National Guard Shooting Suspect Came From Afghanistan Through Biden Program
A 2022 DHS report concedes the government may have 'paroled individuals into the United States who pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities.'A 2022 DHS report concedes the government may have 'paroled individuals into the United States who pose a risk to national security and the safety of local communities.''So dumb it hurts my soul': DHS brutally fact-checks viral 'new data' from Cato Institute
The Department of Homeland Security has showed no signs of slowing down its deportation campaign against the "worst of the worst" in the country. However, many of its detractors have tried countless methods of obstructing its mission and undermining public support.
On Monday, Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier challenged the "worst of the worst" narrative with "new data" regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions.
'By the way, every single one of these illegal aliens broke our nation’s laws by being in the country illegally.'
"Most 'criminals' had immigration, traffic, and vice offenses. Not the 'worst of the worst,'" Bier said.
The pie chart shows that 73% of ICE detainees within the period of October 1-November 15 had "no conviction" and only 5% were "violent" offenders.
Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) highlighted the data, saying: "This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to Bier via Senator Murphy's post: "This is so dumb it hurts my soul. This is a made up pie chart with no legitimate data behind it — just propaganda to undermine the brave work of @DHSgov law enforcement and fool Americans."
McLaughlin went on to set the record straight: "~ 70% of illegal aliens arrested have active criminal charges or criminal convictions. That doesn’t even include those wanted in another country for a crime, gang members, known/suspected terrorists, wanted by INTERPOL, human rights abusers. The list goes on."
She then added what many people are thinking, for those who need to hear it: "By the way, every single one of these illegal aliens broke our nation’s laws by being in the country illegally."
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Trump DHS makes 'temporary' finally mean temporary again, revoking Biden's free pass for 4,000 foreign nationals
The Biden administration expanded so-called lawful pathways, allowing millions of foreign nationals to flood into the United States. One of those pathways included the controversial use of Temporary Protected Status.
TPS was created to provide a deportation shield to foreign nationals in the U.S. based on temporarily unstable conditions in their home countries.
'This decision restores TPS to its original status as temporary.'
Since retaking office in January, President Donald Trump has moved to roll back TPS, which was provided to numerous countries under the prior administration.
Trump's Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday the termination of TPS for Burma, effective January 26.
"At least 60 days before a TPS designation expires, the Secretary, after consultation with appropriate U.S. government agencies, is required to review the conditions in a country designated for TPS to determine whether the conditions supporting the designation continue to be met, and, if so, how long to extend the designation," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated.
"If the Secretary determines that the conditions in the foreign state continue to meet the specific statutory criteria for Temporary Protected Status designation, Temporary Protected Status will be extended for an additional period of 6 months or, in the Secretary's discretion, 12 or 18 months," USCIS continued. "If the Secretary determines that the foreign state no longer meets the conditions for Temporary Protected Status designation, the Secretary must terminate the designation."
Burma was designated for TPS in May 2021, citing the Burmese military's involvement in "a coup" that "depos[ed] the democratically elected government and declar[ed] a temporary one-year state of emergency," which paused elections.
RELATED: Noem prepares to deport 500,000 immigrants from one long-troubled island
"The military is responding with increasing oppression and violence to demonstrations and protests, resulting in large-scale human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions and deadly force against unarmed individuals," the Biden administration claimed at the time.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem concluded that the situation in Burma has improved and that its citizens are safe to return home.
"This decision restores TPS to its original status as temporary," Noem declared. "Burma has made notable progress in governance and stability, including the end of its state of emergency, plans for free and fair elections, successful ceasefire agreements, and improved local governance contributing to enhanced public service delivery and national reconciliation."
Noem also concluded that allowing Burmese nationals to remain in the country would be "contrary to the national interest of the United States."
RELATED: Trump admin revokes protected status extension for Venezuelan nationals
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) called the move "cruel," claiming that revoking TPS would endanger lives.
"Ending TPS for Burma, in the middle of the conflict there, endangers the lives of many Burmese, including human rights and democracy activists. It's cruel and will undermine the fight for democracy in Burma. The admin must reconsider this terrible decision," Meeks said.
There are nearly 4,000 approved TPS beneficiaries from Burma, according to DHS. Over 200 individuals reportedly have pending applications.
TPS is set to expire for several other nations, including Ethiopia in December, South Sudan in January, and Haiti in February.
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Islamist groups in Texas rake in $13M in taxpayer-funded grants amid Abbott’s battle against Sharia law
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has taken aggressive action this week against Sharia law, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Yet critics are demanding to know why, during his time in office, millions in taxpayer-funded grants have been allocated to alleged Islamist organizations based in Texas.
Abbott announced on Tuesday that he had designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. The following day, Abbott urged local district attorneys to investigate potential Sharia "courts" operating in Texas and defying state and federal laws to push Islamic codes.
'Unlike the previous administration, recipients of grants will no longer be permitted to use federal funds to ... empower radical organizations with unseemly ties that don't serve the interest of the American people.'
Despite Abbott's recent actions, some have faulted the governor for allowing taxpayer dollars to be used to fund the uptick in Islamic mosques in Texas, citing a June report from the Middle East Forum. The article claimed Texas gave "over $13 million of federal and state monies to mosques and community groups aligned with Islamist movements such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as hostile foreign regimes."
Of the 18 organizations that received funds, a dozen were said to have "extremist links."
"While a few thousand dollars in the state government's data consists of the return of escheated funds, the vast majority of the millions spent appear to be the result of direct state grants, subsidy programs, and federal sub-awards managed by the Texas state government," the Middle East Forum wrote.
The Texas governor's office told Blaze News that the funding referenced in the Middle East Forum's report was not state tax dollars but rather federal funds distributed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
As part of that program, since 2016, roughly $63 million in federal funds have passed through Texas to nonprofit organizations, including $55 million to churches and synagogues, and a smaller portion went to mosques, according to Abbott's office.
RELATED: Secret Sharia ‘courts’ in Texas may be quietly overriding state law — Abbott calls for investigation
The governor's office contended that organization-vetting for this DHS and FEMA grant program is performed by these federal agencies, not by the state.
Sam Westrop, the director of Islamist Watch and the author of the Middle East Forum report, disputed this claim, arguing that the state was responsible for screening these grant applications and had the authority to exclude applicants.
Westrop told Blaze News that "only a small number" of the $13 million came from the DHS' Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
"However, many of the grants we identified, while not all from DHS, were in fact paid for from federal funds; and are thus subawards," Westrop stated. "But by serving as the primary grantee, the Texas state government is required by the federal government to vet and assess risk. Subawards are discretionary, and the primary grantee may exclude a subawardee."
"So these grants may be financed by federal dollars, but the monies are distributed through and at the discretion of the Texas state government, much by the governor's office itself," Westrop added.
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program seeks to provide financial support to nonprofit organizations that are considered "high risk" of a terrorist attack. These nonprofits can include places of worship, educational facilities, and medical facilities, among other 501(c)(3) organizations. The funds are intended to support security enhancements, such as installing cameras, alarms, and fences. The grant can also be used toward security planning and training, as well as cybersecurity.
RELATED: No Sharia law in Texas: Abbott draws a hard line against radical Islam
According to FEMA, the State Administrative Agency in each state is "the only eligible applicant" for this grant and "responsible for handling the federal award." Therefore, churches and other places of worship seeking funds through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program are "subapplicants that must apply through the SAA in the state or territory where the applying facility is physically located." The nonprofits cannot apply directly to FEMA.
The applications are first "scored by the SAA in coordination with its state." Then the SAA submits "a prioritized list of [investment justifications] with all scores to FEMA."
FEMA notes that a facility's local SAA may have its own requirements to apply for the grant. Texas' SAA contact is the Homeland Security Grants Division under the Texas Office of the Governor.
These now-archived grant opportunities from Texas' eGrants website state that the "Office of the Governor will screen all applications to ensure that they meet the requirements included in the funding announcement." However, it notes that FEMA "makes final funding decisions."
While it remains disputed whether Texas could have blocked these grants from going to alleged Islamist organizations, FEMA has made it clear that the DHS, under Secretary Kristi Noem, has significantly increased the vetting at the federal level.
"Under Secretary Noem's leadership, FEMA conducted a critical evaluation of all grant programs and recipients to root out waste, fraud, and abuse and deliver accountability for the American taxpayer," a FEMA spokesperson told Blaze News. "For Fiscal Year 2025 grant awards, DHS and FEMA worked together to vet grant recipients and ensure that every dollar spent strengthens the nation's resilience."
"Unlike the previous administration, recipients of grants will no longer be permitted to use federal funds to house illegal immigrants at luxury hotels, fund climate change pet projects, or empower radical organizations with unseemly ties that don't serve the interest of the American people," the spokesperson added.
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Virginia high-school principal allegedly suggests anti-ICE 'hunting' plot; brother brags about 'assault rifle,' cop claims
A pair of Virginia brothers are facing charges related to an alleged plot to attack U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as retaliation for their enforcement of the law.
Mark Bennett, 59, and his younger brother John Bennett, a 54-year-old assistant principal at Virginia Beach's Kempsville High School, were arrested on Wednesday at Norfolk International Airport and each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit malicious wounding.
'Our ICE law enforcement is now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them.'
While having lunch at a pho restaurant in Virginia Beach on Nov. 15, an off-duty Norfolk police officer allegedly overheard the brothers discussing "how ICE agents are kidnapping individuals and that they needed to do something about it," said the criminal complaint obtained by WTKR-TV.
Mark Bennett allegedly indicated during the conversation that he was planning to link up with like-minded people in Las Vegas and return with "enforcement ideas and plans." He also allegedly indicated that he recently purchased a so-called assault rifle because "it utilizes the explosive rounds that are needed to penetrate the vests."
The complaint claims that John Bennett said that he wanted to "go hunting" and signaled interest in flying to Vegas with his older brother.
While detectives confirmed that Mark Bennett was scheduled to make the flight on the day of his arrest, it's unclear whether his brother similarly had a ticket to fly.
RELATED: Ramming attacks on ICE spike, endangering agents as Democrats continue to spew hateful rhetoric
"These allegations of violence against law enforcement, the very ones who protect and serve our communities, are incredibly alarming," Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said in a statement. "We are grateful this information was brought to our attention. VBPD was able to work with various law enforcement agencies to assess the credibility of the information, leading to today’s arrests, ensuring the safety of both our law enforcement community and the public at large."
Neither ICE nor Kempsville High School responded to Blaze News' requests for comment by deadline.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools told WTKR that Bennett has been with the district since 2009 and is currently on leave.
During the brothers' bond hearing on Thursday, the Bennetts' attorneys claimed that the conversation overheard at the restaurant amounted to hearsay, that they were just joking around, and that neither brother posed a threat to the community, reported WVEC-TV.
The attorneys suggested further that the purpose of Mark Bennett's trip to Las Vegas was to attend a Formula 1 race with his two sons.
The Bennetts were granted $25,000 bond but are confined to their homes and barred from contacting each other or possessing firearms.
ICE agents have faced an alarming number of threats and attacks in recent months. In some case, such as the sniper shooting in September at a Dallas facility, the attacks have proven deadly.
The Department of Homeland Security revealed this week that since Jan. 20, there have been 71 vehicular attacks against Customs and Border Protection agents and 28 vehicular attacks against ICE, amounting to 58% and 1,300% increases, respectively, of such attacks over the same period last year.
"Our ICE law enforcement is now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said late last month.
"From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families," continued McLaughlin. "Make no mistake, sanctuary politicians are contributing to the surge in violent threats and assaults of our officers through their repeated vilification and demonization tactics, including gross comparisons to the Nazi Gestapo."
The agency noted that concerned citizens can report doxxing and harassment against ICE officers by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing ICE's online tip form.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!We Need To Deport 1 Million Illegal Immigrants A Month
Americans want zero illegal immigration, little or no legal immigration, and a mass deportation system that makes noticeable cultural changes to American cities and towns.Ramming attacks on ICE spike, endangering agents as Democrats continue to spew hateful rhetoric
As Trump's Department of Homeland Security continues its deportation campaign across the country, violence against law enforcement has skyrocketed. On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin joined Fox to discuss the increase in attacks and the resistance the DHS has faced from Democrat politicians.
Fox showed Tricia McLaughlin a montage of Democrat leadership, particularly from Chicago, seemingly advocating resistance against law enforcement.
'It really is a shame that the Democrat Party has decided that violence against law enforcement is OK.'
"We need ICE out of our city," Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson stated, claiming in a separate clip that federal agents had "broken laws" and "acted with impunity."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said, "Don't believe it when they tell you they're busting the worst of the worst gang and gang members. They're attacking peaceful neighborhoods."
Other examples of Democrats using highly charged rhetoric include Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) challenging the Trump administration to a "street fight," Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) comparing ICE to "slave patrols," and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) calling efforts to resist ICE "inspiring."
In response to these speeches, McLaughlin said, "It really is a shame that the Democrat Party has decided that violence against law enforcement is OK. We will continue to do our jobs each and every day and get these violent criminal illegal aliens out of Chicago's streets and out of sanctuary cities all over the country."
"There is going to be no safe haven for violent criminal illegal aliens," she added.
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin confirmed the meteoric rise in vehicular attacks on federal immigration officers.
On X, Melugin wrote, "There have been 71 vehicular attacks against Customs and Border Patrol since January 20, compared to 45 vehicle assaults during the same period in 2024 — a 58% increase."
The most shocking statistic, however, is the increase in attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers: "There have been 28 vehicular attacks against ICE since January 20, compared to just 2 such incidents in the same period of 2024 — a 1,300% increase."
Asked by Fox News about the mandate to hire 10,000 more ICE employees and the more than 200,000 applications for the positions, McLaughlin quipped, "We are looking for the best of the best to get the worst of the worst off our streets."
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ICE takes down alleged 'wanted terrorist' illegal alien trucker
Federal agents arrested an illegal alien truck driver who is wanted in his home country for allegedly belonging to a terrorist organization.
Akhror Bozorov, a 31-year-old from Uzbekistan, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday.
'This issue extends far beyond the trucking industry and represents a profound national security crisis.'
Bozorov reportedly entered the United States illegally in February 2023. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested him but later released him into the country.
Uzbekistan authorities issued an arrest warrant in 2022, claiming that Bozorov had distributed terrorist propaganda online that called for jihad. He also allegedly recruited others to join the movement.
On November 9, ICE agents arrested Bozorov in Kansas while he was working as a truck driver.
The DHS blamed Pennsylvania for issuing Bozorov a CDL after the Biden administration granted his work authorization in January 2024.
A photograph of Bozorov's license, shared by the DHS, showed that Pennsylvania issued him a non-domiciled CDL with REAL ID in July.
"Not only was Akhror Bozorov — a wanted terrorist — RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration, but he was also given a commercial driver's license by Governor [Josh] Shapiro's Pennsylvania. This should go without saying, but terrorist illegal aliens should not be operating 18-wheelers on America's highways," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated.
"Biden and [former DHS Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas allowed countless terrorists to come into our country," McLaughlin continued. "President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem unleashed ICE to target these national security threats."
Shannon Everett with American Truckers United reacted to ICE's recent arrest.
"At American Truckers United, our longstanding concern has been that this issue extends far beyond the trucking industry and represents a profound national security crisis," Everett told Blaze News. "The driver in question is just one of several we have identified in possession of not only non-domicile commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) issued by rogue states, but also REAL IDs."
"These individuals have been found transporting critical assets, including U.S. Mail, U.S. defense shipments, and our nation's food supplies. This situation is untenable, and our administration must take immediate and decisive action to ban and revoke all non-domicile CDLs improperly issued to noncitizens over the past five years," Everett said.
“Pennsylvania issues both commercial and non-commercial driver’s licenses only to non-U.S. citizens who can provide documentation proving their lawful presence in the United States,” PennDOT told Blaze News. “When noncitizen applicants appear at a Driver License Center in Pennsylvania, PennDOT reviews immigration and naturalization documents, which are confirmed in real time against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) website before issuing any driver’s license. PennDOT is prohibited from publicly disclosing information about an individual’s driver record due to state and federal privacy laws.”
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CNN sob story hides Russian illegal alien's violent past — but DHS doesn't let outlet get away with it
A criminal illegal alien is expected to be deported more than a decade after his deportation order, but CNN's coverage of the case buries the violent details of his past. The Department of Homeland Security set the record straight as the criminal illegal alien is set to finally be removed Monday.
According to the DHS, Russian-born Roman Antatolevich Surovtsev was arrested on August 1 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
'It’s alarming that CNN can ALWAYS be counted on to run cover for VIOLENT FELONS. Imagine if they showed the same care for American citizens.'
He is expected to be deported Monday in compliance with a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge in November 2014.
CNN described Surovtsev as a "stateless person" given the fact that he fled the USSR and surrendered his citizenship. The 2014 deportation order also revoked his green card, the sole condition for his remaining in the United States.
He has since routinely checked in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement until his arrest in August.
CNN, however, added a very different spin to the story, touting Surovtsev as a "loving dad" and a different person after a life of crime.
Only after more than a dozen paragraphs and a long litany of heart-wrenching familial anecdotes does CNN hint at Surovtsev's violent past: "In 2003, at 19 years old, Surovtsev began serving a 13-year sentence after helping some friends commit an armed carjacking of a motorcycle."
And this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin noted that Surovtsev has a "history of violence" with a rap sheet including "assault with a deadly weapon, multiple counts of burglary, multiple counts of carjacking, carjacking with a firearm, trespassing onto private property, multiple counts of taking a vehicle without owner consent, possession of a hypodermic needle/syringe, receiving stolen property, multiple counts of conspiracy to commit a crime."
In a statement on X, the Department of Homeland Security added that Surovtsev committed many of those offenses as an adult and accused CNN of covering for criminals: "It’s alarming that CNN can ALWAYS be counted on to run cover for VIOLENT FELONS. Imagine if they showed the same care for American citizens."
Surovtsev will reportedly be boarding a plane Monday to Ukraine along with 82 other deportees, according to a statement obtained by CNN.
“On Monday, the U.S. government plans to deport 83 people to Ukraine, where they will be conscripted into the army and likely killed. Ukraine is a police state where the population lives under martial law,” Surovtsev’s attorneys, Eric Lee and Chris Godshall-Bennett, said in an emailed statement.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.," the Department of Homeland Security added.
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'Climbing into the ceiling tiles': DHS immigration raids hit Charlotte, where 1 in 6 residents are foreign-born
The Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations have expanded to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Operation Charlotte's Web launched on Saturday, as federal agents aimed to arrest criminal illegal aliens.
'An illegal alien from Mexico gets deported 4 times, strolls back to Charlotte, then racks up a hit & run AND a DUI/DWI?'
Of the 900,000 residents in Charlotte, 150,000 are foreign-born, according to CBS News.
The Department of Homeland Security blamed "sanctuary politicians" for the state's failure to honor 1,400 detainer requests, choosing instead to release offenders back onto the streets.
"Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated. "We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed. There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won't."
Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino stated that, on the first day alone, federal agents arrested over 80 individuals. He noted that most of those arrested have "significant criminal and immigration history."
RELATED: Anti-ICE mob turns hostile, breaching barriers outside detention facility — several officers injured
A leftist activist confronted Bovino over the weekend while federal agents were arresting an alleged illegal alien, according to a video uploaded to social media.
"Are you doing nice things?" the activist asked Bovino.
"Absolutely, making the community safer for you," Bovino responded.
The Border Patrol commander highlighted some of the recent Charlotte arrests on X.
"Let's paint this picture for you. An illegal alien from Mexico gets deported 4 times, strolls back to Charlotte, then racks up a hit & run AND a DUI/DWI?" Bovino wrote. "It's time to go back home."
RELATED: VIDEO: Leotarded liberals protest ICE facility with '80s-themed aerobics class
"Who's at the same grocery store as you?" he wrote in a separate post. "This illegal alien from Honduras with a criminal history. He has arrests for aggravated assault, assault with a dangerous weapon & DUI. He has also been removed from the U.S. twice, so now that he's here AGAIN, he committed a felony by re-entering the U.S."
Reports surfaced on Sunday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot an individual amid the ongoing operations; however, those claims were debunked by McLaughlin.
"This criminal illegal alien from Mexico had a panic attack and was taken to the hospital where he attempted to escape by climbing into the ceiling tiles from the hospital bathroom. He was unsuccessful and was apprehended inside the ceiling by law enforcement," McLaughlin stated. "He has a prior arrest for assault."
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