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Tag: immigration

Red state bill seeks to force local compliance with federal immigration law

The Indiana House Judiciary Committee voted to advance a bill that gives the governor authority to punish local governments that fail to comply with federal immigration authorities.

Indiana House Bill 1531, which allows local law enforcement agencies the ability to carry out federal immigration laws and threatens to withhold funding from local governments who fail to comply with federal immigration laws, passed through the committee on a party line vote after hours of tense testimony and now moves to the full House, according to a report from the Indy Star Monday.

The bill would also allow the state’s attorney general to impose civil penalties if a local government agency fails to comply with a federal immigration detention request, requires state judges to report any non-U.S. citizen convicted of a crime to federal authorities, prohibits employers from recruiting or hiring illegal immigrants, and grants immunity to government bodies or employees for action taken on immigration detainer requests.

RED STATE AG PROMISES LEGAL FIGHT WITH ICE-RESISTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk down a street during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We’ve been doing as much as we can with existing authority under labor trafficking laws to go after this issue of illegal aliens being employed in the state,” Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Blake Lanning told the Indy Star. “But in many ways, Indiana law was not designed for this problem, to address this problem.”

Lanning said the attorney general’s office worked closely with the state’s GOP legislature to craft the bill, which comes after Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita threatened to sue local jurisdictions who do not comply with federal immigration orders.

“Now that’s a problem in Indiana, particularly because there’s an Indiana state statute that I enforce that says what you have got to give, whatever level of cooperation is allowed by federal law, you shall give it as a state or local law enforcement official,” Rokita told Fox News Digital in an interview Friday.

“And, so, that’s what’s happening here. That defiance I need to look into now.”

‘CLAWED BACK’: DHS CHIEF NOEM SECURES EYE-POPPING SUM SENT TO NYC FOR MIGRANT HOTELS

Local law enforcement cooperation with ICE is a point of contention in many liberal-leaning jurisdictions, even in red states. (ICE)

DOGE PUTS DEI ON CHOPPING BLOCK WITH TERMINATION OF OVER $370M IN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRANTS

The push comes as President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to both secure the border and deport immigrants already in the country illegally. However, some of those efforts have been hindered by so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, which ban local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

Indiana’s legislation faces stiff opposition from Democrats and outside groups, who question the constitutionality of the bill.

“This is unprecedented to have this many anti-immigrant bills in one legislative session for Indiana. So it really is kind of a race to be the most racist. Any argument against that is just disingenuous,” Carolina Castoreno, the co-founder of the Alliance for Latino Migrant Advocacy, told the Indy Star after testifying against the bill.

President Donald Trump on Jan. 31, 2025, with an executive order on his desk. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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“The rhetoric that they are continuing to use in these rooms — the mentioning of cartels, the mentioning of Hispanic men, talking about the Spanish speaking language,” Castoreno added. “They’re not talking about Ukrainian immigrants. They’re not talking about immigrants from any other part of the world, except for Latin America.”

However, efforts to defeat the legislation face an uphill battle in Indiana, where Republicans enjoy supermajorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate as well as control the governor’s office.

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 18, 2025
Migrant flight architect to lead Florida’s immigration enforcement

The man who helped organize a planeload of illegal immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard during the Biden administration has been tapped to lead Florida’s new immigration enforcement board.

Larry Keefe, a longtime trial attorney who served previously as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “public safety czar” since 2021, will have $250 million at his discretion to help bolster the state’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Keefe was at the center of helping private contractor Vertol Systems Company earn a $1.5 million contract to fly dozens of mostly Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to the ritzy Massachusetts island in 2022. At the time, illegal crossings along the southern border were surging under the leadership of former President Joe Biden, with more than 2 million during FY 2022.

TRUMP GREENLIGHTS SOME PRO-IMMIGRANT MOVES AMID BROADER ANTI-MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

Larry Keefe, inset, was at the center of organizing a flight from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard amid a massive influx of illegal migrants into the U.S. under President Joe Biden. ( U.S. Department of Justice)

The new board that Keefe will be heading was created during a recent special legislative session, called by DeSantis last month, to advance efforts at implementing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

The group held an emergency meeting Monday, during which Attorney General James Uthmeier nominated Keefe to be the new board’s executive director just hours after being appointed himself by the governor.

“For several years, I had the pleasure of working alongside [Keefe] when he was the state’s public safety czar. In that position, Larry worked with law enforcement all across the state to spearhead interdiction efforts. He also helped us with executive actions to collect data and better understand the real harms and taxes that the state faces as a result of an influx of illegal immigrants,” Uthmeier said at Monday’s meeting. “He also helped organize some relocation flights that I think some of you might have heard about, including one to Martha’s Vineyard.”

Illegal immigrants arrive at Martha’s Vineyard Airport on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. (Video provided to Fox News Digital)

Desantis said during Monday’s meeting that Keefe’s work on the migrant flights, in particular the one to Martha’s Vineyard, “changed the dynamic of the whole debate” from immigration simply being an issue for border states, to an issue for all states.

TOP FEDERAL AGENCY EXPOSED FOR SPENDING BILLIONS ON MIGRANTS IN A SINGLE YEAR

“They thought it was fine to have tens-of-thousands overrunning these border towns, but the minute you had 50 show up in Martha’s Vineyard, they had massive spasms about this. They called out the National Guard, they were doing a state of emergency,” Desantis said. “And then you started to see New York City and California and Chicago trips, and all of that I think helped bring this issue to a crescendo and resulted in the 2024 election.”

Immigrants gather with their belongings outside St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Sept. 14 on Martha’s Vineyard. (Ray Ewing/Vineyard Gazette via AP)

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Fox News Digital reached out to DeSantis’ office and was directed to his comments during the Monday meeting and on social media. DeSantis said Keefe “is a great public servant” and “will do a fantastic job” leading the state’s immigration enforcement.

February 18, 2025
Trump administration fires more than a dozen immigration judges

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More than a dozen immigration judges were fired on Friday, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s promise to trim the federal workforce.

A union official told the Associated Press that 13 judges who were set to be sworn in, and five assistant chief immigration judges, were fired on Friday without warning.

The move comes after two other judges were dismissed this week, the AP reported. No replacements have been announced.

The Trump administration dismissed more than a dozen judges on Friday. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

US IMMIGRATION BACKLOG REACHES NEW RECORD OF 3 MILLION PENDING CASES: REPORT

Fox News Digital previously reported the U.S. immigration court backlog surpassed three million pending cases.

Immigration judges currently average 4,500 pending cases each, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

The AP reported five top court officials were replaced by the Trump administration, including Mary Cheng, the agency’s acting director.

Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. (iStock)

TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER BLOCKED BY THIRD FEDERAL JUDGE

In a memo released on Jan. 27, Sirce Owen, acting director of the Department of Justice, noted the Biden administration “severely undermined” core values of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

“An effort to restore those values and to re-establish EOIR as a model administrative adjudicatory body is well underway,” Owen wrote. “If all employees are willing to join that effort, then there will be no limit to what EOIR can achieve.”

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as “Main Justice,” is seen behind the podium in the Department’s headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)

The Trump administration on Thursday instructed agencies to lay off most probationary workers without civil service protection, the AP reported.

The International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, which represents federal employees, and the U.S. Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Saturday.

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Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 15, 2025
MI cities, schools that don’t comply with immigration laws can’t get ‘pork,’ as lawmakers go around Whitmer

Michigan’s House of Representatives voted along party lines to pass a measure making municipalities and educational institutions that don’t fall in line with certain immigration enforcement measures ineligible for earmarked funding.

The measure — HR 19 — was adopted in a 56-50 vote that House leaders said will not require Democratic Gov. Getchen Whitmer’s blessing due to its categorization as a rule change and not legislation.

“An appropriations bill or conference report shall not be brought for a vote if it contains a legislatively-directed spending item for which the intended recipient is a municipality or university… that actively maintains any rule, policy, ordinance or resolution that would subvert immigration enforcement in any way or refuses to comply with federal immigration enforcement measures,” the text of the resolution reads.

The municipalities in question may, however, take the extra step to certify that their bylaws do not actually include language subverting immigration enforcement.

LAWMAKERS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM TOP MICHIGAN OFFICIAL OVER ALLEGED USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS FOR ELECTIONEERING

Detroit is one Michigan city that could see a cutback in earmarked funding unless it changes its approach to immigration cooperation. (Reuters)

House Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus, R-Grand Rapids, said Thursday that if a local government wants taxpayer money, they need to start by following the law.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of our communities and protecting the due process rights of our citizens,” Posthumus said.

“If you become a sanctuary jurisdiction, you’re not going to get pork projects,” added House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Kalamazoo.

“That means, you know, we’re not going to fund your splash-pads. We’re not going to fund your Zen centers. We’re not going to pay for your hip-hop academies,” said Hall, who sponsored the legislation.

“Now, we do have an obligation to do constitutional revenue sharing, and we will continue to do that… We’re just saying if you’re one of those municipalities that’s asking us to pay for your stadium or sports complex or your water park, don’t be a sanctuary city,” Hall went on in floor remarks.

LAWMAKERS SLAM SBA ‘STONEWALLING’ OVER MICHIGAN VOTER MEMO

Hall added that leaders of both Republican- and Democratic-led towns are sending letters agreeing to certify their compliance with the new rule.

“The people of Michigan have spoken. They do not want sanctuary jurisdictions in the state,” he said.

In remarks to Fox News Digital, Michigan’s House Democratic leader confirmed the measure won’t need Whitmer’s signature nor the approval of the Democrat-controlled state Senate, and blasted the move as a Republican “power grab.”

“Normally, these [resolutions] are used for routine business — like commemorating important events or passing the House Rules at the beginning of the legislative session,” said Rep. Ranjeev Puri of Canton.

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“HR 19 will insert chaos into the Budget process, and we are already seeing communities across the state panic over being denied necessary funding. Instead of fearmongering, Speaker Hall and the Republican caucus should focus on lowering the price of goods, mitigating the Trump Tariffs, and uplifting towns and cities across our great state,” Puri said.

While Whitmer could not be reached for comment, she has publicly shown a more moderate view on the subject of illegal immigration than other Democrats, telling reporters in 2024 that undocumented immigrants should not receive state assistance.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 14, 2025
Judges have blocked Trump executive orders on DOGE, immigration at least 6 times

Federal judges have blocked President Donald Trump’s executive orders related to stemming the flow of illegal immigration, as well as slimming the federal bureaucracy and slashing government waste.

“Billions of Dollars of FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE, has already been found in the investigation of our incompetently run Government,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social on Tuesday. “Now certain activists and highly political judges want us to slow down, or stop. Losing this momentum will be very detrimental to finding the TRUTH, which is turning out to be a disaster for those involved in running our Government. Much left to find. No Excuses!!!”

Judges in U.S. district courts – the lowest level in the three-tier federal court system – have mostly pushed back on Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Here are the six times judges have blocked Trump’s executive orders so far:

AS DEMOCRATS REGROUP OUTSIDE DC, GOP ATTORNEYS GENERAL ADOPT NEW PLAYBOOK TO DEFEND TRUMP AGENDA

President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Federal Funding Pause

The Trump administration quickly pushed to withhold Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money sent to New York City to house migrants, saying it had “significant concerns” about the spending under a program appropriated by Congress. The Justice Department had previously asked the appeals court to let it implement sweeping pauses on federal grants and loans, calling the lower court order to keep promised money flowing “intolerable judicial overreach.”

McConnell, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, is presiding over a lawsuit from nearly two dozen Democratic states filed after the administration issued a memo purporting to halt all federals grants and loans, worth trillions of dollars.

“The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional,” McConnell wrote, “and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country.”

The administration has since rescinded that memo, but McConnell found Monday that not all federal grants and loans had been restored. He was the first judge to find that the administration had disobeyed a court order.

The Democratic attorneys general allege money for things like early childhood education, pollution reduction and HIV prevention research remained tied up even after McConnell ordered the administration on Jan. 31 to “immediately take every step necessary” to unfreeze federal grants and loans. The judge also said his order blocked the administration from cutting billions of dollars in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Boston-based First Circuit Court of Appeal on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration’s effort to reinstate a sweeping pause on federal funding.

The federal appeals court said it expected U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island to clarify his initial order.

DOGE Treasury Department access

U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, on Monday ordered lawyers to meet and confer over any changes needed to an order issued early Saturday by another Manhattan judge, Obama-appointee Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, that banned Elon Musk’s DOGE team from accessing Treasury Department records. Vargas instructed both sides to file written arguments if an agreement was not reached.

The order was amended on Tuesday to allow Senate-confirmed political appointees access to the information, while special government employees, including Musk, are still prohibited from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment system.

On Friday, 19 Democrat attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, sued Trump on the grounds that Musk’s DOGE team was composed of “political appointees” who should not have access to Treasury records handled by “civil servants” specially trained to protect sensitive information like Social Security and bank account numbers.

Justice Department attorneys from Washington and New York told Vargas in a filing on Sunday that the ban was unconstitutional and a “remarkable intrusion on the Executive Branch” that must be immediately reversed. They said there was no basis for distinguishing between “civil servants” and “political appointees.”

Elon Musk, chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

They said they were complying with the Saturday order by Engelmayer, but they asserted that the order was “overbroad” so that some might think even Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was banned by it.

“Basic democratic accountability requires that every executive agency’s work be supervised by politically accountable leadership, who ultimately answer to the President,” DOJ attorneys wrote, adding that the ban on accessing the records by Musk’s team “directly severs the clear line of supervision” required by the Constitution.

Over the weekend, Musk and Vice President JD Vance reacted to the escalating conflict between the Trump administration and the lower courts.

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal,” Vance wrote broadly. “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

Musk said Engelmayer is “a corrupt judge protecting corruption,” who “needs to be impeached NOW!”

“Fork in the Road Directive”

Boston-based U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr., who was nominated by former President Bill Clinton, kept on hold Trump’s deferred resignation program after a courtroom hearing on Monday.

O’Toole on Thursday had already pushed back the initial Feb. 6 deadline when federal workers had to decide whether they would accept eight months of paid leave in exchange for their resignation.

A “Fork In the Road” email was sent earlier last week telling two million federal workers they could stop working and continue to get paid until Sept. 30. The White House said 65,000 workers had already accepted the buyout offer by Friday.

The country’s largest federal labor unions, concerned about losing membership, sued the Office of Personnel Management, asking the court to delay the deadline and arguing the deferred resignation program spearheaded by Musk is illegal.

Eric Hamilton, a Justice Department lawyer, called the plan a “humane off ramp” for federal employees who may have structured their lives around working remotely and have been ordered to return to government buildings.

TRUMP BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP EXECUTIVE ORDER BLOCKED BY THIRD FEDERAL JUDGE

Birthright Citizenship

The Trump administration on Tuesday said it is appealing a Maryland federal judge’s ruling blocking the president’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for people whose parents are not legally in the country.

In a filing, the administration’s attorneys said they were appealing to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. It’s the second such appeal the administration has sought since Trump’s executive order was blocked in court.

The government’s appeal stems from Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman’s grant of a preliminary injunction last week in a case brought by immigrant rights groups and expectant mothers in Maryland. Boardman said at the time her court would not become the first in the country to endorse the president’s order, calling citizenship a “precious right” granted by the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

The president’s birthright citizenship order has generated at least nine lawsuits nationwide, including suits brought by 22 states.

On Monday, New Hampshire-based U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, said in relation to a similar lawsuit that he wasn’t convinced by the administration’s arguments and issued a preliminary injunction. It applies to the plaintiffs, immigrant rights groups with members who are pregnant, and others within the court’s jurisdiction.

Last week, Seattle-based U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour, who was nominated by former President Ronald Reagan, ordered a block of Trump’s order, which the administration also appealed.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

A worker removes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sign on their headquarters on Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

The Trump administration is expected to argue before a federal judge Wednesday that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is rife with “insubordination” and must be shut down for the administration to decide what pieces of it to salvage.

The argument, made in an affidavit by political appointee and deputy USAID administrator Pete Marocco, comes as the administration confronts a lawsuit by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees – two groups representing federal workers.

Washington-based U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, on Friday ordered a temporary block on plans by the Trump administration to put 2,200 USAID employees on leave. He also agreed to block an order that would have given just 30 days for the thousands of overseas USAID workers the administration wanted to place on abrupt administrative leave to move their families back to the U.S. at the government’s expense.

Both actions by the administration would have exposed the workers and their families to unnecessary risk and expense, according to the judge.

The judge reinstated USAID staffers already placed on leave but declined to suspend the administration’s freeze on foreign assistance.

Nichols is due to hear arguments Wednesday on a request from the employee groups to keep blocking the move to put thousands of staffers on leave as well as broaden his order. They contend the government has already violated the judge’s order.

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In the court case, a government motion shows the administration pressing arguments by Vance and others questioning if courts have the authority to check Trump’s power.

“The President’s powers in the realm of foreign affairs are generally vast and unreviewable,” government lawyers argued.

Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 12, 2025
Noem appears to accuse FBI of leaking plans to enforce immigration in LA

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem called the FBI “corrupt” and appeared to accuse the bureau of leaking plans for “large-scale” immigration enforcement plans in the Los Angeles area.

The LA Times published an article Friday that said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would lead the operation, focusing on those without legal status in the U.S. or who have pending orders of removal, according to an internal government document reviewed by the publication.

The document was reportedly circulated among some government officials last week. The Times also reported that a federal law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said LA FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officers and agents are being called in to assist.

Noem shared the article on X, taking a dig at the FBI.

LA FREEWAY BLOCKED BY ANTI-DEPORTATION PROTESTERS IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“The FBI is so corrupt,” Noem wrote. “We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law.”

ICE sources told Fox News they do not know where Noem got the information or what she is basing it on.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

The FBI had no comment on the matter.

LARGEST LAPD UNION SLAMS ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST DIRECTIVES, SAYS ARRESTS ‘SHOULD BE A NO-BRAINER’ IN ALTERCATIONS

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined an ICE raid in New York City. Noem said communities will be safer because of targeted raids that go after criminal illegal immigrants. (Department of Homeland Security)

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined “Fox Report” on Sunday, where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about leaks within the government.

“Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you,” Bondi said. “It’s not going to stop our mission. It’s not going to stop the president’s mission to make America safe again.”

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SENDS MESSAGE TO FAR-LEFT OFFICIALS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS: ‘GAME ON’

Anti-ICE protesters blocked traffic on both sides of the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

She also said if people do not want to follow the law, the Department of Justice will prosecute them.

Bondi was then asked about an operation in Denver, Colorado, where individuals used bullhorns to let people know that ICE was coming, advising illegal immigrants of what they should and should not do if approached by agents.

In cases where people inform illegal immigrants that they are in danger, Bondi was asked if anything could or should be done to stop it.

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“It very well could rise to the level of obstruction, and we will be looking at every single case where someone jeopardizes the lives of the great men and women in law enforcement, and they will be held accountable,” Bondi said. “If you leak, if you do anything, like you said, if you come out with bullhorns that could jeopardize their lives, we will investigate it, and we will come after you.”

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 10, 2025
Rubio scores key wins for Trump immigration agenda with blitz through Latin America

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up his first overseas trip across Latin America with several wins on immigration, a top priority for President Donald Trump.

America’s new top diplomat returns home with a binder full of agreements from foreign governments on day-one priorities to interdict human and drug trafficking – a testament to how the Trump administration wields America’s economic might.

“I think the fact that his first trip was to Latin America, I think was a huge statement in itself,” said Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS).

Next, Rubio will head to the Middle East, with plans to visit Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in mid-February after attending the Munich Security Conference. A broad swath of even more challenging circumstances await him there, including concerns from foreign officials over Trump’s newfangled idea to “take over” the Gaza Strip, with neighboring Arab states staunchly opposed to U.S. insistence that they take in Palestinians.

RUBIO TO VISIT MIDDLE EAST FOR SECOND TRIP AS SECRETARY OF STATE AFTER TRUMP SUGGESTS US TAKEOVER OF GAZA

Panama agreed not to renew its Belt and Road Initiative with China after Rubio’s meeting, pictured above with the Panamanian foreign minister. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

Before the secretary took off for Latin America, the Trump administration had already scored several victories. Colombia did a lightning fast about-face on accepting deportation flights carrying illegal immigrants headed home from the United States. President Gustavo Petro had initially denied two flights carrying Colombian nationals, saying he would not accept the return of migrants who were not treated with “dignity and respect” and who had arrived shackled or on military planes.

But Trump immediately threatened 25% tariffs on Colombian goods, and Petro acquiesced to all U.S. conditions, according to the White House, including accepting migrants on military planes.

Rubio then began his regional tour in Panama last Saturday, a nation that nervously awaited to see what his visit would hold after Trump repeatedly called for a U.S. takeover of the Panama Canal.

Trump had claimed the canal was essentially under the control of China – Hong Kong-based firms control the ports of entry – and charging America unfair rates after the U.S. built the canal and gave it back to Panama in a 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter.

After Rubio’s visit, Panama said it would not be renewing its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with China, an investment project the CCP uses to secure influence in developing nations across the world.

“The BRI thing was huge news,” said Humire.

“There are 22 countries in Latin America that signed a BRI agreement. If we really push hard on this, a lot of countries, especially the ones that are allied with us, are going to rethink” their agreements with China, he added.

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

Rubio had warned Panama that if its government did not move to reduce or eliminate the CCP’s grip on the canal, the U.S. would move to do so.

Under the canal treaties, the U.S. retains the duty to defend the canal if it comes under threat.

Rubio, pictured above in the Dominican Republic, Rubio had warned Panama that if its government did not move to reduce or eliminate the CCP’s grip on the canal, the U.S. would move to do so. ( Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via Reuters)

But Rubio hit a snag over a claim that the State Department made that Panama had offered free passage through the canal for U.S naval vessels.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino then accused the US of spreading “lies and falsehoods” about his nation offering the U.S. free passage.

The secretary then rowed back the claim, while calling the charges “absurd.”

“It seems absurd that we would have to pay fees to transit a zone that we are obligated to protect in a time of conflict,” Rubio said. “Panama has a process of laws and procedures that they need to follow as it relates to the Panamanian port.”

In Costa Rica, Rubio offered U.S. help to combat a wave of drug trafficking crime and push back on Chinese influence by limiting CCP development of 5G technology in the country.

Then, in El Salvador, Rubio cinched an offer from Trump-friendly President Nayib Bukele to accept deportees of any nationality, including American criminals.

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

At the same time, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 Mexican forces to the U.S. border after Trump agreed to delay a threatened 25% tariff on her nation’s exports to the U.S.

Meanwhile, in Guatemala, President Bernardo Arévalo pledged to accept 40% more deportation flights and to accept people of other nationalities.

“I think a lot of the wins are because of his prior relationships with the region, his team and, frankly, his experience and his knowledge,” said Humire. “He’s somebody that can engage them in their language and in their kind of mannerisms.”

And, he added, Latin America saw “how serious” Trump was about deportations, watching the threats the president made to Canada, Mexico and Colombia.

Amid a stint in El Salvador, Rubio cinched an offer from Trump-friendly President Nayib Bukele to accept deportees of any nationality, including American criminals. (Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS)

“I think we could have gotten more clarity from Panama on the canal,” said Humire. “But I think we met little resistance [overall].”

Rubio wasn’t the only Trump official to secure Latin America wins. Special envoy Ric Grenell sat down with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro this week and returned home with six American hostages. The price paid, according to Grenell, was giving the Venezuelan dictator a photo opportunity with an American diplomat for propaganda purposes.

The Trump administration now expects deportation flights to Venezuela to resume “within 30 days,” border czar Tom Homan told the New York Times, after Maduro previously refused to accept Venezuelan nationals back from the U.S.

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“He’s on a good-behavior policy,” said Humire. “[Maduro] thinks – they call it agenda zero – they think that they can renew, kind of restart relations with the U.S. by basically being on good behavior, starting to steer us towards their interests.”

“Grennell has to be able to get the things that we need without giving a whole lot. And I think he accomplished that,” Humire continued. “The photo op, they’re going to spin it, use it for disinformation. But that’s a small concession for bringing hostages home.”

February 8, 2025
Harry’s immigration records ‘likely’ to be disclosed, judge says in first hearing under Trump

A federal judge indicated that he is “likely” to release immigration files on Prince Harry after the first hearing in the royal’s high-profile case since President Donald Trump took office.

U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols said Harry’s files should be released “to the maximum extent possible,” during Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., according to a report from the New York Post, with the judge reasoning that he is “required to make public everything that can be made public” but would take care not to violate any privacy laws.

“I’m going to take this in stages,” Nichols said, noting that the government will have the ability to propose potential redactions.

The Wednesday hearing marked the first in the case since the inauguration of Trump, who has been pressed in recent weeks to step in and unseal Harry’s immigration records.

PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE SLAMMED BY JUSTINE BATEMAN FOR BEING ‘DISASTER TOURISTS’ AMID CALIFORNIA FIRES

Prince Harry’s immigration paperwork is under scrutiny over allegations he lied on some key documents. (Getty Images)

“I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president does have that legal authority to do that,” Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank behind the lawsuit to unseal Harry’s records, told the New York Post.

“It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law,” Gardiner added. “Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use.”

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At issue in the case is whether Harry lied on immigration forms or was provided with special treatment when he initially moved to the U.S. in 2020, a question that arose after the royal admitted to using illegal drugs in his memoir “Spare,” which was released in 2023.

The admission by Harry sparked a lawsuit by the Heritage Foundation, which sued the Department of Homeland Security in an attempt to have the royal’s immigration records released.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

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For his part, Trump indicated on the campaign trail that he is open to deporting Harry and has in the past been critical of the royal’s move to the United States.

“He has been so disrespectful to the country, and I think he’s an embarrassment,” Trump said in a 2022 interview with Piers Morgan.

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 6, 2025
‘BIG CHANGE’: Nassau County police to begin assisting with immigration enforcement

Nassau County police officers will now be assisting federal authorities with immigration enforcement in what county executive Bruce Blakeman is calling a “big change” that “was sorely needed.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Blakeman, who is a Republican, explained that the Nassau County Police Department will embed 10 detectives within the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to target illegal immigrant criminals in the county.

Additionally, the Nassau County Correctional Center will be setting aside dedicated space for illegal immigrant criminals, allowing ICE space to hold them pending their removal from the U.S.

As part of the arrangement, Nassau County will receive federal funding to help reimburse them for the extra personnel power and jail space made available to ICE.

SANCTUARY CITIES THAT REFUSE ICE REMOVAL REQUESTS COULD BE PUNISHED UNDER STATE, FEDERAL LEGISLATION

Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman speaks during a news conference in Mineola, New York, on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)

“Now we can call ICE up [and] ICE will come in and detain them or deport them,” he said. “So, it’s a big change, and it’s one that was sorely needed.”

Blakeman said that the partnership was proposed by ICE as soon as President Donald Trump returned to the White House. He said that he believes the partnership will “absolutely” have a dramatic effect on improving the safety and well-being of citizens and residents in Nassau, which is one of the largest counties in the country.

“ICE approached us, asked us if we would cooperate, and I said absolutely yes. I believe in their mission. I believe in cooperation with our federal law enforcement professionals, and I thought it would make us safer in Nassau County,” he said. “I thought it was the right thing to do, and the fact of the matter is, I’m just very grateful that President Trump is now allowing ICE to do their job, and I think that’s very, very important because it’s going to keep us all a lot safer.”

He explained that until now the state’s migrant sanctuary policies have made it difficult for police and ICE to enforce federal immigration law and get dangerous criminal migrants off the streets. Meanwhile, other leaders in the state, such as New York Attorney General Letitita James, a Democrat, have threatened law enforcement with legal action if they assist with ICE removal operations.

SANCTUARY CITIES THAT REFUSE ICE REMOVAL REQUESTS COULD BE PUNISHED UNDER STATE, FEDERAL LEGISLATION

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks outside New York Supreme Court ahead of then-former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

“We’ve had a 5-year-old girl who was raped by an illegal migrant. I mean, how disgusting is that? We’ve had fentanyl come in from illegal migrants south of the border with amounts that could kill our whole population,” he said. “Well, now, those individuals who are involved in that type of activity will either be permanently detained or they will be deported …. So, it’ll be a safer community.”

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“I can’t speak for any of the state officials up in Albany. They’ve promulgated bizarre laws that give criminals more rights than victims. You just have to scratch your head and say to yourself, why are they always sticking up for criminals? When are they going to start sticking up for victims?” he asked. “All I can say is here in Nassau County, we’re going to follow the federal law.”

Blakeman clarified that Nassau County officers will not be conducting immigration enforcement raids with ICE, but rather working in tandem with the agency to facilitate the smooth transfer of illegals for deportation.

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President Donald Trump is pictured in front of the U.S. Capitol Building, surrounded by fencing in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)

“This is for targeted criminals who are here illegally in America. So basically, what would happen is, let’s say a police officer arrests somebody for committing a crime in Nassau County. They would then do a background check. They would check the records of ICE. It would be determined that they were here illegally and then we would notify ICE and ICE would come and pick them up.“

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Blakeman said that as far as he is concerned, the partnership with ICE and federal authorities will remain in place for “as long as it’s necessary.”

“After Joe Biden was elected president, Joe Biden’s directive was that ICE should not be enforcing the law, that basically individuals that were illegal migrants who committed crimes should be treated like citizens. And ICE was paralyzed,” he said. “Now, under President Trump, they are enforcing the laws that are already on the books, and we are going to assist them in enforcing the law because it will mean that we’ll have a safer county.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 5, 2025
Immigration think tank cooks up scheme to force migrants to self-deport

An immigration think tank has proposed a unique method of aiding President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts, supplementing typical enforcement efforts by relying on “snitches” to limit the employment opportunities of illegal immigrants.

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) released a report detailing a plan to force “self-deportations” of illegal immigrants. The proposal suggests a minor amendment to the tax code aimed at punishing employers who hire illegal immigrants by allowing private citizens to sue businesses that do this, forcing them to comply with the E-Verify system and limiting the employment opportunities for migrants.

The proposal, authored by Ajay Gupta, acknowledges Trump’s enforcement efforts but argues the president will be “limited in scope” when it comes to traditional deportation methods, which could be supplemented by forcing many illegal migrants to leave the country voluntarily.

“Notwithstanding its ‘shock and awe,’ a forcible deportation drive is unlikely to make a dent in that vast population,” the report argues. “For this, the law against hiring these aliens would have to be strictly enforced.”

People board a U.S. military aircraft. The White House announced that “deportation flights have begun” in the U.S. (White House)

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The report cites Britain’s 19th century plan to eradicate child labor as an example of the concept’s success, noting that the country was able to force compliance with labor laws even though it was limited by resources and budgetary constraints.

Britain’s effort relied on private enforcement of the law, the report notes, something the U.S. proposal would also do by allowing private citizens to sue employers of illegal immigrants.

“The proposal would impose a punitive tax on all who pay for the personal services or labor of unauthorized aliens and let private citizens sue to collect this tax,” the report argues. “The ubiquity of snitches, as compared to the distant possibility of government action, is likely to put the fear of God in employers. Most, if not all, would then willingly embrace E-Verify, a free online tool for verifying a prospective hire’s work-authorization status.”

According to the report, the result would make it much more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain employment, which “should induce large numbers of unauthorized aliens to return home.”

The CIS proposal is not the first time such an idea has been floated in the U.S. Former Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, advocated for a similar measure during his 2012 bid for president.

Donald Trump headlines a Republican National Committee spring donor retreat in Palm Beach, Fla., May 4, 2024. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

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“The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can’t find work here because they don’t have legal documentation to allow them to work here,” Romney said during a Republican primary debate in 2012.

Romney’s proposal was widely mocked at the time, including by Trump, who called the idea “maniacal” and “crazy,” according to a 2012 NewsMax report.

But Romney’s idea also had high-profile defenders, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who now serves in Trump’s administration as secretary of state.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks to members of the press on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., June 1, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“I’ve never understood self-deportation, in what the governor has presented, as a policy. It’s not a policy,” Rubio said a few months after Romney’s initial proposal, according to an ABC News Report. “I think it’s an observation of what people will do in a country that’s enforcing its immigration laws.”

According to the CIS report, a renewed push for self-deportation could be accomplished by amending current tax law through budget reconciliation, which would only require a simple majority vote in the Senate and potentially bypass Democratic efforts to block the legislation.

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“Republicans today have the legislative and executive authority to fully implement the proposal presented here. This implementation would require adding little more than some 650 words to a budget reconciliation bill. And its consequence would force all employers nationwide to comply with E-Verify,” the CIS report concluded.

“If GOP lawmakers in control of both chambers of Congress refrain from even this undemanding legislative task, their electorate would be justified in concluding that they accord a higher priority to not placing even the slightest added burden on employers than they do on removing illegal aliens.”

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 4, 2025