for new ways to apply pressure on Congress to end it. Most recently, Delta Air Lines announced that it would be revoking key perks afforded to members of Congress until DHS is reopened and Transportation Security Administration employees can get paid. These services include express lanes and dedicated congressional phone numbers to afford members and their staff extra flexibility.

Reuters [3/24/2026 12:28 PM, David Shepardson, 38315K] reports that more than 450 Transportation Security Administration officers have quit since the start of a partial government shutdown on February 14, leading to massive delays at U.S. airports, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday. About 50,000 TSA officers are going without pay and are set to miss a second full paycheck on Friday. Hundreds of U.S. immigration agents and Homeland Security Investigations officers began deploying at ⁠14 U.S. airports on Monday to aid security screening, including at some airports where wait times have topped three or four hours. DHS said on Monday nearly 11% of TSA officers nationally - or more than 3,200 - did not show up for work. ICE and other law enforcement personnel at DHS are getting paid during the shutdown. On Monday, more than 30% of TSA workers were absent at New York JFK, Baltimore, Houston Hobby, Atlanta and ⁠New Orleans airports, DHS said. At New York LaGuardia, ICE officers were walking the terminal on Monday and not performing duties handled by TSA officers. Social media posts from other airports showed ICE agents standing near TSA officers who ⁠were checking identification. DHS rushed to deploy ICE agents after President Donald Trump said over the weekend they would be placed at airports if Democratic lawmakers did not ⁠make a funding deal. Democrats have held up funding for DHS while demanding a change in rules governing its immigration operations, after agents in ⁠Minneapolis shot and killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, sparking public outrage. Republicans have rejected Democratic proposals to fund TSA while negotiating over ICE reforms. FOX News [3/24/2026 2:33 PM, Eric Mack, 37576K] reports that the first spring travel weekend airport chaos has subsided in the Transportation Security Administration lines at some of the major hubs of Atlanta, House and New Orleans, but acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News that more than 3,200 TSA workers called out from their Monday shifts and more than 450 TSA officers have outright quit their jobs. "Day 38 of the Democrats’ shutdown: American travelers are facing hours-long waits at airports across the country and more than 450 TSA officers quit and thousands have called out sick from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent," Bis said in a statement. Notably, President Donald Trump’s move to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the hardest-hit airports has been given credit to alleviating some of the TSA security delays that reached a reported high of nine hours in Atlanta. Fox News reporting on site noted security lines were minimal Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, widely known as the busiest airport in the world. Also, video on social media hailed ICE agents in Houston passing out water to travelers waiting in still-long lines there.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [3/24/2026 12:41 PM, David Shepardson, 3760K]

Breitbart [3/24/2026 2:10 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2238K] reports that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker call-outs exceeded 3,200 nationwide on Monday, resulting in travelers facing hours-long lines as Congress fails to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending the partial government shutdown. Recently released figures from DHS indicate that Monday’s TSA call-out rate exceeded ten percent, with more than 3,200 officers not showing up nationwide. The figures show the William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston experiencing the highest percentage of call-outs at 40.3 percent, followed by the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) with 37.4 percent and 36.1 percent call-outs, respectively. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) followed with 34.9 percent call-outs, and the John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) also topped the list with 33.7 percent. The figures are slightly lower than the day prior, which saw over 3,400 call-outs across the country. As Breitbart News reported, Houston airports were among the hardest hit in terms of low staff, resulting in hours-long lines. At one point on Monday, the TSA wait line in terminal E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport reached three to four hours.

CBS News [3/24/2026 9:33 AM, Kris Van Cleave, 51110K] reports the Trump administration deployed ICE and other Homeland Security agents to 14 of the nation’s airports on Monday to help shuttle passengers through overcrowded TSA checkpoints. In one airport, the security line wait-time was up to six hours. The agents are filling in for TSA officers in some places due to mass call-outs during the partial government shutdown that is keeping the officers from receiving their paychecks. More than 3,400 TSA officers — nearly 12% of all TSA officers who were scheduled to work — called out on Sunday, which is the most since the start of the partial shutdown. Amid severe staffing shortages, some travelers navigating George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston dealt with six-hour wait times. Lines there snaked up three floors, starting in the basement’s subway corridor before passing through the baggage claim area. Security lines at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport extended all the way outside the terminal. Across the country, some travelers expressed hope that federal agents might help ease the TSA bottleneck, but others were skeptical, including TSA officer and union representative Pascual Contreras. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [3/25/2026 4:47 AM, Alexandra Skores, 19874K] reports Transportation Security Administration screeners checking passengers and their bags are the most visible layer of security at airports, but now that they have gone without pay for more than a month, some aviation experts are concerned the shutdown is increasing risks. “The wait times are obviously spiking everywhere, which means it’s more chaotic, which creates a security vulnerability,” said Keith Jeffries, who ran TSA at Los Angeles International Airport and is now a vice president of K2 Security Screening Group. “How focused are the front line employees on actually finding dangerous or prohibited items, or people with bad intentions, because they haven’t been paid?” he added. The war with Iran, which started about three weeks ago, adds to the wide-ranging threats TSA must look out for every day. The agency is not just made up of people giving pat-downs and finding bottles of water in carry-ons but has teams assessing threats and vulnerabilities along with intelligence and law enforcement agencies. “You can’t eliminate risk, but you can mitigate risk,” said John Pistole, who served as the TSA administrator during the Obama administration. While TSA often notes they rely on many different layers of security, both “seen and unseen” by the traveling public, situations like this lapse in funding bring “heightened awareness to how dependent the system is on men and women at TSA,” Pistole said. “They’re humans who might be distracted because they were worried about, ‘How am I going to pay the rent this month, buy groceries, child care, all those basics,’” he said. “That’s just human nature, even though they strive to do the best job and be professionals.” “We need not only to be vigilant, but extra vigilant,” Pistole said. Yet, he worries the massive lines created when the reduced number of screeners follow the essential rules could create additional vulnerabilities. “From the standpoint of a suicide bomber, or a shooter, (who) wants to go in and just shoot up this area, the airport, where people are in these long queues … it’s a double problem,” he told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.

Washington Examiner [3/24/2026 5:34 PM, Molly Parks, 1147K] reports the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is sending security employees to assist with security and passenger flow at three major airports in the region. The Port Authority told the Washington Examiner that its civilian security, operational personnel, and Port Authority Police Department officers will help the Transportation Security Administration at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport. The announcement comes as airports nationwide have grappled with long security lines while TSA officers work without paychecks during the continued Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Their unpaid services have decreased morale, prompting hundreds of TSA workers to quit or call out of work. Nearly 12% of all TSA officers nationwide called out of work on Monday, according to DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis. Though the Port Authority officers cannot assist in reducing TSA wait times, they help keep a secure environment in noncritical positions, the Port Authority told the Washington Examiner.

USA Today [3/24/2026 4:43 PM, Kathleen Wong, 70643K] reports with a potential deal to end the partial government shutdown on the horizon, travelers are wondering when airport security lines could return to normal. The six-week shutdown of Department of Homeland Security funding has snarled air travel, causing significant disruptions at airports across the country. The Transportation Security Administration falls under DHS. Some travelers are experiencing hours-long lines at security checkpoints of major hubs. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the world’s busiest airport, passengers are being told to arrive at least four hours before their flight. Transportation Security Administration worker absences reached their highest levels over the weekend since the shutdown began in mid-February, and the White House said on March 22 that more than 400 officers had quit. To alleviate understaffing at TSA, President Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be deployed at more than a dozen U.S. airports, sparking concern among travelers. After a March 24 meeting with the president, lawmakers said negotiations are making headway. Although conversations are still ongoing, the deal would likely fund DHS, including TSA, but postpone a vote on ICE funding. However, DHS has said that TSA workers who do not return to work could cause a longer-term impact. In a post on X, the department said new TSA recruits require up to six months of training, so there could still be a cap on meeting passenger demand after the shutdown ends.

CNN [3/25/2026 5:00 AM, Staff, 19874K] reports flyers have faced hours-long waits and lines snaking out of airports as hundreds of TSA employees have quit. Airports have seen long lines on Tuesday as approximately 36% of TSA workers have been calling out on average. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [3/24/2026 9:09 PM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE reports ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke with TSA officer Pascual Contreras about why he joined thousands of officers in calling out of work, and the toll the shutdown has had on him and other officers.

AP [3/25/2026 12:04 AM, Philip Marcelo, Obed Lamy and Rio Yamat, 34146K] reports a woman in Indiana who put off dental surgery because she doesn’t know if she can afford the copay. A Florida couple with young children who are depleting their savings. A grandmother in Idaho who plans to sell her car to pay the rent. They are among the tens of thousands Transportation Security Administration officers set to receive another $0 paycheck this week. A dispute in Congress over funding the Department of Homeland Security has held up their salaries since mid-February. With monthly bills coming due, many of these federal employees, who screen passengers and luggage at airports across the U.S., are making difficult choices about how to make ends meet. High absentee rates at some major airports have produced long lines and frustrated passengers at understaffed security checkpoints. Union leaders and federal officials say empty gas tanks, childcare expenses and the threat of eviction keep more screeners from showing up the longer the shutdown continues. At last count, more than 455 had quit instead of weathering the ongoing uncertainty, according to DHS. “Stop asking me about the long lines. Ask me if somebody’s gonna eat today,” Hydrick Thomas, president of the national American Federation of Government Employees union council that represents TSA employees, told reporters Tuesday. Before starting her shift at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday, Taylor Desert stopped at a food bank for meat, eggs, vegetables and dairy products. “I never thought I would be in a position where, working for the federal government, I would need to go to a food bank to supplement my groceries,” she said as she loaded bags into her car. Desert, who has been a TSA officer for seven years, said her last full paycheck came on Feb. 14, the day the shutdown started. She had some savings to draw on despite a record 43-day shutdown last fall but put some personal plans on pause. For example, Desert needs to get her wisdom teeth removed but says the TSA isn’t approving time off during the shutdown. She also worries about costs from the surgery not covered by insurance. Oksana Kelly, 38, and her husband, Deron, 37, both work as TSA agents at Orlando International Airport. They have two young children and don’t know how they will keep supporting their family without any income coming in. Kelly said they’re dipping into savings for now, but it’s running dry. If the shutdown persists, they will ask relatives for help or take out a loan, which she worries would put them deeper in debt. Rebecca Wolf cries every day. She tries to hide it from her grandchildren, ages 11 and 6. “They don’t understand why grandma’s crying,” Wolf said. “I try not to cry in front of them, but sometimes it’s just too much.”

USA Today [3/24/2026 10:00 AM, Jeanine Santucci, 70643K] reports long wait times to get through security lines amid the partial government shutdown slowed down investigators’ response to the deadly Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport, according to the top official at the National Transportation Safety Board. The Air Canada passenger jet crashed into a fire truck while landing late the evening of March 22, killing both pilots, injuring dozens of people on board and shutting down the busy airport. It came amid an ongoing partial government shutdown that has seen the greatest impacts within the Transportation Security Administration, as employees are working without pay and many have quit or not shown up to work. Travelers have reported waiting in security lines for hours in lines that extended outside terminals. NTSB investigators began arriving at the scene within hours of the crash early in the morning on March 23, but at least one was caught up in the security delay, said the agency’s chief, Jennifer Homendy. "We have our air traffic control specialist who was in line with TSA for three hours until we called in Houston to beg to see if we can get her through so we can get her here," Homendy said. "So it’s been a really big challenge to get the entire team here.”

Houston Chronicle [3/24/2026 10:43 AM, Jarrod Wardwell, 2493K] reports the National Transportation Safety Board had to "beg" to push an air traffic control specialist through Transportation Security Administration screening in Houston Monday so she could investigate the fatal plane crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, the agency’s chair said. During a press briefing on the collision between an Air Canada plane and fire truck, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said the air traffic control specialist was in a TSA line for three hours, prompting the agency to make a call to Houston. Standard security line waits reached 4 hours at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport while TSA workers have called out of work because of a pay freeze during the Department of Homeland Security’s more than month-long shutdown. "It’s been a really a really big challenge to get the entire team here, and they’re still arriving as I speak," Homendy said.

New York Post [3/24/2026 9:06 PM, Alex Oliveira, 40934K] reports Houston’s airports have been pummeled by the government shutdown with three- to four-hour security lines over the last few days — and the worst TSA absentee rates in the entire country. Hobby International Airport topped the leaderboard with a staggering 47% of its TSA workers calling out Saturday, while George Bush Intercontinental Airport saw about 42% of its security staff take the day off, according to CBS News. Meanwhile, New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport saw a 34% call out rate, Atlanta International lost 33%, and New York’s JFK also saw about 33% of its TSA staff stay home. In total, 11.5% of TSA workers called out across the US on Saturday, while about 450 workers have quit altogether since the partial government shutdown began on Feb. 13, according to the TSA. Most TSA workers have gone largely without pay since then — leading directly to the unbelievable no-show numbers. The shutdown has persisted as Democrats and some Republicans have refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security without border patrol and ICE reforms from President Trump. And the results has been punishing not just for unpaid TSA agents — but also for travelers forced to endure hours-long waits to get through security checkpoints.

New York Post [3/24/2026 8:01 PM, Katie Jerkovich, 40934K] reports insane video shows the mammoth TSA lines that travelers were greeted with at one of the major California airports. The video obtained by The California Post on Tuesday morning, showed hundreds of people standing in line at the San Diego International Airport (SAN) where passengers found the line for the security checkpoint extended all the way outside the building. People carrying backpacks, luggage, and more can be seen in the clip standing in the never-ending lines that start outside the terminal on the sidewalk before winding back into the building. Once inside, the news for air travelers was just as bad, with lines extending well into the terminal before eventually bringing passengers to where TSA agents were waiting to check their luggage. A travel advisory posted by the airport warns travelers to expect major delays. “Passengers traveling out of San Diego International Airport are encouraged to check their flight status before coming to SAN and plan to arrive at least 2.5 hours before their flight,” it read.

San Diego Union Tribune [3/24/2026 6:23 PM, Noelle Harff, 1257K] reports at Terminal One, passengers and workers had heard the headlines — missed flights, armed agents, gridlocked terminals. On Tuesday afternoon at San Diego International Airport, they saw neither. Still, remnants of Monday’s two-hour TSA lines were evident: neon yellow tape to mark the security line zigzagged from the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint past the ticketing counter, over the bridge and out the door. Now, airport officials say they are prepared to handle long lines through the weekend. This week, San Diego flyers have been dealing with a perfect storm of delay issues: Weather disruptions, spring break crowds and the fallout from a deadly crash at LaGuardia. At the same time, a TSA staffing shortage prompted by a partial government shutdown triggered President Trump to deploy ICE agents to airports across the country — though none in San Diego. Administration officials said about 10% of TSA workers failed to report for duty on some recent days, compared to typical rates of less than 2%. About 70 to 80 officers per day are not showing up to work in San Diego, up from around 20 before the shutdown, according to Aaron Vazquez, a TSA lead transportation security officer at the San Diego airport and union member. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that nationally, at least 458 TSA officers have quit altogether, according to DHS.

Washington Post [3/24/2026 11:41 AM, Brianna Sacks, 24826K] reports a tool thousands of communities at risk for hurricanes in the United States use to decide when to evacuate residents is set to expire Friday because the acting Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator has held up its full renewal, according to emails reviewed by The Washington Post, as well as four current and two former officials familiar with the situation. The system, called Hurrevac, has more than 30,000 users according to its website, including emergency managers for cities, states and U.S. territories as well as some National Weather Service offices. The group of current and former FEMA officials, all but one of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, described it as an invaluable tool that overlays evacuation, storm history and forecast data to determine whether and when public safety agencies should clear neighborhoods when a hurricane is approaching. In a statement, FEMA said the contract had not expired or been canceled, and pointed to the ongoing partial government shutdown that has left the Department of Homeland Security unfunded. “HURREVAC is a vital resource for FEMA and our state partners as we prepare for the 2026 hurricane season,” acting FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargués said in the statement. “This administration will not allow Democrats’ funding lapse to jeopardize national security or disaster preparedness. We are doing the work to maintain these essential systems, regardless of the political hurdles. Any suggestion that this contract has lapsed is inaccurate misinformation and should be disregarded.” Hurrevac, which has been around for decades, is a partnership between FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FEMA paid $1.5 million for the software system in fiscal year 2021 and, according to internal records, owes about $1.3 million for this fiscal year. The current contract set to expire is for more than $3 million, according to government databases. While the agency has made smaller appropriations to keep the tool online for months at a time, one current and one former agency official with knowledge of the situation said, the smaller appropriations did not fully renew the contract. “Without it, you’re forcing state and local leaders to operate with less precision and higher risk when making critical lifesaving decisions,” said MaryAnn Tierney, a former acting deputy FEMA administrator who said she started working with Hurrevac in 1999. “We have less than 70 days until the start of hurricane season; this is shelving the playbook right before kickoff.” Internal FEMA records from Tuesday show that the contract is still with the Office of the Administrator.

Reported similarly:
CNN [3/24/2026 1:44 PM, Andrew Freedman, 612K]

AP [3/24/2026 5:36 PM, Audrey McAvoy and Gene Johnson] reports crews on Tuesday began evaluating damage from a surprise downpour that sent floodwaters raging through a neighborhood near downtown Honolulu — the latest bout in a series of storms and flooding that have pummeled the state over the past two weeks. Residents along Oahu’s North Shore, famous for its big wave surfing, were cleaning up from the worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades when a storm Monday unleashed several inches of rain on the southern part of the island. The ferocity of Monday’s downpour even took National Weather Service meteorologists aback. The downpour, which dumped 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain per hour, was highly localized: One rain gauge in the upper part of the valley recorded 6 inches (15 centimeters), while the airport a few miles away got just one-hundredth of an inch (less than a millimeter). The Kona low was moving off to the east, Evans said, and should not pose further risk of bursts like Monday’s. A flash flood was in effect for the eastern part of Maui. There were no immediate reports of deaths or serious injuries, but authorities said hundreds of homes on Oahu’s North Shore had been damaged by last week’s flooding, which came as heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week earlier. More than 230 people had to be rescued. Evacuation orders covered 5,500 people north of Honolulu, and some residents fled on surfboards as water reached waist or chest high. Farms around the state reported more than $9.4 million worth of damage as of Monday, according to a survey conducted by Agriculture Stewardship Hawaii, the Hawaii Farm Bureau and other organizations. Even before Monday, Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, homes and a Maui hospital in Kula. He called it the state’s most serious since flooding since 2004, when floods in Manoa inundated homes and a University of Hawaii library. Green’s office said Tuesday he had submitted a major disaster declaration request to the Trump administration.

San Francisco Chronicle [3/24/2026 9:35 PM, Megan Fan Munce, 3833K] reports Maui officials have reportedly called off a search for a 71-year-old woman believed to have been swept into a river, in what may be the first death of the devastating Hawaiian floods. A historic storm, the second of two, arrived above the Hawaiian islands late last week, bringing heavy rainfall to Maui beginning on Saturday. That day, at approximately 11:40 a.m. local time, a witness saw a woman fall and get pulled away by a fast-moving river, according to the Maui Police Department. The fire and police departments used jet skis and helicopters to search the area to no success, the police department said. Officials called off the search on Tuesday afternoon, more than 72 hours after the woman vanished, Hawaii News Now reported. Police said the 71-year-old was apparently using a bucket to try to collect water from the Iao River near Kahului on the north side of the island when she fell. The rapid water, fed by the rain and by a previous storm the week prior, quickly overwhelmed the woman and carried her downstream, the witness reportedly told police. It may be the first fatality in what has up until now been destructive— but not deadly — flooding across the Hawaiian islands. Officials for the fire and police departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the suspended search. In Oahu alone, first responders have rescued more than 233 people since the floods began, according to Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management.

Blaze [3/24/2026 4:54 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1556K] reports a man who had been arrested and sentenced for threatening to kill President Donald Trump and others was sentenced to prison and released before allegedly making more threats. Diedrich Holgate, 47, was sentenced to a year and a half of prison time for the original threats made when Trump was a 2024 candidate. In 2024, Holgate threatened to kill the president nearly three dozen times in posts on social media and calls and voicemails sent to U.S. Secret Service. Holgate was also sentenced to supervised release, which he began to serve on Jan. 21 at the Northwest Regional Re-Entry Center in Portland, Oregon. Holgate was released to a halfway house, where he allegedly continued to make threats and was subsequently arrested again. He was kicked out of the halfway house after being found vaping in a bathroom, according to testimony from Diana Leiseth, his federal probation officer. Leiseth added that Holgate refused to stay at approved residential housing and didn’t show up to a probation request. A man by the same name in Austin, Texas, was arrested in 2017 and allegedly threatened to kill an Austin police officer and his family for violating his constitutional rights. Holgate was ordered to be held in custody pending a new hearing in the trial.

Austin American Statesman [3/24/2026 3:41 PM, Faith Bugenhagen, 2763K] reports Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Austin for a private fundraiser on Monday caused major traffic problems—and Austinites were not happy about it. An Austin Reddit post captured what appeared to be Vance’s motorcade on the intersection of Loop 360 and Walsh Tarlton Lane: a string of Austin police officers on motorcycles with flashing lights, followed by patrol vehicles, then what seemed to be Secret Service black SUVs. More complaints centered around the same subjects: a waste of taxpayer money and law enforcement resources. Others questioned why Vance was hosting a fundraiser, challenging the vice president over the amount in his political coffers.

Stars and Stripes [3/24/2026 2:03 PM, Gary Warner, 1251K] reports that the Coast Guard temporarily relieved the commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Denman, homeported in Ketchikan, Alaska, the service announced Monday. Lt. Edwin Kuster was relieved by Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District. Little said an unspecified investigation led to a "loss of confidence" in Kuster’s ability to lead. The U.S. military routinely cites only a vague "loss of confidence" when removing commanders from authority. The Coast Guard said Kuster’s relief was "not due to misconduct." Lt. Bryce Matakas has temporarily assumed the position of commanding officer of USCGC Douglas Denman. The Coast Guard did not say what duties Kuster would be assigned following his removal. "A temporary relief for cause is initiated by the operational commander with information and circumstances that raise concerns about a service member’s ability to effectively serve in their current position," said Coast Guard Lt. Pamela Manns, a spokeswoman for Arctic District Public Affairs. "The final decision authority for a permanent relief for cause resides with the commander of the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center." Kuster took command of the fast response cutter in May 2024, according to a change of command ceremony report in the Ketchikan Daily News. The report said Kuster was the second commander of the cutter, which was delivered to the Coast Guard in 2022.

CyberScoop [3/24/2026 5:10 PM, Tim Starks, 122K] reports leaked iOS spyware has some cybersecurity professionals raising urgent alarms about potential mass iPhone compromises, a development that pairs ominously with the recent discovery of two sophisticated iOS exploit kits. At the same time, some other experts say Apple’s defensive features for iPhones remain elite. But several factors have created unprecedented circumstances: the public accessibility of a version of DarkSword, shortly after the discovery of the original version of DarkSword and the earlier discovery of a similar kit known as Coruna, and a growing market for iPhone exploits driven by their high value as targets. Allan Liska, field chief information security officer at Recorded Future, said he was worried about what the leaked DarkSword version could do to “democratize” iPhone exploits. “Right now, iPhone exploitations are among the most expensive to research/implement so they have been, largely, the realm of nation-states,” he said. “If anyone can exploit an iPhone, suddenly something that has managed to be relatively secure now is a much bigger attack surface.”

CyberScoop [3/24/2026 2:15 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] reports Mandiant is responding to a major, ongoing supply-chain attack involving the compromise of Trivy, a widely used open-source tool from Aqua Security that’s designed to find vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in code repositories. The fallout from the attack spree, which was first detected March 19, is extensive and poses substantial risk for follow-on compromises and threatening extortion attempts. “We know over 1,000 impacted SaaS environments right now that are actively dealing with this particular threat campaign,” Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting said during a threat briefing held in conjunction with the RSAC 2026 Conference. “That thousand-plus downstream victims will probably expand into another 500, another 1,000, maybe another 10,000.” Attackers stole a privileged access token and established a foothold in Trivy’s repository automation process by exploiting a misconfiguration in the tool’s GitHub Actions environment in late February, Aqua Security said in a blog post. On March 1, the company tried to block an ongoing breach by changing its credentials. They later realized the attempt failed, which allowed the attacker to stay in the system using valid logins. Attackers published malicious releases of Trivy on March 19. “While this activity initially appeared to be an isolated event, it was the result of a broader, multi-stage supply-chain attack that began weeks earlier,” Aqua Security said in the blog post. By compromising the tool, attackers gained access to secrets for many organizations, Carmakal said. “There will likely be many other software packages, supply-chain attacks and a variety of other compromises as a result of what’s playing out right now.”

CyberScoop [3/24/2026 10:15 AM, Greg Otto, 122K] reports a federal court in Indiana sentenced a Russian cybercriminal to 81 months in prison on charges related to his role as an initial access broker for ransomware groups. Aleksei Volkov, 26, of St. Petersburg, Russia, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to six federal charges stemming from his work with the Yanluowang ransomware group and other cybercriminal organizations between July 2021 and November 2022. He was arrested in Rome and subsequently extradited to the United States. Volkov, also known as “chubaka.kor,” operated as an initial access broker, a specialized role in which he identified and exploited vulnerabilities in corporate networks and sold that access to ransomware operators. The function has become increasingly common in the ransomware ecosystem, enabling criminals to profit from attacks without directly deploying malware or executing extortion demands. According to court documents, Volkov facilitated dozens of attacks that resulted in more than $9 million in confirmed losses to victims and over $24 million in intended losses. Prosecutors identified seven specific U.S. businesses targeted during the 16-month period, including an engineering firm and a bank. Two victims paid a combined $1.5 million in ransom payments.

Axios [3/24/2026 1:15 PM, Sam Sabin, 17364K] reports that Iranian government-linked hackers hit a U.S. medical institution with ransomware in late February, right around when the war in Iran began, according to research released Tuesday. Why it matters: This is the second known attack on an American health care organization since tensions between the U.S., Israel and Iran began this year. Zoom in: Pay2Key, a ransomware gang that’s been operating since 2020, appears to have used a compromised administrator’s account to gain access to the organization. Once inside, the hackers waited several days before deploying malware, which took only three hours to deploy and encrypt the files on the environment. Incident responders at Beazley Security responded to the attack in late February and called in researchers at Halcyon to help study the malware. Yes, but: No data was actually exfiltrated during this attack and the gang didn’t make a ransom demand, according to the report. The big picture: The Iranian government is known to use its own cyber capabilities, including those belonging to unofficial proxy groups, as a means to retaliate to kinetic warfare. Driving the news: Last week, the FBI accused Iranian intelligence of running a pro-Iran hacktivist group that targeted U.S. medical device company Stryker. The FBI also warned on Friday that Iran-linked hackers were using Telegram to push malware against dissidents, journalists and other opposition groups.

AP [3/24/2026 8:30 PM, Staff, 34146K] reports law enforcement officials on Tuesday said they are taking steps to monitor and counter threats to Jewish and Muslim communities nationwide since the onset of war in the Middle East, multiple hate crimes and an attempted terror attack prompted increased security measures at places of worship and investigations into extremist activity. As the FBI conducts an investigation into a March 12 incident in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in which a driver drove a vehicle through the doors of Temple Israel, the nation’s second-largest congregation in Reform Judaism, officials offered an assessment of threats against faith communities and discussed strategies for maintaining safety and security at places of worship. "We know a goal of our enemies is to scare us into submission so that we make a decision to not show up," said Michael Masters, national director of the Secure Community Network, during a national security briefing that included insights from federal and local law enforcement agencies. "With strong safety and security measures in place, that doesn’t need to happen," Masters said. The network, which coordinates security for Jewish communities in North America, hosted the national security briefing ahead of Passover and amid rising global tensions. Hateful incidents against Jewish people were recently documented in southern California and Toronto, while European officials are investigating car burnings in Antwerp and London as antisemitic attacks. For many Jewish Americans, the antisemitic incidents have confirmed longstanding fears about the rise of antisemitism, as well as the need to vigorously counter extremism and live their faith undaunted by threats. Meanwhile, the upsurge of virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric from some GOP politicians and Christian nationalists carries echoes of the early 2000s, when the 9/11 attacks and the Afghanistan and Iraq wars bred Islamophobic sentiment across the U.S. and around the world. Federal authorities are also monitoring for increased activities from radicalized individuals who may seek to attack places of worship or strike during high profile upcoming events or holidays. Officials during the security briefing did not share any known threats to upcoming events and Secure Community Network officials said they did not know of any active threats to Jewish communities at present. "As we not only seek to defend against would-be malicious actors, particularly ones encouraged by or empathetic to Iran, we also need to be equally on guard for all aspects and assailants as America looks forward to hosting both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the America 250 celebrations later this year," said Matthew Kozma, the under secretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, during the security briefing.

NewsNation [3/24/2026 4:56 PM, Jeff Arnold, 4464K] reports a newly formed collaboration between the FBI and the IRS’s criminal investigations unit, designed to identify non-profit organizations suspected of funding domestic terrorism efforts, is forcing executives running American charitable groups to ensure their organizations avoid possible prosecution. However, because the two federal agencies have not yet publicly identified which non-profits could be targeted, non-government organizations remain in limbo as they wait to learn just how the federal probes will play out. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in December that President Donald Trump had directed the federal government to initiate a focused strategy to “root out all culpable participants —including organizers and funders — in all domestic terrorism activities.” Bondi wrote in a memo that federal prosecutors will “zealously” investigate and prosecute acts of terrorism. Those activities, the attorney general wrote, include organized rioting, looting, the doxxing and swatting of federal law enforcement officers, as well as conspiracies to impede or assault federal law enforcement. Bondi has directed the FBI to compile a list of groups that are engaged in acts that are considered domestic terrorism.

Reuters [3/24/2026 8:02 AM, Staff, 38315K] reports that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Group of Seven foreign ministers in France on Friday for talks on Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Middle East situation stemming from the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the State Department said. U.S. ⁠allies are dealing with the fallout from President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran late last month, which triggered strikes from Iran against its Gulf neighbors and against shipping that have stopped most transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio, Trump’s ⁠top diplomat and national security advisor, will attend the G7 foreign affairs ministerial meeting taking place in Cernay-la-Ville, outside of Paris, ⁠principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement issued on Tuesday. "Areas of focus will ⁠include the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in the Middle East, and threats ⁠across the world to peace and stability," Pigott said.

New York Times [3/24/2026 5:26 PM, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and John Ismay, 148038K] reports President Trump’s threat to “obliterate” power stations in Iran if its leaders failed to open the Strait of Hormuz suggests that the United States is willing to violate international humanitarian law as part of its military campaign, according to current and former human rights officials. “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Mr. Trump wrote on social media on Saturday. He later extended the deadline to Friday. The president’s threat appears to be part of his erratic messaging campaign, which is often construed as bluster or misdirection. “Trump is openly threatening a war crime,” said Kenneth Roth, a former executive director of Human Rights Watch. “And people aren’t saying anything because they’re numb to it.” By threatening to attack civilian infrastructure, Mr. Trump has once again pushed the United States into territory more familiar to its enemies than its allies. International law, specifically Article 52 of the first additional protocol of the Geneva Conventions, prohibits attacks on civilian objects. These laws are meant to protect civilians and those who can no longer fight, such as wounded soldiers, from the “barbarity of war.” Energy infrastructure such as power grids often has civilian and military uses. In the case of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, prosecutors deemed the strikes a violation of humanitarian law. Despite the charges, Russian forces continued their campaign. “I see no difference between what Trump is threatening to do in Iran and what the International Criminal Court charged four Russian commanders for doing in Ukraine,” Mr. Roth said. The court also issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, Mr. Trump’s close ally, accusing the Israeli military of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Human rights groups say Israel’s actions in the territory constituted genocide. “What we are seeing from all sides — the United States, Iran and Israel — is a race to the bottom in which threats against civilian infrastructure are becoming normalized,” said Sarah Yager, the Washington director at Human Rights Watch. “This kind of rhetoric doesn’t just escalate tensions irresponsibly, it signals a dangerous willingness to erode the very rules designed to protect civilians in war.”

NewsMax [3/24/2026 8:28 PM, Michael Katz, 3760K] reports President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the only people "disappointed" by a potential ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran are Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan "Raizin" Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The U.S. earlier Tuesday reportedly sent Iran a 15-point peace plan through regional mediators. The proposal is part of efforts to end the conflict, which began Feb. 28. Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social that the U.S. had engaged in very good and productive conversations and that messages had been conveyed to Iranian officials. He also said he postponed planned strikes on Iranian power plants after those discussions. Trump said Tuesday in the Oval Office, following the swearing-in of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, that Hegseth and Caine were "quite disappointed" the conflict against Iran might soon end.

US News & World Report [3/25/2026 1:24 AM, Staff, 16072K] reports the United States is negotiating with ​itself, an Iranian military spokesman said according to state media on Wednesday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran wants to make a deal to end the ⁠war in the Middle East. A 15-point plan aimed at putting an end to the conflict was drafted by Washington and sent to Tehran, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. "Has the level of your inner struggle reached the ⁠stage of you negotiating with yourself?" Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the unified command of Iran’s armed forces, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, ⁠taunted the U.S. leadership. "People like us can never get along with people like you." Zolfaqari said ⁠U.S. investments and pre-war energy prices would not return as long as ⁠Washington does not accept that regional stability is guaranteed by Iranian armed forces.

ABC News [3/24/2026 4:25 PM, Morgan Winsor, Nadine El-Bawab, and Aleem Agha, 34146K] Video: HERE reports a U.S. citizen held in Afghanistan for over a year has been freed, the Taliban said Tuesday. Dennis Coyle, 64, was released after a letter from his family was sent requesting his release on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, the Taliban foreign ministry said. His period of detention was then deemed "sufficient" and his release was approved by a court, according to the ministry. The Taliban claimed Coyle had been detained for "violating the applicable laws of Afghanistan." The U.S. said Coyle was wrongfully detained. "Today, after more than a year of captivity in Afghanistan, Dennis Coyle is on his way home. President Trump is committed to ending unjust detentions overseas – Dennis joins over 100 Americans who have been freed in the past 15 months under his second term in office," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in statement Tuesday. Coyle is an academic from Pueblo, Colorado, who had been detained in Afghanistan since Jan. 27, 2025, according to a website set up by his family. He first arrived in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, where he worked to survey Afghanistan’s linguistic diversity and help communities develop resources in their own languages, according to his family. The Taliban thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping to facilitate Coyle’s release. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
New York Times [3/24/2026 12:07 AM, Elian Peltier, 148038K]
AP [3/24/2026 11:35 AM, Abdul Qahar Afghan, Elena Becatoro, and Eric Tucker, 35287K] Video: HERE
CBS News [3/24/2026 1:50 PM, Stephen Smith and Olivia Gazis, 51110K]

FOX News [3/24/2026 2:27 PM, Alex Nitzberg, 37576K] reports that North Korean’s Kim Jong Un pledged to solidify his nation’s nuclear status while keeping a hard-line position regarding South Korea, which he referred to as the "most hostile" state, state media indicated Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. In a speech Monday to Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament, Kim accused the United States of global "state terrorism and aggression," in an apparent reference to the war in the Middle East, and said North Korea will play a more forceful role in a united front against Washington amid rising anti-American sentiment. The AP reported that the North Korean official indicated that the matter of whether opponents "choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence is up to them, and we are prepared to respond to any choice." "The dignity of the nation, its national interest and its ultimate victory can only be guaranteed by the strongest of power," Kim stated, according to the AP. "The government of our republic will continue to consolidate our absolutely irreversible status as a nuclear power and will aggressively wage a struggle against hostile forces to crush their (anti-North Korean) provocations and schemes." The 2026 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community states, "North Korea remains committed to expanding its strategic weapons programs, including missiles and nuclear warheads, and to solidifying its deterrent capability."

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