ICE says it will needs massive funding hike, tens of thousands more beds to implement Laken Riley Act
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is telling lawmakers that the Laken Riley Act, an anti-illegal immigration bill expected to hit President-elect Trump’s desk in the coming weeks, will cost an additional $3 billion due to the agency needing an additional 60,000 detention beds. ICE responded to questions by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., on the impact of the Laken Riley Act. The bill passed the House this month and looks likely to pass the Senate. It requires DHS to detain illegal immigrants who have been arrested for theft-related crimes. It also allows for states to sue DHS for alleged failures in enforcing immigration law. The bill is named after Laken Riley, a Georgia student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela last year. It has picked up the support of Republicans as well as a number of Democrats. BIDEN DHS EXEMPTED THOUSANDS OF IMMIGRANTS FROM TERROR-RELATED ENTRY RESTRICTIONS IN FY 2024 In the letter, obtained by Fox, ICE says it has identified tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who would meet the criteria for arrest both on its detained docket and non-detained docket. It said that its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) has estimated that the number of illegal immigrants on its national docket who meet the criteria would be over 60,000. The letter was first reported by Politico. “Since the Laken Riley Act requires ERO to immediately detain those noncitizens, ERO would then require, at minimum, 64,000 additional detention beds; however this does not account for other immigration enforcement mandates that may place a need for increased detention capacity.” SENATE DEMS TO JOIN REPUBLICANS TO ADVANCE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BILL NAMED AFTER LAKEN RILEY ICE estimates that increasing that capacity would require a funding increase of approximately $3.2 billion. Additionally, it estimates that it will need 10 new Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCAT) and a HQ law enforcement officer across eight field offices, requiring an additional nearly $15 million along with associated equipment. Notably, ERO says it currently possesses the authority to fulfill the requirements of the Act and would require no additional authorities. The agency warned that it may have to release tens of thousands of illegal immigrants if it does not get the additional bedspace. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “…[I]f supplemental funding is not received and ICE remains at its current bed capacity, the agency would not have the detention capacity to accommodate the immediate arrest and detention of noncitizens convicted or charged with property crimes,” it says. “ERO anticipates that tens of thousands of noncitizens would need to be released by the end of the fiscal year, resulting in the potential release of public safety threats.” As challenges to implementation, it cites the challenges of having ICE officers, and also the challenges of sanctuary cities: “A complicating factor is a lack of cooperation from ICE’s state and local law enforcement partners.” This is not the first alarm that ICE has sounded about its funding levels, noting in its FY 24 report that it is already underfunded with its existing responsibilities. “Throughout the year, the agency was called on to do more without commensurate funding, working within the confines of strained resources and competing priorities while steadfastly supporting the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies in their efforts to secure the border,” the agency said. President-elect Trump has promised to launch a mass deportation operation, in which ICE would be the operative agency. In Congress, Republicans are preparing to make significant funding changes via the budget reconciliation process. Border security and interior enforcement would likely be top priorities for Republicans, given the issues’ prominence in the 2024 election.
Biden’s Meta ‘censorship’ revelations ‘vindicated’ Alito dissent in RFK Jr case
The announcement by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that Facebook and Instagram would end their work with third-party fact-checkers and ease certain content restrictions was praised by some conservative activists, who cheered it as a “vindication” for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who dissented from the rest of the court in late 2023 in a case involving content regulation that included a post by the former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The case centered on whether Meta was acting outside its scope when its platform, Facebook, temporarily removed a 30-minute video posted by Kennedy, which included vaccine misinformation and other false claims about COVID-19. The Supreme Court majority declined to take up the case without explanation, but Alito disagreed, writing as the sole dissenter for the court. Alito, a George W. Bush appointee, blasted the video’s removal in a scathing dissent, saying that the platform had censored a type of political speech in its attempts to crack down on misinformation, and could therefore be seen as acting on behalf of the U.S. government and possibly causing what he described as “irreparable” harm. AG NOMINEE PAM BONDI SEEN AS STEADYING FORCE TO STEER DOJ IN TRUMP’S SECOND TERM “Our democratic form of government is undermined if government officials prevent a candidate for high office from communicating with voters, and such efforts are especially dangerous when the officials engaging in such conduct are answerable to a rival candidate,” Alito said in the dissent. “I would allow him to intervene to ensure that we can reach the merits of respondents’ claims and to prevent the irreparable loss of his First Amendment rights,” he added. “Because Mr. Kennedy’s arguments on the merits are essentially the same as respondents’, allowing intervention would not significantly affect petitioners’ burden with regard to that issue,” Alito wrote. “But the denial of intervention is likely to prevent Mr. Kennedy from vindicating the rights he claims until the spring of 2024 and perhaps as late as June of that year. And by that time, several months of the presidential campaign will have passed.” TRUMP INAUGURATION GUEST LIST INCLUDES TECH TITANS MARK ZUCKERBERG, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK Zuckerberg announced earlier this month that Meta would end its previous content restrictions used on Facebook and Instagram — which were put into place after the 2016 elections — acknowledging in a video posted on social media that they had “gone too far” and allowed for too much political bias from outside fact-checkers. “We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said in the announcement. “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech. So we are going to get back to our roots, focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.” Meta will now replace that system with a “Community Notes”-style program, similar to the approach taken by social media platform X, he said. X is owned by Elon Musk, the co-director of the planned Department of Government Efficiency. That news was praised by Mollie Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of The Federalist, who noted on X that the decision from Zuckerberg “vindicated” Alito’s dissent. “Kind of crazy how Zuck was like ‘what they did had to be illegal’ but majority on Court was like ‘I mean, who can know?’” Hemingway said of the Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the case.
Palestinian doctors hope ceasefire will revive Gaza’s healthcare sector
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine – In the dimly lit corridors of al-Amal Hospital in western Khan Younis, one of the 17 partially operational healthcare facilities in Gaza, a rare sense of hope grips the staff and patients. Mediators have announced a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to end the 15-month war on Gaza, and although the Israeli cabinet has yet to approve the deal, optimism is contagious. For the first time in months, orthopaedic consultant Dr Khaled Ayyad speaks with confidence as he reassures patients of soon receiving the medication and procedures they urgently need and hospitals have been unable to provide due to Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza. “We’ve done the impossible. We’ve had to improvise ways to handle cases so grave in scope and so large in number and for the longest stretch of time to get this far,” Ayyad explains. Along with other medical staff and patients, he was forced by the Israeli army to leave his post at the Palestinian Red Crescent-run al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City a month after the war began on October 7, 2023. The 53-year-old surgeon had since been operating out of al-Amal, relying on what he describes as “minimal capabilities”. Advertisement Throughout Israel’s war on Gaza, “each medical centre or humanitarian delivery system has been or is being destroyed,” according to a January 7 report by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF. Ayyad had to endure two Israeli raids on al-Amal Hospital in February and March and had to navigate displacement in the arid area of al-Mawasi in southwestern Gaza along with his family, including his six children. He says he is lucky to have survived: More than 1,000 healthcare workers have been killed, and many have been detained by Israeli forces. “The number of cases I examined shot up to 70 patients and injured people a day in addition to the hospitalised cases in the departments, which are no less than eight cases,” Ayyad tells Al Jazeera. As he speaks, countless patients and visitors crowd the hospital’s wards as external clinics and corridors overflow with those seeking care. Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis is still partially operational, but its supplies are severely limited [Mohamed Solaimane/Al Jazeera] Patience Ayyad explains how he often resorted to temporary measures to treat fractures until the fixation plates required for operations became available. “Soon they will be,” he says with a big smile, reassuring Hani al-Shaqra, a patient whose collarbone was fractured on Monday in an Israeli attack near the Deir el-Balah home he had sought refuge in. Unable to return Ayyad’s enthusiasm because of his pain, al-Shaqra says he cannot wait for a ceasefire to come into effect so he can undergo the surgery he needs. Advertisement “Amid this genocide, the care I received is to be expected, especially since everyone faces great difficulties in obtaining treatment or even reaching hospitals. I am optimistic … that treatment is possible after the ceasefire,” he says, speaking cautiously, careful not to move his arm or the sling that is helping lift the weight off his shoulder. “I just hope it happens soon before my condition deteriorates,” he adds. Talks to reach a ceasefire and end a war that has killed more than 46,700 Palestinians had faltered repeatedly over the past year until mediators announced on Wednesday that a deal had been reached. The inauguration of Donald Trump as United States president on Monday served as a de facto deadline, and the ceasefire is due to come into effect the day before. With it, larger supplies of much-needed humanitarian aid are to be allowed to enter the enclave after a massive dearth in aid deliveries, which were exacerbated by the May closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, through which most of the supplies came in. ‘A lot more work to be done’ While Ayyad hopes that the influx of humanitarian supplies will lead to some respite for Palestinians in Gaza, he knows he and other medical staff will have a lot of work to do. “Many of the wounded who we sent away with temporary treatment will need to be reoperated on, properly, once supplies are available,” he says. Dr Adnan al-Zatma, a general surgeon working alongside Ayyad, emphasises the enormity of the challenges. Advertisement Putting aside the obvious shortages of medication and supplies, he lists the devastation seen across the hospital: from the X-ray machines and electricity generators destroyed during the Israeli invasion to the burned-down wards, bullet-ridden walls and the bulldozed entrances and roads leading to the hospital. “A ceasefire would be a respite, but it won’t be magical,” al-Zatma says. According to Dr Haidar al-Qudra, executive director of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Gaza, the healthcare sector is operating at less than 10 percent of its pre-war capacity. The condition of the pre-war healthcare system was already below what was needed, according to MSF, because of Israel’s 17-year blockade on Gaza. It is now in shambles. “Tens of thousands of patients have suffered because of the healthcare collapse,” al-Qudra says. “This includes fatalities, disabilities and severe complications for those unable to access proper care during the war,” he adds, highlighting that facilities like al-Amal Hospital and al-Wafaa Hospital were nonoperational for most of the war. “For many patients, rehabilitation was their only path to regaining mobility or basic functions. The loss of these services has been catastrophic,” he says. Major hospitals like al-Quds and al-Shifa were heavily damaged, and facilities like al-Amal Hospital suffered significant infrastructural damage. Despite these challenges, Red Crescent hospitals treated more than 500,000 cases and received an additional 900,000 patients at their primary care centres during the conflict. Al-Amal Hospital alone has been handling 1,500 cases daily alongside two field hospitals and 10 primary care centres in northern Gaza. Advertisement ‘Gradual recovery’ “A ceasefire would bring a gradual recovery of the healthcare system, supported by international aid,” al-Qudra says. “The Red Crescent plans to establish five field
Who is Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy in the Gaza ceasefire talks?
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Steve Witkoff was little known to the public before he turned out to be a key player in Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks.
Romania sets May date for new presidential election
The first round will take place on May 4, with a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50 percent. Romania’s coalition government has announced that it will hold a new presidential election in May, after the shock annulment of the December vote amid claims of Russian interference. A cabinet meeting on Thursday approved the ruling party’s proposal to have a fresh presidential vote. The first round will take place on May 4, with a second on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote. The European Union and NATO state, which borders Ukraine, was plunged into institutional chaos last year when Calin Georgescu, a little-known far-right pro-Russian politician, won the first presidential round on November 24. Officials in Romania said Georgescu benefitted from a massive social media campaign spearheaded by TikTok, which gave him preferential treatment, accusations the platform has denied. Amid suspicions of Russian interference – denied by Moscow – Romania’s top court annulled the ballot and ordered the government to rerun it in its entirety. The European Commission last month also opened formal proceedings against TikTok over its suspected failure to limit election interference, notably in the Romanian vote. Advertisement Georgescu has denounced the vote annulment as a “formalised coup d’etat”. Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets on Sunday in Bucharest in the second protest last week against the cancellation of the original vote. The far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party had called the protest. They demanded the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis, a liberal who has remained in office until his successor is elected. On Thursday, the government, headed by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, issued a decree saying campaign materials ahead of the next presidential vote will need to be clearly marked as election content and their sponsors identified. Social media platforms will also be required to take down content that does not follow the rules within five hours of a request from Romanian election officials or risk fines of between 1 percent and 5 percent of their turnover. Romanian rights groups have, however, criticised the government for failing to consult the public before issuing the decree, warning the new rules did not address real campaign financing issues. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump to tap Texas “border czar” to lead U.S. Border Patrol, report says
Mike Banks, a former Border Patrol agent, has served in his current role as a special advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott since January 2023.
FBI closed DEI office in December, agency says
EXCLUSIVE: The FBI has closed its DEI office, Fox News can confirm. “In recent weeks, the FBI took steps to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), effective by December 2024,” the agency told Fox News Digital on Thursday. The agency didn’t specify why it had closed the office, although many Republicans have been critical of it prioritizing DEI, saying that had overshadowed national security. Earlier this month, Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray claiming that “radical” DEI practices had “endangered” Americans following the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. IS DEI DYING? HERE’S THE LIST OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE ROLLED BACK THE ‘WOKE’ POLICIES “I am deeply concerned that—under your leadership—the Bureau has prioritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives over its core mission of protecting the American people,” Balckburn wrote in the Jan. 3 letter after referencing the attack. The FBI page on diversity and inclusion – that was still on its website as of Thursday – says the agency is “committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive workforce. In 2015, the FBI added diversity as one of the organization’s core values. It continued: “We believe that differences in thought and belief, in race and religion, in orientation, and in ability contribute to more effective decision making, drive innovation, and enhance the employee experience. We know that a more diverse workforce allows us to connect with and maintain the trust of the American people. We also understand we have work to do. We stand committed, as today’s FBI, to fostering a culture of inclusivity and diversity.” Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital: “I appreciate all forms of diversity. Make no mistake of that. What I do not appreciate is when there is a constant push for social justice weaponization at the FBI whose top priorities are to protect the American people and uphold the constitution.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This is President Biden’s last week in office. President-elect Trump will take office on Monday.
Hirono ripped for ‘deranged’ opening confirmation hearing question to Burgum: ‘This lady has issues’
Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii faced mockery on social media on Thursday over her opening questions to Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum during his confirmation hearing. “As part of my responsibilities to ensure the fitness of nominees before any of the committees on which I sit, I ask the following two initial questions,” Hirono said to Burgum on Thursday. “First is, since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?” “No, senator, I have not,” Burgum responded. “Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement related to this kind of conduct?” Hirono then asked. BONDI CLAPS BACK AT HIRONO AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT POLITICAL PROSECUTIONS: ‘REFUSED TO MEET WITH ME’ “I have not,” Burgum said. Hirono, who has asked similar opening questions to several other nominees in the past, including Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth and Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, was widely panned by conservatives on social media over the line of questioning. “This lady has issues.” conservative commentator Chad Prather posted on X. DEM SENATOR WHO BASHED HEGSETH’S QUALIFICATIONS STANDS BY DOD SEC WHO OVERSAW BOTCHED AFGHAN WITHDRAWAL “No, this is not AI…,” conservative influencer Benny Johnson posted on X. “What is wrong with Dems??” American Majority president Ned Ryun posted on X. “They are apparently bat guano crazy sex pervs. Is this all they think about??” “How the F does Hirono have seats on Judiciary AND Armed Services AND Energy?????” columnist Tiana Lowe Doescher posted on X. “What member of Dem leadership does she have kompromat on??” Conservative comedian Tim Young posted on X that the “more Mazie Hirono asks cabinet nominees if they’ve sexually assaulted someone… the more I think she’s guilty of it herself.” Henry Rogers, The Daily Caller’s chief national correspondent, called Hirono “deranged” on X. Hirono’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Newsom calls for looting to be a felony in evacuation zones amid LA inferno
FIRST ON FOX: California Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for looting in fire evacuation zones to be a felony after prosecutors in Southern California urged him this week to issue harsher penalties, Fox News Digital has exclusively learned. “Preying on people at their most vulnerable is despicable, these criminals are among the worst kinds,” Newsom said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday afternoon. Newsom said “looting has never been legal here” and that “it will not be tolerated” as the state continues to battle the ravenous inferno that broke out on Jan. 7. CALIFORNIA FIREBUG ARREST CAUGHT ON VIDEO AS POLICE WARN OF ARSONISTS “And that’s why I’ve tasked – from the beginning – support from CalGuard and CHP [California Highway Patrol] to protect impacted residents and their property,” Newsom said. In California, looting is currently classified as a “wobbler offense,” meaning it can be charged as either a felony or a misdemeanor. However, judges have the authority to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, even over prosecutors’ objections. So far, Los Angeles County’s newly elected tough-on-crime district attorney, Nathan Hochman, has issued several arson felonies this week in unrelated cases as firefighters continue to battle the blaze across the region. Fox News Digital previously reported that authorities have arrested at least a dozen individuals in connection with looting and arson. LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: ARMED HOMEOWNERS PATROL FOR LOOTERS INSIDE EVACUATION ZONE Hochman issued a warning to others “contemplating similar acts,” vowing individuals would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Armed homeowners in some neighborhoods impacted by the fires have taken matters into their own hands to defend homes that have not been destroyed. Newsom’s public call comes after Hochman and District Attorney Todd Spitzer, of neighboring Orange County, teamed up on Tuesday to ask the governor to make looting a felony. Newsom has come under fire recently for his handling of the crisis from celebrities and lawmakers alike. Hochman and Spitzer’s proposal seeks to reclassify looting as a straight felony, requiring a state prison sentence rather than a county jail term, as is currently the case. The Los Angeles wildfires have killed two dozen people, and that number is expected to rise as authorities continue containment efforts. Fox News Digital has reached out to Spitzer and Hochman for comment. Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
President Biden’s climate standards for walk-in freezers could face reckoning under new GOP resolution
EXCLUSIVE: Congressional Republicans are pushing back against President Biden’s regulations on appliances with a resolution that seeks to circumvent new green energy standards for freezers. In December 2024, Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) announced a final rule setting more stringent climate standards for walk-in coolers and freezers. The new regulation is currently set to go into effect in February, but could soon be impeded by Republican lawmakers seeking to overturn the rule. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Oka., introduced a joint resolution of disapproval against the DOE standards for coolers and freezers on Thursday, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital. Joint resolutions of disapproval are used by lawmakers to invalidate a final rule enacted by a federal agency, meaning that if passed, the Republican-led Congress can overturn Biden’s new green energy standard for appliances. “The Biden administration has done everything it can to regulate all aspects of our homes and businesses. Walk-in coolers and freezers are used everywhere; from pharmacies, convenience stores, food processing facilities, food banks, restaurants, and more,” Bice told Fox News Digital. HOUSE GOP RESOLUTION WOULD OVERTURN BIDEN’S GAS WATER HEATER BAN According to the DOE’s final rule, the amended freezer standards would “result in significant conservation of energy and are technologically feasible and economically justified,” but Bice suggests that such regulations are an overreach of the federal government into consumers’ lives. “These rules continue to add unnecessary burdens on everyday Americans and ultimately suppress consumer choice,” Bice said. “This is a direct overreach of power that my colleagues and I are fighting back against.” The joint resolution is being cosponsored by GOP Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama. TRUMP ENERGY NOMINEE HECKLED BY CLIMATE PROTESTERS, DERIDED BY DEM SENATOR AS ‘ENTHUSIAST FOR FOSSIL FUELS’ The bill comes as Republicans, who have a trifecta of leadership in Washington, are teeing up legislation and resolutions to push back on Biden’s green energy regulations on several household appliances. The Department of Energy recently announced a new rule banning non-condensing, natural gas-fired water heaters by 2029. However, on Wednesday, Palmer introduced a resolution to block the ban on water heaters, which was announced first by Fox News Digital. President-elect Trump has said that when he assumes office, he intends to overturn many environmental regulations enacted as part of Biden’s climate agenda.