As Texas embraces federal immigration database to verify voter citizenship, some experts are worried
Texas officials praise the revamped immigration database, but some critics are raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy.
TribCast: Do Texas Democrats have any hope in 2026?
In part one of our two-part look at the 2026 Democratic and Republican primaries, Matthew and Eleanor talk to Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder.
Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulations
Senate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC.
Trump border czar Tom Homan slams ‘former first drug addict’ Hunter Biden over inflammatory immigration rant
Trump border czar Tom Homan fired back Tuesday night at Hunter Biden for a recent profanity-laced rant against President Donald Trump’s policies on illegal immigration. “I don’t really care what the former first drug addict thinks,” Homan told Laura Ingraham on “The Ingraham Angle.” “I just thank God every morning I wake up we got President Trump in the Oval Office. And because of President Trump, in seven weeks we got the most secure border in this nation’s history. “And now we’re arresting public safety threats and national security threats every day across this country,” he continued. “We’ve already arrested three times the number of criminals that Biden did in the same timeframe.” BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN’S MESSAGE TO ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS: ‘YOU WANT SOME? COME GET SOME’ Biden recently sat down with “Channel 5” podcaster Andrew Callaghan for a wide-ranging discussion of his father’s presidency, his drug use and other topics. During the interview, he slammed Trump as a “f—— thug” and compared his deportation agenda to Nazi Germany. “There is a minority group that those in power, that came into power through democratically elected means, are going to target this minority group because they’re stealing all the jobs,” Biden said. “And what we’re going to do is we’re going to send masked men to this marginalized group, and we are going to take them, put them on planes, put them on buses, put them on trains, and send them to a prison camp in a foreign country,” he continued. HOMAN ACCUSES DEMS, MEDIA OF PUSHING ‘FAKE’ STORIES ABOUT ICE AFTER AGENTS CLASH WITH CALIFORNIA RIOTERS “What am I describing right then? Am I describing Germany? Or am I just describing the United States right now? Because I will tell you what. You think that the prison in El Salvador is not a f—ing concentration camp, you’re out of your f—ing mind.” Biden infamously revealed to “CBS Sunday Morning” in 2021, that he would smoke “anything that even remotely resembled crack cocaine,” including “more Parmesan cheese than anyone you know.” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele also responded to Biden via a post on X, also referring to Biden’s history of drug use. “Is Hunter Biden sniffing powdered milk?” Bukele asked, adding a clip from the interview. Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
New Jersey’s ban on privately operated ICE detention centers struck down by court
A U.S. appeals court struck down a law in New Jersey that prevented the federal government from contracting with private firms to operate immigration detention centers across the state. The court’s 2-1 ruling marked a victory for President Donald Trump and his administration during their ongoing illegal immigration crackdown across the country. One of the Trump administration’s efforts has been to expand a network of detention centers in preparation for the deportations of dangerous illegal aliens. The court’s ruling also means CoreCivic Corp., a private prison firm, can continue to operate the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, which is one of the centers ramping up deportations. DEM REP TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES FOR INCIDENT AT NEWARK ICE FACILITY In the decision, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, who was appointed to the post by Trump, wrote, “Just as states cannot regulate the federal government itself, they cannot regulate private parties in a way that severely undercuts a federal function.” Bibas added that the law “interferes with the federal government’s core power to enforce immigration laws.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed a law in 2021 that barred CoreCivic from renewing its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to continue operating the Elizabeth Detention Center. DEM REP MCIVER EXPECTED TO MAKE FIRST COURT APPEARANCE AFTER NEWARK INCIDENT CoreCivic ultimately sued the state, resulting in a district court judge siding with the private firm. The state then appealed the ruling to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court and received a decision counter to what it had hoped. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin expressed disappointment about the decision in a post on X on Tuesday. DEM LAWMAKERS DEFEND ‘STORMING’ OF ICE FACILITY, SAY TRUMP ADMIN IS ‘LYING AT ALL LEVELS’ “As recent events at Delaney Hall underscore, entrusting detention to for-profit companies poses grave risks to health and safety, and as the dissenting judge noted, States retain broad latitude to protect the health and safety of people within their borders – particularly where, as here, there is no conflict with federal legislation,” Platkin wrote, in part. Platkin added he is evaluating the next steps in the case. CoreCivic’s Ryan Gustin told Fox News Digital that the company has “played a limited but important role” in the U.S. immigration center at the Elizabeth facility for more than 25 years. “We appreciate that we’ve had the opportunity to present our positions to the courts and are grateful to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals for reaffirming the federal government’s discretion to rely on the Elizabeth Detention Center to support its vital mission,” Gustin said. DEM CONGRESS MEMBERS STORM NEW JERSEY ICE PRISON TO CONDUCT ‘OVERSIGHT VISIT’: ‘PEOPLE DESERVE DIGNITY’ Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., was hit with a federal indictment for allegedly obstructing Homeland Security agents during an incident outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark on May 9. McIver and two other members of Congress said they were conducting a congressional oversight visit that coincided with an immigration protest when a clash ensued with federal agents. According to the DOJ, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was allowed into the facility’s secured area and refused to follow federal agents’ warnings to leave. When officers tried to arrest him, McIver allegedly put her arms around the mayor and “slammed her forearm” into one officer while grabbing another and using both of her forearms to forcibly strike the second officer. McIver has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Grieving mom testifies about Marine vet son’s death at hands of violent illegal aliens
In testimony to Congress on Tuesday, a mother shared the heartbreaking details of how her son, a U.S. Marine veteran, was gunned down by illegal immigrants on their property in South Texas under the Obama administration. Marie Vega, a legal immigrant from Mexico, shared the harrowing experience in testimony in the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee’s hearing on “Biden’s Border Betrayal” on Tuesday. According to Vega’s testimony, her family was enjoying a barbecue on their property in La Feria, Texas, when two illegal immigrants “ambushed” them without any warning in July 2014. “Our beautiful day turned into a nightmare when two criminal illegal aliens decided to ambush us in an attempt to steal both four-wheel drive trucks. The two illegals jumped out of the stolen vehicle they were driving, and without hesitation or a warning, they began shooting at us,” she shared. ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTED IN NATIONWIDE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL-ALIEN CRACKDOWN: DHS Her son and husband attempted to return fire. But in the attack, her son, Javier “Harvey” Vega Jr., a former Marine and Border Patrol officer, was killed. Her husband, meanwhile, suffers from permanent injuries from the incident. Besides the death and physical injuries her family sustained, she said that she, her daughter-in-law and young grandchildren were left traumatized. “Open borders have consequences,” Vega said. “And you can see from what I have experienced because of the crimes committed by illegals, the pain lives with us for the rest of our lives.” Vega said she attempted to protect her grandchildren and watched helplessly as her son was shot in the chest. Through tears, Vega asked, “Do you know what it is like to see your son go down after being shot? Do you know what it is like to hear the gunshots, bullets whizzing past you? Do you know what it’s like when your mind is trying to process everything, telling your grandchildren to duck while thinking your son is on the ground with a bullet in his chest? “Do you know what it’s like to hear your son’s last words to his father? ‘Keep shooting, Dad.’ Keep shooting were his last words,” she asked, adding, “That should never have happened.” ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO RAPED, IMPREGNATED HIS OWN DAUGHTER AT GOVERNMENT-RUN SHELTER LEARNS PRISON SENTENCE She called the ordeal a “nightmare,” saying, “Had my husband and I not returned fire, the illegals would have killed everyone there, leaving no witnesses.” According to Vega’s testimony, the two illegals had prior criminal records, had menaced other neighbors in their community and had been previously deported. She said that she continues to live with “survivor’s guilt” and struggles to sleep at night because of the trauma. “11 years is how much I have struggled to survive without my baby,” she said. “11 years I have lived with flashbacks during every waking moment. 11 years we have celebrated the boys’ birthdays, graduations, weddings, starting new families, new careers, and amazing accomplishments, without my baby. “Illegal aliens have impacted American lives in a very negative way,” Vega went on. “They have no regard for human life. As I witnessed firsthand, the illegals that killed Harvey also shot my husband in the back and shot at innocent children and women. My grandbabies and their friend were only eight and 11 years old. Take a moment and imagine your child or grandchild witnessing this horror.” TRUMP’S TREASURY DEPARTMENT TARGETS DANGEROUS VENEZUELAN PRISON GANG WITH SANCTIONS ON 6 TOP LEADERS She concluded that “had our immigration laws been enforced, our son would be here.” “Barack Obama failed me, my family and our community and our nation,” she said. Addressing the senators on the subcommittee, Vega said, “You took an oath to uphold the Constitution and work for we the people. That means working with your fellow politicians regardless of which side of the aisle you are on. You are supposed to work together, representing us, ensuring that those coming in are obeying our immigration laws. They need to be properly vetted, not only for their safety, but yours and ours.”
Immigrants needed for ‘redistricting purposes,’ House Dem admits in viral clip: ‘Quiet part out loud’
A resurfaced video clip appears to show Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., claiming she needs more immigrants in her district “just for redistricting purposes,” causing significant concern and outrage from conservatives online. The video, from a 2021 House Foreign Affairs Committee briefing, shows long-time Democrat Clarke suggesting that the local Haitian community in Brooklyn could “absorb a significant number of these migrants.” “When I hear my colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed, no room in the inn, I’m saying, you know, I need more people in my district, just for redistricting purposes and those members could clearly fit here,” said Clarke. In response, Kyle Becker, an author and political commentator, commented on X, “House Rep. Yvette Clarke just said the quiet part out-loud. Democrats are as anti-American as it gets.” ERIC ADAMS RESPONDS TO TOM HOMAN PLEDGE TO ‘FLOOD THE ZONE’ WITH ICE AGENTS AFTER CBP SHOOTING “It is madness that American citizens are footing the bill for foreigners to come here, use our social services, our education services, our infrastructure, and then retire at our expense,” Becker went on. “All because the anti-American Democratic Party wants a few extra seats in Congress. Enough!” Popular conservative account “End Wokeness” also commented on the video, saying, “This is how you hijack democracy.” “Dems have been saying the quiet part out loud for years,” commented conservative influencer David Freeman. “This is why the imported MILLIONS. They want to have a one party country,” he added. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN BLASTS ICE AS A ‘PARAMILITARY FORCE’ New York City, which is heavily Democratic, has earned significant criticism in the past for moving to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Earlier this year, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, blocked such a law that had been passed by the New York City Council in 2021 and would have allowed nearly a million noncitizens to vote in elections, including for mayor and city council. In response to the resurfaced clip, some renewed calls for the legislature to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility — “SAVE” — Act, which was introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, earlier this year. The bill would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Additionally, the bill stipulates that states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters as well as impose criminal penalties for registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. CHILLING VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWS ILLEGAL MIGRANT DRAGGING SCREAMING SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM BACK TO CAPTIVITY The bill has passed the House but has yet to be taken up by the Senate. Fox News Digital reached out to Clarke’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Senate weathers Dem opposition, advances first government funding bill
Senate Republicans and Democrats advanced the first set of spending bills through the upper chamber, despite signals from Democrats that they may block the government funding process. In the days and weeks leading up to the vote, Senate Democrats warned that Republicans’ passage of highly partisan bills, like President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package, had eaten away at the trust that girds the appropriations process. DEMS SEEK RETALIATION OVER GOP CUTS AS THUNE CALLS FOR ‘COOPERATION’ ON FUNDING VOTE Still, after meeting behind closed-doors Tuesday afternoon, Democrats ultimately provided enough votes to advance the bill, which would fund military construction and the VA. The vote allows for lawmakers to make amendments and debate the bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the meeting that Democrats were still gunning for a bipartisan spending deal, effectively opening the door for his conference to back the spending bill package for now. “We’re working together to get one,” Schumer said. “But the bottom line is, Republicans are making it much harder. Rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this.” The bill advanced on a 90 to 8 vote, with Schumer and the majority of Senate Democrats joining every Republican to open debate on the bill. Democrats were largely frustrated with the passage of Trump’s rescissions package last week, which slashed funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting, arguing that doing so dissolved trust between the parties when it came to crafting spending bills. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN They argued that reaching an agreement on a funding bill, only to see their priorities later stripped out through rescissions, shattered confidence in their Republican colleagues to stick to their word. “There’s no doubt,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a high-ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital. “I mean, someone does one thing one day and undoes it the next day, that obviously creates issues with trust.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to call his counterparts’ bluff, and put the bill on the floor. Failure to advance the the legislation could have signaled a rocky road ahead for funding the government and beating the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown. “Democrats have indicated that they’re so upset over a rescissions bill last week, which, by the way, cut one tenth of 1% of all federal spending, that somehow they could use that to shut down the appropriations process and therefore shut down the government,” Thune said. “We think that would be a big mistake, and hopefully they will think better of it and work with us, and we’re trying to give them what they’ve been asking for, [which] is a bipartisan appropriations process,” he continued. Prior to the vote, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged passage of the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that when she and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel, took the helm of the committee, they “committed to working together” on spending bills. She noted that when Democrats controlled the chamber, lawmakers didn’t get the same opportunity to consider spending bills, but acknowledged that it was still a “challenging legislative environment.” “This is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and I want to express my gratitude to Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Thune, for giving us the opportunity to bring the first of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills to the Senate floor,” she said. ‘ALL THE OPTIONS’: GOP EYES CUTTING AUGUST RECESS TO MOVE DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY DEMS But, passage of the first bill, and the ensuing amendment process leading to a final vote, does not guarantee that the appropriations process will go smoothly before the deadline hits in the next couple of months. Congress has not passed spending bills through a process called regular order since the late 1990s and has typically relied on short government funding extensions, known as continuing resolutions, and year-end, colossal spending packages, known as omnibuses, to keep the lights on in Washington. Disagreements over funding levels between the Senate and House, coupled with lingering questions about whether Schumer will continue to play ball with Republicans, could tee up another showdown around the September deadline. Schumer said that he would have a confab with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Murray, “to discuss the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate in the weeks ahead.” “With so much hard work ahead, the government funding deadline only less than 25 legislative days away, Republicans should be focused on working with us to deliver for American families,” he said. Sen. John Fetterman, who earlier this year voted with Republicans and a handful of his Democratic colleagues to thwart a partial government shutdown, had a stern message for Senate Democrats that may want to obstruct the government funding process. “I will never, ever vote to shut our government down,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told Fox News Digital. “That’s a core responsibility. And now we may not like a lot of these changes to things, and I don’t, but I’m saying that’s the way that democracy works.” “And now shutting the government down, how could you do that and plunge our country into chaos,” he continued.
‘Worst of the worst’ arrested in nationwide criminal illegal-alien crackdown: DHS
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement Tuesday highlighting some of the “worst of the worst” offenders who have been arrested in the agency’s nationwide crackdown on criminal illegal aliens. According to the statement, 70% of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s arrests have been of illegal aliens convicted or charged with crimes. This comes as the agency is facing intense criticism for its enforcement of immigration laws and officers are dealing with an 830% increase in assaults. Some Democrats have accused ICE of targeting innocent, everyday immigrants. In the midst of anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles in June, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., accused President Donald Trump and the administration of targeting anyone they consider “undesirable.” She also pushed a theory that the president will target U.S. citizens the same way he has deported criminal migrants. “Trump, Homan, Miller and this whole regime has waged a campaign of terror against our neighbors, against our families, our loved ones, as they advance their fascist agenda and try to cast immigrants as a public enemy,” Ramirez said. ERIC ADAMS RESPONDS TO TOM HOMAN PLEDGE TO ‘FLOOD THE ZONE’ WITH ICE AGENTS AFTER CBP SHOOTING While the agency has said it will not back down from arresting any immigrants who are in the country illegally, the new DHS statement says that the vast majority of those arrested thus far have criminal charges or convictions. The illegals highlighted in the DHS statement include criminals charged with hit-and-run, aggravated assault, felony menacing, grand theft and drug possession. Olinda Micaela Gonzalez-Ortiz, a 21-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE Baltimore and has a criminal history, including a conviction for hit-and-run in Salisbury, Maryland. Another, Federico Fong-Nunez, a 53-year-old Mexican illegal arrested by ICE Denver in Boulder, has 21 criminal convictions, including burglary, aggravated assault, and felony menacing. ICE TORCHES ‘DEAFENING’ SILENCE FROM MAMDANI ON CBP OFFICER SHOOTING Jhon Jervis Chavez-De La Rosa, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has a criminal history including a conviction of assault causing bodily injury. He was arrested by ICE in Houston. Two others, Luis Alberto Leonardo Cortes-Rivera, a 34-year-old from from Mexico, and Rureiro Falkao, a 46-year-old illegal from Honduras, were arrested by ICE in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, respectively. Cortes-Rivera has a criminal history that includes nine criminal convictions, including grand theft, burglary, and tampering with a vehicle. Falkao’s criminal background includes conviction for possession of methamphetamine. ICE has also arrested scores of illegal immigrants either charged with or convicted of child sex offenses. In June, ICE arrested 1,361 illegal immigrants in the Houston area alone, including individuals previously convicted of hijacking an airplane, homicide, sexual assault and more. Of those arrested, 32 were previously convicted of child sex offenses, nine for homicide-related offenses, and 16 believed to be gang or drug cartel members. One person arrested by ICE was convicted of hijacking an airplane headed to Key West, Florida, from Cuba. ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO RAPED, IMPREGNATED HIS OWN DAUGHTER AT GOVERNMENT-RUN SHELTER LEARNS PRISON SENTENCE An ICE Homeland Security Investigations probe in Maryland led to the sentencing of Mark Rice, 38, to 30 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release for having “used his position of authority” to sexually abuse a 2-year-old and produce and distribute child sex abuse material online. In the Tuesday statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commended President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for having “unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst.” “Our brave law enforcement is facing an 830% increase in assaults against them and yet they continue to arrest violent criminals and drug traffickers every single day,” said McLaughlin. “We will not allow sanctuary politicians, activist hacks, or rioters stand in our way of protecting the American people. Our message is clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.” Fox News Digital reached out to Ramirez’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
ICE chief warns AI technology could lead to safety risks for agents: ‘Fringe organizations’
Far-left organizations could be using artificial intelligence and other technology to reveal the identity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News Digital in an interview. Lyons’ remarks come as Democrats in Congress recently proposed the VISIBLE Act, which would require clear identification of ICE agents and prevent masking of federal immigration authorities in public-facing circumstances. “If legislation passes to try to unmask ICE agents, they are not allowed to wear them, it runs the risk of agitators, different groups, you know, these fringe organizations using reverse technology, AI, to try to dox their families, try to get their identity, their home addresses,” Lyons said of the reaction from agents on the ground. “We’ve heard elected officials say there shouldn’t be any rest for ICE agents or their families. “So they’re definitely concerned about that. They’re also concerned about their own well-being when they go out to effectuate these arrests because now we have to send more officers out into the communities because where we can send four or five to make arrests in the past, now we had to send up to eight or 10 just to protect the four that are making the arrests of one individual.” MASSACHUSETTS BILL WOULD FORCE ICE AGENTS TO UNMASK He added that the safety risk does require more resources when conducting arrests. When ICE was conducting operations in Los Angeles in June, President Donald Trump sent in the California National Guard to the city with the goal of protecting agents and quelling riots. That move was legally challenged by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “The Marines are withdrawing. This is another win for Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted to X Monday. ICE agents have faced an 830% increase in assaults since last year, according to DHS. However, proponents of the VISIBLE Act have said it’s nessescary for accountability. “For weeks, Americans have watched federal agents with no visible identification detain people off the streets and instill fear in communities across the country,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, said in a statement July 8. “Reports of individuals impersonating ICE officers have only increased the risk to public and officer safety. The lack of visible identification and uniform standards for immigration enforcement officers has created confusion, stoked fear and undermined public trust in law enforcement.” DHS FIRES BACK AT DEMOCRATS FOR ‘BEYOND THE PALE’ RHETORIC AS ICE AGENTS FACE WAVE OF VIOLENT THREATS “Assault could be anything from resisting arrest where they assault the officers, whether they’re kicking, grabbing officers. It could be something as dramatic as what we saw in Alvarado, Texas, where we had local police ambushed with firearms,” Lyons said. “You saw it during the recent marijuana grow farm raid operation, where we had an individual firing a handgun at ICE officers, rocks thrown at them. It’s everything from verbal assault to physical assault to threats of bodily harm, deadly force. It’s run the whole gamut.” Authorities have charged 12 people in an alleged anti-ICE attack at the Prairieland Detention Center on Independence Day, including ten for alleged attempted murder of federal officers and gun offenses. Reports have indicated that some planning occurred through a Signal group chat, and Lyons noted that this was likely planned by the Dallas area activists for some time. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Well, the FBI is doing a great job investigating it as a whole organized event,” Lyons said. “So, you saw where it was actually organized with social media, where you have organized people in a typical L-shaped ambush where you had escape vehicles. So, without getting too much into what the Department of Justice and the FBI do, there is definitely evidence that this was planned for a while, and it wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment protest. These were agitators focused on assaulting law enforcement officers and assaulting ICE.” In terms of facing these coordinated efforts, the director said it’s a matter of planning and looking at the information available before conducting an operation. ACTING ICE DIRECTOR CALLS MAYOR WU’S NEO-NAZI COMPARISON ‘DISGUSTING’ AMID INCREASE IN AGENT ASSAULTS “What we’re doing is definitely working with all of our federal partners as well as the state partners that do coordinate with us what we use and all the intelligence that we have at our disposal to go ahead and try to find out as much about these groups and as much as about these organizations and these planned events that we can to let our officers and agents know in the field prior to going out,” Lyons said. “So, we wanna make sure that officers are fully aware of what the situations they’re getting into, but we are also making sure that we’re properly staffed when we go out.” In addition, he said recent funding from the “big, beautiful bill” would be to try to bring back personnel that “retired early” under the Biden administration and look at veterans and officials at the local and state levels who “already have the training” to “beef up” staffing at the agency.