‘Not my job’: Sheriff vows Las Vegas Police will not assist with Trump’s illegal immigration ’roundups’
After President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and swift, sweeping actions to crack down on illegal immigration, the head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), Sheriff Kevin McMahill, doubled down on a policy guiding officers to limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (IC) and not assist with federal immigration “roundups.” The department emphasized its policy of not investigating immigration violations, according to a statement posted on X Tuesday. The department said its statement was in response to “questions regarding immigration enforcement.” The policy, which was instituted during the first Trump administration in 2019 and then amended in 2023, states that “although Nevada peace officers have the authority to assist in enforcing federal laws, LVMPD officers will not enforce immigration violations.” And “officers will not stop and question, detain, arrest, or place an immigration hold on any individuals on the grounds they are an undocumented immigrant. “It is the policy of this department to recognize the dignity of all persons, regardless of their national origin or immigration status,” the policy states. “LVMPD is committed to community-oriented policing as a strategy that focuses on developing relationships with community members regardless of the immigration status of a suspect or victim.” ‘LOUD AND CLEAR’: BORDER STATE’S LEGISLATURE MOVES TO BACK TRUMP’S ICE ON DEPORTATIONS According to the LVMPD policy, the department “will share criminal intelligence regarding transnational organized crime and international terrorism with any and all law enforcement agencies to include ICE.” The policy further states that the department will also notify ICE when a foreign-born individual is arrested and charged with a violent felony, domestic violence or driving under the influence at the time of booking and release. DOJ TO INVESTIGATE STATE OR LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO OBSTRUCT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: MEMO However, the LVMPD policy says that the department “will not delay the release of an inmate for ICE” and will release a migrant “if ICE is not present at the time of the inmate’s release.” In an interview with local outlet 8 News Now, McMahill said his officers would not assist federal authorities with “roundups” of illegal immigrants, saying, “That’s not my job. I have too much to do. “I don’t intend to change that policy any time soon. What I do hope happens is that there’s a bipartisan effort to secure our border.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE In previous statements, ICE has said law enforcement agencies refusing to honor its immigration “detainers,” or hold requests, unnecessarily place agents and communities in danger by necessitating potentially violent confrontations and arrests in public spaces. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, has spoken out unequivocally against public officials who have vowed not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. “When you release a public safety threat back into the community, that puts the community at great risk of crime, and it puts our officers at great risk. Now, they’ve got to arrest the bad guy on his turf, where he has access to who knows what weapons, and it puts the public at risk,” Homan told Fox News Wednesday. “To sanctuary cities, I’ve said this many times: Let us into the jail, where it’s safer for an agent to arrest a bad guy, it’s safer for the bad guy to be arrested in jail and it’s safer for the community. “I want to save lives. A secure border saves lives. And when President Trump locks this border down, less women and children will be sex trafficked in this country, less aliens will die making that journey,” he added. “Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don’t want — more agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collaterals arrested. So, that’s a game they want to play? Game on.”
Top trade association sends letters calling on big changes in three key departments: ‘Unleash American energy’
FIRST ON FOX: A top national trade organization has sent letters to three departments in the Trump administration advocating for specific policies that the group believes will most effectively achieve President Trump’s goal to “unleash American energy” in the United States. The American Exploration & Production Council, a national trade association representing the leading independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies in the United States, sent letters to the Department of Energy, Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency with specific guidelines on how to best jumpstart energy production. In the letter to the Department of Energy, AXPC made several requests, including that the department “resume timely approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals.” “U.S. LNG plays a critical role in geopolitical stability and supporting global emission reductions — a fact that has been confirmed numerous times over the past decade,” the letter states. “As the world’s largest natural gas producer, the U.S. is well positioned to meet the dual challenge of supplying the world with affordable, clean, and reliable energy all while reducing global emissions. This misguided permitting pause should be lifted immediately, and DOE should ensure that any public interest study uses well-reasoned assumptions.” SEN KATIE BRITT: TRUMP AND HIS TEAM READY TO SUPERCHARGE AMERICA’S ECONOMY AND ENERGY SECTOR Other recommendations to DOE included promoting U.S. energy exports, creating fair access to export authorizations and avoiding unnecessary delays, providing greater certainty for critical energy and infrastructure, and enhancing energy reliability with advanced natural gas storage. “Our recommendations focus on policy priorities and actions within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and some Department wide that we believe strike this critical balance and directly impact responsible onshore exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the United States,” the letter to the Department of Interior explained. “In alignment with the Trump administration’s goal to ‘Unleash American Energy’, including expanding oil and natural gas production on federal lands, these recommendations aim to support responsible American energy production while maintaining crucial environmental protections and fostering economic growth here at home.” NORTHERN HIGHLIGHTS: ALASKA’S ENERGY, SECURITY POLICIES ARE THE GUIDE FEDS NEED AMID TRANSITION, GROUP SAYS Recommendations to the DOI include revoking the BLM’s Conservation & Landscape Health Rule and its implementing instructional memorandums, streamlining drilling permits, replacing the recent resources management plan amendments to align with western states’ priorities, and allowing for the commingling of oil and gas production for greater efficiency and environmental protection. In the letter to the EPA, AXPC wrote that its recommendations “focus on policy priorities that we believe strike this critical balance and directly impact responsible onshore exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the United States.” ENERGY EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON 23 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL SUING EPA OVER NEW METHANE EMISSIONS FEE Some of those recommendations include revising the source performance standards to “improve feasibility for emission controls” and “provide greater allowance for alternative technologies and approaches.” The letter also calls for reforms to the Clean Water Act and modifications to the Greenhouse Gas reporting rule. “America is stronger, the world is safer, and the environment is cleaner when the United States is the world leader in energy production, and that is best achieved with sensible, workable, and durable policies out of Washington,” AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury told Fox News Digital in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That’s why America’s oil and natural gas producers look forward to working with the Trump administration’s goal of energy dominance and providing affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy for the American people.” Trump’s nominees in all three departments have signaled that they intend to implement new policies and guidelines that significantly increase oil and gas production while easing regulations at the same time. “When energy production is restricted in America, it doesn’t reduce demand. It just shifts production to countries like Russia and Iran, whose autocratic leaders not only don’t care at all about the environment, but they use their revenues from energy sales to fund wars against us and our allies,” DOI secretary nominee Doug Burgum said in his opening statement at his confirmation hearing. “President Trump’s energy dominance vision will end those wars abroad and will make life more affordable for every family in America by driving down inflation. And President Trump will achieve those goals while championing clean air, clean water and protecting our beautiful lands.”
Dems ask Trump USDA pick who will do ‘backbreaking’ farming amid mass deportations
Democratic lawmakers are worried American farms will suffer under President Donald Trump’s mass deportation initiative. Approximately 40% of crop farmworkers are not approved to work in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Agricultural Workers Survey, and Democratic lawmakers are curious about who will step in to work in the heat or cold. As a result, senators questioned Trump’s pick to lead the Agriculture Department, Brooke Rollins, about whether mass deportation under the Trump administration will undermine the farming workforce. “Can we expect this administration to be raiding farms, going after the immigrant farmers?” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said during Rollins’ confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Thursday. ‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY:’ TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS “Listen, the president’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support,” Rollins said. Rollins then promised to help Trump execute his agenda, while also “defending” American farmers and ranchers. “But when you’re talking about massive deportation, we’ve gone beyond dangerous criminals,” Durbin said. “I just wonder if we ought to give fair warning to farmers and ranchers across America that if you have immigrant labor, you can expect federal agents to come and search your property.” “I have not been involved in the president’s current plan, I cannot answer that one way or the other,” Rollins said. Trump has promised to take an aggressive approach to border security and illegal immigration, and the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice Tuesday to green-light expedited deportation of illegal immigrants. ‘PROMPT REMOVAL:’ TRUMP DHS EXPANDS EXPEDITED DEPORTATION POWERS AS OPERATIONS RAMP UP Other Democratic senators, including Peter Welch of Vermont and Adam Schiff of California, echoed similar sentiments regarding the implications of mass deportation on farms. While the lawmakers acknowledged that those who pose a public safety threat shouldn’t remain in the U.S., they also said Americans are less inclined to work in the harsh conditions that farming requires than illegal immigrants. Schiff said estimates suggest half of California’s farm workforce is undocumented, and asked Rollins how farmers were supposed to survive if half their workforce is cut, because “Americans don’t want to do that work,” since it’s “too backbreaking.” As a result, Schiff asked who would work on California’s farms. Rollins said she would work with the committee and with the Labor Department on the matter. “We will work together to understand and hopefully solve for some of these problems. The dairy cattle have to be milked, but if we’ve got a mass deportation program underway, then there’s a lot of work that we need to do,” Rollins said. TRUMP BORDER CZAR REVEALS ICE TEAMS ARE ALREADY ARRESTING ‘PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS’ Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also voiced concerns about how farmers will fare, should Trump follow through on his plans to implement tariffs. Trump’s economic plan calls for imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 20% on all imported goods. When Trump’s first administration imposed tariffs, China issued their own retaliatory tariffs that cost the federal government billions of dollars in government aid to farmers. “I’m trepidacious that this is going to come back to our farmers,” Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said. “My commitment is that there will be no sleeping, that we will work around the clock to ensure that our AG communities across this country are represented in those discussions and at the table,” Rollins said. Rollins previously worked as the director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s first term. After working for the Trump administration, Rollins co-founded the America First Policy Institute think tank. The secretary of the Agriculture Department is responsible for managing farm and nutrition, forestry, food safety, rural development, and agricultural research.
Former VP Harris reportedly asking Hillary Clinton for advice on what to do after losing to Trump
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ future remains unclear months after her election loss to now-President Donald Trump. As she grapples with navigating next steps, Harris has spoken with family and close friends, including the one other person who has been in her exact position: Hillary Clinton, New York Magazine reported. The two have reportedly spoken several times since Harris’ defeat. Some have speculated that she will stage a gubernatorial run next year in California, as her close friend, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, is limited on terms and can’t run again. Others think she still has her eye on the Oval Office and will launch another bid for the presidency. Shortly after the election, Harris reportedly told advisors not to make any plans that would preclude her from seeking the presidency in 2028, according to New York Magazine. The former vice president has not spoken directly about her future, but she has hinted that she’s not done with politics. Last week, just days before the end of her time as then-President Joe Biden’s VP, Harris addressed a room of staff as she participated in the decades-long tradition of signing her desk drawer. During her brief remarks, Harris said she would not “go quietly into the night,” saying that “our work is not done.” The comments she made to staff echoed a message from her concession speech in which she told supporters, “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.” HARRIS FORMALLY CONCEDES ONE DAY AFTER TRUMP’S SWEEPING VICTORY After her 2020 bid for the presidency failed, Harris was given a clear path forward as Biden’s pick to be his running mate. While Biden seemed to imply that he would be a one-term president, he announced his re-election campaign in April 2023. However, after a disastrous debate that highlighted ongoing issues, Biden made the historic decision to drop out of the race in July 2024. This was just one week after a gunman nearly killed Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Shortly after dropping out of the race, Biden endorsed his VP, moving her to the top of the ticket. Some believed this move could have hurt her prospects, as voters saw her nomination as a coronation, in stark contrast to the “save democracy” message channeled by the Democrats. HOLLYWOOD FINDS FAILURE TO ELECT KAMALA HARRIS ‘UNSETTLING’: ‘NOT THE DRIVER ANYMORE’ Harris and Clinton have more than election losses in common. Both were backed by a long list of Hollywood A-listers, whose endorsements ultimately did not help. Not even Taylor Swift could make the “Harris Era” happen. “The outcome of this election is not what we hoped, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said in her concession speech. “But hear when I say … the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
204 House Dems vote against bill to give lifesaving treatment to infants who survive abortions
The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would penalize doctors who do not provide life-saving care to infants born alive after an abortion attempt. All but one Democrat voted against the bill, which passed 217 to 204, with all Republicans in favor. One Democrat, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, voted “present.” The bill directs health care practitioners to operate with the “same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence” for a baby born with a heartbeat after an abortion as during a normal birth. Doctors who run afoul of the rule would be fined or given up to five years behind bars. WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY House GOP leaders lauded the bill, with Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., telling Fox News Digital, “Requiring medical care for babies born alive after a failed abortion isn’t controversial, it’s common sense.” “The fact that Democrats would rather support infanticide than vote in favor of this bill shows how extreme and out-of-touch their party has become,” Emmer said. Democrats have argued that the bill is redundant, given existing laws against infanticide and murder, and could imperil the lives of women seeking late-term abortions due to medical emergencies while unfairly penalizing doctors. TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS “No one goes through pregnancy and all that comes with it…and then after eight or nine months of that is like ‘nah, I don’t want to do this,’” Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said during debate on the bill, adding that late-term operations made up about 1% of abortions. “It is because of a serious fetal abnormality or the health of the mother.” She said the bill was “not based on science or reality.” Several Democrats who spoke out against the bill themselves went through emergency abortion procedures with a nonviable pregnancy. Among them was Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., who said the bill would allow women to “die on the operating table because doctors are scared of going to jail.” Republicans, meanwhile, argued the bill would stop babies from being “left to die in a closet, alone and discarded like medical waste,” as Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., said during debate. “These precious babies, fellow Americans, deserve protection because they are alive,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. The vote comes after Democrats tanked the bill in the Senate earlier this week. The legislation failed to pass a procedural hurdle that needed 60 votes to allow for debate on its final passage.
Trump signs order to declassify files on JFK, MLK assassinations
President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to declassify files on the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Trump had promised to declassify the previously-classified documents during his 2024 campaign. “Everything will be revealed,” Trump told reporters as he signed the order in the Oval Office of the White House. During his first administration, Trump had promised to release all the files related to John F. Kennedy, but an undisclosed amount of material remains under wraps more than six decades after Kennedy was killed Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. After appeals from the CIA and FBI, Trump blocked the release of hundreds of records. Trump said at the time the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is “of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure.” Trump’s promise to also release outstanding documents related to King and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy leaves questions as to how the president-elect will speed up the releases. Under the Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act, the remaining files pertaining to King are not due for release until 2027.
Texas State Bar seeks to dismiss its lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election
The state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a punishment ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment.
Former Texas congressman John Ratcliffe confirmed as CIA director
Ratcliffe is a native of Heath, Texas, where he served as mayor from 2004 to 2012.
Brooke Rollins says she’ll shield farmers from impacts of Trump’s tariffs in ag secretary nomination hearing
Rollins previously led the Texas Public Policy Foundation and served under Gov. Rick Perry.
Moderate GOP senator says she will vote against confirmation of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary
Republican Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, will not support the senate confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the defense department, citing a lack of experience and concerns over his past comments regarding women. Several Republican senators remained on the fence about Hegseth’s nomination as he faced a grilling from members of the Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing in January. “While I appreciate his courageous military service and his ongoing commitment to our servicemembers and their families, I am concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job,” Collins wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. KEY SENATE CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES ‘ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH ULTERIOR MOTIVES,’ STANDS BY HEGSETH NOMINATION “His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results,” Collins wrote in a lengthy social media post. “I am also concerned about multiple statements, including some in the months just before he was nominated, that Mr. Hegseth has made about women serving in the military. He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”