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‘Obey the law’: Conservative firebrand torches blue state immigration policies amid major lawsuit

‘Obey the law’: Conservative firebrand torches blue state immigration policies amid major lawsuit

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., criticized Colorado leaders, as the state and the city of Denver are currently being sued by the Department of Justice over their immigration policies, and shared how Congress can step in. “[Denver] Mayor Mike Johnston was unwilling to change policies that don’t even allow his city employees to coordinate with ICE agents. And that also is a coupling with Colorado state laws as well. And unfortunately, Gov. Jared Polis has not budged on those either. In fact, the Democrats who run our state legislature have gone even further. They want to expedite and make driver’s licenses immediately available for those who are in our state illegally,” Boebert told Fox News Digital in an interview on Tuesday. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Colorado District Court, accuses the state and its most populous city of implementing “sanctuary laws” in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. Colorado has become a national focal point, as it was revealed to be a hotbed for the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.  CONSERVATIVE FIREBRAND FLIPS SCRIPT ON HOUSE DEM’S ‘GOTCHA’ RESPONSE TO NONCITIZEN VOTING CRACKDOWN “The United States has well-established, preeminent, and preemptive authority to regulate immigration matters,” the lawsuit reads. ICE enforces federal immigration laws across the country but regularly needs additional support from state and local officials, particularly for large-scale deportations. The agency also asks police departments and sheriff’s offices to flag migrants it wants to deport and hold them until federal agents can take custody. The Department of Justice has filed similar lawsuits challenging “sanctuary policies” in Rochester, New York, and Chicago. COLORADO GOV. JARED POLIS POKES FUN AT TRUMP WITH OFFICIAL ‘SOUTH PARK’ PORTRAIT IN APRIL FOOLS’ DAY POST “At a congressional level, other than codifying what President Trump is doing with his Executive Orders, we do have the power of the purse here in the House,” the Republican said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “And so we need to begin to withhold funding from these sanctuary cities and really empower those who are obeying federal laws to do that more, incentivizing them with those federal dollars and with programs that benefit their areas,” she continued.   President Donald Trump recently put forth an executive order threatening to cut federal funding to “sanctuary jurisdictions” if those governments do not make serious changes. TRUMP ADMIN SUES COLORADO, DENVER OVER ‘SANCTUARY LAWS,’ ALLEGED INTERFERENCE IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT However, Boebert had a straightforward message for Colorado leaders as the federal government continues its immigration crackdown. As the Trump administration marked its first 100 days last month, ICE noted the arrest and deportation of more than 65,000 illegal immigrants, thousands of whom had criminal charges or were already found guilty of a crime. “Obey federal law. If you want these federal dollars to come back and bless Colorado, Colorado is a beautiful state, and they know that. And we want to encourage people to come to Colorado to be there, to be with us, and to have a safe community.” “Colorado is not a sanctuary state. The State of Colorado works with local, state and federal law enforcement regularly and we value our partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies to make Colorado safer,” a spokesperson for Polis’ office said. Fox News Digital reached out to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s office for comment. Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

AOC’s constituents weigh in on presidential run, recall her stunning 2018 political upset

AOC’s constituents weigh in on presidential run, recall her stunning 2018 political upset

Constituents in Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s New York district are warning Republicans not to underestimate the firebrand progressive lawmaker who caused a sensational political upset in 2018 – as rumors swirl about the four-term congresswoman running for president in 2028. Ocasio-Cortez hosted a town hall in New York City on Friday in the same neighborhood where she unseated longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley to become the nation’s youngest congresswoman. Against all odds and with little money, her spectacular win sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party as she effectively ended the political career of Crowley, who at that point was a 10-term incumbent and eyeing being the next House speaker.  ‘COME FOR ME’ AOC TAUNTS TOM HOMAN AFTER BORDER CZAR THREATENED TO REFER HER TO JUSTICE DEPARTMENT Some political observers say Crowley took Ocasio-Cortez for granted, while her constituents believe attaining the nation’s highest office is not beyond her grasp. Fast-forward to 2025 and Ocasio-Cortez has become one of the biggest voices in a party yearning for political leadership.  The huge turnouts for her “Fight Oligarchy” tour events alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has fueled speculation she has enough momentum to launch a presidential bid, while she has also raked in $9.6 million in the first three months of the year, beating her own record fundraising haul.  Mark LaVergne, who’s an independent and was outside Ocasio-Cortez’s town hall but did not attend, told Fox News Digital that he believes she has a winning personality. “Don’t underestimate her. I mean, that was the mistake Joe Crowley and his people made seven years ago,” LaVergne said. “They underestimated her. That was a fatal mistake.” Andrew Sokolof Diaz said Ocasio-Cortez’s popularity appears to be growing and said it would be an honor to vote for her. “Absolutely, we stand with her. I think she absolutely has the support, not only here in her district, but she has the support nationally, maybe even internationally, to run for president.” Sokolof Diaz said. Aleks Itskovich, who traveled from Brooklyn and moved to the U.S. from Russia when he was three years old, said he was inspired by the “Fight Oligarchy” tour and said it proves she connects with the ordinary person. “It goes back to the authenticity,” Itskovich said. “I think that she’s able to come across as a genuine individual that is able to channel people’s concerns directly and feel relatable, honest, that she’s not coming from the 1%. She’s one of the most successful politicians of this generation, so I want to keep seeing how that goes.” HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’ However, not all were keen on the potential move, with Woodside resident Mary Madden saying she felt Ocasio-Cortez is too young, while John Szewczuk, who has lived in Jackson Heights for 44 years, said she may be too left wing to win the presidency outright, but he would still back her. About 450 people packed into a local school auditorium to hear Ocasio-Cortez talk about a host of issues ranging from local concerns about a major casino to national issues like Medicaid and the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. Long lines outside the location caused the event to be delayed for nearly 20 minutes while those who couldn’t get in were shuffled into an overflow room across the hall. Inside, attendees gave Ocasio-Cortez a rousingly warm reception and appeared fully supportive of her legislative agenda and her representation of the district to date. Many questions from the audience centered around local issues, calls for a minimum wage hike, how to improve air quality, as well as asking her how she plans on tackling the Trump administration.  The loudest applause came when Ocasio-Cortez voiced her opposition to a proposed new casino in Queens, which would be part of new sports and entertainment park. The $8 billion project is being spearheaded by New York Mets’ billionaire owner Steve Cohen and has gotten approval from the New York City Council. The congresswoman admitted, however, she doesn’t have a say in the matter since it’s a state issue and not in her district. Applause also rang out when Ocasio-Cortez dared border czar Tom Homan to arrest her after he previously threatened to refer her to the Justice Department for giving advice to migrants on how to avoid being deported.     The town hall went off without a hitch except for an early disruption by a protester who heckled at Ocasio-Cortez about the war in Israel. She was then removed.  The town hall took place in a leafy section of Jackson Heights, known for its strong progressive leanings. A major avenue adjacent to the school was recently transformed into an “open street,” where traffic was substantially reduced to create more public space for pedestrians, cyclists and community use. “I love it, it’s a great neighborhood, it is very diverse, probably one of the most diverse in the world,” Szewczuk said. Conversely, the school is about three blocks away from the Roosevelt Avenue commercial strip, which has become notorious for its open-air sex workers, trash-filled streets, crime, drugs and anti-social behavior. Roosevelt Avenue runs along the southern border of Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th District, and the strip is shared by Rep. Grace Meng. Fox News Digital observed at least 30 prostitutes soliciting sex along one block of Roosevelt Avenue about an hour after the town hall finished.  Some sidewalks along the squalid strip are hard to navigate given the sheer number of people – many of whom are migrants – selling hot food, fruit and vegetables, counterfeit goods and what appeared to be stolen goods.    Ocasio-Cortez never mentioned the strip, nor did any attendee ask about it in the question and answers section. While all questions were submitted in advance and Ocasio-Cortez left out a side door the moment the event ended, it appeared it was way down in the list of priorities for those in attendance.  Sokolof Diaz and Szewczuk said it’s on local politicians to do more, while LaVergne said that Ocasio-Cortez has

Federal judge blocks Trump admin from dismantling 3 agencies

Federal judge blocks Trump admin from dismantling 3 agencies

A federal judge is blocking President Donald Trump from shuttering three federal agencies that assist public resources, minority businesses and mediation services. Nearly two dozen Democratic-led states sued to stop Trump from closing the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). U.S. District Judge John McConnell, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, sided with the states on Tuesday, affirming their arguments that the closings violated the separation of powers. “It … disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each of the branches of our federal government; specifically, it ignores the unshakable principles that Congress makes the law and appropriates funds, and the Executive implements the law Congress enacted and spends the funds Congress appropriated,” McConnell wrote. Attorneys for the Trump administration had sought to argue that the states had no standing to bring a lawsuit in the case, but McConnell rejected that. HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER MASSIVE TOLL REBOOT AS DEMS WORRY TRUMP WILL BLOCK IT “The States have presented compelling evidence illustrating that the harms stemming from the dismantling of IMLS, MBDA, and FMCS are already unfolding or are certain to occur,” McConnell stated, pointing to “the significant reduction in personnel available and competent to administer these agencies’ funds and services and the elimination of certain programs that served the States.”  LEAVITT PUSHES BACK ON MEDIA’S ‘UNCERTAINTY’ ABOUT FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE Earlier this year, McConnell also blocked the Trump administration from implementing a nationwide freeze on federal grants. McConnell sided with 22 states and the District of Columbia in that case on Jan. 31. McConnell ruled that the Trump administration must “immediately restore frozen funding” until the case could be further litigated. “The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,” the judge wrote.

Illegal immigrant murderers could face death penalty under new GOP bill

Illegal immigrant murderers could face death penalty under new GOP bill

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican is seeking to ensure illegal immigrants who commit murder in the U.S. are eligible for the death penalty in all 50 states. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is introducing a bill on Thursday called the Justice for Victims of Illegal Alien Murder Act, which would establish a new class of federal criminal offenses specifically directed at convicted murderers who are in the country illegally. It would make those criminals eligible for life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE Such a bill would strengthen federal prosecutors’ claims of jurisdiction over such crimes, even in states where the death penalty is abolished. “We can hold those individuals accountable at the federal level because they’re here illegally. And here we are with that legislation,” Luttrell told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. He said part of the impetus for the legislation was a case in his home state of Texas in 2023 when a man who had been deported multiple times was arrested for killing five people in the U.S. “That guy shouldn’t have been here as well. He had been deported a couple times, snuck back across the border, and now this happened. It’s time for us to step in and do this,” Luttrell said. It’s also spurred partially by President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in January mandating the death penalty for illegal immigrants who commit “all crimes of a severity demanding its use” and for people who murder police officers. BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY Luttrell said he’s hopeful at least some Democrats will support the bill as well. “I do not run away from those conversations at all, because I think it’s necessary. That shows the American people that we’re working together on this. The American public voted for this administration because of the border,” he said. Luttrell’s bill is backed by seven House Republican co-sponsors, including Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas.