State Dept slammed with hundreds of calls from Americans trapped in Mexico
The State Department has received hundreds of calls on its 24/7 crisis hotline as Americans in Mexico scramble to find ways home amid escalating chaos following the killing of a top cartel leader. The calls have been mostly pertaining to flight cancellations and concerns about travel back to the U.S., Fox News has learned. Violence erupted in Mexico after a Feb. 22 government operation in which Jalisco New Generation cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes was killed. The cartel leader was killed during a shootout inside his home as the Mexican military attempted to capture him. The operation was carried out by Mexican forces with U.S. intelligence support. MEXICO VIOLENCE SEES DOZENS OF MILITARY TROOPS, CRIMINALS DEAD AFTER CARTEL LEADER ‘EL MENCHO’ KILLED Mexico Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the 25 Mexican National Guard troops in Jalisco were killed in six separate attacks following the killing of El Mencho. He also said some 30 criminal suspects were killed in Jalisco and four others were killed in Michoacan. Additionally, García Harfuch said that a prison guard, an agent from the state prosecutor’s office and a woman whom he did not identify were also killed. The State Department’s travel advisory for Mexico, which was issued in August 2025, has since been updated regarding areas of risk. The Mexican states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas are under a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory. Meanwhile, the states under a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” advisory are Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos and Sonora. MAJOR DRUG LORD ‘EL MENCHO’ KILLED IN MEXICAN MILITARY OPERATION WITH US INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT Americans in Mexico who need consular assistance are advised to call the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs at +1-202-501-4444 from outside the U.S. or +1-888-407-4747 from within the U.S. or Canada. Additionally, the department has recommended U.S. citizens enroll in the online Smart Traveler Enrollment Program or follow the “U.S. Department of State – Security Updates for U.S. Citizens” WhatsApp channel for safety and security updates. The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, also known as STEP, allows the U.S. embassy or consulate to contact travelers or their emergency contact if necessary. On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico issued an updated security alert for Jalisco State, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala and Guadalajara, and Nayarit State, including the Nuevo Nayarit/Nuevo Vallarta area near Puerto Vallarta. The embassy and consulates said in the joint alert that due to road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. government staffers in several locations — including Guadalajara (Jalisco), Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco/Nayarit), and Ciudad Guzman (Jalisco) — are sheltering in place. The government entities said the workers would remain sheltered in place until blockades are cleared and called on U.S. citizens to follow suit. While the State Department hotline has been flooded with calls regarding flight cancellations, the embassy and consulates noted that “all airports in Mexico are open, and most airports are operating normally.” The entities noted that travelers whose flights to the U.S. had been canceled could be able to book a connecting flight through another Mexican city, as not all airports were impacted by the disruptions. Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Where Trump stands in the eyes of Americans ahead of the State of the Union address
President Donald Trump, taking to social media earlier this month, touted, “The highest Poll Numbers I have ever received.” “Obviously, people like a strong and powerful Country, with the best economy, EVER!” the president added in a post on his Truth Social platform. But on the day of his annual State of the Union Address, Trump’s poll numbers remain in negative territory in the vast majority of national surveys. The president’s approval rating stands at 44% in the latest Fox News national poll, which was conducted late last month, with 56% disapproving of the job he’s doing in the White House. STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP’S TEAM HUDDLES OVER MIDTERM MESSAGING And he stood at 39% approval among all adults and 41% among registered voters in an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos survey conducted Feb 12-17 and released on Sunday. An average of the most recent surveys conducted over the past four weeks puts Trump’s approval ratings in the low 40s, with disapproval in the mid-50s. Trump started his second term in positive territory, but his approval ratings sank below water last March and have slowly edged down deeper into negative territory in the ensuing months. The latest surveys point to a massive partisan divide, with continued strong support for the president among Republicans, a thumbs down among independents and near total disapproval among Democrats. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS “Support among Republicans has remained in place, but the opposition has become even more calcified,” veteran Republican pollster Daron Shaw told Fox News Digital, as he pointed to Democrats. Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and kept their House majority. “We had record inflation. We don’t have it anymore,” Trump said at a campaign event last week in Rome, Georgia. “I’m going to make a State of the Union address on Tuesday. I hope you’re going to watch and we’re going to be talking about it.” But the president’s approval ratings on the economy are, on average, slightly lower than his overall approval ratings. DNC CHAIR KEN MARTIN BOASTS ‘WIN AFTER WIN,’ SHRUGS OFF MASSIVE TRUMP, REPUBLICAN MONEY LEAD And Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns in the year since Trump returned to office, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation. A slew of surveys, including the latest Fox News polling, indicate Americans are pessimistic about the economy and say things have not generally improved during the second Trump administration. “He can’t unstick the notion that inflation is too high and that the economy is not moving in the right direction,” added Shaw, who helps run the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. But Democrats don’t have much to brag about when it comes to the polls. The party’s brand dropped to historic lows last year in a slew of polls, with the trend continuing into the new year. The president’s primetime address in front of Congress comes with just over eight months to go until the midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their razor-thin majority in the House and their narrow control of the Senate. Last week, the president’s political team huddled in a closed-door strategy session with Trump administration Cabinet members and their top aides on how best to sell the president’s agenda to voters in this year’s midterm elections. TRUMP CHEERS STEADY INFLATION NUMBERS AS AFFORDABILITY FIGHT SHAPES 2026 MIDTERM BATTLE According to sources familiar with the meeting, the message during a slide presentation by chief pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio was that the economy will be the top issue on the minds of voters, and that the White House needs to spotlight its efforts on easing affordability. “Team Trump will deploy every resource necessary to win the midterms, protect our majorities, and ensure President Trump keeps delivering results for America’s working families,” a source in the president’s political orbit told Fox News Digital. Regardless of Trump’s overall approval ratings, he remains very popular and influential with Republicans. And in what may be a base election, the GOP sees the president as their best tool to motivate low-propensity MAGA voters, who don’t always vote when Trump’s not on the ballot, to show up at the polls during the midterms. Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital last month that Trump was the GOP’s “secret weapon” that will help Republicans “defy history” in the midterms. “We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump,” Gruters said.
California allocating $35M to support illegal immigrants amid Trump’s mass deportation agenda
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the allocation of $35 million in state funding to support illegal immigrants as the Trump administration carries out its massive deportation agenda. Newsom’s office is releasing the money that the legislature set aside in the state budget to help philanthropic partners support immigrant families with food assistance and other resources, according to a press release. These funds are on top of funds the state already allocated to provide legal resources to those facing deportation. “While the federal government targets hardworking families, California stands with them – uniting partners and funding local communities to help support their neighbors,” Newsom said in the release. “The urgent need grows as the Trump Administration accelerates mass detention, tramples due process, and funds authoritarian enforcement with over $170 billion. As the Trump Administration chooses cruelty and chaos, California chooses community.” DOJ SUES NEWSOM OVER CALIFORNIA MEASURE GIVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS COLLEGE TUITION BENEFITS A spokesperson for Newsom said he has been speaking with immigrant families and community leaders about the federal government’s immigration crackdown. “People are afraid to leave their homes, afraid to go to school or work, and unable to afford groceries,” the spokesperson told CalMatters. California allocated the money despite significant budget constraints, as Newsom’s office anticipates a $2.9 billion deficit in the coming budget year, according to CalMatters. The state also limited health care for illegal immigrants this year to help make up for a larger deficit last year. “When federal actions create fear and instability, our responsibility is to show up for families. This investment strengthens local partners who are helping people access legal services and meet basic needs during an incredibly difficult moment,” Kim Johnson, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said in the release. Democrat state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, said the funding shows her party will “continue to stand in solidarity with our immigrant families.” TRUMP TO CUT FEDERAL PAYMENTS TO SANCTUARY CITIES STARTING FEB. 1 OVER IMMIGRATION POLICIES “The federal government is waging a war on our communities – and we won’t stand for it,” Gonzalez said. “We are putting money behind an effort to stop the fear, stop the separation of our families and stop violating our basic rights.” Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, a Republican, blasted the funding as “absurd.” “If you were audited by the IRS and found to owe money and back taxes, as a citizen, you couldn’t say, ‘Well, I want a free lawyer to fight the federal government,’” DeMaio told CalMatters. President Donald Trump campaigned on a major immigration crackdown and has since followed through with that promise through mass deportations. In June, Trump signed a budget bill that included $170 billion for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation, an investment that aims to remove up to 1 million immigrants from the U.S. per year over four years. FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO HALT MORE THAN $10B IN FUNDING TO 5 STATES OVER NON-CITIZEN BENEFIT CONCERNS: REPORT California state funds set aside for immigration legal services prevent money from being used to help people with serious or violent felony convictions fight against deportations, CalMatters reported. California laws do not block state corrections staff from moving illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious or violent felonies to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. “California will never be silent in the face of Trump’s cruel and unlawful immigration raids. We will meet fear and intimidation with courage and action,” Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, a Democrat, said in the release.
House Dem compares Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown to ‘terrorism,’ vows to abolish ICE
Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., compared U.S. enforcement of immigration law to “terrorism” during a Saturday town hall and promised to dismantle the chief U.S. immigration enforcement agency if Democrats regained power. “The frank terrorism that is being invoked – when we call that out and stand together, I think people will continue to not want to do that work,” Dexter told an audience at Wy’east Middle School in Oregon. “I’m not supposed to get political, but if there’s a change in political will, then we can absolutely dismantle and abolish ICE altogether,” Dexter said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Dexter, a freshman progressive lawmaker, is one of many Democrats who have called for reforms to the agency in the wake of public unrest in Minnesota over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. JEFFRIES CLASHES WITH LEFT-WING PODCAST HOST OVER DEMAND TO LEAD PUSH TO ‘ABOLISH ICE’ When two civilians in Minneapolis were shot and killed in separate confrontations with immigration officials in January, Dexter was among the first lawmakers who promised to vote against any spending legislation for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that didn’t also include major reforms to ICE, which operates under DHS. Although the vast majority of Democrats eventually adopted Dexter’s stance over DHS funding, the idea first began as a position held by the Congressional Progressive Caucus and was championed by members like Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. PROGRESSIVE DEM JASMINE CROCKETT TARGETS TRUMP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS WITH NEW ‘TRACK ICE’ BILL Gridlock over DHS funding has led to a partial government shutdown which began on Feb. 14, when Democrats in the Senate also refused to advance DHS funding over a set of 10 reforms to ICE. Among those demands, Democrats want to impose new operational limits to the agency, such as an end to roaming patrols, a ban on masks, a requirement for visible identification and stiffer warrant requirements for detaining illegal aliens in public. Those changes would represent the most direct intervention into the agency’s operation since its creation in 2003. Republicans have rebuffed those demands, arguing they would severely limit the administration’s immigration goals. Dexter’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday about the nature of her comments — including whether she had made a campaign promise at a town hall or who had funded the event.
Abbott surges Texas troopers to border after cartel kingpin’s killing sparks violence in Mexico
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he is surging state troopers to the border and across the state to enhance public safety operations following a spike in cartel violence after the killing of kingpin “El Mencho” over the weekend. On Monday, Abbott, a Republican, directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to “enhance public safety and homeland security operations” across Texas. He said the surge is in response to escalating cartel violence in Mexico that he believes poses a growing threat to American civilians. “Mexican drug cartels pose a significant threat to public safety and national security,” said Abbott. “By increasing proactive efforts to defend against cartel violence, Texas will continue to utilize every tool and strategy to protect our state and our nation.” He vowed that in the face of increased cartel violence, “We will not cower to criminals who impose terror on our fellow Texans and Americans.” TRUMP’S ‘TOTAL ELIMINATION’ STRATEGY PAVED WAY FOR FALL OF CARTEL KINGPIN ‘EL MENCHO’ At the governor’s direction, the state is surging Texas Highway Patrol, Texas Rangers, Criminal Investigations Division, and Special Operations Group resources to the border region to “detect, interdict, and apprehend criminals, and to prevent spillover activity from transnational threats.” Texas is also increasing its Tactical Marine Unit and Aircraft Operations Division presence along the border to detect and apprehend criminals. Further, Texas is activating additional personnel from its Homeland Security Division and Texas Fusion Center to monitor social media and reports of suspicious activity 24/7. This comes as cartel violence that erupted across Mexico left 25 Mexican National Guard troops and more than two dozen criminal suspects among the dead following the killing of Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who was also known as “El Mencho.” The cartel reacted to its leader’s death with violence across Mexico, placing roadblocks and setting vehicles on fire throughout Sunday. CRUZ WARNED MEXICO OFFICIALS ‘PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS GOING TO’ ACT IF THEY DIDN’T FIGHT CARTELS Multiple American tourists vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, also told Fox News Digital they unexpectedly found themselves in the middle of a violent cartel retaliation. As airlines canceled flights and authorities issued shelter-in-place orders, stranded visitors reported cars set ablaze, suspected cartel members blocking major roads, and stores ransacked by looters — scenes some witnesses said made parts of the popular resort city feel like “a war breaking out in the streets.” Witnesses said they were forced to evacuate their rooms, manage with limited hotel food, and even venture outside in search of meals while waiting for Mexican authorities to regain control of the city. Staying at an Airbnb near a main road, Eugene Marchenko, 37, of Charleston, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital he woke up to blaring horns and saw six cars completely engulfed in flames just outside his balcony. He and his wife, who had arrived in Mexico only a day earlier, were forced to evacuate for several hours, fearing that a nearby fuel tanker, also ablaze, could explode. EX-NAVY SEAL PUTS ‘DERANGED’ MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL ON NOTICE AFTER VIOLENT WEEKEND: ‘MORE LIKE ISIS’ Abbott urged Texans in need of immediate assistance to call the U.S. Department of State or the Texas Fusion Center, the state’s primary tactical intelligence hub. He said the state is “closely coordinating” with the State Department and FBI as the situation unfolds.
Social media erupts after Stephen King makes false claim about Trump’s family: ‘What is this sh–?’
Horror author Stephen King is facing backlash online Monday for a post tearing into President Donald Trump’s personal life, including a line claiming that Trump has no children. “Trump: has never had a child. Has been married 3 times. Ran several businesses into the ground. Never ran a home, couldn’t make a bed to save his a–. Calls people he works with dumb, losers, ect. Has never done sweat labor. Has never served on a local committee,” King said in a post to X. “[He] has no life experience,” King added. The post immediately began drawing criticism from accounts like Libs of TikTok. TRUMP TEARS INTO ‘AVERAGE GUY’ GEORGE CLOONEY WHO ‘COMPLAINED, CONSTANTLY, ABOUT COMMON SENSE IN POLITICS’ “Trump literally has 5 kids. What is this sh–?” Libs of TikTok posted on X. “Um… I’m pretty sure Donald Trump had children,” 1776 Project PAC founder Ryan Girdusky posted on X. “Is there a 25th Amendment for taking peoples’ phones away?” Conservative writer Bonchie wrote on X. “Donald Trump, famously childless,” conservative reporter Jerry Dunleavy jokingly wrote on X. King’s comments come as Trump, who is the father of five children and is in his second presidential term, is set to address the country on Tuesday evening in the 2026 State of the Union, a report to Congress on the administration’s work. King’s remarks mirror similar social media comments made about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a prominent progressive member of the House of Representatives, on Saturday. In a tweet put up by an account called “Stacy is Right,” a self-described MAGA mother of three, the author similarly disparaged elements of Ocasio-Cortez’s life and background. That post also mocks the Democrat for a lack of children, having never been married, never having run a business and never having had a “professional job.” AOC BLAMES CRITICS, TRUMP AFTER MUNICH HICCUP BACKLASH “[She] has no real life experience. Is a typical deadbeat socialist,” Stacy is Right said in her post. King reshared that post before putting up his own remarks about Trump. “You literally plagiarized an entire post…which was about AOC… and then applied it to Trump…… for whom it isn’t true and doesn’t make any sense. Why are you plagiarizing? I thought you were a writer?” Matt Van Swol, a former Department of Energy nuclear scientist, posted on X. Monday’s post isn’t the first time King has taken to X to vent his political views. Since Trump’s second term, King has used similar language to describe the president and his policies. NANCY PELOSI SWIPES AT TRUMP, ACCUSING HIM OF CROWNING HIMSELF AS ‘KING’ “Just wanted to say that Trump is a traitorous, Putin-loving dipsh–! Goes double for Elon!” King said in a post in February 2025. Earlier this year, King took to social media to compare ICE to Nazi Germany’s Gestapo. “ICE is the American Gestapo,” King wrote, referring to the secret state police in Germany. “Trump is ruining the economy with his stupid tariffs,” King said in another instance in April. King’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the message behind his post.
Former Secret Service officials warn of low-tech threats facing Trump after latest Mar-a-Lago breach
A deadly confrontation at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Sunday is the latest in a string of high-profile security incidents threatening President Donald Trump, as former Secret Service officials warn that low-tech, lone actors now pose one of the toughest challenges to presidential protection. “It should be quite clear to all of us by now that Trump is the most threatened president in the history of the U.S.,” former Secret Service agent William “Bill” Gage told Fox News Digital Monday, pointing to multiple high-profile incidents in recent years. Unlike past presidencies, where threat levels often subsided over time, Gage said, “the longer he’s president, the more these attacks keep happening.” Gage said the most difficult cases to prevent are often the least sophisticated. The recent incidents, he noted, were “super low-tech attacks by people with zero training,” using rudimentary weapons. “If you were standing behind them in line at Starbucks, you wouldn’t have given them a second look,” he said. Gage said the threat landscape shifted over the course of his 12-year career as a Secret Service agent. When he joined the Secret Service in 2002, he said the agency was moving away from what he described as the traditional “lone gunman” model — figures like Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated John F. Kennedy, or international militants such as “Carlos the Jackal,” one of the world’s most wanted terrorists in the ‘70s and ’80s — and adapting to a post-9/11 world focused on coordinated terrorist networks like al Qaeda and later ISIS. ARMED MAN SHOT AND KILLED AFTER ‘UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY’ INTO MAR-A-LAGO: SECRET SERVICE “But if you look at Butler and the two incidents at Mar-a-Lago, those were super low-tech attacks,” Gage said. “The low-tech actors are the ones that tend to slip through the cracks.” He also warned of a potential copycat effect when details of such incidents become public. “If it were up to the Secret Service, they would never report any of these incidents ever,” Gage said, arguing that widespread coverage allows others to “study what happened” and attempt to refine it. In today’s hyperconnected political climate, he said, that dynamic adds another layer of complexity for agents trying to stop the next threat before it materializes. In the early hours of Sunday, a 21-year-old man identified as Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina was shot and killed by U.S. Secret Service agents and a local sheriff’s deputy after entering the secure perimeter of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Authorities say Martin drove through the north gate carrying a shotgun and a gasoline can. After being ordered to drop both, he dropped the can but raised the shotgun toward officers, who fired and killed him at the scene. Trump and First lady Melania Trump were in Washington at the time. The incident marked the third highly publicized security encounter involving Trump in less than two years. In July 2024, a gunman opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing Trump’s ear and killing an attendee before being shot by a Secret Service sniper. In September 2024, a man armed with a rifle was confronted by agents near Trump’s golf course while he was playing; that suspect was later convicted on attempted assassination charges. While the incidents have drawn intense attention, former senior special agent Don Mihalek said the latest Mar-a-Lago intrusion does not necessarily signal a breakdown in protective systems. “He got through an exterior gate of an active club,” Mihalek told Fox News Digital. “This wasn’t someone reaching the president’s residence.” Agents confronted the suspect within seconds, he said, describing the rapid response as evidence that overlapping security layers functioned as designed. Mihalek said presidential protection relies on multiple rings of security because outer perimeters at properties like Mar-a-Lago cannot be sealed in the same way as the White House. “If he ended up in the president’s house on Mar-a-Lago, that might be a different conversation,” he said. He also cautioned against viewing recent incidents in isolation, noting that presidents routinely face roughly 2,000 threats per year, most of which are mitigated before the public ever becomes aware of them. “These just happen to be very public instances,” Mihalek said, arguing that the social media era amplifies perceptions of escalation. GUNFIRE, ARSON AND VANDALISM: TRACKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Mihalek pointed to the 2024 rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, as an example of how early intervention can be decisive, noting that local law enforcement had reportedly identified the suspect prior to the attack. “If somebody had walked up and said, ‘Hey, who are you?’ we wouldn’t be talking about Butler,” he said. As Trump prepares to address Congress at the State of the Union, both former officials said the security posture at the Capitol is unlikely to change in response to the weekend incident. The annual address is designated a National Special Security Event — the highest level of federal security planning — triggering coordination among the Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, War Department and other agencies. The designation allows for expanded perimeter controls, airspace restrictions and continuity-of-government planning. Gage, who previously led advance planning for State of the Union addresses, said the event operates under a well-established security “blueprint” built to account for worst-case scenarios. “There’s really no way to increase it anymore,” he said. Both former officials said the defining challenge for presidential protection today is unpredictability: individuals with minimal training, rudimentary weapons and the ability to find reinforcement online. Unlike organized extremist networks, such actors may leave few detectable signals before acting.
ICE arrests convicted pedophiles, violent assailants as Trump meets with Angel Families
FIRST ON FOX: After President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met Monday with Angel Families impacted by crimes committed by illegal immigrants, the agency announced it had arrested additional illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault and violent crimes. Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that “while Americans were enjoying their weekends, the heroic men and women of ICE were working around the clock to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens out of our country, including pedophiles, rapists and violent assailants.” Bis said that while “sanctuary politicians and the media ignore the victims of criminal illegal immigrant crime. Today, President Trump and Secretary Noem met with Angel families and victims at the White House,” adding that “these victims and their families are why we continue to fight for the arrest and removal of illegal aliens from our communities.” Among those arrested by ICE this weekend was Gerardo Moran-Cisneros, from Mexico, who was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old in Los Angeles. Also in Los Angeles, ICE arrested Jathniel Rei Tangkilisan, from Indonesia, convicted of domestic battery in Hollywood. DHS HONORS ILLINOIS WOMAN WHOSE CORPSE WAS ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FREED UNDER SANCTUARY LAWS In the Los Angeles suburbs, ICE arrested Hoang Dung Duong, from Vietnam, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Santa Ana, California. Across the country in New York City, ICE arrested Pedro Pichasaca-Dutan, from Ecuador, who was convicted of rape. In nearby Somerset County, New Jersey, ICE arrested Mexican national Victor Ortiz-Ramos, who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a victim less than 13 years old. Also in New Jersey, which is a sanctuary state, ICE arrested Carlos Aparicio-Zarate, also from Mexico, who was convicted of aggravated assault — serious bodily injury in Asbury Park. In the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, Illinois, Martin Villanueva-Arenas, another Mexican illegal, was arrested by ICE following his conviction for aggravated criminal sexual assault of a child, leaving the scene of an accident and resisting a peace officer. In Chicago proper, ICE arrested Jose Parada-Valdivia, from Mexico, who is convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Meanwhile, ICE also arrested Mexican national Juan Ortiz-Pozos, who is convicted of aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery on a peace officer in Chicago’s Cook County. TRUMP’S ‘TOTAL ELIMINATION’ STRATEGY PAVED WAY FOR FALL OF CARTEL KINGPIN ‘EL MENCHO’ In Houston, ICE arrested Javid Finton McLawrence, from Grenada, who was convicted of indecent assault. In the Dallas-area Tarrant County, ICE apprehended Jeremias Hernandez-Fernandez, from Mexico, who was convicted of indecency with a child. Over the weekend, ICE also arrested Mexican nationals Juan Vasquez-Perez, convicted of third-degree sex abuse in Johnson County, Iowa, and Esteban De Paz Jimenez, convicted of assault and battery on a family member, aggravated robbery and preventing summons of law enforcement in Caroline County, Virginia. The agency also arrested Claudy Ngoy, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in Wake County, North Carolina. On Sunday, Trump signed a declaration proclaiming Feb. 22 “National Angel Family Day” in honor of the “thousands of American lives stolen from us by criminal illegal aliens and the deadly drugs they bring across our borders.” In the declaration, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to combatting illegal immigrant crime, writing, “We stand with the Angel Families, many of whom continue to be left without justice” and “we recommit to carrying out the largest mass-deportation effort in our Nation’s history, getting the worst of the worst out of our country, and putting a stop to the violence targeting the brave men and women of law enforcement.” TRUMP HALTS ANGEL FAMILIES SPEECH TO CHECK ON WOMAN IN AUDIENCE Among those present for the Angel Family event were Allyson Phillips, mother of slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, Alexis Nungaray, mother of slain Houston teen Jocelyn Nungaray, and the family of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five who was killed by an illegal alien. Trump told the families, “For too long, your stories were suppressed so that politicians could open our borders. But today, the world hears you.” “We are not just mitigating the threat anymore; we are eliminating it,” he went on, adding, “The justice delivered in Tapalpa this weekend is just the beginning for every family in this room.” Several of the Angel Families spoke during the event as well, with Phillips telling Trump, “You are a man of your word, Mr. President.” “My daughter Laken didn’t die in vain,” said Phillips. “Because of the Laken Riley Act and the work you’re doing to clear out these monsters, other mothers won’t have to live my nightmare.”
Ex-Navy SEAL puts ‘deranged’ Mexican drug cartel on notice after violent weekend: ‘More like ISIS’
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, is calling on Congress to put more support behind joint efforts between the U.S. and Mexico to combat Mexican drug cartels in the wake of the death of “El Mencho,” the leader of the “most violent and deranged cartel.” “This is the beginning of the war against the most violent and deranged cartel in Mexico: El Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación or OJNG,” Crenshaw said in a post to X on Monday morning. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, believes the strike on El Mencho represents a needed expansion of U.S. efforts to combat cartels and a window of opportunity for increased coordination between U.S.-Mexican forces. “Over the past year, most of the attention has been on the Sinaloa cartel. This is a much-needed refocusing on CJNG. Both are major traffickers of fentanyl, but CJNG is more like ISIS than the mafia,” Crenshaw said. CRENSHAW PRAISES MEXICAN OFFICIALS AFTER ‘EL MENCHO’ DEATH, CALLS CARTEL ‘TERRORIST INSURGENCY’ Crenshaw believes Congress has a role to play in combating that threat. “I’ve authored a dozen pieces of legislation to support our military, intelligence and law enforcement efforts in Mexico. It’s time for committees to take them up.” Among them, Crenshaw introduced a bill in 2023 alongside 24 other cosponsors that would have authorized the U.S. military to “combat, attack, resist, target [and] eliminate” narcotraffickers. If implemented, the bill would allow President Donald Trump to use the American military against foreign nations, organizations or persons that the president determines are trafficking fentanyl into the U.S. MEXICO FLIES 37 CARTEL MEMBERS TO US UNDER PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN More recently, Crenshaw has spearheaded the North America Security Initiative — an effort to shore up U.S. support of Mexican special forces resources. Crenshaw has called on the U.S. to put more resources behind Mexico’s special forces in the same way the U.S. has diverted parts of its arsenal to support Ukraine’s war with Russia. He has urged the U.S. to provide Mexico with equipment, weapons and intelligence — an act Crenshaw believes will strengthen its relationship with Mexico. MEXICO VIOLENCE SEES DOZENS OF MILITARY TROOPS, CRIMINALS DEAD AFTER CARTEL LEADER ‘EL MENCHO’ KILLED “Unilateral action will only serve to alienate existing partnerships. Our near-term goal is the disruption of fentanyl networks that are killing Americans on a daily basis,” an information packet provided by Crenshaw’s office said about the initiative. A person familiar with Crenshaw’s thinking said he’s been coordinating with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on bringing similar cartel-focused pieces of legislation up for consideration in the near future. “We finally have a solid partner in the Mexican government to work with. We are finally focusing huge intelligence collection efforts on the cartels (due in large part to my amendment to FISA two years ago authorizing collection on the cartels),” Crenshaw said. “We are finally taking them on. It won’t be over soon. But it’s about time we started.”
Democrats demanding ICE reforms lose airport escorts in shutdown they triggered
The Trump administration is escalating pressure on Senate Democrats as negotiations to end the partial government shutdown remain at a standstill. The partial government shutdown, which is only affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), entered its second week on Monday. So far, the impacts of the shutdown have been minimal, but the pain could be coming soon as the agency activates “emergency measures” while the shutdown drags on. DHS announced over the weekend it would be making tweaks to some Transportation Security Administration (TSA) functions that could lead to longer wait times for passengers and lawmakers alike. DHS SHUTDOWN LEAVES LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS ON THEIR OWN AMID EXTREME WEATHER, EXPERT WARNS “Shutdowns have real-world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.” The agency announced that, for now, TSA PreCheck would stay operational after a back-and-forth over whether to continue the program during the shutdown. The program is used by more than 20 million people to speed up wait times at airports across the country, according to the agency. However, courtesy escorts for members of Congress have been suspended. “At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” a spokesperson for the agency told Fox News Digital. “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly.” DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE Much of the real pain that could come from a prolonged shutdown will have to do with TSA agents missing paychecks. That became a major factor during the historic 43-day shutdown last fall that saw wait times skyrocket and flight cancellations compound by the day. Some Republicans believe it will take that kind of disruption to get Democrats to reverse course on their current position. “Nothing’s going to happen here until flights get shut down, right? When TSA workers stop showing up,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “When the Democrats, you know, can’t fly, then they’ll give in. I mean, they don’t care, because they’re being paid.” Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the White House are gridlocked in their ongoing back-and-forth over a compromise to fund the agency. DEMOCRATS RISK FEMA DISASTER FUNDING COLLAPSE AS DHS SHUTDOWN HITS DAY 5 Schumer and his caucus want more stringent reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), following deadly shootings in Minnesota amid immigration operations. The White House has so far been willing to entertain some of the changes they’ve proposed, but Republicans have drawn red lines on imposing judicial warrant requirements and unmasking agents, among other provisions. That means a bulk of the agency is going without funding as both sides continue to butt heads, given that ICE and some immigration enforcement functions are flush with funding from the “big, beautiful bill.” The tweaks to TSA are not the only steps DHS has taken to implement emergency measures during the shutdown. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has halted Global Entry at airports and diverted agents to instead help process travelers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has also stopped all public assistance for ongoing disasters, paused non-emergency work, halted non-disaster-related activities and restricted personnel travel to activities “strictly necessary to respond to active disasters and life-safety emergencies,” according to the agency.