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Some of 49 migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by the state of Florida are now able to legally work in US

Some of 49 migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by the state of Florida are now able to legally work in US

Some of the illegal migrants sent from Florida to Massachusetts may be given the right to work and live in the U.S. as “victims” of “criminal activity.” Forty-nine migrants were flown to Martha’s Vineyard in September 2022 by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s government in protest of blue states’ disregard for mass illegal immigration’s effects on southern states. Some of these illegal migrants were from the state of Florida, and some of them were from Texas. The latter are now being given “U visas” that will allow them legal status and working capacity in the U.S. as victims of potential crimes, their attorney announced. FLORIDA GOV. RON DESANTIS SAYS ‘NEXT STOP’ FOR HAITIANS WHO LAND IN FLORIDA KEYS MAY BE MARTHA’S VINEYARD Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar County, Texas, certified that those illegal migrants formerly within his jurisdiction that were flown to Massachusetts are qualified for the visas after an investigation by the county’s Organized Crime Division. Salazar has previously recommended that the Bexar County district attorney bring charges for crimes related to deceptive tactics of transporting the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. “The Governor of Florida orchestrated the abduction of 49 human beings. The actions of all those involved in this scheme were criminal,” attorney Rachel Self accused in a statement following the U visa eligibility announcement. “The Bexar County DA’s inaction in this matter is concerning and cannot be understated.” MIGRANTS FLOWN TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD ON FLIGHTS COORDINATED BY DESANTIS CAN SUE AVIATION COMPANY DeSantis had the migrants flown to the Massachusetts island to highlight the Biden administration’s border policies, which have been heavily criticized by Republicans amid record-numbers of illegal immigrants entering the U.S.  His initiative has run parallel to similar red state to blue state migrant flights in Texas. Residents on Martha’s Vineyard were caught off guard and scrambled to provide resources for them upon their arrival. The National Guard was eventually activated in response.  Earlier this year, the governor’s office told Fox News Digital that the flights were “conducted lawfully and authorized by the Florida Legislature.” “We look forward to Florida’s next illegal immigrant relocation flight, and we are glad to bring national attention to the crisis at the southern border,” said DeSantis Deputy Press Secretary Julia Friedland. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Columbia alum Obama silent as Jewish faculty, students face antisemitic harassment on campus

Columbia alum Obama silent as Jewish faculty, students face antisemitic harassment on campus

The open antisemitism running rampant on Columbia University’s campus in New York City has drawn condemnation from both sides of the aisle, but one prominent Democrat and alumnus of the school is remaining silent, choosing not to speak out against the anti-Israel demonstrations taking place there. In a lengthy Monday post on X commemorating the celebration of Passover, former President Obama, who graduated from Columbia in 1983, made no mention of protestors’ violent rhetoric aimed at the university’s Jewish students and staff, and neither he nor his representatives responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the antisemitic demonstrations that have engulfed the campus since last week. A number of other Democrats have, however, joined their Republican colleagues in denouncing discrimination against Jews at Columbia, which was forced to move all classes to virtual on Tuesday because of safety concerns. NY HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT STEP DOWN OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ‘CHAOS’ “Every American has a right to protest,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “But when protests shift to antisemitism, verbal abuse, intimidation, or glorification of Oct. 7 violence against Jewish people, that crosses the line.” New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another Democrat, also denounced the display of antisemitism at the university, saying she was “appalled.”  “Threats of violence against Jewish students and the Jewish community are horrible, despicable and wholly unacceptable,” she said. “Using the rhetoric of terrorists has no place in New York, where we pride ourselves on tolerance and the right of every group to practice their religion in peace.” HOUSE DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS CONDEMN ANTI-ISRAEL COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PROTESTS: AN ‘ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY’ Others who joined their party members in addressing the encampment were Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and John Fetterman, D-Penn. The anti-Israel agitators initially formed the encampment last Wednesday — setting up tents and refusing to leave. They have proceeded to march in and around the campus demanding the school end affiliations with groups that support Israel amid its war with Hamas in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. The university announced early Tuesday that classes on the main campus would remain virtual or hybrid “until the end of each school’s Spring 2024 semester” due to safety concerns over the demonstrations. Classes initially went virtual on Monday. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

NY vs. Trump: Judge warns Trump team they’re ‘losing all credibility’ in gag order hearing

NY vs. Trump: Judge warns Trump team they’re ‘losing all credibility’ in gag order hearing

Judge Juan Merchan told President Donald Trump’s defense team they were “losing all credibility” during a Tuesday hearing on whether the 45th president violated a gag order in the Manhattan criminal trial.  “I have to tell you right now, you’re losing all credibility in the court,” Merchan told Trump attorney Todd Blanche on Tuesday.  Tuesday’s court proceedings began with Merchan hearing the prosecution’s request that Trump be held in contempt for violating a gag order that bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials. Merchan imposed the gag order on Trump before the trial began, ordering him to abstain from making comments — or directing others to make comments — regarding witnesses’ potential participation or the prosecution team. The gag order does allow Trump to publicly speak about District Attorney Alvin Bragg.  LIVE UPDATES: NY VS. TRUMP TRIAL TO RESUME AS FORMER PRESIDENT FIGHTS OFF GAG ORDER ALLEGATIONS  The DA’s office last week argued that Trump violated the order on several occasions, including on social media, and argued he should pay a $1,000 fine each for a handful of the instances. Prosecutors alleged Tuesday that Trump violated the order a total of 10 times.  NY VS. TRUMP: JUDGE DELIVERS JURY INSTRUCTIONS AS OPENING STATEMENTS KICK OFF The defense team argued in the hearing that Trump was responding to attacks when he made comments allegedly violating the order. Merchan pressed Blanche to provide instances of where Trump was responding to a specific incident.  “I’ve asked you 8 or 9 times, ‘show me the exact post that he was responding to’ and you haven’t been able to do that once,” Merchan said.  The defense team argued that Trump did not violate the order and should not face penalties.  Trump has repeatedly slammed the gag order as “unconstitutional” and a tool used to silence him.  “Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (whose daughter represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and other Radical Liberals, has just posted a picture of me behind bars, her obvious goal, and makes it completely impossible for me to get a fair trial) has now issued another illegal, un-American, unConstitutional ‘order,’ as he continues to try and take away my Rights,” Trump posted on Truth Social last month after he was given a gag order limiting what he could publicly say about the case.  Following the gag order hearing, the trial will continue until 2 p.m. Tuesday. The court is expected to again hear from the prosecution’s first witness, former media publisher David Pecker.  NY VS. TRUMP: FIRST WITNESS TAKES THE STAND IN MANHATTAN COURT Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.  The trial itself focuses on Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen paying former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 to allegedly quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital affair she had with the then-real estate tycoon in the early 2000s. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.  Prosecutors allege that the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony. 

Biden’s education chief slams ‘antisemitic’ and ‘anti-Muslim’ hate, silent on protections for Jewish students

Biden’s education chief slams ‘antisemitic’ and ‘anti-Muslim’ hate, silent on protections for Jewish students

As anti-Israel protests on Columbia University’s campus devolved into anti-Jewish hate, President Biden’s Department of Education spoke out Tuesday after days of silence. Since last week, protesters on the New York City campus have spent days protesting Israel’s war with Hamas terrorists, forcing authorities to arrest more than 100 of the agitators. Incidents included a young woman holding a sign with an arrow pointing to Jewish students that read “Al-Qasam’s Next Targets,” and anti-Israel agitators shouting “We are Hamas” and “We don’t want no Zionists here.”  A campus rabbi sent a message to students warning that the weekend’s events made clear Columbia University’s Public Safety and the New York City Police Department “cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy,” and urged Jewish students to stay home “until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved.”  Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who has most recently touted his agency’s severe crackdown on two of the country’s largest Christian universities, addressed the unrest Tuesday in a post on X, saying, “Antisemitic hate on college campuses is unacceptable” and that he is “deeply concerned by what is happening at Columbia University.” ANTISEMITISM AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ‘PAINS ME TO SEE,’ PATRIOTS OWNER ROBERT KRAFT SAYS “Hate has no place in our schools. All education leaders must stand definitively against hate, antisemitism, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim sentiment,” Cardona said.  When asked by Fox News Digital if he would call for protections for Jewish students on the campus who feel unsafe or what actions his office would take to address the problem, Cardona’s office did not immediately respond. “Universities are at their best when they promote the respectful exchange of diverse views and constructive debate. Our Office for Civil Rights interprets the civil rights laws we enforce consistent with free speech and other rights protected under the First Amendment. But we won’t tolerate hate or harassment that targets students because of who they are or who they’re perceived to be,” Cardona said in the statement.  PATRIOTS’ ROBERT KRAFT PULLS SUPPORT FOR COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AMID ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE The organizers of the protest – Columbia University Apartheid Divest and Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine – staged what they labeled a “Gaza solidarity encampment” on the campus and shut down a central lawn at the university.  The protesters called for Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza and for the university to divest from companies that have ties to Israel. By Monday morning, the unrest grew to lead the university’s president to make all classes virtual. President Biden said Monday he condemns “antisemitic protests,” as well as “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”  By Monday evening, the turmoil had spilled over to other campuses. NYPD made several arrests of anti-Israel agitators at New York University, where some protesters could be heard chanting, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a slogan that many regard as a call to genocide. Others were seen stepping on Israel’s flag. President Biden said he would “implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, putting the full force of the federal government behind protecting the Jewish community.” But on Tuesday, over two dozen Republican lawmakers told Cardona and Attorney General Merrick Garland they need to do more to quell the protests, calling on the agency heads to prosecute those making threats, revoke visas for non-citizens participating in “promoting terrorism” and hold school administrators accountable. Monday evening marked the first day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday. “What we are witnessing in and around campus is terrible and tragic,” Rabbi Elie Buechler, director of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, told his students in a message Sunday.  “May we see better days on campus soon,” he said. COLUMBIA PRESIDENT CONDEMNS TERRORISM ‘FULL STOP’ AFTER VIDEO SURFACES OF HER CALLING IT ‘FORM OF PROTESTING’ At Yale University, 60 people were arrested for refusing to voluntarily leave a portion of the Connecticut campus, the school president said Monday evening. Last year, the Department of Education opened investigations into at least six colleges and K-12 schools for antisemitism or Islamophobia. The list of schools included three Ivy League colleges – the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University and Columbia.  “While we can’t comment on pending investigations, every student deserves to feel a sense of safety and belonging at school,” Cardona said Tuesday. Last week, Cardona vowed to shut down one of the country’s largest Christian schools, Grand Canyon University, after hitting them with a fine of $37.7 million on allegations that the Arizona-based higher learning institution misled students about the cost of its doctoral programs over several years. The university has strongly denied these allegations. School officials told Fox News Digital the agency’s crackdown is rooted in a “deeply held bias.” Arizona’s state Superintendent Tom Horne came out against Cardona’s actions, calling them “unwarranted and unjust.” “In the U.S., anyone accused of wrongdoing is presumed innocent and entitled to their day in court. Secretary Cardona’s threat is contrary to those constitutional guarantees and unworthy of his position,” Horne told Fox New Digital.  Last month, the Education Department fined Liberty University – another one of the largest Christian universities in America – $14 million for violations of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, including with respect to its published crime statistics and treatment of sexual assault survivors. The amount LU is ordered to pay is the largest fine ever imposed for violating the Clery Act.  Liberty officials claimed the agency “used a completely different standard” when investigating the school’s compliance with federal college campus safety standards. One official told Fox News Digital the review was “unprecedented” and it lacked a basis for “imposing such excessive fines given the Department’s long-standing precedent.” Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano, Danielle Wallace, Julia Johnson and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report. 

GOP lawmakers demand Biden admin prosecute ‘pro-terrorist mobs,’ hold schools accountable

GOP lawmakers demand Biden admin prosecute ‘pro-terrorist mobs,’ hold schools accountable

FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators on Tuesday demanded President Biden’s attorney general and Education secretary take immediate action to address escalating antisemitic encampments on college campuses, requesting that they “prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated violence and threats against Jewish students.”  In a letter signed by 27 Republicans and led by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Attorney General Merrick Garland and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona were asked to swiftly address the un-authorized Gaza solidarity demonstration at Columbia University that has threatened the safety of Jewish students.  The GOP lawmakers asked the Biden Cabinet officials to prosecute those making threats, revoke visas for non-citizens participating in “promoting terrorism” and hold school administrators accountable.  NY HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT STEP DOWN OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ‘CHAOS’ An anti-Israel demonstration began on Columbia University’s campus last week and has persisted as an encampment since then. The protesters have been captured intimidating Jewish students and promoting pro-Hamas rhetoric. The demonstration has since garnered significant media attention and spread to other prestigious universities over the course of the week.  “Anti-Israel protestors, spurred on by prominent leftists, have gathered on college campuses in recent days, chanting antisemitic slogans and directly threatening Jewish students,” the letter stated.  As of Tuesday morning, at least 22 of the top 50 universities, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, had active demonstrations against Israel in the last week.  SCHUMER LOOKS TO EXPEDITE $95 BILLION ISRAEL, UKRAINE AID PACKAGE THROUGH SENATE In the letter, the senators noted that a rabbi at Columbia University recently reccommended Jewish students leave campus and return home because the university and police cannot ensure their safety.  Representatives for the DOJ and Garland, as well as those for the Education Department and Cardona, did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.  The letter asked Garland and Cardona for a response by Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. BIDEN ADMIN NOTES ‘URGENT’ CONCERN OVER ISRAEL IN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT In a post to X on Tuesday morning, Cardona wrote, “Antisemitic hate on college campuses is unacceptable. I am deeply concerned by what is happening at Columbia University. In November 2023, our Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation of Columbia involving Title VI.”  “You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses,” the Republicans’ letter said. “President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of antisemitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments.” In a Sunday statement marking the Jewish holiday of Passover, Biden said, “We must speak out against the alarming surge of antisemitism – in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity.” He added, “My Administration will continue to speak out and aggressively implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, putting the full force of the federal government behind protecting the Jewish community.” DEMOCRATS JOIN REPUBLICANS IN CONDEMNING ANTISEMITISM AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY However, the Republicans suggested this was not sufficient without the actions requested from both the DOJ and the Education Department.  The White House did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.  The explosion of anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitic demonstrations was prompted by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which initiated the conflict on Oct. 7, when the group attacked Israeli civilians, killing indiscriminately and taking many as hostages. The terrorists also perpetrated sexual violence against Israeli women.  FETTERMAN HAMMERS ‘A–HOLE’ ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS, SLAMS OWN PARTY FOR RESPONSE TO IRANIAN ATTACK: ‘CRAZY’ As Israel fights against Hamas in Gaza, the war has taken a toll on civilians in the region, particularly as the terrorist group tends to congregate in areas with high civilian populations as a tactic.  The Democratic Party, in particular, has seen a divide develop among members over support for Israel amid the war, with Arab, Muslim and young constituencies demonstrating less support and forcing politicians to be calculated ahead of a competitive general election in November.