Judge tosses Ken Paxton’s lawsuit targeting Bexar County’s voter registration effort
The county told a state district court judge that the applications were already mailed out and any ruling would be moot.
Republicans block Dem-backed IVF bill revived by Chuck Schumer
Republicans blocked a Democrat-backed bill on in vitro fertilization (IVF) from proceeding on Tuesday, which has already failed in the upper chamber. The bill failed to garner the 60 votes necessary in the procedural vote, failing 51 to 44. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he was scheduling an additional vote on the measure in a letter to senators on Sunday. “As our national debate on reproductive rights has continued to unfold, we have seen the Republican Party’s nominee for president claim to be ‘a leader in fertilization’ and come out in support of expanding access to IVF by requiring insurance companies to cover IVF treatment — a key provision included in the Right to IVF Act,” Schumer wrote. DEMS POUR $25M INTO GROUND GAME AS GOP INCHES CLOSER TO SENATE MAJORITY “So, we are going to give our Republican colleagues another chance to show the American people where they stand.” Schumer’s decision to bring the bill back to the Senate floor comes after former President Donald Trump vowed to mandate insurers to cover IVF, as he emphasized his support of the procedure. “I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump said at a Michigan event last month. “Because we want more babies, to put it nicely.” TAMMY BALDWIN FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONCERNS OVER PARTNER’S WALL STREET GIG Under the IVF bill, which was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., “A group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall provide coverage for fertility treatment, if such plan or coverage provides coverage for obstetrical services.” This would extend to nearly all insurers, as obstetrical coverage is considered a routine inclusion. In June, nearly all Senate Republicans voted the measure down during a key procedural vote, preventing it from getting the 60 necessary votes to advance. JON TESTER CASTS DOUBT ON UNFAVORABLE POLL IN MONTANA SENATE RACE: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK’ Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama proposed their own IVF bill later in the summer, which they said would prevent bans on the procedure but allow for commonsense regulation. That measure was blocked from being voted on when Cruz made a unanimous consent request to proceed with it. It has not been slated for a traditional vote by Schumer, either. At the time, Cruz and Britt also led a statement that was signed by the entire Republican conference, reiterating their support of IVF. Ahead of the cloture vote on Tuesday, Cruz and Britt once again sought to proceed to a vote on their bill by way of unanimous consent. However, their request was objected to. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also led a bill designed to promote IVF earlier this summer, which was bicameral and introduced in the House by Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. His measure sought to decouple Health Savings Accounts (HSA) from health insurance plans and raise the contribution limits for families to assist in paying for expenses such as IVF. The Florida senator similarly sought to advance his bill to a vote on Monday night, making a request for unanimous consent. This was objected to by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Scott said he wouldn’t speak about private conversations with Trump when asked by Fox News Digital ahead of the vote if they had discussed the former president’s IVF proposal, but he reiterated, “I’m very supportive of IVF, and we’ll see what Schumer brings up.” Pressed on the component to mandate insurers to cover the procedure, he said he would see what’s written in the bill. TOP SENATORS BRIEFED ON ‘MAJOR ERRORS’ LEADING UP TO TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who is running for Republican Senate leader in November, said he hadn’t discussed the IVF proposal with Trump but perhaps some of his colleagues had. “Obviously, it’s an idea that’s out there that we’re having discussions about. But, we’ll react to it if and when it happens, if that’s the direction Schumer decides to go,” he told Fox News Digital after Schumer announced the scheduled vote. Asked about mandating private insurance coverage for a procedure, which isn’t a traditionally conservative position, Thune said, “I guess that’s the conversation we’re going to have to have.” “Obviously, it’s something that our nominee has come out in support of, but there are lots of mandates that are imposed on insurance companies, which raise rates,” he explained. “Every Republican is for IVF. I don’t know of any Republican that isn’t,” he said. “The question of whether or not insurance ought to cover it is another issue that we need to talk about.”
Schumer revives Dem-backed IVF bill after Trump proposal
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is planning another vote on a Democrat-backed bill on in vitro fertilization (IVF) that has already failed in the upper chamber. He revealed in a letter to senators on Sunday that another vote on the measure would take place on Tuesday. “As our national debate on reproductive rights has continued to unfold, we have seen the Republican Party’s nominee for president claim to be ‘a leader in fertilization’ and come out in support of expanding access to IVF by requiring insurance companies to cover IVF treatment — a key provision included in the Right to IVF Act,” Schumer penned in his letter. “So, we are going to give our Republican colleagues another chance to show the American people where they stand.” DEMS POUR $25M INTO GROUND GAME AS GOP INCHES CLOSER TO SENATE MAJORITY Schumer’s decision to bring the bill back to the Senate floor comes after former President Donald Trump vowed to mandate insurers to cover IVF, as he emphasized his support of the procedure. “I’m announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,” Trump said at a Michigan event last month. “Because we want more babies, to put it nicely.” TAMMY BALDWIN FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONCERNS OVER PARTNER’S WALL STREET GIG Under the IVF bill, which was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., “A group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall provide coverage for fertility treatment, if such plan or coverage provides coverage for obstetrical services.” This would extend to nearly all insurers, as obstetrical coverage is considered a routine inclusion. In June, nearly all Senate Republicans voted the measure down during a key procedural vote, preventing it from getting the 60 necessary votes to advance. JON TESTER CASTS DOUBT ON UNFAVORABLE POLL IN MONTANA SENATE RACE: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK’ Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama proposed their own IVF bill later in the summer, which they said would prevent bans on the procedure but allow for commonsense regulation. That measure was blocked from being voted on when Cruz made a unanimous consent request to proceed with it. It has not been slated for a traditional vote by Schumer, either. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also led a bill designed to promote IVF earlier this summer, which was bicameral and introduced in the House by Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla. His measure sought to decouple Health Savings Accounts (HSA) from health insurance plans and raise the contribution limits for families to assist in paying for expenses such as IVF. Scott said he wouldn’t speak about private conversations with Trump when asked by Fox News Digital if they had discussed the former president’s IVF proposal, but he reiterated, “I’m very supportive of IVF, and we’ll see what Schumer brings up.” Pressed on the component to mandate insurers to cover the procedure, he said he would see what’s written in the bill. TOP SENATORS BRIEFED ON ‘MAJOR ERRORS’ LEADING UP TO TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who is running for Republican Senate leader in November, said he hadn’t discussed the IVF proposal with Trump but perhaps some of his colleagues had. “Obviously, it’s an idea that’s out there that we’re having discussions about. But, we’ll react to it if and when it happens, if that’s the direction Schumer decides to go,” he told Fox News Digital. Asked about mandating private insurance coverage for a procedure, which isn’t a traditionally conservative position, Thune said, “I guess that’s the conversation we’re going to have to have.” “Obviously, it’s something that our nominee has come out in support of, but there are lots of mandates that are imposed on insurance companies, which raise rates,” he explained. “Every Republican is for IVF. I don’t know of any Republican that isn’t,” he said. “The question of whether or not insurance ought to cover it is another issue that we need to talk about.”
Trump shooting plot suspect Routh was interviewed by NYT on Ukraine war efforts in 2023: ‘Sounded ridiculous’
The man suspected of an assassination attempt on former President Trump’s life on Sunday went on the record with the New York Times last year to promote his efforts to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight the war in Ukraine. More than a year ago, Ryan Routh spoke to the New York Times after spending “months” in Ukraine during its war against Russia. Routh, whom the New York Times described as a former North Carolina construction worker, told the outlet that as the number of foreign volunteers fighting on behalf of Ukraine in a military unit called the International Legion dwindled, he was working to recruit Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to join the front lines of the war in Ukraine. “Mr. Routh, who spent several months in Ukraine last year, said he planned to move them, in some cases illegally, from Pakistan and Iran to Ukraine. He said dozens had expressed interest,” the New York Times reported in an article published on March 25, 2023. “We can probably purchase some passports through Pakistan, since it’s such a corrupt country,” Routh told the outlet in an interview from Washington, D.C. RYAN ROUTH, ARMED MAN ARRESTED AT TRUMP GOLF COURSE, POSTED PROLIFICALLY ABOUT TRUMP, POLITICS Routh was arrested Sunday afternoon after allegedly taking an AK-47-style rifle to the Trump International Golf Club, and pointing it through a chain-link fence toward where Trump was playing golf. Routh fled the area in his car and was soon apprehended by authorities on I-95. Trump was not injured during the incident, and the campaign quickly issued a statement that he was safe on Sunday afternoon. Fox News Digital pored over Routh’s apparent social media accounts on Sunday and found he prolifically posted about world events, Trump, the 2020 election, and the previous attempt on Trump’s life in July. ALLEGED TRUMP GUNMAN RYAN ROUTH HAS A PAPER TRAIL OF PRO-UKRAINE ADVOCACY: REPORTS “I am flying to Ukraine to fight. We need to launch a media campaign to encourage every human around the globe to meet in Ukraine and join in the fight. We need hundreds of thousands of civilians to make the cost of war high for putin and a flood of fighters,” he posted on Feb. 17, 2022. Following repeated messages declaring his intention to fight on behalf of Ukraine, he posted in April that he was in Kyiv. “I am here in kyiv and want to use Independence Park to create a tent city of all the foreigners here in support to get thousands more foreign civilians to come and support Ukraine,” the account posted. LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCES IDENTIFY RYAN WESLEY ROUTH AS SUSPECT IN TRUMP SHOOTING In another post, he declared in all caps that he was willing to “FIGHT AND DIE” in Ukraine. “I AM WILLING TO FLY TO KRAKOW AND GO TO THE BORDER OF UKRAINE TO VOLUNTEER AND FIGHT AND DIE,” he posted in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. His X account was suspended following police confirming his name on Sunday. The New York Times reporter who interviewed Routh last year about his efforts in Ukraine published an essay Sunday regarding the interview and article. The reporter, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, explained that he was put in touch with Routh by a former colleague from Kabul, and noted that Routh was one of the first interviews he conducted for the March 2023 piece. DONALD TRUMP SAFE AFTER SHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE PALM BEACH GOLF CLUB “Mr. Routh, who had spent some time in Ukraine trying to raise support for the war, was seeking recruits from among Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban. And so the former Afghan soldier reckoned Mr. Routh could get him to the Ukrainian front. (Anything, even war, was better than the conditions in Iran for Afghans after the Taliban retook Kabul in August of 2021.),” the essay explained. Routh told the reporter that while he was eager to rally support and volunteers to fight on behalf of Ukraine, he did not fight in Ukraine citing his age and his lack of military experience. Routh is 58 years old as of 2024. “In my opinion everyone should be there supporting the Ukrainians,” he told the reporter. Routh told the New York Times last March that he had built a list hundreds of names long of Afghans living in the Middle East whom he planned to recruit and help transport to Ukraine. The interview was “brief” and conducted ahead of Routh saying he had lined up a two-hour meeting with members of Congress regarding Ukraine. TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT The reporter noted in his essay it’s unclear if Routh ever had the meeting, and that the discussion left him thinking Routh “was in way over his head.” “He talked of buying off corrupt officials, forging passports and doing whatever it took to get his Afghan cadre to Ukraine, but he had no real way to accomplish his goals. At one point he mentioned arranging a U.S. military transport flight from Iraq to Poland with Afghan refugees willing to fight,” Gibbons-Neff wrote. “I shook my head. It sounded ridiculous, but the tone in Mr. Routh’s voice said otherwise. He was going to back Ukraine’s war effort, no matter what.” The reporter said that Routh “fell off the map” following the publication last year, “until Sunday.” Routh headed to federal court Monday morning, where he was seen smiling and laughing before his first court appearance. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Authorities said he could be hit with additional charges. Trump has since blamed Democratic rhetoric promoted by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the attempt on his life. Trump survived another assassination attempt in July, when a gunman opened fire on a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and hit Trump in the ear. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews
Gov. Greg Abbott announces crackdown on Venezuelan gang
Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization and directed Texas DPS to create strike teams targeting the gang.
Texas GOP investing in South Texas races as some Republicans worry about party’s performance in November
Several local party officials have signed an open letter warning that “grave and deteriorating” fundraising and voter outreach efforts could leave some candidates vulnerable.
Michigan Republicans continue to spar with Dems over deal with Chinese EV company in key House race
The race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District is generating national attention as Republicans attempt to tie their Democratic opponent to a controversial deal with a Chinese Communist Party-backed company. Michigan Republicans are calling on former Democratic State Sen. Curtis Hertel, who is currently running to represent Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, to break his silence on a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) he signed in order to obtain details on controversial plans to use taxpayer funds to help build an electric vehicle battery plant in west Michigan owned by a company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The plant, which was announced by Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2022, was set to get millions in incentives as part of a deal with Michigan lawmakers and Green Charter Township, with promises of bringing over 2,000 jobs to the area. But the project quickly drew the ire of local voters, in large part due to the company behind the plant, Gotion Inc., being a subsidiary of Gotion High-Tech, which has strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party. CCP-BACKED TECH COMPANIES ARE POISED TO CASH IN ON BIDEN’S CLIMATE BILL, NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS WARN Last fall, local voters ousted five of the seven township board members over their support of the project, while the other two members resigned. That controversy has now bled over into the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, one of the few true toss-up House races in the state, thanks to Hertel being one of several lawmakers from both parties to sign the NDA with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that allowed them to learn about and negotiate details on the proposed plans for the plant. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is vacating her seat in Michigan’s 7th District to pursue a run for U.S. Senate, recently spoke out against the Gotion deal, further intensifying calls on Hertel to do the same. “To me, until there’s a national security vetting, I don’t love the idea of moving forward on any project or any sale of farmland” to a Chinese entity, Slotkin told reporters at a campaign event earlier this month. “I believe that we need to not just think about economic [aspects], but also about the national security implications of Chinese-affiliated companies.” BIDEN ADMIN GREEN-LIGHTS CHINESE EV BATTERY FACTORY IN MICHIGAN, DESPITE LOCAL OPPOSITION “Hertel must answer whether or not he agrees with his comrade pal Elissa Slotkin, and if he regrets signing the NDA to sell out Michigan taxpayers to the CCP,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Mike Marinella. The controversy over the plant has also garnered attention in the presidential race, with former President Donald Trump saying on Truth social last month that he is “100% OPPOSED” to the plant, adding that Gotion “would put Michiganders under the thumb of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.” Meanwhile, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, highlighted the controversy during a campaign stop in Michigan last week. “I think the most important thing is we have to stop paying Chinese manufacturers to manufacture, whether it’s here or overseas,” Vance told reporters in Michigan after his speech. “We want to build an American manufacturing industry and an American middle class. If we want to pursue these policies, let’s do them for Americans and American businesses.” FEWER AMERICANS WANT TO BUY AN EV — EVEN AS BIDEN PUSHES FOR STRONGEST-EVER CLIMATE CHANGE RULES But questions over Hertel’s involvement in the project continue to be the focus of Michigan Republicans, most notably after it was reported last year that Hertel was on of several Democratic lawmakers in the state to receive funds from a Political Action Committee (PAC) linked to the law office of Warner Norcross + Judd, a firm acting as a foreign agent to represent Gotion. According to a Fox News report last September, the firm’s PAC donated $2,400 to the state campaign for Hertel, who represented Michigan’s 23rd State Senate district from 2015 until January. One lawmaker who did not sign an NDA related to the project is former Republican State Sen. Tom Barrett, Hertel’s opponent in the race for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District. Barrett has also seized on the controversy, arguing Hertel owes people an explanation for his involvement with the project. “Curtis Hertel, a 22-year career politician, owes the people of Mid-Michigan an explanation as to why he signed a secret NDA to give $175 million of their tax dollars to a CCP-backed company,” Barrett told Fox News Digital. “The fact that he took money from foreign agents on behalf of Gotion should disqualify him from Congress.” Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Hertel campaign communications director Sam Kwait-Spitzer dismissed the claims by Republicans as a “false attack.” “Curtis signed no NDA with Gotion, and Tom Barrett is trying to cover for his own record of voting against 5,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs here in Mid-Michigan and trying to cede the future of the auto industry to China,” he said. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Dems pour $25M into ground game as GOP inches closer to Senate majority
The Democrats’ Senate campaign arm announced massive new spending across the country on Monday focused on contacting voters directly with less than 50 days until the election. The $25 million venture is split across 10 states, including Senate battlegrounds Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Montana, as well as places where Democrats are hoping to unseat incumbent Republicans, such as Florida and Texas, despite expectations for Republicans to hold on to them. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also spent part of the money in Maryland, where popular former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is threatening the party’s grasp on the state. TAMMY BALDWIN FACES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CONCERNS OVER PARTNER’S WALL STREET GIG “A formidable ground game makes all the difference in close races – which is why the DSCC has been working all cycle long to build the organizing infrastructure that will lead to Senate Democrats’ victory,” DSCC Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., said in a statement. “This increased investment will help our campaigns expand their organizing capacity, communicate with more voters about the importance of participating in this election and ensure we are reaching every voter we need to win.” JON TESTER CASTS DOUBT ON UNFAVORABLE POLL IN MONTANA SENATE RACE: ‘GIVE ME A BREAK’ In the 10 states, the DSCC’s cash injection will be spent on extra political organizers on the ground, in addition to programs for phone banking, targeted voter constituencies and digital organizing. The committee also said it could increase this funding ahead of the election. TOP SENATORS BRIEFED ON ‘MAJOR ERRORS’ LEADING UP TO TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT The newly announced spending comes as polls tighten in key races where Republicans are looking to unseat vulnerable incumbent Democrats, giving the GOP a clear shot at taking the Senate majority. Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, the Republican Senate candidate in Montana, was recently given the advantage over his opponent, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., as two top political handicappers shifted the race from a “toss up” to “leans Republican.” DEMS RUN ON BORDER BILL REPUBLICANS SAY ‘WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM’ In another top race, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., was tied by Republican candidate Dave McCormick, with each posting 46% in a recent CNN survey. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont., for the first time claimed the Republicans would take back the Senate majority in the upcoming election. He explained, “Fifty-one is the number that we want to get to. Clearly, there’s an opportunity to get beyond that, but 51 is the number we’ve got to get to.”
Trial on using race-based admissions in the Naval Academy kicks off in crusade against affirmative action
The U.S. Navy on Monday will begin to defend its use of race as an admissions factor at the Naval Academy after a Supreme Court case overturning affirmative action left a carve out for service academies. The same group that brought the case to end affirmative action to the Supreme Court’s attention, Students for Fair Admissions, brought a case against the Naval Academy after the Supreme Court’s ruling explicitly did not address the consideration of race as a factor in admissions at military academies. The case kicked off Monday and is being heard in Baltimore by District Judge Richard D. Bennett, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, without the assistance of a jury. NAVY LAUNCHES FIRST SUBMARINE BUILT FOR BOTH GENDERS Chief Justice John Roberts said factoring race into admissions had “potentially distinct” interests for service academies. A June 2023 Supreme Court ruling banned policies that had been in use for decades that gave preference to Black, Hispanic and other minority students on U.S. campuses. The case specifically involved Harvard and North Carolina but applied broadly to mostly all universities except service academies. Students for Fair Admissions, led by anti-affirmative action advocate Jason Blum, is arguing the ruling should be extended to service academies, claiming the policies there are discriminatory and violate the principle of equal protection in the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. A separate case is playing out in the court system in New York involving the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The Naval Academy asks applicants to identify their race, ethnicity and cultural heritage in its online application but says it only considers those factors in limited circumstances. “Most candidates are unaffected by the consideration of race,” lawyers for the Naval Academy wrote in court filings. The newly enrolled Class of 2028 includes 642 White students, 178 Hispanic Americans, 132 Asian Americans, 70 African Americans and four Native Americans among a class of nearly 1,200. NAVY TO SIDELINE 17 VESSELS DUE TO MANPOWER SHORTAGE, OPERATING CREWS WILL BE REDISTRIBUTED: REPORT “One does not need to conduct a statistical analysis to see the obvious,” the lawyers wrote. “Despite the Naval Academy’s substantial efforts to increase the number of minority students over time … the number of minority students in every class, and in particular Black American and Hispanic students, falls far short of reflecting the nation’s racial and ethnic demographics.” The attorneys argue that “unlike civilian universities, USNA prepares students for war.” Racial diversity is required for national security because it boosts the legitimacy of U.S. fighting forces to the world, fosters cohesion and helps with recruiting, according to the lawyers. Students for Fair Admissions claims the academy “manipulates admissions outcomes” to mirror the makeup of the U.S. population, which unfairly disadvantages White and Asian students. “The Academy has no justification for using race-based admissions,” the group’s lawyers wrote in court filings. “Those admissions are unconstitutional for all other public institutions of higher education.” In December, Bennett denied a bid to temporarily bar the Naval Academy from considering race while the lawsuit awaited trial.
Trump reveals new pledge amid Haitian refugee controversy: ‘I will save our cities’
Former President Trump is pledging to “save our cities” from what he has called a “migrant invasion,” outlining his plans to cut a number of migrant programs if re-elected to the White House – amid an ongoing debate over Haitian migration. “As President I will immediately end the migrant invasion of America,” Trump said in a social media post on Sunday. Trump has spent much of his election campaign promising to secure the southern border. Last week he said he wants to be known as the “border president” and has previously promised to launch a mass deportation effort. MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BUSES MIGRANTS TO US BORDER AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BECOMES TOP ELECTION ISSUE However, on Sunday he also refocused on broader migration policies, some not directly related to the southern border or illegal immigration – including the ending of the Biden-era use of humanitarian parole and the suspension of refugee resettlement. “We will stop all migrant flights, end all illegal entries, terminate the Kamala phone app for smuggling illegals (CBP One App), revoke deportation immunity, suspend refugee resettlement, and return Kamala’s illegal migrants to their home countries (also known as remigration),” he said. The remarks came after the influx of Haitian migrants into the small town of Springfield, Ohio, was in the spotlight. At last week’s presidential debate, Trump echoed viral claims that migrants had been seen eating pets and animals. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” FOCUS GROUP REACTS TO TRUMP CLAIM THAT MIGRANTS ARE ‘EATING THE DOGS’ IN OHIO TOWN Officials in Springfield have denied that claim, saying there is no evidence or substantiated reports of such incidents. But local residents have expressed concern and anger about the impact that the influx of many more than 12,000 migrants from the impoverished country has had on their community. Trump’s proposals identified ways to limit the number of pathways for those, including Haitians, to enter or stay legally in the U.S. and which have been either created or expanded under the Biden administration. Trump’s reference to migrant flights appears to refer to the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan parole processes, which allow up to 30,000 migrants from those countries to enter each month and be paroled into the U.S. for 18 months. Trump could both end CHNV, and also limit the renewal of the parole authorization. Trump also mentioned ending “deportation immunity,” referring to Temporary Protected Status, which shields nationals of designated countries from deportation and offers them work permits. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas most recently extended and redesignated Haiti for TPS until February 2026. The City of Springfield said in an official FAQ that the approximately 12,000-15,000 immigrants in the city from Haiti arrived via parole and are protected via TPS. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Trump also said he would end the use of the “Kamala phone app” – the CBP One app. The app was introduced during the Trump administration, but was expanded by the Biden administration to allow migrants to make appointments to be paroled into the U.S. at ports of entry. Currently, about 1,450 migrants are being paroled into the U.S. each day under the app. Republicans have said its use has been an abuse of parole – which is limited to a case-by-case basis for significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian need. Trump also promised to suspend refugee resettlement, which dropped to lows under the Trump administration. In the last year in office, the administration set a cap of just 15,000 a year. That has expanded to a cap of 125,000 under President Biden. “I will save our cities and towns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and all across America. #MAGA2024!” Trump said in his social media post. The plans would be a stark contrast from the Biden administration, which has significantly expanded its “lawful pathways” as part of its strategy to deal with the historic crisis at the southern border. It has also criticized Trump for not supporting a bipartisan bill that would have increased funding to border agencies and limited some arrivals into the U.S. if they reached a certain level.