Dems' favorite MS-13 associate ran human trafficking operations, says ex-boss
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Reps. Robert Garcia (Calif.), Maxwell Frost (Fla.), Yassamin Ansari (Ariz.), and Maxine Dexter (Ore.) are among the Democratic lawmakers who decided to champion the cause of MS-13 associate Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national the Trump administration sent packing on March 15.
Abrego Garcia's illegal entry into the U.S., his failure to appear for hearings on traffic violations, the domestic abuse allegations lodged against him, his links to a terrorist gang, and his identification by two immigration courts as a danger to the community were likely already cause enough to justify his deportation and to question his Democratic defenders' judgment. However, more damning information has come to light.
In the wake of the Tennessee Star's publication of footage showing Abrego Garcia's Nov. 30, 2022, encounter with Tennessee Highway Patrol and confirmation of the Department of Justice's investigation into the traffic stop, ABC News reported that the Salvadoran's boss has outed him as an human trafficker.
The traffic stop
Tennessee Highway Patrol reportedly pulled over Abrego Garcia in November 2022 for driving erratically, which he was reportedly doing without a valid license.
'He's getting paid to haul these people.'
The THP officer surmised from the MS-13 associate's human cargo and lack of luggage that Abrego Garcia — then on a terrorist watch list but not on a deportation list — was engaged in human trafficking.
One officer said in the video obtained by the Tennessee Star, "He's hauling these people for money. You've got an ICE hauler, is what he's doing. Sometimes they come in with dope."
"There's eight people in there," continued the officer. "He's getting paid to haul these people, probably to Maryland, I would say, if I had to guess."
— (@)
Tennessee Highway Patrol notified the Biden FBI, which told the officers to take pictures of Abrego Garcia and his seven passengers, then cut them loose.
While Abrego Garcia got to drive away with just a warning, he did so only after materially and verbally linking himself to a convicted human trafficker.
The black 2001 Chevrolet Silverado that Abrego Garcia was driving was reportedly flagged by the Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore field office as belonging to Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes — an illegal alien from Mexico who Abrego Garcia told a state trooper was his boss.
Hernandez-Reyes pleaded guilty on June 4, 2020, to smuggling illegal aliens. He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment, then deported, though he stole back into the U.S. sometime later and was eventually rearrested.
Abrego Garcia outed
Federal investigators looking into Abrego Garcia's 2022 traffic stop recently spoke with Hernandez-Reyes at the Federal Correctional Institution in Talladega, Alabama, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
Hernandez-Reyes, who was granted limited immunity, told investigators he ran a "taxi service" based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Mexican national reportedly indicated that he met Abrego Garcia in 2015 and hired him on multiple occasions to smuggle illegal aliens from Texas to other places in the country.
Hernandez-Reyes previously told authorities that he would smuggle people throughout the U.S. for $350 per person. In the bodycam footage of the 2022 traffic stop obtained by the Tennessee Star, Abrego Garcia is said to have $1,400 in cash on his person.
ABC News indicated that the DOJ declined to comment.
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Teen Tren de Aragua-linked mob ambushes NYPD in another brazen Times Square assault: Report
A group of roughly a dozen young thugs linked to Tren de Aragua reportedly assaulted two New York Police Department officers in Times Square on Friday evening.
The culprits have reportedly been tied to Los Diablos de 42, a young subset of the violent Venezuelan gang TDA. The youngest suspect was just 12 years old.
'Make no mistake, this is not low-level crime, it's organized violence carried out by gang members that we've already taken off the streets for preying on New Yorkers.'
Fox News reported that five of the 11 suspects are illegal aliens from Venezuela. Those individuals have been arrested.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) and NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch detailed the brutal assault during a Tuesday press briefing.
Tisch explained that two officers approached a group of 10 to 12 individuals after they observed the mob surrounding three others.
"The officers engaged the group and attempted to break up what appeared to be a wolfpack-style robbery. Instead, they were ambushed, pelted with scooters, basketballs, and other makeshift weapons. This was a targeted attack, planned, deliberate, and carried out with intent," Tisch stated.
Within hours of the ambush, law enforcement was able to identify some of the suspects as Los Diablos de 42 members, thanks to the city's gang database.
Tisch called the database "one of the most critical tools that we have to protect our cops and to protect our communities." She urged the New York City Council to abandon its efforts to abolish the database.
"We need our City Council to stop legislating against our cops and to start legislating for public safety," Tisch declared.
She noted that all those arrested were "repeat offenders" linked to "citywide robbery patterns."
Tisch also stated that no officers sustained any major injuries.
"Make no mistake, this is not low-level crime, it's organized violence carried out by gang members that we've already taken off the streets for preying on New Yorkers," she added. "And now they're back, ambushing cops in the middle of Times Square. It's not a fluke, it's a system failure. It's what happens when repeat offenders are allowed to cycle through arrest after arrest without meaningful accountability. It's what happens when there are no real consequences."
Adams emphasized that such violence would not be tolerated.
"It's horrific enough to be a victim of a crime, but when someone openly assaults a police officer, you are attacking our symbol of safety, and it cannot be tolerated," he said.
However, New York City's sanctuary policies continue to shield illegal aliens from federal immigration officials.
On Sunday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrived at a NYPD station, where one of the teen suspects was being held, but the agents were turned away.
Tisch stated that the NYPD is "looking into how [ICE] got there."
"I was surprised that ICE was at a precinct because ICE shows up to do civil immigration enforcement. And the NYPD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement. And our officers did a tremendous job," she said.
Tisch added, "They followed a procedure that we had put out in early January, an operations order, that explains exactly what steps they should take in a scenario such as that. And they did not turn over the person that was in custody to those ICE agents at that time."
In January 2024, a mob similarly ambushed NYPD officers in Times Square. Some of those suspects were also linked to TDA.
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Majority of US employers polled say immigration enforcement will impact their workplaces, cause staffing shortages
The employment law firm Littler recently surveyed 349 executives, in-house lawyers, and senior human resource professionals across various industries about their chief concerns in view of the federal government's shifting priorities. The Trump administration's clampdown on illegal immigration was apparently top of mind — a potential wink at big business' reliance on illegally imported labor.
When asked how great an impact the expected "enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security, and compliance with their respective requirements" will have on their workplace over the next 12 months, 26% of respondents said they anticipate a "significant impact," and 44% said they anticipate a "moderate impact." The remainder suggested there would be no impact at all.
When asked to what extent their organizations were concerned about "workforce staffing challenges as a result of the Trump administration's immigration policies," 32% of respondents answered "slightly concerned," 20% answered "moderately concerned," and 6% said "very concerned."
"Large employers are more concerned than their counterparts about ICE/DHS enforcement (84% expect a significant or moderate impact on their workplaces) and workforce staffing challenges (69% expressed concern, versus 58% overall)," said the report.
Employers in manufacturing and retail/hospitality were apparently the most concerned about the other shoe dropping when it comes to the administration's enforcement of federal immigration law.
'There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force.'
Eighty-three percent of employers in manufacturing, compared with 75% of all employers, listed immigration at the top of the policy changes that would impact their businesses over the next year.
Where retail/hospitality employers were concerned, 89% indicated ICE and DHS enforcement will have a significant or moderate impact on their workplaces.
The Pew Research Center indicated that as of 2022, there were roughly 8.3 million illegal aliens in the workforce. The largest share of illegal aliens in the workforce reportedly serve in construction.
"Though employers have reasonable cause for worry — it is anticipated, after all, that Trump 2.0 will increase ICE/HSI I-9 audits to up to 15,000 a year and ICE raids to more than 100 a year — workplace enforcement actions as of the writing of this report have not yet resulted in any formal ICE raids of employer worksites," said the report.
The report strongly insinuated that these concerns pertain to the impact of the administration's targeting of illegal aliens, as it notes "employers may be underestimating the impact of Trump 2.0 on legal immigration, which declined by about 40% during the president's first term and could have costly consequences for employers that are unable to bring in the necessary talent."
Jorge Lopez, chair of the firm's immigration and global mobility practice group, told Axios, "I was just flabbergasted by how high the concern was among our clients."
White House spokesman Kush Desai framed the potential staffing shortages as an opportunity to draw from neglected depths of the American talent pool.
"Over 1 in 10 young adults in America are neither employed, in higher education, nor pursuing some sort of vocational training," Desai told Axios. "There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump's executive order to modernize workforce training programs represents this administration's commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential."
The survey also found that nearly 85% of respondents anticipate that changes to workplace regulations and policies regarding DEI will impact their businesses during President Donald Trump's first year back in office.
According to Littler, 60% of organizations with over 10,000 employees are concerned about DEI-related litigation.
Despite these concerns, only 55% of respondents are considering making some changes to their DEI policies and programs, and the remainder are not contemplating new or further rollbacks.
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Pay to leave? Trump drops new plan to get rid of illegal immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security has announced a new initiative to help solve the immigration crisis, which would give undocumented immigrants a $1,000 stipend if they choose to self-deport from the United States.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said about the initiative. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”
The CBP Home App was originally the CBP One App, which under the Biden administration helped illegal immigrants find their way into the United States. Now, under Trump, it’s helping them find their way out.
Illegal immigrants have also been offered free airfare on their journey home.
“They said that this is going to save taxpayers significantly, because it would cost $4,500 per person, compared to over $17,000 that we are spending for arrest, detention, and then, of course, the forced removal,” Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered” explains.
And considering $4,500 is much less than what it costs for an illegal immigrant to live in the United States indefinitely, Gonzales finds this “more than fair.”
“You came into our country, you broke our laws, you continue evading capture, and still, President Trump is kind and gracious enough to be like, ‘You know what, let’s let bygones be bygones. I’ll pay you $1,000 and give you a free flight home,’” Gonzales says.
“That’s way more generous than I probably would be,” she adds.
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Statehouse Republicans Work With Democrats To Make Florida Purple Again
Norah O'Donnell Makes the News as ICE Audits Husband's Restaurant
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Tuesday audited an upscale Washington, D.C., restaurant owned by the husband of CBS News journalist Norah O’Donnell, as the Trump administration works to remove illegal immigrants from the food industry.
The post Norah O'Donnell Makes the News as ICE Audits Husband's Restaurant appeared first on .
Venezuela's regime enables Tren de Aragua's border crime spree while corrupt officials likely profit: Intel memo
Venezuela's regime has been enabling Tren de Aragua's U.S. border invasion and criminal activity, according to a National Intelligence Council memo released Monday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The memo explained that when the Venezuelan government booted TDA from the Tocoran Prison in 2023, some of the gang's leaders were allowed to escape because they were "possibly assisted by low-level Venezuelan military and political leaders."
'FBI analysts ... assess some Venezuelan government officials facilitate TDA members' migration from Venezuela to the United States and use members as proxies in ... the United States to advance what they see as the Maduro regime's goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety ...'
According to Department of Homeland Security findings, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro may have removed them from the prison "to undercut regional press" that alleged his ties to TDA.
However, the NIC's memo stopped short of confirming President Donald Trump's allegations that Maduro directs TDA's activities. Trump has argued that his regime intentionally allowed TDA to invade the U.S. in an effort to destabilize the country.
While the memo disputed such claims, it admitted that some regime officials "may cooperate with TDA for financial gain," stating that such instances are "ad hoc" and not an organized effort. Still, the findings supported claims that Maduro's leadership has enabled TDA and other criminal groups to operate.
According to the memo, Maduro's regime "generally does not impede" illegal groups, adding that Venezuela's "permissive environment enables TDA to operate."
"Some mid- to low-level Venezuelan officials probably profit from TDA's illicit activities," the memo added. However, the Venezuelan government "probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States."
"Some regime officials are probably willing to capitalize on migration flows for personal financial or other benefits, even though the Maduro regime probably is not systematically directing Venezuelan outflows, such as to sow chaos in receiving countries," it said.
Maduro's "illegitimate and autocratic grip on power" has enabled "widespread corruption and for regime officials to benefit from a variety of illicit activities," the memo continued.
The intelligence community argued that Maduro is probably not directing TDA because it would require "extensive" coordination.
"While FBI analysts agree with the above assessment, they assess some Venezuelan government officials facilitate TDA members' migration from Venezuela to the United States and use members as proxies in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and the United States to advance what they see as the Maduro regime's goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety in these countries, based on DHS and FBI reporting as of February 2024," it read.
The migration of Venezuelan nationals was attributed to "a variety of push and pull factors including socioeconomic conditions, family ties to the United States, and migrants' perceptions of U.S. and regional enforcement."
The NIC findings noted that Maduro's inaction toward TDA's criminal activity has benefited his regime, allowing him to "retain power" while dissidents flee Venezuela.
An estimated 7.8 million Venezuelans have fled since 2024.
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‘Maryland Man’ bodycam footage reveals potential criminal activity
Tennessee state law enforcement has released bodycam footage from a November 2022 traffic stop involving the left’s darling, illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
While the traffic stop report doesn’t mention anything about human trafficking, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Trisha McLaughlin believes otherwise.
“This is textbook human trafficking,” McLaughlin said in a segment on Fox News. “I’ll remind viewers that there were eight other individuals in this car that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was driving. They were driving allegedly from Texas to Maryland. That’s a three-day journey, not a single piece of luggage in that vehicle.”
“That screams of human trafficking,” she continued. “I also want to remind viewers that in 2019, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was arrested. He was arrested with multiple other members of MS-13. He was decked out in MS-13 symbols — ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,’ which is MS-13’s logo and slogan.”
But that’s not all. According to McLaughlin, Abrego Garcia allegedly had “drugs and rolls of cash on him” and in the past was accused by his wife of detaining and abusing her, as well as psychologically abusing her and her children.
“How is this the story that Democrats are willing to fight for? How is this the one thing that has captivated all of their attention in all of these media headlines right now?” Jill Savage asks independent journalist Breanna Morello.
“It’s pretty strange because one would think this would not be the person they’re putting on a pedestal when it comes to this immigration topic. Obviously, they’re trying to win over their voter base so that they feel a little bit more passionate about this argument because many people are on the fence, or they’re swinging with President Trump these days,” Morello tells Savage and Matthew Peterson.
“We’ve seen it based on the polls when it comes to immigration,” she continues, “And I just think it’s so crazy that they’re picking this person to go out there and throw their whole support behind. It makes me wonder, did they actually understand what he was doing or what he was accused of in the past? Or did they just find one person, think that they could win over the American people with him, and didn’t do any research?”
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Superman surprises at the White House: Steve Deace’s epic chat with Dean Cain
Earlier this week, Steve Deace was in Washington, D.C., at the White House to commemorate President Trump’s first 100 days in office. During his visit, he interviewed a number of key insiders, including Ronald Vitiello, Customs and Border Protection senior adviser; Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency; and Kaelan Dorr, White House deputy communications director.
However, there was another interview he did that wasn’t in the books.
“When you're having lunch in the White House mess hall, you never know who you're going to run into,” says Steve.
Like Superman, for example.
“Being the Superman slappy that I am, I had to carve out time for Dean Cain,” says Steve.
“Why are you here — other than, you know, the future of the country is at stake?” he asked candidly.
Cain explained that he was in D.C. for a film he’s working on called “End the Wait,” which raises awareness about the need for kidney donors.
“We want to partner somehow with the government to say, ‘You can save thousands upon thousands of lives,'" he told Steve.
On the subject of films, Steve then brought up the latest movie he saw, “The Accountant 2,” starring Ben Affleck.
“Here's the plot of the movie: They are cracking a human trafficking ring of a network of drug runners and corporations who claim they really care about illegal aliens but are really just using them for human traffickers and to smuggle drugs into the country,” he explained. “At the end of it, I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘That is not a script that would have been filmed 10 years ago.’"
“There has been some major vibe shift here. Do you sense it as well?” he asked.
“Oh, tremendously!” was Cain’s answer.
“Gavin O'Connor, who directed that, is a friend of mine, a great director, and he's got a good edge to him. It feels like a real truth that's going on. Yeah, the vibes shift is clear,” he added.
He went on to list several of the factors playing into the cultural shift, including “Elon purchasing X and reviving free speech," the exposing of “the prior administration and things they were doing,” and real talk with “podcasters like Joe Rogan.”
“People are waking up,” Cain continued. “They don't control the media anymore, so the real messages are getting out.”
To hear more of Steve and Dean Cain’s conversation, watch the episode above.
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