Tensions erupt on House floor as conservatives confront Johnson on $95B foreign aid plan
Tensions flared in the House of Representatives on Thursday when a group of conservatives confronted Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., over his foreign aid plan, leading to another Republican trading barbs with the group of rebels. A group of lawmakers that included Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and others could be seen huddled with Johnson on the House floor after morning votes. The discussion appeared to be interrupted a short while later when Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., confronted the group, and wound up in a particularly heated back-and-forth with Gaetz. Van Orden later told Fox News Digital that he called Gaetz “tubby” and dared the GOP rebels to trigger a vote for Johnson’s ouster – a threat he’s facing from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who were not in the group. Gaetz later told reporters that the conversation with Johnson was “tense” and that they were expressing opposition to his $95 billion proposal of separate bills for aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. ‘DEFINITION OF INSANITY’: FRUSTRATED HOUSE REPUBLICANS BLAST GOP REBELS’ THREAT TO OUST JOHNSON It comes as Johnson faces blowback from members on the right of his conference over the plan, which is roughly the same cost as the Senate’s combined Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan funding package passed earlier this year. “We don’t want to pass his bill. The only win we’ve got in the House of Representatives is blocking the Senate supplemental. If we’re going to throw in the towel on that, what are we doing here?” Gaetz asked. A key difference in Johnson’s plan is having House members vote on each of the bills separately before sending them in a combined package to the Senate – in order to give lawmakers the opportunity to take a stand on each issue and separating the politically fraught matter of Ukraine. But conservatives balked at the lack of U.S. border security provisions tied to the Ukraine bill. Indeed, a GOP lawmaker familiar with the confrontation on the House floor told Fox News Digital that they were pushing Johnson to consider options that include border policy rather than going forward with his planned Saturday foreign aid vote. “I thought we were making some real headway, and then had a member walk up and just start name-calling and just getting in people’s faces,” the GOP lawmaker said. JOHNSON LIKELY FORCED TO GET DEM HELP ON FOREIGN AID PLAN AS REPUBLICANS DECRY LACK OF BORDER MEASURES They were almost certainly referring to Van Orden, who later told Fox News Digital that he joined the fray because he noticed the speaker needed “a swim buddy,” a term for a teammate that Van Orden borrowed from his days in the Navy SEALs. “Gaetz was speaking to the speaker in a matter that I just, I did not think it was appropriate,” Van Orden said. “They start calling me stupid – incredibly juvenile things. And so I said something along the lines of, ‘Kick rocks, tubby,’ to Matt … And the reason I did that is because Matt Gaetz is a bully. He just got up in my face, and I’m not gonna be intimidated by that guy.” Van Orden is one of the many rank-and-file Republicans who have accused House Freedom Caucus members and their allies of hurting the conference with hardball tactics against their fellow GOP lawmakers. He said he dared them to make good on threats to call a motion to vacate, a procedural maneuver that would trigger a vote on ousting the speaker. MASSIE THREATENS TO OUST SPEAKER JOHNSON IF HE DOESN’T STEP DOWN OVER FOREIGN AID PLAN When asked about his confrontation with Van Orden later, Gaetz called it “very puzzling and concerning.” “The only thing I gleaned from it is that Mr. Van Orden is not a particularly intelligent individual,” Gaetz said. He added that his confidence in Johnson was “diminishing” over his actions on foreign aid. Currently, a vote on those bills is expected Saturday evening. Another border security bill that Johnson put forward to ease GOP concerns was blown up on Thursday night before it could get to the House floor by conservatives who accused Johnson of putting it up as a messaging bill with no real momentum.
Democrat lawmakers who pushed Trump impeachment sing different tune on Biden border chief
Some lawmakers in Washington, D.C., who pushed for the impeachment of former President Donald Trump sang a different tune as they threw out articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday. Both articles of impeachment against President Biden’s Homeland Security secretary were deemed unconstitutional by the Senate on Wednesday in two party-line votes. The first article alleged Mayorkas engaged in the “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” regarding the southern border in his capacity as DHS secretary, while the second claimed Mayorkas breached public trust. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., proposed a point of order declaring the first article unconstitutional, to which the majority of senators agreed following several failed motions by Republicans. It was then deemed unconstitutional with a vote of 51-48, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voting present. INSIDE GOP PLAN TO FORCE AS MANY VOTES ON MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL AS POSSIBLE The second article was deemed unconstitutional as well, with a party line vote of 51-49. This time Murkowski rejoined the process. “The decision by the Senate to reject House Republicans’ baseless attacks on Secretary Mayorkas proves definitively that there was no evidence or Constitutional grounds to justify impeachment,” DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “As he has done throughout more than 20 years of dedicated public service, Secretary Mayorkas will continue working every day to enforce our laws and protect our country. It’s time for Congressional Republicans to support the Department’s vital mission instead of wasting time playing political games and standing in the way of commonsense, bipartisan border reforms,” Ehrenberg added. After the vote, Schumer turned to X to say, “Impeachment should NEVER be used to settle policy disagreements.” “If the GOP spent a fraction of the effort they spent on this meritless impeachment towards working with Democrats on border reform, we might have passed the bipartisan border bill,” he said. “But Trump told his GOP allies in Congress to kill it. Trump even said: ‘Please, blame it on me.’” ‘CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY’ OF SENATE DEMS QUASHING MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL QUESTIONED BY EXPERTS Senate Republicans blocked the Biden-backed border bill earlier this year because they said it didn’t address what’s fueling the crisis. “They put forward this legislation, ask for more authority, more funds, and frankly, more flexibility — and they say if we don’t go for it, Republicans are now responsible for the crisis at the southern border. It’s preposterous,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said back in February. Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt fired back in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying, “Crooked Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas reversed President Trump’s effective border policies have allowed a border invasion of more than 14 million illegal criminals, murderers, rapists, and even known terrorists into our country. They must be held accountable. In November, President Trump will fire Crooked Joe Biden and Mayorkas and secure the southern border on day one.” When it came to Trump’s impeachment in 2021, Schumer sang a different tune. The House impeached Trump for a second time in January 2021 after 10 Republicans abandoned the former president and joined Democrats. RASKIN SAYS TRUMP’S REFUSAL TO TESTIFY AT IMPEACHMENT SUPPORTS ‘HIS GUILT’ Schumer said at the time, “I regret to say for 45 Republican senators to vote for a spurious constitutional objection to the coming impeachment trial was deeply, deeply irresponsible.” During the Trump impeachment trial, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., broke from Schumer and said he believed the Senate had a responsibility to hold an impeachment trial but that it was an open question of whether the trial was constitutional. But on the matter of Mayorkas, Murphy called the impeachment “bs.” “Republicans only see the border as a campaign issue,” Murphy posted on X. “They don’t want to solve the problem. They could have worked with us to pass the bipartisan border security bill. Instead, they wasted time on this bs impeachment, which doesn’t solve the problem – just keeps it in the news.” Murphy and Schumer did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the impeachment. 40 HOUSE DEMOCRATS JOIN LEGISLATION TO BAR TRUMP FROM PUBLIC OFFICE SENATE PREPARES FOR MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES WHILE GOP BRACES FOR POSSIBLE DISMISSAL MOTION Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News at the time of the Trump impeachment that the process was “plainly unconstitutional.” Cotton joined several other Senate Republicans in signing a letter last week, lobbying for Schumer to hold a full impeachment trial for Mayorkas. The Republican lawmakers said in the letter, “The American people deserve to hear the evidence through a Senate trial in the Court of Impeachment.” Cotton could not be reached for comment on Wednesday regarding the latest ruling in the Senate for Mayorkas and how it differs from Trump’s impeachment process. Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
GOP bill would bring back Trump-era migrant policy nixed by Biden: ‘Statement of resolve’
FIRST ON FOX: Legislation introduced Thursday by Republican lawmakers would move to reinstate agreements with three Central American countries penned by the Trump administration to prevent migrants from coming to the U.S. border that were shut down by the Biden administration. The Northern Triangle Asylum Cooperative Agreement Reimplementation Act, introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., would aim to re-establish the asylum agreements entered into by the Trump administration with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The bill would withhold aid to those countries until the agreements were resurrected. The agreements allowed the U.S. to send migrants to those countries to claim asylum if they passed through them on the way to the U.S. They also required migrants who cross through those countries to seek protection there instead of at the U.S. border. BIDEN ADMIN FORMALLY TERMINATED KEY TRUMP-ERA MIGRATION AGREEMENTS AT HEIGHT OF BORDER CRISIS Transfers under the Guatemala agreement had been paused since mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agreements with El Salvador and Honduras were never implemented. The Biden administration terminated the agreements in 2021. “The Biden administration believes there are more suitable ways to work with our partner governments to manage migration across the region,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time. “The United States will build on our strong relationships and support these governments’ efforts to address forced displacement without placing undue burden on them, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.” But Republicans have blamed the rollback of Trump-era policies by the Biden administration for the ongoing crisis at the southern border, which is now into its fourth year and has seen record numbers of migrant encounters. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SIGNS ASYLUM AGREEMENT WITH EL SALVADOR Mace’s bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., and Lance Gooden, R-Texas, would condition assistance to the countries, require certifications for the agreements and demand regular recertifications every six months. “The ‘Northern Triangle Asylum Cooperative Agreement Reimplementation Act’ is a statement of resolve to secure our borders and uphold the integrity of our asylum system and remedy one of the many failed border policies brought by this administration,” Mace said in a statement. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “If a country is not willing to help us protect our sovereignty, American taxpayers should not be funding their prosperity,” Rosendale said. “When the ACAs were originally written as immigration-restricting measures, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras agreed to assist us in managing our border crisis. Now that Biden has shredded these agreements, the aid promised should not continue to be delivered.” It comes amid an ongoing face-off between Republicans and the administration over how to handle the crisis. The administration says it needs more funding and comprehensive immigration reform from Congress, including a bipartisan Senate deal hammered together earlier this year.
Trump demands Europe cough up more cash for Ukraine, says war with Russia wouldn’t have happened on his watch
Former President Trump on Thursday demanded that Europe do more to help Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia, saying the U.S. has played too big a role. In a post on his Truth Social account, the Republican frontrunner questioned why the U.S. – despite having an ocean between it and Ukraine – was giving more money than Europe. “Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a country in desperate need?” Trump asked. He clarified that Ukraine’s “survival and strength” was important to the U.S. but that it should be of greater concern to Europe. G7 LEADERS TALK UKRAINE DEFENSE SUPPORT AS RUSSIA TARGETS KEY INFRASTRUCTURE “GET MOVING EUROPE!” Trump said. “In addition, I am the only one who speaks for ‘ME’ and, while it is a total mess caused by Crooked Joe Biden and the Incompetent Democrats, if I were President, this War would have never started!” Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. In the immediate months following, Ukraine saw widespread support from Western allies. But that support has waned as the war drags on with no clear victory in sight. Per the Institute for the World Economy, Europe has a slight edge over the United States in terms of financial and humanitarian aid, but the U.S. has provided significantly more military aid. It found that Europe would have to double its current level and pace of arms assistance to keep pace with the U.S. House Republicans are divided over a $95 billion foreign aid bill that the Senate passed in February. That legislation provides funding for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, as well as humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine. It also provides replenishment cash for the U.S. military to replace weapons sent to Ukraine. 2 ARRESTED IN GERMANY FOR ALLEGED PLOT TO SABOTAGE US MILITARY FACILITIES ON BEHALF OF RUSSIA President Biden has urged Congress to pass the aid, saying that besides critical support to Israel and Ukraine, it would offer “desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.” He said he would sign the funding package right away, sending a message that “we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.” Pentagon leaders reiterated that urgency during a hearing with House appropriators on Wednesday, calling the situation in Ukraine dire. “Whether it’s munitions, whether it’s vehicles, whether it’s platforms, Ukraine is being outmatched by the Russians,” Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’ll just tell you that Ukraine right now is facing some dire battlefield conditions.” Meanwhile, top NATO and European Union officials on Thursday urged foreign ministers from leading industrialized nations to take quick, concrete steps to provide more air defense systems and artillery to Ukraine, warning that continued delays could tilt the war in Moscow’s favor. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dems will make state sanctuary for kids’ gender transitions, abortion over GOP protest
Maine’s Democrat-dominated legislature passed a bill Friday that would shield abortion and gender transition surgeons from facing lawsuits for providing services to minors. The bill, LD 227, protects anyone aiding or offering medical services that are unlawful in other states, like abortion and gender transition surgical procedures or hormones. It would also create a private right of action for damages against law enforcement, prosecutors and other officials in states enforcing their respective state laws – even laws whose constitutionality has been confirmed by federal appellate courts. With the state’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills expected to sign the bill into law, Maine voters must act to elect enough Republicans to “take back at least one chamber” in November’s election, Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday. “That’s really the only way to make significant change in the face of this legislation,” Libby said. “They’re stripping their parental rights, and that definitely has been overwhelmingly unpopular with Maine people.” MAINE CONSIDERS BILL THAT WOULD ESTABLISH ‘LEGAL RIGHT’ TO ABORTION, TRANSGENDER SURGICAL PROCEDURES Maine’s LD 227 is part of a broader effort nationwide by blue state lawmakers to shield medical providers performing abortions or transgender surgical procedures on minors who do not have full parental support. More than a dozen states have shield laws in place protecting abortion providers from out-of-state investigations where abortion is illegal. It would also prohibit “interference” with abortion or sex change procedures, legally protect medical workers from facing lawsuits and could potentially permit concealment of medical records from plaintiffs seeking legal action against a provider. Republicans who oppose the bill caution it might inadvertently allow for the “kidnapping” of adolescents in states that have heavier restrictions to undergo these procedures if they are taken across state lines to Maine. GOP AGS WARN MAINE TO KILL ‘TOTALITARIAN’ BILL MAKING SANCTUARY STATE The bill comes after 16 attorneys general, led by Tennessee’s Jonathan Skrmetti, sent a letter to Gov. Janet Mills, Attorney General Aaron Frey and state legislature leadership denouncing the bill as a “novel effort at state-sanctioned culture war litigation tourism.” Abortion is legal in Maine up until full term of a woman’s pregnancy. Last year, the legislature also approved some transition medication for 16- and 17-year-olds, such as puberty blockers and hormones, without parental consent. VIRGINIA COUNTY DECLARES TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER THIS YEAR At least 23 states restrict or ban transgender surgical procedures for minors. Proponents of Maine’s proposed legislation, including Planned Parenthood, argue it will provide much needed protection for medical providers in the state. Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
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We’ll talk about how the industry has changed Midland and Odessa, how oil companies are partnering with local entities to train the next generation of oil workers, and what is being done to address environmental concerns.
Trump says Biden ‘should be in jail’ and ‘on trial,’ while blasting NY case: ‘The whole world is watching’
Former President Trump declared it is President Joe Biden who “should be in jail” and “be on trial,” while blasting the case against him and saying “the whole world is watching this New York scandal,” as he left court after the third day of his historic and unprecedented criminal trial. The former president, shortly after a full jury was selected to hear arguments from his defense attorneys and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as he seeks to make his case, stood in the hallway of the courthouse and addressed the press. TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: MEET THE JURORS WHO WILL HEAR BRAGG’S CASE AGAINST THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, held a thick stack of news articles from a range of different news outlets and media organizations. Trump said “every one of them” knows the case is “very unfair” and a “very bad thing.” “The whole world is watching this New York scandal,” he said, calling it a “spectacle.” “It is political and it is a shame—it is a shame,” he said. “And I am sitting here for days now from morning until night in that freezing room—everybody was freezing in there—and all for this.” TRUMP JUROR PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED FOR RIPPING DOWN RIGHT-LEANING POLITICAL ADS DISMISSED FROM TRIAL The former president blasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as “out of control” and said Judge Juan Merchan who is presiding over the case is “highly conflicted.” “The whole thing is a mess,” he said. “Joe Biden—he’s the one that should be in jail,” Trump said. “He’s a crook. We’ve got a crooked president. He should be on trial with all the stuff he’s done in his family.” Trump was seemingly referring to the Biden family’s business dealings, which have been under investigation by House Republicans. Those lawmakers launched an impeachment inquiry against Biden. Hunter Biden is currently under investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss who has charged the first son twice, in two separate jurisdictions. Trump again said Biden “should be on trial,” but said: “He’s the one in charge.” TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: JUROR EXCUSED AFTER SAYING SHE DOES NOT THINK SHE CAN BE FAIR Trump claimed that Biden’s “top people are here working with the DA’s office to make sure everything goes right.” “But it shouldn’t go right because they have no case,” He said. “And that is what this is all about.” Trump said that under Biden, the United States is “devolving into a Third World country, between having no borders, having no justice, and having a press that doesn’t want to cover the facts.” TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL TRIAL IS HAVING ‘REVERSE EFFECT’ AS HE CAMPAIGNS AT NEW YORK BODEGA, VOWS TO SAVE CITY Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has blasted the trial as pure politics, a “political persecution” and maintains his innocence. The former president is expected to testify during his trial. “I tell the truth,” Trump said last week, when asked about his possible testimony. Trump is the first president in United States history to stand criminal trial. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Senate pushes forward FISA surveillance bill as expiration looms
The Senate voted to proceed to debate on a bill to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Thursday, clearing an important procedural hurdle before the previous version expires on Friday. A cloture motion to begin voting on the bill passed by a vote of 67-32, with senators of both parties supporting and opposing it. The chamber was able to avoid a potential filibuster by breaking the necessary 60-vote threshold. “We obviously don’t have a lot of time left before FISA authorities expire. In fact, less than two days,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor ahead of the vote to begin debate. ‘CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY’ OF SENATE DEMS QUASHING MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL QUESTIONED BY EXPERTS The renewal has the support of both Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The Kentucky Republican warned his Senate colleagues against pushing for an amendment to require warrants, as Republicans in the House did unsuccessfully. “Misguided efforts to require a criminal-law warrant to sort and organize those data on U.S. persons would end the ability of the FBI to keep America and Americans safe,” McConnell said earlier this week. “Frankly, they would forget the lessons of 9/11,” he claimed. “So I’ll oppose any such efforts and urge my colleagues to do the same.” He noted that senators should expect votes on Friday if FISA is not reauthorized on Thursday. Some of the prominent senators voicing their opposition to the FISA bill are Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rand Paul, R-Ky. Lee has made his objections to the lack of a provision requiring a warrant known. “The documented abuses under FISA should provoke outrage from anyone who values the Fourth Amendment Rights of American citizens,” he said in a March statement while introducing a bipartisan bill to amend FISA. RAND PAUL SAYS EMAIL EXCHANGE BETWEEN TOP FAUCI AIDE AND ECOHEALTH ‘LOOKS LIKE A COVER-UP’ Paul has further claimed the bill allows “spying on Americans through FISA, the way they spied on Trump.” On the other side, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., also came out against the renewal. “I do not support reauthorizing FISA Section 702 in its current form and call on the Senate to take action to stop warrantless searches by the government and law enforcement agencies to protect Montanans’ freedom and privacy,” he said in a statement. REPUBLICANS PREDICT DEMS TO PAY ‘HEAVY PRICE’ IN ELECTION AFTER MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT BID FAILS Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., claimed the measure would “dramatically” expand the powers given to the government under FISA. “The government can force you to help it spy,” he said in a statement. “That means anyone with access to a server, a wire, a cable box, a Wi-Fi router, a phone, or a computer.” However, a much larger bipartisan coalition have underscored why they think renewing FISA is so important. “In this dangerous climate, it is clear that shutting down FISA would be the biggest national security mistake in the history of America,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement last week. FBI Director Christopher Wray also recently pleaded with Congress to reauthorize the security tool, telling a House committee, “failing to reauthorize 702 or gutting it with some kind of warrant requirement would be dangerous and put American lives at risk.” While many push for a quick renewal, several senators have expressed their desire to see changes to the legislation, putting passage before the Friday deadline.
Lawmakers berate Mayorkas on Laken Riley murder: ‘Your policies in action’
Republican lawmakers on Thursday tore into Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the release of the Venezuelan illegal immigrant now charged with the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley — accusing the agency of having released him into the U.S. unlawfully. Lawmakers grilled the embattled secretary on Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, who is accused of killing Riley on Feb. 22, while she was jogging at the University of Georgia in Athens. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed with Fox News Digital previously that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had encountered Ibarra on Sept. 8, 2022, and he had been “paroled and released for further processing.” HAITIAN MIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE OF 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL ENTERED VIA CONTROVERSIAL PAROLE PROGRAM: SOURCES But lawmakers cited the parole case file showing that Ibarra had been released due to an alleged lack of detention space – although some conservatives have pointed to data showing that ICE was not near maximum capacity at the time of Ibarra’s release. The statute governing parole, however, says that releases are only allowed due to urgent humanitarian reasons or “significant public benefit.” Republicans have accused the administration of abusing parole with its broad policies at the border, saying that the paroles often do not meet these criteria. Ranking Member Rand Paul asked Mayorkas about Ibarra’s release and about the legality of the basis for his parole. Mayorkas said that he would not comment on the case. “All our hearts break for the family of Miss Riley. Secondly, the perpetrator of this heinous criminal act needs to meet justice to the fullest extent of the law. And I will not comment on the particulars of the case, because the matter is being prosecuted by authorities now,” he said. When Paul followed up, including asking the secretary if he was pleading the Fifth, Mayorkas said “I have provided my answer” but later expanded. “There are different bases for parole. I am not a legal expert in this regard, but let me assure you that when an individual is encountered at the border, and they are deemed to be at the time of encounter a threat to public safety or national security, they are a priority for detention,” he said. “If not, they receive a notice to appear and are placed in immigration enforcement proceedings. The number of individuals encountered at the border exceed the number of beds available in our detention facilities. That is not something specific to this administration.” But Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., then turned up the heat by reading directly from the parole file, which lawmakers had obtained. He also revealed that Ibarra had been given a work permit, despite having been accused of a crime against a child in New York and having the charges later expunged by local authorities. “Nothing is done to this guy. He had a criminal record to start with, he’s in the country on illegal grounds. You have falsely and illegally allowed him in. He committed a crime against a child. He’s not prosecuted, it’s expunged. In November, get this, in November, Ibarra files an application for employment authorization. And unbelievably, on December 9, 2023, it’s approved,” he said. “So this is your policies [sic] in action, Mr. Secretary,” he said. JIM JORDAN ACCUSES MAYORKAS OF WITHHOLDING FILES OF ALLEGED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINAL “I am confident that justice will be vindicated in the criminal prosecution of the case,” Mayorkas responded, which led Hawley to make a reference to the recent impeachment effort against Mayorkas. Well, hopefully he’ll get more of a trial than you got,” he said. “Otherwise, there’ll be no justice for anyone at all.” Separately, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, raised the CHNV (Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan) parole program, which allows up to 30,000 migrants a month to fly or travel directly into the U.S. via parole. “Why are you mass importing tens of thousands of Venezuelans into our country via parole, knowing they can’t be deported, because Venezuela isn’t exactly accepting removal flights? He asked him. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “We are not doing that, senator,” Mayorkas said. “The term ‘importation’ is incorrect.” Mayorkas also said it was false to say that Venezuela won’t take return flights. “So, why do you say it’s not correct when it’s been suspended? That’s why Americans don’t trust you,” Marshall fired back. Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes the ballot in a key presidential battleground state
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign is spotlighting that the independent presidential candidate has moved a step closer to his goal of getting on the ballot in all 50 states. The campaign of the longtime environmental activist and high-profile vaccine skeptic, who is the scion of the nation’s most storied political dynasty, on Thursday showcased that he has made the ballot in Michigan. The state is one of seven crucial general election battlegrounds that will likely decide the outcome of the 2024 election rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump. The campaign announced that Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, have been nominated by the Natural Law Party, a small party with ballot access in Michigan. Trump carried the Great Lakes State by a razor-thin margin in his 2016 presidential election victory, and Biden narrowly captured the state four years later, as he won the White House in 2020. FAMILY FEUD: TOP MEMBERS OF KENNEDY FAMILY FORMALLY BACK BIDEN “He’s the most qualified candidate in the modern-day history of America,” Natural Law Party Chairman Doug Dern said in a statement released by the Kennedy campaign. “We welcome Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Shanahan to the party.” The Michigan Secretary of State’s office confirmed to Fox News that the Natural Law Party had filed their documents with the Bureau of Elections and that Kennedy will appear on the ballot in November. PICKING A RUNNING MATE MAY BOOST KENNEDY’S BALLOT ACCESS ODDS The Kennedy campaign announced that Kennedy will “celebrate his ballot access win” this Sunday when he hosts “A Night of Laughter” comedy show at a theater outside of Detroit. Michigan becomes the second state where Kennedy, a Democrat turned independent, has officially qualified for the ballot, following Utah. And his campaign said that Kennedy has collected enough signatures to meet ballot access thresholds in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Nevada, the swing state of New Hampshire, as well as Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho and Hawaii. While attaining a spot on the ballot is a costly and time-consuming venture for independent candidates, Kennedy campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear recently emphasized, “We have the field teams, volunteers, legal teams, paid circulators, supporters and strategists ready to get the job done.” Kennedy is polling in the double digits in some national surveys and in polls in some of the key general election battlegrounds — higher than any other third-party or independent White House contender since Ross Perot more than three decades ago. The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee — which recently brought on veteran communicators to target third-party and independent candidates — have repeatedly slammed Kennedy as a potential spoiler whose supporters could hand Donald Trump a presidential election victory in November. “We are doing everything in our power to get President Biden and Vice President Harris re-elected. It’s critical that we take seriously every possible obstacle to that goal,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis emphasized in a recent conference call with reporters. “And let me be clear, that’s exactly what Robert F. Kennedy is in this election. He’s a spoiler.” The threat of Kennedy serving as a spoiler for the Trump campaign is particularly acute in Michigan, where an activist group called Listen to Michigan is pushing for Democrats to reject a second Biden presidency over his support for Israel in the war in Gaza. Michigan is home to the highest per capita Muslim population in the U.S. Plenty of pundits and pollsters are making the case that Kennedy also could pose a similar problem for Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. And in recent weeks, the former president’s campaign has characterized Kennedy, whose populism on some issues seems similar to Trump’s, as a far-left politician. Trump recently charged that Kennedy was “the most Radical Left Candidate in the race, by far.” On Thursday, several members of the Kennedy family appeared with President Biden in Philadelphia to offer their public endorsement for the President over Robert Kennedy Jr. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.