Were noncitizens on ‘terror’ list ‘let loose’ in the US? It’s complicated
A United States House Judiciary Committee report says 99 noncitizens on the “terrorist watchlist” were released in the country. Is this true? Claudia Tenney, a member of the US House of Representatives, recently claimed that people on the watchlist were “let loose” in the US. The claim came as part of her argument against New York state’s law that grants driver’s licences to New Yorkers regardless of their immigration status. “New York is one of the worst,” the Republican representative said on Fox News. “We had almost 99 people I think, or 100 people, on the terror watchlist just let loose. That’s the ones we know of.” Tenney, whose congressional district includes more than a dozen counties along the shores of Lake Ontario, which shares borders with Canada, also claimed that people who appear on the list can get licences. We will focus on her claim that 99 or 100 immigrants who appear on the “terror watchlist” were “let loose”. What does US CBP data show? US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers encounter citizens and noncitizens at the border who have “terrorism-related” records, including those from the government’s Terrorist Screening Dataset. This list contains names of people who are known or suspected to have ties to “terrorism”, though critics say the list is overly broad, containing two million names. It contains not just suspicious people, but also people connected to them. Advertisement Noncitizens who try to cross the border at land ports of entry and match a “terrorism” record “are most commonly found inadmissible to our country and immediately repatriated or removed”, according to CBP. They could also be turned over to another government agency for enforcement action. If CBP officers encounter them after they have entered the country without being screened, “these noncitizens are most commonly detained and removed or turned over to another government agency for subsequent detention and law enforcement action, as appropriate”. Data from fiscal year 2024, which ended on September 30, shows that there were 410 encounters with all people who matched in ‘terrorism’ records, which could include US citizens, at ports of entry. “Encounters” could represent multiple attempts by the same person to cross the border. This represents a small fraction of the 2.9 million total enforcement encounters at the border that year. Since 2022, most of these encounters occurred at the US-Canada border. In 2024, 358 of these encounters occurred at the northern border and 52 at the southwest border. The agency also tracks encounters between ports of entry of noncitizens who match a “terrorism” record. There are far fewer of these, just 106 in the year that ended September 30, with 103 of those at the southwest border, and 13 from October 1 to January, all at the southwest border. We contacted Tenney’s office to get evidence for her claim, but received no response. What’s the basis for Tenney’s claims? It is likely that Tenney’s source is a report released in August from the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio. The report cited “information provided” by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, it did not supply any other corroboration or details. It states at least 99 noncitizens who were matches on the “terrorist watchlist” were released into the US from 2021 to 2023. Advertisement An additional 34 immigrants from the list were in DHS custody. The report uses language to suggest that immigration authorities knew at the time of release that the noncitizens were on the list. The report states the 99 came from a pool of 250 noncitizens who tried to cross at the southern border and who were identified as being on the list. CBP statistics show 250 encounters with people on the watchlist during the years 2021 through 2023 at the southern border. There could be multiple encounters with the same person in those statistics. The report notes other instances in which people on the list crossed undetected and were subsequently arrested, including the case of eight Tajik nationals with potential ties to the ISIL (ISIS) group who entered the country and were arrested in June. Their possible “terror” ties were not known when they crossed the border, according to NBC News. A similar case involved an Uzbek man who stayed for two years without detection. Other examples involve migrants whose place on the watchlist was initially unverified. The report also claims that immigration judges granted bonds to 27 migrants who appeared on a “terrorist watchlist” but came over the border between ports of entry from 2021 to 2023. However, the judges might not have known about the migrants’ status on the list, the report states. Four others on the list were granted asylum. A Venezuelan citizen who was known by authorities to appear on the watchlist was released into the US over concerns about COVID-19 in detention facilities, according to government documents a reporter obtained. Advertisement CBP referred our questions about the report’s veracity to DHS, which did not respond to our inquiries. So what’s the truth behind the claims that people on the ‘terror watchlist’ were released in the US? Migrants with possible “terror” ties have been in the news recently. There have also been at least two other reported cases where migrants should have been detained because they were on the “terrorist watchlist” but were not. NBC News reported in April about an Afghan migrant who was on the watchlist and released. He was arrested a year later in Texas, hours after the NBC report. The man was not held initially because border agents did not have enough information to corroborate his place on the list, the network reported. The Daily Caller reported in 2024 about the release of a migrant whose name did not match a name on the watchlist. He was arrested nearly a year later, two days after authorities confirmed his ties to a Somali “terrorist” group. A counterterrorism expert told PolitiFact that there is no credible reporting that any kind of state, local, or
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Delhi and NCR will experience rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds from Wednesday night to Friday, with temperatures dropping.
Blue state sheriff unleashes on ‘un-American’ sanctuary laws, makes special offer to Homan
EXCLUSIVE: As most leaders in deep blue Washington state double down on sanctuary policies and refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Sheriff Bob Songer of Klickitat County is pledging to support federal immigration enforcement in any way he can, telling Tom Homan to “put me on speed dial.” In December, Songer published a video through the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office’s official Facebook page in which he said the Biden administration had “allowed our country to be invaded” and publicly vowed to help ICE enforce immigration law. Songer’s stance flies directly in the face of Washington’s migrant sanctuary laws, which prohibit law enforcement from assisting federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws. It also puts him at odds with other law enforcement authorities in the state and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, who has vowed to “protect law-abiding Washington families” including the “overwhelming majority of undocumented residents” who he said are “decent, hard-working, law-abiding residents.” ALLEGED FENTANYL-SMUGGLING IMMIGRANTS LEAD POLICE ON DANGEROUS CORNFIELD CHASE Uncowed by this, Songer – who, after serving in law enforcement for 56 years, is currently serving his third term as sheriff – said, “I will cooperate with ICE 100 percent because they’re doing the right thing.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, he explained that, despite being a small, rural county in Washington, illegal immigrants regularly pass through the county and very often receive government benefits paid for by the taxpayers. “When people have invaded our country across the southern border and even the northern border, Canada, our government, it’s their job to protect our American citizens by preventing that invasion,” he said. “Why would any governor, any mayor, any county commissioner, or any sheriff or police chief knowingly allow criminals, serious criminals for murder, rape, whatever, protect them from immigration, protect them from ICE?” “So why am I standing up against that?” he continued. “You bet I’m saying that Tom Homan, if you wish to contact me, I’ll give you my phone number, he can have me on speed dial.” TOM HOMAN TELLS MIGRANT TERROR GROUPS TRUMP WILL ‘WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH’ Songer said there are two main reasons for his bold stance. First, he believes Washington’s sanctuary law is unconstitutional, and secondly, he feels the U.S. citizens of Klickitat County are demanding it. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “I honestly believe that it’s the best thing for our citizens,” he explained, adding: “You know what’s neat about an elected sheriff versus police chief … an elected sheriff is elected by the people. His or her only boss is the people, not the governor, not the county commissioners, not anybody but the people themselves. That’s the sheriff’s boss.” Responding to criticisms from Democrats and the media that not all illegal immigrants should be arrested and deported by ICE, Songer said, “They’ll try to tell you, ‘well, those who just waded across the Rio Grande, that’s a civil infraction,’ that’s bull, it’s a crime under federal law. Period. No matter what their intentions were.” TEXAS GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES CRACKDOWN ON MASSIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY NEAR MAJOR CITY “They’re coming into this country across the border with no legal representation at all. In other words, they know they’re breaking the law. Why not? They get free phones, free medical, free sign up, it’s Christmas for them,” he said. “And at the same time, our government, Democrat government, they didn’t give a d— about veterans or homeless that are U.S. citizens.” “I know Washington State is a blue, blue, blue sanctuary state. It’s scary to live in this kind of atmosphere,” he concluded. “But I wanted to make it clear and make it known to Tom Homan and President Trump and Vance, the vice president, that as long as I’m in office … I will totally cooperate with it and I want them to know that all they got to do is reach out and ask for assistance in Klickitat County, and I’ll be there, standing at attention and willing to carry out the duties.”
Ratcliffe shrugs off concerns about potential threat of fired agents armed with CIA’s secrets
FIRST ON FOX: CIA Director John Ratcliffe is unconcerned by speculation that agents who are fired under Department of Government Efficiency cuts may take the nation’s secrets to foreign adversaries. “Any individual who would be willing to sell the Nation’s secrets to a foreign adversary has no place working at the Agency that plays an incredible role in keeping Americans safe every day,” Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital in a statement. CNN reported on Monday that mass firings and buyouts offered to agents were under discussion among CIA “top leadership,” who were apparently worried that losing their jobs might prompt disgruntled former officers to take their classified intelligence to foreign intelligence services like those of China or Russia. “You’re telling me that a professional setback could cause people to risk the consequences of treason and betray their country, and your argument is that those are the kind of people who should stay inside CIA?” a source familiar with the CIA head’s thinking added to Fox News Digital. “There’s a general sense that it’s more of a justification for maintaining the status quo, but if potential traitors are there, it’s hard to argue the solution is for them to continue maintaining access to the nation’s secrets.” NSA INVESTIGATES ‘SECRET SEX CHATS’ UNDER GUISE OF DEI ON INTERNAL AGENCY MESSAGE BOARD “You’re just rolling the dice that these folks are gonna honor their secrecy agreement and not volunteer to a hostile intelligence service,” an unnamed U.S. official reportedly told CNN. The CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently tried to fire 51 employees who worked on diversity issues, and newer employees are potentially on the chopping block to comply with a government-wide effort to root out probationary employees before they earn civil service protection. A judge put the diversity firings on pause after agents sued to stop them. Kevin Carroll, an attorney who represents 19 of the CIA officers affected, said his clients were just “regular American intelligence officers” who had been assigned to complete diversity tasks on a rotational basis or in addition to their day jobs. “Some of these people are like 18 years in, they’re a couple years short of their pensions. So firing them instead of just letting them first look for another job in the agency or elsewhere in the intel community, is a lack of due process,” he told Fox News Digital. “These people had regular career paths within the intel community and were slotted into these jobs for a bit. That’s all.” JUDGE BLOCKS PARTS OF TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS TARGETING DEI, CITING FREE SPEECH A judge will determine whether to offer injunctive relief on Thursday. The CIA also offered buyouts to employees who offered to resign, in line with a government-wide push to trim the federal workforce, but it’s not clear how many employees were offered and accepted the offer. Earlier this month, the agency reportedly sent an unclassified email listing the names of agents, first name and last initial, who had been there less than two years to the White House, prompting concerns those names could fall into the wrong hands. Though the exact number of people employed by the CIA is classified, the agency is known to employ thousands who engage in covert collection and analysis of intelligence, both at its Virginia headquarters and overseas. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Foreign adversaries like China and Russia are known to target former U.S. intelligence officials, offering them large sums of money for the classified information they are privy to. The Justice Department has charged multiple former military and intel officials for providing information to China. The CIA was known for friction with the White House during Trump’s first administration but was hit with a wave of retirements in 2021 and 2022 as those who were recruited after the September 11, 2001, attacks hit their 20-year mark. The agency hit a recruiting high point again in 2024.
States fire back against ‘sanctuary’ resistance as they rally around Trump’s deportation efforts
A number of states are stepping up to aid the Trump administration in its efforts to arrest and deport millions of illegal immigrants, with Republican states countering the pushback against the operation from “sanctuary” jurisdictions. The Florida Sheriff’s Association announced last week that jails in all of Florida’s 67 counties have now entered into 287(g) agreements, which originate from a Clinton-era immigration law and allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate immigration functions to state and local law enforcement. Additionally, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced earlier this month that the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida State Guard had also entered into agreements. FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN “With the head of steam that President Trump has, being swept into office with this as the centerpiece of his agenda, now is the final time, final opportunity to end the illegal immigration crisis in this country once and for all, we need to be willing partners with the federal administration,” he said at a press conference. ICE said the agreements allow state and local authorities to “to act as a force multiplier in the identification, arrest, and service of warrants and detainers on foreign-born individuals arrested on local criminal charges.” A number of state and local law enforcement agencies entered into 287(g) agreements during the first Trump administration, but there were no new additions during the Biden administration, which largely limited interior enforcement. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January green-lighting new 287(g) agreements. The agreements come in three forms: a jail enforcement model to identify removal of immigrants with charges or convictions arrested by state or local law enforcement; a task force model that allows agencies to enforce immigration law during police duties; and a warrant service officer program that allows ICE to train agencies to execute warrants in their jails. ICE now says that as of this week, they have jail agreements with 60 law enforcement agencies in 16 states, warrant agreements with 80 law enforcement agencies in 12 states and task force agreements with 15 agencies in six states. While many of those agreements were signed in 2019 and 2020, agreements signed in 2025 include agencies from Florida, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, according to ICE’s website. FLORIDA SHERIFF ASKS TRUMP’S ICE TO REMOVE BIDEN-ERA ‘SHACKLES’ There are additional pending applications from local agencies in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and Wyoming, according to ICE. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced last week that his office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation were entering into agreements that see agents receive ICE training. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “All across Kansas, illegal aliens who are dangerous criminals or gang members are released back to the streets on a regular basis. That will end. This agreement will ensure that those criminals are deported,” Kobach said. Meanwhile, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced agreements with Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Investigation. “Law enforcement can’t do their jobs with one hand tied behind their back. By working directly with ICE, our law enforcement officers now have additional tools to keep dangerous criminals off our streets and protect Oklahomans,” Stitt explained. “Oklahoma is proud to lead the way in strengthening border security from the state’s side and enforcing the rule of law.” The agreements show the willingness of authorities in states across the country to help the Trump administration in its promise to ramp up arrests and deportations of illegal immigrants. It counteracts the moves by “sanctuary” jurisdictions that limit or forbid local or state cooperation with ICE. The Trump administration has already started legal action against some of those jurisdictions, and has been pushing back against officials who are touting those policies.
White House explains bruise on Trump’s hand seen during Macron meeting
The bruise seen on the back of President Donald Trump’s hand is from him “constantly” shaking other people’s hands, the White House said. Trump was photographed earlier this week with a bruise on his right hand as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House. “President Trump is a man of the people,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News. “His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.” FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON TELLS TRUMP TO ‘BE CAREFUL’ IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS TO END RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE “President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” she added. TRUMP’S BUDGET BILL WITH $4.5 TRILLION IN TAX CUTS SURVIVES HOUSE VOTE The White House did not immediately respond Wednesday morning to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. Around Thanksgiving last year, Trump, during an interview with TIME magazine, was asked about the bruising, and he said, “It’s from shaking hands with thousands of people.”
Gretchen Whitmer sounds off on push to condemn US Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling: ‘Hell no’
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, spoke out against a proposed resolution that condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges gay marriage ruling. The resolution declares that “the Michigan House of Representatives reaffirms the definition of marriage as put forth by the Michigan voters and enshrined in our Constitution: a union between one man and one woman.” The state’s constitution stipulates “the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.” ICE ARRESTS HOMELESS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO ASKED TO BE DETAINED OR ELSE HE WOULD ‘GO OUT AND COMMIT CRIMES’ But the landmark high court decision forced states to allow gay marriages. The opinion asserts “same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them.” The proposed resolution is being pushed by state Rep. Josh Schriver and multiple other Michigan state lawmakers. “Has Obergefell v. Hodges not widened a portal, where gays, queers, transsexuals, polygamists, minor-attracted persons, and other perverts advance attacks on our children?” Schriver asked. JUDGE ORDERS WALMART SHOPLIFTERS TO WASH CARS IN STORE PARKING LOT “Now is the time to do the right thing. Now is the time to reassert the sovereignty of Christ as our king. Now is the time to restore the authority of God and submit our will to He who knows what’s best,” he declared. Whitmer decried the effort in a video, saying that “some extreme members” are requesting for the nation’s high court “to overturn marriage equality.” “Here’s my response to that: Hell no,” she declared in the video posted to social media on Tuesday. MICHIGAN MOM WHO BRAVED FLAMES FOR SON IN HYPERBARIC CHAMBER EXPLOSION STRESSES TREATMENT DANGERS: ATTORNEY CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Schriver had recently urged people to pray for the governor, tweeting on Sunday, “Pray for Gretchen Whitmer today.”
Massachusetts select board removes town administrator following controversy over Trump flag
The town of West Boylston, Massachusetts, voted to fire its administrator following a dispute over a Trump flag hanging in the police station. The vote took place during a closed-door Zoom meeting “to discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual.” The result was a 4-1 vote to remove former Town Administrator James Ryan. TRUMP FLAG IN MASSACHUSETTS POLICE STATION GYM DIVIDES TOWN AS CHIEF, OFFICIAL FEUD OVER ITS REMOVAL: REPORT The dispute allegedly began when Ryan toured the police station in January and viewed a Trump flag hanging in its gymnasium. At the time, Ryan claimed the flag was a civil rights violation, according to a statement. Police Chief Dennis W. Minnich, Sr., removed the flag but alleges that Ryan later had a town employee sneak into the police station after hours to verify the flag was removed. According to him, at that time a new flag was then hanging, but has since been taken down. TRUMP PARDONS FORMER DC POLICE OFFICERS CONVICTED IN DEATH OF MEN DURING DEADLY PURSUIT Minnich says he was “targeted” and sent a three-page memo to the Board of Selectmen to request “an immediate and thorough review” of Ryan’s actions. “Either he’s gone or I’m gone,” Minnich said Friday. “I’m going to take all vacation time until this is resolved. I’m not reporting to the guy. I don’t trust him. There’s no trust there.” The select board said Ryan’s firing had nothing to do with the police dispute, but him allegedly sending an employee inside the station that could have seen private information. Ryan’s attorney, John Clifford, said in a statement that his client was “disappointed” with the select board’s decision. “James acknowledges that he could have handled the situation differently, but his insistence that there be no political signs in a public building was completely justified,” the statement read. “In tonight’s meeting, James expressed his sincere regret that he had any role in what became an embarrassment and distraction for the entire town. While he knows he may have made some mistakes as a very new town administrator, he is not responsible for the controversy that has ensued.” Clifford released a statement on Ryan’s behalf which read, in part: “James will be reviewing his options with respect to litigating his termination, but he would like to make it clear that he has no ill feelings toward town employees, volunteer officials, or the citizens of West Boylston. He remains grateful for the short opportunity to serve in West Boylston and wishes the town the best of luck in the future.”
Ahead of Bihar assembly polls, seven BJP MLAs inducted into Nitish Kumar-led cabinet; here’s what political pundits opine
Months before the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government has expanded its cabinet, inducting seven MLAs.