Interview with Joe Exotic's deported husband goes OFF THE RAILS



Joe Exotic of “Tiger King” fame isn’t known just for his love of big cats, but also for his love of romance, which he found once again inside a federal lockup in Fort Worth, Texas.

It was there that he met his husband, Jorge Flores Maldonado — but their time together was short-lived. That’s because Maldonado, 33, was deported on May 17 after allegedly driving a car containing six other undocumented immigrants across the U.S.-Mexican border.

The two were married in a prison ceremony last November.

Despite his predicament, Maldonado has found time for an interview from lockup with BlazeTV host Alex Stein of “Prime Time with Alex Stein” and tells him that while he and other inmates were aware of Exotic’s fame, he did not have to compete for his love.


“Did Joe Exotic have a lot of men trying to date him?” Stein asks, while his producer, JVT, translates.

“He said they were trying to get money out of Joe,” JVT says, adding that Maldonado says Exotic’s “health is doing bad” and “he needs a blood transfusion.”

While Maldonado tells Stein that he’s not angry with President Donald Trump or border czar Tom Homan for his deportation, he does believe that he should be legally allowed back into the country.

He also believes Joe Exotic needs to be pardoned, telling Stein that Exotic is not only a “good kisser” but a “great person” who “has cancer.”

However, when asked in 2020 whether he planned to pardon Joe Exotic, Trump explained he didn’t know anything about the case but would “take a look.”

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If Justice Kagan Wants Respect From Lower Courts, She Should Shut Down Their Judicial Coup

Kagan's refusal to shut down the tyrannical behavior of the lower judiciary has emboldened rogue judges to usurp SCOTUS's power.

Tom Homan sends warning to socialist NYC candidate over sanctuary city status: 'Good luck on that'



Tom Homan has a message for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: He cannot stop the deportations.

Homan, who is in charge of immigration enforcement and removal operations, has brought the hammer down on illegal immigrant hot spots across the country. The socialist Mamdani pledged to put that to a stop if he were elected mayor of New York City in November.

'We're going double down, triple down on the sanctuary cities.'

Mamdani said in a public statement that he would "refuse" to let federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement "terrorize" New York City, after previously stating that he would also "stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors."

On Monday, Homan responded to the idea that Mamdani would refuse to cooperate with ICE. A reporter asked Homan outside the White house if there was a plan to "work around" Mamdani's plan to not work with ICE agents in the city. It was at that point that Homan informed the Democrat of the harsh reality.

"Good luck on that. We're gonna be in New York City," Homan replied. "We're going double down, triple down on the sanctuary cities. Why? Not because they're blue city or blue state, because we know that's where the problem is."

Border czar Homan then claimed sanctuary city mayors have knowingly released threats to public safety into their streets, in apparent acts of defiance against the federal government.

RELATED: Mamdani’s Marxist agenda EXPOSED — will this SINK his campaign?

 
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"We know they're releasing public safety threats and national security threats to the streets every day because they don't honor our detainers. We know that," Homan explained.

The Trump appointee admitted that the same problem has not persisted in states like Florida, where ICE receives full cooperation from the state. Therefore, Homan said he would continue to send "assets" where the problem is: "sanctuary cities."

"We'll flood the zone of sanctuary cities," Homan continued. "If they don't let us arrest the bad guy in the county jail, they're gonna arrest them in the community, we're gonna arrest them at a worksite. So we're gonna increase community operation. We're gonna increase worksite enforcement operation. We're gonna get the bad guys."

The latter sentiment has been a point of contention among the Trump administration and the president's supporters, despite the administration performing raids at manufacturers and food packagers across the country.

A Department of Homeland Security memo told agents in June to put raids on farming, hospitality, and restaurant industry locations on hold, but the White House quickly ended the directive and reversed the policy just days later.

On Thursday however, Trump told supporters in Des Moines, Iowa, that "radical right people" would be unhappy to hear that he is working on legislation to protect presumably illegal farm and hospitality workers who get "viciously" thrown out of the country.

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

 
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Nevertheless, Homan reiterated on Monday that even though ICE has aimed for 3,000 detainees per day, the goal is even higher than that.

"Do the math. We’ve got to arrest 7,000 illegal aliens every single day for the remainder of this administration just to catch the ones Biden released into this nation," Homan told reporters.

According to Customs and Border Patrol data, more than 8.7 million illegal aliens were encountered in the United States between 2022 and 2024 under President Biden.

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Sheriffs in Democratic strongholds partner with ICE to back Trump's deportation surge



President Donald Trump's return to the White House came with a commitment to resolve the United States' illegal immigration crisis. In response, Democratic state and city leaders scrambled to strengthen protections in their jurisdictions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Despite the left's campaign to thwart Trump's deportation efforts, sheriffs in conservative counties within those blue enclaves are seizing the opportunity to cooperate with federal immigration officials, particularly to deport illegal aliens charged with violent crimes.

'Those who will not help the federal government enforcing the immigration laws are un-American.'

Sheriff Bob Songer, Klickitat County, Washington: Defying 'unconstitutional' sanctuary laws

A Washington sheriff has repeatedly vowed to defy the state's "unconstitutional" sanctuary laws to help ICE remove dangerous illegal aliens.

Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, who describes himself as a "constitutional sheriff," stated that he would tell border czar Tom Homan to put him "on speed dial."

"You call me," Songer said in March. "We'll be there to assist ICE in a New York second. Because by doing that, we're protecting the citizens of our county."

During an interview with Fox News Digital, he pledged to "cooperate with ICE 100%."

He slammed the left for claiming that illegally entering the country is "a civil infraction."

"That's bull. It's a crime under federal law," Songer said.

He blamed the "Biden cartel" for "purposely" fueling the illegal immigration invasion by giving up on protecting the border.

"This is in my humble opinion: Those who will not help the federal government enforcing the immigration laws are unamerican," he remarked. "I would consider [them], [in] my personal opinion, enemies of the state."

RELATED: 40 sheriffs torch Biden-Harris’ open-border policies for unleashing crime and drugs on small-town America

  Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images

 

Sheriff Chad Bianco, Riverside County, California: Taking on the state

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, elected in 2018, is leading the fight to end similar sanctuary policies in California by joining the City of Huntington Beach's lawsuit against the state, Governor Gavin Newsom, and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

The complaint, filed by America First Legal, argues that sanctuary policies "unlawfully shield illegal aliens, and threaten public safety."

Bianco told the Desert Sun that California's SB54 was "designed to protect criminals in jail from being deported."

California is reported to have the largest population of illegal immigrants, exceeding 2 million.

In February, Bianco announced his plans to run for governor to take Newsom's place. The sheriff argued that the state is "heading down the wrong track and has been for years."

"He's supposed to be the leader of this state," Bianco said of Newsom, who will not be running for reelection because of term limits. "The reality of Californians is, we all know this (increasing drug addiction, homelessness and property crime) is a mess. Everyone knows it's a mess, including Sacramento."

RELATED: Sheriff vows to break California's sanctuary law by alerting ICE about violent illegal aliens

  Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Maryland sheriffs: Holding the line

State and local law enforcement agencies, including those in Democratic strongholds, can partner with ICE through the 287(g) program, which allows non-federal departments to "enforce certain aspects of U.S. immigration law."

This program, particularly under Trump's second administration, has kicked up controversy. County sheriffs in Maryland led a tense battle with local Democratic leaders to cooperate with ICE.

Sheriff's offices in Cecil, Frederick, and Harford Counties have had agreements with federal authorities for years, the Baltimore Banner reported. Just two months into Trump's second term, several more sheriff's offices — Carroll, Garrett, and Washington Counties — agreed to join ICE's 287(g) program.

Alarmed Democratic state lawmakers proposed House Bill 1222, the Public Safety - Immigration Enforcement (Maryland Values Act), which aimed to prohibit local law enforcement from entering into partnerships with ICE.

RELATED: Florida to increase number of officers who can help feds arrest illegal immigrants

  Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

The Maryland Sheriffs' Association criticized the bill, arguing that the ICE programs have provided "critical tools to prevent threatening individuals from re-entering our communities." The association contended that the legislation "undermines the authority of local jurisdictions."

"If the 287(g) program is not right for certain counties, they have the authority to choose not to enter into such agreements," the Maryland Sheriffs' Association stated. "HB 1222, however, imposes a one-size-fits-all mandate that strips local jurisdictions of their ability to make determinations that best serve the safety and well-being of their communities."

Democratic lawmakers passed a version of the bill, and the governor signed it into law in May. However, not before pushback — including a poll that found 75.7% of Maryland residents support local officials cooperating with ICE to remove illegal aliens who have committed additional crimes in the U.S. — prompted Democrats to remove prohibitions on the 287(g) program. The watered-down legislation allows the sheriffs to continue their partnerships with federal immigration officials, a significant victory for the sheriffs.

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



Another district judge sought to block the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts by preventing the Department of Homeland Security from stripping Temporary Protected Status from over 500,000 immigrants, despite the administration's recent Supreme Court victory.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Friday that the agency would end TPS for Haiti on September 2, requiring more than half a million Haitian nationals in the U.S. to return to their home country. TPS was initially provided to Haitian nationals in 2010, and the federal government executed numerous redesignations extending the program through the Biden administration.

'Universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts.'

Noem's DHS argued that "Haiti no longer continues to meet the conditions for designation for TPS," claiming that the Haitian government's lack of control has resulted in "direct consequences for U.S. public safety."

"Haitian gang members have already been identified among those who have entered the United States and, in some cases, have been apprehended by law enforcement for committing serious and violent crimes," the DHS stated.

RELATED: Noem prepares to deport 500,000 immigrants from one long-troubled island

  Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Ira Mehlman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform told Blaze News, “TPS is designed to protect people from extraordinary and temporary conditions preventing the return of a country's nationals, provided that those foreign nationals remaining in the United States is not contrary to our national interest. Unfortunately, political instability in Haiti is neither extraordinary nor temporary. Moreover, Secretary Noem has made the determination that Haitian nationals remaining in the country is not in the national interest of the United States.”

The agency encouraged Haitian nationals to use the CBP Home app to return to their country of origin. The Trump administration has offered to provide immigrants a $1,000 exit bonus and to cover the cost of their return tickets.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn attempted to block the Trump administration's termination of TPS for Haitian nationals. He claimed that Noem "cannot reconsider Haiti's TPS designation in a way that takes effect before February 3, 2026, the expiration of the most recent previous extension."

"Plaintiffs are likely to (and, indeed, do) succeed on the merits. Secretary Noem's partial vacatur was in excess of her authority and was thus unlawful," Cogan wrote.

In response to Cogan's ruling, police analyst and Townhall columnist Phil Holloway noted that the "lawfare continues" against the Trump administration, which has faced numerous roadblocks from district judges.

RELATED: Massive Trump win! SCOTUS clears path to remove 500,000+ foreign nationals

  Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Cogan's ruling followed President Donald Trump's Supreme Court victory last week, in which justices limited the scope of district courts' universal injunctions on executive action.

The Supreme Court wrote, "Universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts."

Additionally, the high court in May granted the administration's emergency appeal to terminate the TPS designation for Venezuelan nationals.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded to the ruling, stating, "Today's SCOTUS decision is [a] win for the American people and the safety of our communities."

"The Trump administration is reinstituting integrity into our immigration system to keep our homeland and its people safe," she added.

The Supreme Court also cleared a path for the administration to revoke deportation protections for foreign nationals enrolled in the CHNV program, which, under former President Joe Biden's leadership, allowed 30,000 individuals per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to immigrate to the U.S.

Mehlman told Blaze News, "SCOTUS has ruled the administration may proceed with revocation of TPS for Venezuelans, another country where there is political instability. And, just last week, SCOTUS ruled that universal injunctions from district court judges likely exceed their authority.”

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Democrats who locked down America during COVID now cry dictator over Trump's deportations



The same Democrats who crushed American freedoms with tyrannical COVID lockdowns are now latching on to the "dictator" narrative against President Donald Trump as they fight to shield illegal aliens, including those who committed additional crimes in the U.S., from the administration's immigration enforcement measures.

On June 14, No Kings held thousands of protests nationwide, highlighting the left's baseless portrayal of Trump as an authoritarian dictator with unchecked power. The demonstrations were primarily provoked by disapproval of the administration's deportation push.

'We need #ShutdownNYC now.'

Just weeks earlier, a riot broke out in Los Angeles over Trump's immigration crackdown, where protesters flooded the streets waving Mexican flags and some individuals even set vehicles ablaze.

Meanwhile, the left accused Trump of overstepping his authority by deploying National Guard troops to California to prevent further destruction and violence as Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom and Democrat Mayor Karen Bass sat on their hands.

Newsom claimed that Trump's deployment of troops was an "authoritarian use of military soldiers against citizens."

"Donald Trump is not a king and not above the law," the governor declared.

RELATED: Judge accused of helping illegal alien evade ICE says she didn't think 'avoid ICE' meant anything illegal

  Photo by RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images

Amid the ongoing tension, more Democrats have leaned into the claims that Trump is acting like a king, vilifying the administration for delivering on the president's campaign promise to solve the nation's illegal immigration crisis.

Earlier this month, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) attempted to ambush Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's press conference after previously claiming the L.A. riots were "largely peaceful."

Federal agents briefly detained Padilla for trying to bypass officers to approach Noem during her speech. The senator claimed he "ended up in handcuffs" for asking a question.

"If this is how the Trump administration treats a U.S. Senator in broad daylight, imagine what they're doing to immigrants behind closed doors," Padilla wrote in a post on X. "We cannot stay silent. We will not back down."

Many Democratic politicians, including Newsom, ran to Padilla's defense, seizing the opportunity to accuse Trump of authoritarian actions.

Newsom stated, "This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now."

Padilla's disruptive stunt followed an incident involving Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) the previous month.

McIver was slapped with federal charges after she was accused of assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer at a Newark, New Jersey, detention facility where Democrats had demanded access.

The congresswoman called the indictment "political intimidation," claiming that she was at Delaney Hall "to do my job."

McIver also stood up for New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who was arrested for allegedly interfering with ICE operations when he locked arms with a man as federal agents approached them outside the courtroom.

McIver stated, "This administration will stop at nothing to intimidate those who dare to stand against their hateful agenda. This is a horrifying state of affairs for our country."

Lander accused Trump of using "authoritarian tactics."

Critics viewed Lander's move as a publicity stunt during his mayoral campaign. Lander conceded to Zohran Mamdani after he failed to convince more than roughly 11% of NYC Democrats to support him.

RELATED: California Gov. Newsom issues lockdown order over coronavirus spike; one sheriff from a large county has already refused to enforce it

  Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Flashback to the COVID era

Democratic leaders seem unified in their messaging against Trump, portraying him as a significant threat to freedom.

However, conservatives accused those same politicians of acting like kings just a few years ago, promoting oppressive lockdowns that harmed the economy and caused irreparable damage to mental health.

Newsom imposed some of the strictest lockdown measures in the nation, preventing Americans from gathering, forcing them to close their businesses, and using police to ticket and arrest citizens for trespassing on closed beaches. During the same period, he celebrated a birthday party at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Napa Valley.

During the COVID era, Padilla backed Newsom's leadership, applauding the governor's "statewide face mask mandate" as an "important and timely effort to reduce the spread."

"Let's commit to wearing masks, getting the vaccine, and staying home and social distancing as much as possible," he stated in January 2021.

Padilla repeatedly accused Republicans of spreading "COVID-19 disinformation" that he described as "nearly as dangerous as the disease itself." He claimed conservatives were "anti-mask, anti-science zealots" for criticizing Newsom's leadership.

While insisting Americans should mask up and stay home, he advocated for illegal immigrants to receive a "pathway to citizenship," claiming that "undocumented essential workers braved harsh conditions."

RELATED: The untold story of LA’s underground COVID-era speakeasies

  Photo by Jae C. Hong-Pool/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the lockdown situation in New York was similar to that in Los Angeles.

In March 2020, Lander encouraged then-Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) and then-Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) to "close schools, non-essential businesses incl. restaurants & bars, [and] implement aggressive social distancing." He also advocated for closing places of worship.

Lander noted that social distancing would not work "until officially mandated."

"We need #ShutdownNYC now," Lander wrote.

During the COVID era, Democratic politicians enforced and supported strict lockdown measures, including business closures and vaccine mandates that trampled over American freedoms. Now, just a few years later, those same leaders are criticizing Trump's immigration enforcement as authoritarian as the left continues to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens.

BlazeTV host Steve Deace stated, "To be fair, these COVID tyrants are subject matter experts on what it means to be an authoritarian. Snark aside, it's impossible to be an authoritarian against invaders by the very definition of the term. We elected the Trump administration to exercise its authority to enact mass deportations, which are needed now more than ever."

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I was separated from my mom because Ireland enforced its laws



I spent the first nine months of my life separated from my mother — not because of cruelty or neglect, but because Ireland enforced its immigration laws.

My mother, a U.S. citizen in her late 20s, traveled to Ireland to visit her brother while pregnant with me. Medical complications during her pregnancy made further air travel unsafe, and she overstayed her visa. After my birth, Ireland’s immigration rules required her to leave while officials sorted out my paperwork.

A nation without enforcement invites chaos, and chaos always hurts the most vulnerable first.

As a result, I — a U.S. citizen by birth and by heritage — spent my infancy with a foster family in a foreign country.

I don’t blame Ireland for enforcing its laws. I don’t blame my mother for traveling when it was risky. Life handed us a difficult situation, but the government didn’t become the villain. That experience taught me a truth that applies directly to America’s current debate over deportation and family separation.

Enforcement isn’t cruelty

My story doesn’t qualify as a sob story. It’s simply the fact of the matter. For years, activists and media outlets have flooded Americans with emotional tales of children separated from their parents during deportation. The usual narrative paints Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as soulless monsters tearing families apart for sport.

That’s nonsense.

I lived through separation. I understand the pain. But I also understand something else: Nations enforce laws not because they’re heartless, but because they must.

RELATED: One bad order could undermine Trump’s strongest issue

  Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

My mother’s visa violation led to our temporary separation. The U.S. does the same to those who violate our immigration laws. These actions don’t stem from hatred or malice. They serve the purpose of preserving order, national sovereignty, and the rule of law.

I know what loss feels like

I spent my earliest months far from the woman who gave me life. I never had the chance to meet my father — he was murdered before I could know him. My mother died of cancer when I was 7. Separation and loss defined my childhood.

But I’ve never blamed the Irish government for upholding its laws. Immigration enforcement didn’t cause my father’s death. It didn’t cause my mother’s cancer. Life brings tragedy, sometimes with no one to blame.

Emotional pain doesn’t make law enforcement unjust. It makes law enforcement necessary. Countries must uphold their borders. And when they fail to do so, real people suffer — on both sides of the law.

The American system is under siege

The United States faces a historic immigration crisis.

In 2019, during President Trump’s first term, ICE arrested approximately 143,000 aliens and removed more than 267,000. In 2024, under Joe Biden, those numbers shifted: 113,431 arrests, 271,484 removals — despite over 11 million border encounters during his term. That dwarfs the roughly 3 million encounters under Trump’s entire administration.

The Department of Homeland Security also reports that 1.4 million inadmissible aliens received parole into the country’s interior. As of mid-2024, nearly 650,000 criminal illegal aliens remained on ICE’s non-detained docket — free to roam the United States.

That doesn’t seem like compassion. That’s more like collapse.

These figures signal a breakdown of accountability. And when laws go unenforced at this scale, tragedy doesn’t just grow — it multiplies.

Responsibility, not blame

I only had a handful of years with my mother. I understand the impulse to blame something — or someone — when that kind of pain hits. But blame rarely leads to truth. It deflects responsibility and gives emotional suffering a temporary target.

It’s a political crutch as much as a psychological one. But what if we stopped pointing fingers and started taking responsibility? Every choice brings consequences. That’s not cruelty — it’s Newton’s third law in action.

Walk into someone’s home uninvited, and that person has every right to call the police. Try to explain away the trespass, and it won’t change the fact that the law exists to protect the homeowner. If we accept that principle at the level of private property, we should respect it at the level of national borders.

Not every story is the same

My situation 30 years ago was different from what we see today. My mother, aside from a parking ticket, had no criminal history. She didn’t intend to break the law. In contrast, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 44% of prosecuted illegal immigrants today already have a criminal record.

I didn’t arrive in America through human smugglers. I wasn’t trafficked. I wasn’t handed over to a fraudulent sponsor.

I came home because my grandfather — a World War II veteran and political organizer — fought for me. He used every resource he had, including connections to Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), to bring me back to the United States. I flew across the Atlantic on the lap of a decorated American soldier, finally returning to the country that already recognized me as its own.

We owe the next generation better

That’s why I can’t accept the argument that lawlessness is compassion. It isn’t.

We owe it to every child born here, raised here, or separated like I was not to replace justice with sentimentality. A nation without enforcement invites chaos, and chaos always hurts the most vulnerable first.

This debate isn’t about cruelty. It’s about sovereignty. It’s about clarity. It’s about preserving a system that works for those who follow the law — and holding accountable those who don’t.