Immigrant claims to be a changed man after murder, pleads with ICE to stay



Everyone makes mistakes, but the mistakes immigrant Justin Chung made are a little worse than going 80 in a 55.

Chung, 35, a Korean American man in Los Angeles, immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 2. At the age of 16, he was involved in gang-related activity and was convicted of murder and attempted murder.

After serving 14 years of an 82-year sentence, he was released early — but he’s now been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement while preparing for a voluntary departure.

“A Korean immigrant facing deportation in Orange County is pleading for a pardon after turning his life around. Justin Chung immigrated to the U.S. as a baby and admits that he did make some mistakes,” a reporter on KTLA said, painting Chung as a changed man.


“After serving 14 years behind bars, he says ICE now wants to send him back to a country he doesn’t know,” the reporter continued.

“Listen to the spin on this story,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments. “All he did was make a bad choice of killing someone and attempting to kill someone else. So it was murder and attempted murder. A bad choice.”

“When I was 16 years old, I was involved in the wrong crowd, and I was involved in a gang-related shooting. Unfortunately, somebody did die. And that’s something I live with,” Chung said in an interview on KTLA.

“Well,” Gray comments skeptically, “It was because he shot them.”

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Trump fighting 'unconstitutional power grab' by Obama judge who reopened the floodgates



President Donald Trump determined on his first day back in office that the "current situation at the southern border qualifies as an invasion under Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution."

He then proclaimed, pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, that migrants stealing into the homeland would henceforth be restricted from claiming asylum until the invasion was over. Those who failed to provide federal officials with sufficient personal information at legal ports of entry would similarly be restricted in making asylum claims.

Of course, this proclamation enraged all the usual suspects on the left, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the asylum ban in February on behalf of three radical activist groups and a handful of foreigners denied asylum.

'An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void.'

According to the activist groups' complaint, the proclamation was "as unlawful as it is unprecedented," and "immigration — even at elevated levels — is not an 'invasion.'"

On Wednesday, an Obama judge weaseled around the U.S. Supreme Court's June 27 determination regarding nationwide injunctions in Trump v. CASA Inc. in order to universally bar the administration from expelling asylum seekers from the United States.

RELATED: Lawfare strikes again: Rogue judge ignores SCOTUS, shields 500,000 from Trump's immigration crackdown

 Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss said Trump had exceeded his executive authority in adopting "an alternative immigration system" and that his day-one proclamation was unlawful.

"Nothing in the INA or the Constitution grants the president or his delegees the sweeping authority asserted in the Proclamation and implementing guidance," wrote Moss. "An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void."

While the Supreme Court indicated last week that the national injunctions weaponized against the Trump administration by district court judges "likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts," Justice Brett Kavanaugh recognized in his concurring opinion that district courts may still be able to "grant or deny the functional equivalent of a universal injunction — for example, by granting or denying a preliminary injunction to a putative nationwide class under Rule 23(b)(2)."

Moss embraced this "functional equivalent of a universal injunction" and certified all border-jumping asylum seekers "who are now or will be present in the United States" as a protected class.

'The American people see right through this.'

Moss did, however, stay his ruling two weeks pending an appeal from the Trump administration. Depending on how the appeal goes, the floodgates could be reopened to multitudes of foreign nationals seeking asylum.

"To try to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions a marxist judge has declared that all potential FUTURE illegal aliens on foreign soil (eg a large portion of planet earth) are part of a protected global 'class' entitled to admission into the United States," wrote White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

Miller added, "The West will not survive if our sovereignty is not restored."

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin similarly underscored the gravity of Moss' ruling, noting in a statement obtained by CNN, "The President secured the border in historic fashion by using every available legal tool provided by Congress. Today, a rogue district judge took those tools away, threatening the safety and security of Americans and ignoring a Supreme Court decision issued only days earlier admonishing district courts for granting nationwide injunctions."

RELATED: Alligator Alcatraz is a warning to illegal immigrants in the US: Leave now or end up here

 Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images

While the White House did not comment on whether Trump might follow President Abraham Lincoln's example of taking actions that bypass or supersede the rulings of meddlesome judges, it indicated the administration expects to win on appeal.

"A local district court judge has no authority to stop President Trump and the United States from securing our border from the flood of aliens trying to enter illegally," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Blaze News. "The judge's decision — which contradicts the Supreme Court's ruling against granting universal relief — would allow entry into the United States of all aliens who may ever try to come in illegally."

"This is an attack on our Constitution, the laws Congress enacted, and our national sovereignty," continued Jackson. "We expect to be vindicated on appeal."

Attorney General Pam Bondi characterized Moss as a "rogue" judge "trying to circumvent the Supreme Court's recent ruling against nationwide injunctions."

"The American people see right through this," said Bondi. "Our attorneys ... will fight this unconstitutional power grab as [Trump] continues to secure our border."

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'Doing her best': ICE agents mass-arrest illegal employees at 'family-owned' manufacturer in North Carolina



The Donald Trump administration has clamped down on illegal employment, and it seems the simple enforcement of existing law has been enough to cripple businesses relying on undocumented labor.

It was only for a brief moment that the administration showed leniency to employers in the farming, hospitality, and restaurant industries, with a Department of Homeland Security memo telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in June to put raids on those industries on the back burner. However, the White House quickly ended any such leniency and reversed the policy just days later.

The result has been a steady flow of employers getting a lesson in hiring practices and the consequences of illegal labor.

'She's just at work doing her best at what she can do.'

Homeland Security Investigations and ICE executed a search warrant last week and found dozens of illegal workers employed at what is likely considered a reputable business in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, population 11,142 as of 2020.

Buckeye Fire Equipment Company was the target, a fire extinguisher and fire-protection product manufacturer that boasts itself as "family-owned and operated" and "made in the U.S.A. since 1968."

It turned out many of Buckeye's employees were not family members after federal authorities arrested 30 people on site as a result of their initial investigation.

RELATED: Fear of deportation is crippling Los Angeles businesses so badly, unions are demanding moratorium on rent

 

  

 

According to an ICE press release, the operation specifically focused on allegations of aggravated identity theft and "potential federal crimes."

Employee Eric Pinion shared video from inside the raid to local outlet Queen City News and told the news station the facility was "half empty" and "dead silent" when he went in for his shift after the raid.

Pinion also said he was afraid, despite being a citizen, because he had heard that citizens had been apprehended by ICE previously; he did not get arrested.

Family members of those who were arrested were reportedly spotted picking up cars from the Buckeye parking lot, with one employee's daughter saying her parent is a "single mother, [who is] trying to raise two kids on her own."

"She's just at work doing her best at what she can do," the young woman told Queen City News. Her mother was later released after a few hours of being detained.

RELATED: After ICE removes illegal workers, job applicants flood meatpacking plant to replace them

 

  

 

HSI said it will continue to pursue those who exploit financial and identification systems for their personal gain, which it says "fuels a range of criminal activity."

Blaze News reached out to Buckeye Fire Equipment Company for comment on the story as well as how the company plans on replacing its staff.

The company's LinkedIn page lists it as having between 201 and 500 employees, with ZoomInfo stating there are 278 employees. If the latter is correct, Buckeye will have to replace about 11% of its staff with legal workers.

Recently, a Nebraska company lost upwards of 76 employees to a federal raid but immediately had its waiting room filled with potential employees, putting a dent in the long-fabled claim that American workers do not want to take on certain jobs.

Buckeye Fire Equipment Company did not respond to a request for comment.

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Liberal lunacy: Foreign-born rapist becomes education director in Walz's Minnesota



Liberal wokeness appears to have no bounds in Minnesota, the home of radicals like Rep. Ilhan Omar, a male state representative who pretends to be a woman, and, of course, 2024 failed vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz.

Now, an exclusive report from Alpha News has revealed that a foreign national who overstayed his visa became a director at the Minnesota Department of Education after he served a sentence for felony sexual assault.

RELATED: Pam Bondi lawsuit accuses Tim Walz of discriminating against US citizens to favor illegal aliens

  Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

A criminal legal alien

Wilson Nduri Tindi, a 42-year-old native of Kenya, began working for the state of Minnesota as a principal auditor in 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile, and eventually rose through the ranks to become the director of the Internal Audit and Advisory Services division of the Minnesota Department of Education. He also previously worked as the chief audit officer at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, according to an archived version of his MDE bio.

In November 2015, just three years prior to beginning his job with the state, Tindi submitted a petition to plead guilty to felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with a disturbing incident.

'You like this.'

On November 23, 2014, Tindi broke into the residence of a woman living below him in his Minneapolis apartment complex, court records claim. He then proceeded to assault another woman who happened to be sleeping over that night.

The victim awoke to Tindi touching her genitals and buttocks over her underwear before attempting to remove her underwear, court records indicated. A latent fingerprint from the scene matched Tindi's prints, which were on file.

When questioned, Tindi insisted he had been in his apartment all night. He "could not provide any explanation for why his fingerprint would be inside the other unit," court documents said.

RELATED: Accused assassin Vance Boelter blames Gov. Tim Walz for murderous rampage: Report

  Daniel Tamas Mehes/Getty Images

Tindi agreed to plead guilty to criminal sexual conduct in exchange for prosecutors dropping a first-degree burglary charge. He was given a two-year sentence, which was stayed for five years, and was ordered to register as a predatory offender, Alpha News reported. It appears he served 210 days at Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility.

Court documents from that incident also suggest he had committed a similar assault in 2012. In that case, a woman awoke to find Tindi allegedly on top of her and penetrating her "with his finger and his mouth," the documents said. When she begged him to stop, he allegedly retorted, "You like this."

Tindi was never charged in connection with the 2012 case, though prosecutors introduced it in the 2014 case as Spreigl evidence meant to demonstrate a pattern of behavior.

And while these incidents are more than a decade old, they are not Tindi's only run-ins with the law. Just last month, Tindi was arrested after allegedly driving under the influence and then refusing a field sobriety test. He was assessed a bail of $12,000.

Jail records indicate he posted bond and was released from custody on June 10, three days after the arrest. He has been charged with three misdemeanors.

Tindi fights deportation — and wins

Tindi's immigration history indicates that he also tried to exploit the American court system and its attending appeals processes to stay in the country even after violating its laws.

According to documents related to a habeas corpus petition Tindi filed in 2018, Tindi entered the U.S. in 2005 on a B-2 visitor visa that allowed him to remain in the country legally for six months. When the six months expired, Tindi did not leave and instead applied for permanent residency. That application was denied in 2007.

'The government has provided no evidence that he is a flight risk or a danger to the community.'

ICE began processing him for removal the following year, and an immigration judge ordered him to be removed in 2009. However, an immigration judge then reversed the removal order in 2011, and Tindi became a lawful permanent resident in April 2014, just six months before he assaulted the sleeping woman.

RELATED: Tim Walz grilled for comparing ICE agents to 'Nazi Gestapo'

  Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Because of his aggravated felony conviction, removal orders were once again initiated for Tindi, and he was transferred from jail to ICE custody in August 2016. Though Tindi appealed, the Board of Immigration Appeals later upheld his removal, and a final order of removal was issued in May 2017.

Tindi then filed yet another appeal, this time for his conviction, arguing that he would never have pleaded guilty if he had known the conviction would jeopardize his ability to remain in the U.S. Federal courts later stayed his removal while the appeals process continued, and a magistrate judge recommended that Tindi's habeas corpus petition be granted.

In February 2018, Judge David Doty agreed with the magistrate judge and granted the habeas corpus petition. In his decision, Doty claimed, "The government has provided no evidence that he is a flight risk or a danger to the community," even though the decision likewise noted the 2014 burglary charge and the subsequent assault conviction.

Blaze News reached out to Judge Doty for comment.

Blaze News also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to see whether it is looking into Tindi's case once again.

Silence from the state

It is unclear whether officials at the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency were aware of Tindi's violent history when they hired him.

Tindi's LinkedIn profile indicates he began working for the state in September 2018, nearly four years after the sexual assault, and was named chief audit officer in December 2023. The profile makes no specific mention of the state education department or the pollution regulation agency.

His bio also claimed he is 'passionate about ... building trust through transparency.'

Blaze News reached out to the MPCA, the office of Education Commissioner Willie Jett, as well as to Lee Her — the director of public engagement at MDE — for answers about what they knew about Tindi and when they knew it. We did not receive a response by deadline.

According to an archived version of his MDE bio, Tindi was responsible for "establishing and overseeing an independent internal audit function focused on evaluating risk management, governance, and compliance across the agency." His bio also claimed he is "passionate about ... building trust through transparency, collaboration, and a strong focus on adding value across the organization" (emphasis added).

His online bio appears to have been removed shortly after the Alpha News report broke. The Wayback Machine screenshot of his erstwhile profile provided by Alpha News is dated June 17, 2025.

RELATED: Tim Walz says Democrats need to be 'meaner' and 'bully the s**t out of' Trump

  Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

On June 17, Tindi's profile was still listed among the list of directors with the MDE commissioner's office. As of Tuesday, Tindi is no longer listed there.

Blaze News reached out to Tindi's MDE email address and received an automatic reply, stating, "Wilson Tindi is no longer with MDE." Blaze News also reached out to an email address Tindi provided on a previous court document but did not receive a response.

As MDE remains under the general purview of the governor and some senior positions at state agencies are filled by appointment or with recommendations from influential individuals, Blaze News reached out to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for comment.

Walz's office did not respond.

H/T: Dustin Grage

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Trump admin changes the game, sues federal judges in Maryland for automatically blocking deportations



President Donald Trump's opponents failed to stop him at the ballot box, so now they are attempting to neutralize his presidency in the courts.

U.S. district court judges have proven more than willing to help out in this regard, slapping the government with more nationwide injunctions in the first 100 days of Trump's second term than were entered throughout the whole of the 20th century.

As of Wednesday, the New York Times indicated that 199 or more of the court rulings against the president's executive actions so far this year have at least temporarily halted the Trump administration's initiatives.

While the U.S. Supreme Court has intervened in a number of cases to reaffirm the president's Article II powers and his exercise thereof, it's abundantly clear that the Trump administration is tiring of what White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has repeatedly called a "judicial coup."

The Department of Justice turned the tables on Wednesday, filing a lawsuit against the U.S. District Court of Maryland and all 16 of its judges — including its 10 authorized judges, all but one of whom were appointed by former Presidents Joe Biden or Barack Obama.

The lawsuit takes aim at an order handed down last month that automatically blocks the deportation of illegal aliens in the state whose detention is challenged by immigration attorneys.

RELATED: Clinton judge blocked workforce cuts — yet Rubio just proved with USAID that where there's a will, there's a way

 Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

If a petition for writ of habeas corpus is filed on behalf of an illegal alien detainee in or said to be in the District of Maryland, the Trump administration is automatically enjoined and restrained from removing the alien from the country or altering the alien's legal status for at least two days.

The district court's Chief Judge George Russell III, an Obama appointee, claimed that the May 28 amended standing order was necessary because the recent flood of illegal alien detention and removal challenges "that have been filed after normal court hours and on weekends and holidays has created scheduling difficulties and resulted in hurried and frustrating hearings."

Chad Mizelle, DOJ chief of staff, stressed that "this obviously illegal practice cannot stand. To stop it, the Department of Justice has no choice but to sue the Maryland federal district court — and its judges — to ensure that they stop overstepping their authority in this critical area."

Lawyers for the government noted in the lawsuit that the district court's automatic injunction does "precisely what the Supreme Court has forbidden: make equitable relief a 'matter of right' in the District of Maryland."

'This pattern of judicial overreach undermines the democratic process and cannot be allowed to stand.'

"Defendants' automatic injunction issues whether or not the alien needs or seeks emergency relief, whether or not the court has jurisdiction over the alien's claims, and no matter how frivolous the alien's claims may be," said the lawsuit.

RELATED: Will the Supreme Court rein in rogue judges — or rubber-stamp them?

 designer491 via iStock/Getty Images

The complaint notes further that the standing orders:

  • "violate congressional limits on district courts' jurisdiction over immigration matters";
  • "disregard the procedural and substantive requirements for issuing what amounts to a local rule";
  • "are fundamentally inconsistent with the judicial role to resolve only concrete and discrete 'cases' and 'controversies'";
  • rob Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations of any opportunity to contest the alien's assertion of being "located in the District of Maryland" at the time of a habeas filing; and
  • "can also adversely impact the operational planning necessary to coordinate a removal, especially a removal of an alien to a country that is recalcitrant about accepting the alien."

The DOJ characterized the Maryland District Court's automatic injunctions as "a particularly egregious example of judicial overreach interfering with Executive Branch prerogatives — and thus undermining the democratic process."

"President Trump's executive authority has been undermined since the first hours of his presidency by an endless barrage of injunctions designed to halt his agenda," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. "The American people elected President Trump to carry out his policy agenda: this pattern of judicial overreach undermines the democratic process and cannot be allowed to stand."

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'Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide': Florida will have 'Alligator Alcatraz' for illegal aliens up and running in days



The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration could restart deportations of illegal aliens to countries not their own. While this decision will speed up the mass deportation process, there remains a need for detention facilities.

To help satisfy this need, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) tasked state leaders with identifying places for a new facility. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier evidently had a good spot in mind.

Last week, Uthmeier made a public pitch in favor of "Alligator Alcatraz" — "an old, virtually abandoned airport facility" in the Everglades that could serve as "the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump's mass deportation agenda."

The state attorney general noted that the 39-square-mile area, which "is completely surrounded by the Everglades," presents an "efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out and there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons — nowhere to go, nowhere to hide."

Uthmeier confirmed Monday that Alligator Alcatraz is a go.

The Department of Homeland Security told Blaze News that the Florida Division of Emergency Management will build a facility on the location that will house up to 5,000 beds for illegal aliens.

RELATED: Illegal alien suspected of wielding weed whacker at ICE agents is called a 'father' and 'victim' by local outlet

 Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Florida law enforcement officers who capture under the 287(G) program — a program delegating specific immigration enforcement authority to state and local officers under the Immigration and Nationality Act — can dump detainees off at Alligator Alcatraz. ICE will similarly be able to transfer aliens to the Florida facility under 287(g) authority.

The DHS anticipates that the facility will be functional in a matter of days, initially with 500 to 1,000 beds, but ultimately 5,000 beds by early July, following expansions in several 500-bed increments.

Authorities might ultimately build hardened structures on the site, but for the time being, Alligator Alcatraz will largely be a tented destination.

While illegal aliens sweat it out in the soft-sided structures, Florida Division of Emergency Management workers will be housed in old Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers that have apparently been renovated.

'I'm proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all.'

"Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to Blaze News. "We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida."

RELATED: Judge orders release of Kilmar Garcia — but DHS vows that 'he will never go free on American soil'

 Image (left): Department of Homeland Security; Photo (right): Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Noem noted further that the new facilities "will in large part be funded by FEMA's Shelter and Services Program, which the Biden Administration used as a piggy bank to spend hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to house illegal aliens, including at the Roosevelt Hotel that served as a Tren de Aragua base of operations that was used to shelter Laken Riley’s killer."

According to the DHS, the approximate cost of running the facility will be $245 per bed per day and an annual cost of $450 million. Florida will initially foot the bill but later receive reimbursement from FEMA, which has roughly $625 million in Shelter and Services Program funds available for this effort.

"I'm proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all," stated Uthmeier. "Alligator Alcatraz and other Florida facilities will do just that."

Hundreds of protesters traveled to the site of the future detention facility on Sunday to protest its construction, reported WGCU-TV. Their concerns largely appeared to be tied up with the potential environmental impact of the facility on supposedly "sacred" land.

Illegal immigrant advocates have similarly criticized the proposed facility albeit for difference reasons.

For instance, Mark Fleming, the associate director of federal litigation at the National Immigrant Justice Center, told the New York Times that the move amounted to an "independent, unaccountable detention system."

"The fact that the administration and its allies would even consider such a huge temporary facility," said Fleming, "on such a short timeline, with no obvious plan for how to adequately staff medical and other necessary services, in the middle of the Florida summer heat is demonstrative of their callous disregard for the health and safety of the human beings they intend to imprison there."

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WATCH: Anti-Semitic Acts of Terror Are a 'Direct Result' of US Support to Israel, Mahmoud Khalil Says

In his first broadcast interview since his release from detention, Mahmoud Khalil blamed the United States’ "unconditional support" of Israel for the recent string of anti-Semitic attacks. "What is happening is a direct result of the U.S. unconditional [sic] support to Israel. People want to be heard. And unfortunately, they are [resorting] to violence to […]

The post WATCH: Anti-Semitic Acts of Terror Are a 'Direct Result' of US Support to Israel, Mahmoud Khalil Says appeared first on .

NYC comptroller locks arms with man to prevent ICE arrest: 'Show me your warrant!'



New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents after locking arms with a man who was in court for potential deportation.

Lander is also a candidate for New York City mayor in the upcoming primary election. His policy proposals include ending homelessness for the mentally ill, standing up to Donald Trump, preparing for the "climate crisis," and standing up for "our immigrant neighbors."

Lander was apparently attempting to do just that when he was filmed near a courtroom at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan following immigration hearings.

'You don’t have the authority to arrest US citizens!'

In the hallway outside of the courtroom, Lander latched onto a man as federal agents approached him. The agents represented ICE, the FBI, and the Treasury Department, according to amNY.

As video of the confrontation shows, Lander refused to let go of the alleged illegal immigrant who was reportedly just seen by a judge for possible deportation. AmNY claimed the man's case was dismissed but provided no specifics.

Agents attempted to separate Lander from the man, as the comptroller yelled, "Show me your warrant! Show me your badge!"

RELATED: Trump’s immigration crackdown works: 1 million illegal aliens reportedly self-deport

 
— (@)  
 

Still holding on, Lander took a calmer approach and said, "I will let go if you show me a judicial warrant," and, "I would like to see the warrant, and then I will let go."

The agents forcibly separated the two men and took both into custody as Lander yelled, "You don't have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens!"

Lander claimed he was "not obstructing" and was simply "standing right here in the hallway," before again telling agents they did not have the authority to arrest him.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass to California: 'Look what you made us do!'

 
— (@)  
 

In a statement to Blaze News, Dept. of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Lander was arrested for "impeding a federal officer."

"Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them — it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment," McLaughlin continued. "No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences."

A spokesperson for Lander told amNY that the comptroller was "taken by masked agents and detained by ICE."

Meanwhile, Lander's wife, Meg Barnette, posted on his X page on his behalf, saying, "Brad is still in ICE custody."

"We are grateful to the many friends, supporters, and allies who have gathered in Federal Plaza," Barnette wrote. "Together we are standing up for those with no voice."

DHS did not confirm the name or status of the man Lander latched himself to.

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Trump’s immigration crackdown works: 1 million illegal aliens reportedly self-deport



President Donald Trump has led a multifaceted plan to address the former Biden administration's immigration crisis. In addition to increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detainment efforts, Trump's Department of Homeland Security implemented a self-deportation program that has reportedly already experienced considerable success.

The Center for Immigration Studies has conservatively approximated that there are roughly 15.4 million illegal aliens in the country. Andrew Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy with the CIS, claimed that nearly 1 million of those illegal aliens have opted to self-deport due to the Trump administration's strict immigration enforcement measures.

'Even with the cost of the stipend, it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 percent.'

Arthur reached the 1 million figure based partly on employment numbers.

He cited a June op-ed from the Wall Street Journal, which assessed that the immigrant population had decreased by 773,000 over the first four months of Trump's presidency.

RELATED: 'Self-deport' flights begin as some illegal migrants take advantage of Trump's tempting offer: Report

  Photo by Carlos Moreno/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Further supporting Arthur's estimate, a Washington Post report read, "More than a million foreign-born workers have exited the workforce since March." While the Post framed the findings as "a sign of the weakening labor supply," it also claimed that average wages had increased.

"Average hourly wages accelerated, rising by 0.4 percent over the month, to $36.24 in May, as earnings continue to beat inflation in a boost to workers' spending power," the Post stated.

Arthur concluded, "In other words, with fewer illegal immigrants, businesses have had to raise wages to attract workers."

He noted that the administration's self-deportation program is a significantly cheaper route for taxpayers compared to ICE raids.

The DHS launched "a nationwide and international multimillion-dollar ad campaign" to promote the self-deportation program, warning illegal aliens that if they refuse to leave on their own, they may become ineligible to return to the United States.

RELATED: Trump’s self-deportation plan: Genius or waste of money? Mark Levin weighs in

  Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The DHS repurposed the former CBP One application, now CBP Home, to facilitate and track the self-deportations.

The department has also offered financial and travel assistance to illegal aliens to incentivize them to leave the country voluntarily.

"Any illegal alien who uses the CBP Home App to self-deport will also receive a stipend of $1,000 dollars, paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app," stated a DHS press release. "Even with the cost of the stipend, it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 percent. Currently the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an illegal alien is $17,121."

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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