ICE nabs illegal alien wanted for murder — then a lesbian Biden judge weighs in



The Worcester Police Department arrested an illegal alien from the Dominican Republic charged with assault and battery on April 4.

Although the City of Worcester, like other municipalities across Massachusetts, is loath to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the detainer for Bryan Rafael Gomez was reportedly honored, enabling ICE Boston to arrest the Dominican following his release on $500 bail.

'An activist judge appointed by Joe Biden released this wanted murderer back into American communities.'

ICE revealed at the time that Gomez — who stole into the United States in 2022, was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol near Lukeville, Arizona, and was ultimately released into the homeland by the Biden administration — was a fugitive from justice.

The Coordination of the Courts of Instruction of the National District of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, issued an arrest warrant in Gomez's name for murder on Jan. 24, 2023, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

While immigration authorities planned to keep the alleged murderer in custody until his removal from the U.S. — which appeared imminent granted an immigration judge issued Gomez a deportation order on April 28 — a judge appointed by former President Joe Biden to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island in 2024 had other ideas.

Judge Melissa DuBose, a black lesbian who served as a member of the Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in Rhode Island Courts and once described herself as being in a "Marxist Phase," ordered the foreign fugitive's release on Tuesday.

DuBose — who prefers the term "court user" to "defendant" — characterized the fugitive's detention by ICE as "unlawful," claiming that the legal authority under which ICE held him, which is intended for migrants captured at the border, did not apply to Gomez because he had been arrested by local police, reported Fox News.

RELATED: Illegal alien with a badge impersonates Border Patrol agent to disrupt mission — even calls in 'reinforcements'

Jim WATSON/POOL/AFP/Getty Images (left); ICE

The Biden judge, confirmed in 2024 with the support of Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine), determined that rather than mandatory detention, Gomez was alternatively entitled to a bond hearing.

ICE, which contended that Gomez was subject to mandatory detention because of the international arrest warrant for homicide in his name, is barred from rearresting the fugitive as a result of Judge DuBose's order. Consequently, he is once again free to prowl American streets.

"Bryan Rafael Gomez is a criminal illegal alien from the Dominican Republic with an international warrant for homicide," Homeland Security acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. "An activist judge appointed by Joe Biden released this wanted murderer back into American communities. This is yet another example of an activist judge trying to thwart President Trump’s mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities."

"Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of criminal illegal aliens who have no right to be in our country," added Bis.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

House Funds DHS, Ending 76-Day Standoff

'We’re all working on the same team'

'Trump is racist' arguments seem to fall on deaf ears at SCOTUS TPS hearing about Haiti and Syria



Congress created the temporary protected status program, often abbreviated TPS, in 1990 to bar the removal of foreign nationals who hail from countries roiled by civil unrest, violence, or natural disaster, regardless of their immigration status. Under the program, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security can designate a certain country for TPS for periods of up to 18 months.

While supposedly "temporary," these status designations — presently extended to a dozen countries and shielding millions of foreigners — have in many cases been extended for decades.

Recognizing that the conditions previously cited as justification for TPS have materially changed for the better in some countries, the Trump administration has taken steps to revoke numerous TPS designations. This initiative has, of course, enraged liberal activists and beneficiaries of the program, who have mounted various legal challenges.

The U.S. Supreme Court — which cleared the Trump administration last year to strip Venezuelan migrants of TPS — heard oral arguments on Wednesday in the consolidated cases Mullin v. Doe and Trump v. Miot regarding the revocation of TPS for Haitians and Syrians.

Ahead of the hearing, Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) joined Democratic Sens. Edward Markey (Mass.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.) in demanding the high court defend TPS for Syrians and Haitians, stating, "Do your job, uphold the law, save lives, and protect our communities."

Given conservative justices' questions and remarks during the lengthy hearing, these Democrats and the hordes of foreign squatters who've long been shielded from removal may be headed for disappointment.

Quick background

TPS has covered Haitian migrants since January 2010 and covers nearly 350,000 citizens from the Caribbean today. Syria was designated for TPS in March 2012 and has received several extensions over the past 14 years. Roughly 6,000 Syrians presently enjoy protected status.

RELATED: SCOTUS issues shocking ruling about 'racial gerrymander' map

JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

Having determined that neither country still meets the conditions for special status owing largely to significant improvements in domestic safety and stability, Trump's DHS announced the termination of Haiti's TPS in July and the termination of Syria's status in September.

These revocations, which were supposed to take effect months ago, have been held up in the courts.

In Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes — a foreign-born, Biden-appointed, lesbian judge who previously worked as a lawyer to fight the first Trump administration's immigration policy and helped the U.N. secure asylum for so-called refugees — obliged her fellow immigration activists on Feb. 2, blocking the revocation of Haiti's TPS.

'That's what you got?'

Reyes, a Uruguayan native, claimed that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem not only violated the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment's due process clause when terminating the TPS designation for Haiti but had likely done so "because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused on March 6 to block Reyes' ruling, thereby keeping the special status for Haitians in place while the litigation moved forward.

In New York, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, granted an injunction in November against the government's termination of TPS for Syrians. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied the government's motion for a stay pending appeal on Feb. 17, prompting the Trump administration to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in.

Divided court

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who defended the administration's revocation of the special statuses, sparred at the outset with liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor over whether a TPS termination is open to judicial review, especially when the relevant statute makes expressly clear that there is to be no judicial review of any determination with respect to the TPS designation or termination or extension of a designation.

When asked by Justice Brett Kavanaugh why Congress would have barred judicial review as broadly as the administration now contends, Sauer pointed to the possible foresight that protracted legal review would inevitably undermine the temporary nature of the program and hinder the executive's ability to conduct foreign policy in a timely and confident manner.

Sotomayor and Brown proceeded to dwell on the suggestion advanced by the plaintiffs in the Haiti case and by Judge Reyes in February that "discriminatory intent" played a role in the termination of that nation's TPS designation, alluding to President Donald Trump's derisive remarks about third-world nations such as Somalia, which he characterized last year as "filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime."

While Sauer made clear that the government defended its decisions on non-discriminatory grounds, the liberal justices nevertheless appeared keen to read into extraneous comments by members of the administration, which were the primary focus of Geoffrey Pipoly, the attorney who argued on behalf of Haitian TPS beneficiaries.

RELATED: Illegal alien activists are furious at Trump administration after 'cruel' new 'Dreamer' policy drops

Alex WROBLEWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Neither Justice Samuel Alito nor Justice Neil Gorsuch posed questions during Sauer's arguments, perhaps signaling understanding of or even agreement with them, but spent considerable time poking holes in those posed by the challengers.

Ahilan Arulanantham, a lawyer for Syrian TPS beneficiaries, emphasized that the issue is whether the DHS secretary adequately followed procedure when arriving at her decision to revoke TPS status, not whether her assessment was correct that the conditions previously justifying TPS had in fact changed.

Justice Alito did not appear to be buying what Arulanantham was selling. Instead, Alito echoed Sauer's concern that if the challengers' argument regarding the government's supposedly insufficient level of consultation with agencies was accepted, "it will create a hole in the judicial review bar that you could drive a convoy of trucks through," and that it will always be possible to second-guess the DHS secretary's decisions and process.

Pipoly, who piped up after Arulanantham's time elapsed, desperately tried to make the case that the Haitian TPS designation was based on a "sham" of a review, not grounded by empirical support but by President Donald Trump's "racial animus towards nonwhite immigrants."

Justice Alito countered, however, that "TPS was terminated for quite a list of countries," many of which are home to individuals who are or could be construed as white.

"If you put Syrians, Turks, Greeks, and other people who live around the Mediterranean in a lineup, you think you could say those people are, all of them, are they all nonwhite?" Alito said, prompting an acknowledgment from Pipoly that Syrians "may be classified as white."

After Alito nuked the notion that TPS revocation is solely bound up with race, Justice Gorsuch pressed Pipoly to disentangle the DHS secretary's determination — which is not subject to judicial review — from the DHS' ultimate termination of the TPS status.

"How can it not be judicial review of the determination if you're postponing the determination?" Gorsuch asked.

"The final agency action here that was postponed is ... the termination, not the determination, which is not subject to judicial review," Pipoly responded.

Pipoly does not appear to have won over Gorsuch with his tortured attempt to strike a distinction between the two since Gorsuch replied, "That's what you got?"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former PTA member arrested by feds for possession of child pornography



A former Parent Teacher Association board member in Texas was arrested by federal agents on Thursday for possession of child pornography, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.

Homeland Security Investigations agents, alongside the Corpus Christi Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, executed a search warrant at the home of 42-year-old Benjamin Milfelt.

'This sicko was in several positions of trust with children of his community, including as a Parent Teacher Association board member and elementary school volunteer.'

Law enforcement agents discovered more than 2,000 images of child pornography on Milfelt's phone, the press release claimed.

The DHS stated that Milfelt previously served on the PTA and was a member of WATCH D.O.G.S., a volunteer group at Mireles Elementary School in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Local news outlet KRIS reported that the volunteer group is "part of a national education initiative that brings fathers, grandfathers, and other male role models into school to volunteer."

RELATED: Tim Tebow shows disturbing map of the child sexual abuse material epidemic on US soil

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Corpus Christi Independent School District issued a letter to parents regarding Milfelt's arrest, although he is not named in the letter.

“CCPD notified Mireles of the situation involving the former volunteer, who has not been on school property since prior to the notification," the district's notice read. "Out of respect for the important work of law enforcement, we cannot share any additional information."

RELATED: Fresno candidate's registered child sex offender status sparks outrage after city council campaign launch

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

KRIS reported that law enforcement investigators discovered two phones in Milfelt's pickup truck, one of which allegedly contained several explicit videos and images of children, both male and female, between the ages of 10 and 14 years old.

"This sicko was in several positions of trust with children of his community, including as a Parent Teacher Association board member and elementary school volunteer. He possessed thousands of images of child pornography," DHS acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis alleged in a statement. "Thanks to the work of the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this disgusting criminal is off the streets and can no longer prey on innocent children. He now is being brought to justice for his heinous crimes against children."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Feds Raid Infamous ‘Quality Learing Center,’ Other Businesses Tied To Alleged Somali Fraud

'Rampant fraud of U.S. taxpayers' dollars'

Kash Patel grilled over security failures following third assassination attempt against Trump



FBI Director Kash Patel is facing some tough questions in the aftermath of yet another assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.

Trump and members of his Cabinet were targeted Saturday night at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner after a gunman rushed past a security checkpoint and opened fire in the Washington Hilton lobby. The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen, was staying at the hotel and was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.

'It was a total failure.'

Before he was apprehended and taken into custody, the gunman shot a Secret Serviceman who was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Allen's alleged manifesto was later made public, revealing anti-Trump and anti-Christian motivations that may have fueled the attack.

Although the Secret Service successfully stopped the third assassination attempt, several questions remain about the efficacy of the security measures in place since the shooter was able to get that far.

RELATED: Stunning new details reveal the 'depraved' motivation of the suspected WHCD shooter

US President Trump via Truth Social/Anadolu/Getty Images

"They did a great job on the ground," "Fox & Friends" host Lawrence Jones said of the Secret Service. "But they remain reactive. The proactive approach is still under great scrutiny. The president of the United States is averaging an assassination attempt once a year."

"So who’s going to do the investigating of the procedures?" Jones asked Patel. "Secret Service can’t investigate themselves because there are still people in leadership at the Secret Service that were responsible for Butler. How does that happen? It was a failure."

Patel acknowledged the failures that took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, but deferred to the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Markwayne Mullin's leadership. Patel did not detail which procedures or protocols would be improved or changed but indicated that some sort of reform would take place.

"I can’t speak to Butler, and I agree it was a total failure. Absolutely," Patel responded. "But I have full confidence in Secretary Markwayne Mullin. He oversees the United States Secret Service. I've talked to him repeatedly over the weekend ... and said, 'Whatever you need from the FBI, whatever we can assist in, and however we can better prepare to protect our protectees going forward, with the U.S. Secret Service, this FBI stands ready to do.' And we’re going to improve that process under Markwayne’s leadership and oversight of the Secret Service."

RELATED: Trump evacuated from White House Correspondents' Dinner following possible gunfire

Celal Gunes/Anadolu/Getty Images

Patel was also pressed about the suspect's proximity to the event. He had checked into the Washington Hilton the day before. Although the Hilton hosts the dinner, only a portion of the hotel is secured despite the dozens of dignitaries in attendance.

"This was a matter that needs to be heavily scrutinized, because it almost took the lives of dozens if not hundreds of people," Patel said.

"We're going to be talking about how we improve the security, not just for this event but for all events going forward," Patel added. "We’re going to learn from this one, and we’re going to utilize President Trump’s leadership and backing of the blue and law enforcement and work with DHS to ensure our Cabinet, our protectees, and the American civilian population is as best protected as possible.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The GOP can’t win by playing prevent defense



This week, the NFL Draft descends on Pittsburgh. For many fans, Draft Day is the most hopeful day of the year — a chance to believe one rookie or well-timed trade will finally deliver the championship that always seems just out of reach. It’s also a time for the age-old debate between building your offense or your defense.

Political parties face the same pressure. Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant put it bluntly: “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” But Republican leaders have too often misinterpreted that maxim and taken it to its extreme, seeking to minimize risk at the expense of boldly pursuing wins.

If the GOP wants to be remembered for something more than last year’s highlight reel, the party should deliver more wins through budget reconciliation by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.

For example, imagine your favorite team coming out after kickoff and immediately dropping into a prevent defense. You’d be furious. That scheme is for closing out a lead when time is on your side, not for playing an entire game. Deployed prematurely, it surrenders easy, incremental yards and hands the opponent the initiative.

This is why Republicans must get off their back foot and go on offense. In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, let’s call back to our founding fathers for a different strategy from our first president, George Washington: “Offensive operations, often times, is the surest, if not the only ... means of defense." Or as the legendary boxer Jack Dempsey distilled this principle: "The best defense is a good offense."

So how could the GOP go on offense and force Democrats to play defense for a change? House Republicans have a golden opportunity right in front of them right now.

RELATED: How Republicans have failed to defund sanctuary cities for a generation

J. David Ake/Getty Images

This week, the Senate took the first step to unlock the federal budget process called reconciliation, which allows for Congress to make changes to spending for that fiscal year without the threat of a Democrat filibuster. The Senate-passed budget resolution contains reconciliation instructions for only two committees to produce text for the final bill, focusing on funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol — a direct response to end the DHS shutdown caused by Democrats’ outrageous refusal to fund those parts of the Department of Homeland Security. While Republicans need to fund the DHS, reconciliation is a time-intensive and arduous process. Given the time crunch and the need to deliver more legislative wins, congressional Republicans can and should use the reconciliation process to do more and go on offense.

Specifically, House Republicans could go big by including policies that reform wasteful spending and eliminate fraud, delivering impressive wins for everyday Americans that reduce the cost of living.

The effort required to enact this plan might make some in D.C. bristle. It would take long nights and likely some weekends, but the American people would finally see and feel the tangible effects of federal policy on kitchen-table issues, just like how people filing their taxes this year got a boost from the Working Families Tax Cut signed into law last year, using the same reconciliation process.

Voters expect more than business as usual from their elected representatives. No one wants to see their team down the field just to kick a field goal without even attempting a touchdown. That approach denies the American people the opportunity to see the full potential of policies that could be enacted if the GOP went on offense.

Enough fans will suffer through another disappointing season, remaining loyal to their losing teams. Americans are hungry for a win. If the GOP wants to be remembered for something more than last year’s highlight reel, the party should deliver more wins through budget reconciliation by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.

2 GOP senators side with Democrats to block ICE, CBP funding



The Senate worked overnight to advance the GOP's budget resolution to fund immigration enforcement to the tune of $70 billion in an effort to end the Democrat-induced shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

From Wednesday afternoon to the early hours of Thursday morning, senators voted on a slew of amendments to advance Republicans' legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection.

'Democrats will once again demonstrate to the American people their support for open borders.'

This legislative marathon comes amid the ongoing DHS shutdown that began in mid-February. In March, the Senate approved a funding package to fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP in a 2:00 a.m. voice vote, but it was rejected by the House. The House passed its own 60-day continuing resolution to fund the department in its entirety, but it was not advanced in the Senate.

The Senate budget ultimately advanced mostly along party lines in a 50-48 vote just before 3:30 a.m., with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky voting with Democrats against the immigration funding.

RELATED: Senate approves DHS funding — but there's a catch

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) lashed out at Republicans for funding "rogue agencies," claiming they are out of touch with everyday Americans.

“What kind of bubble are they living in?" Schumer asked. "How apart are they with people’s real needs?”

Despite the Democrats' predictable disapproval of the funding bill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) remains optimistic that the House will cooperate with the Senate to fund these key agencies. Earlier this month, both Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) agreed on a "two-track approach" that would partially reopen DHS while funding immigration enforcement separately.

"In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited," a joint statement between Thune and Johnson reads. "In return, Democrats will once again demonstrate to the American people their support for open borders and keeping criminal illegal immigrants in America."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Exclusive: ICE Arrests Another Slew Of Criminal Aliens, Including Gang Member And Convicted Kidnapper

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of violent criminals illegally present in the country, including a California gang member and individuals convicted of child cruelty, kidnapping, and robbery. “Just yesterday, ICE arrested criminal illegal aliens across the country convicted for despicable crimes, including a Fullerton Tokers Town gang member,” […]

Another top Trump official is on the way out



Markwayne Mullin, who took over as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security following Kristi Noem's ouster in March, announced Thursday that there is going to be another senior personnel change at his agency.

Todd Lyons will leave the role of acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, effective May 31.

'A phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader.'

"Director Lyons has been a great leader of ICE and key player in helping the Trump administration remove murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members from American communities," said Mullin. "He jumpstarted an agency that had not been allowed to do its job for four years."

"We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector," added Mullin.

Lyons is a veteran ICE official who has served with the agency since 2007.

Around the time he entered the role of acting director in March 2025 — following the demotion of his predecessor, Caleb Vitello — Noem characterized Lyons as a work horse who, with border czar Tom Homan, had done "incredible work cleaning up our communities and making them safer."

RELATED: Billionaire Tom Steyer admits embarrassing 'mistake' after saying ICE should be 'abolished' in California governor's race

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc/Getty Images

In the months since, Lyons has been on the receiving end of relentless abuse by anti-ICE activists such as New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver (D), who subjected him to a 3.5-minute rant during a congressional hearing in February. After questioning Lyons' religiosity, McIver asked him, "How do you think Judgment Day will work for you with so much blood on your hands?"

The radical Democrat who allegedly assaulted ICE officers last year, asked further, "Do you think you're going to hell, Mr. Lyons?"

When disgraced ex-California Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) demanded Lyons' resignation in February, he refused, later stating, "I will not resign, because I believe in the rule of law and will continue to uphold my oath."

A pair of unnamed U.S. officials told CBS News that Lyons was planning to leave the federal government to spend more time with family, including his sons, in Massachusetts.

Prioritizing family was also DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin's apparent reason for resigning earlier this year.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said in a statement that Lyons is "a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader who has been at the center of President Trump's historic efforts to secure our homeland and reverse the Democrats' sinister border invasion."

Homan said in a statement obtained by CNN, "I commend him for a distinguished law enforcement career and the countless contributions he has made to protect our country and advance its interests."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!